Windclaw Isles
The Windclaw Isles is the homeland of the player characters. This region consists of 3 major islands (Windclaw, Banega and Ilara) and a score or so of lesser islands.
This range of northern islands is rather isolated from the rest of the world. They do some trade with the large continent to the east, but the distance is just far enough and the waters treacherous enough to make this an uncommon occurrence rather than an established trade route. The Windclaw Isles do have several mines mining precious metals though, something which is always interesting for traders (and pirates). In addition to the precious metals, which the isles export both in raw form and in the form of elaborate art objects, jewelry and other forms of decoration, there is also a lot of animals worth hunting for their pelts on the isles. Of these, the Winter Wolf is the most prized, but also the rarest and most difficult to hunt. These pelts are often made into elaborate clothing on the isles itself, but the base pelts are also often traded. In return for these attractive goods, the isles imports a lot of foodstuffs, primarily fruits since the climate on the islands is not the best for fruit orchards. Locally grown produce is generally limited to the hardier vegetables and a little grain. Some areas of the isles are better suited to growing other kinds of crops, but generally these areas are too small to provide a proper supply for the whole of the island chain.
The island chain is located a bit to the north, and very exposed to the open ocean from all sides. This makes the climate on the islands a bit harsh and cold, giving the people from the isles a reputation of being a hardy lot. Generally people from the isles are rather friendly (although some people seem intent on changing this perception all by themselves).
Population
About 100.000 people call the isles their home. The majority of these people live in smaller villages and hamlets around the isles, but a sizable chunk of the population also lives in the few larger towns/cities on the isles. About 98% of the people on the isles are Humans, but the occasional demi-humans do live here too. These are mostly found either in their own separate communities, or in the larger cities. They are rarely seen in the many villages of the isles, except for the few villages that happen to be situated nearby one of their communities. This has led to most inhabitants treating the demi-humans with suspicion, but very rarely with hostility or exclusion. However, a demi-human attempting to rent a room at an inn is far more likely to be asked to pay a deposit up front than his human friend.The demi-humans have become popular employees of several craftsmen in the cities however, due to their excellent craftsmanship skills. Items created by them often fetches double of what a similar item from a human would. Granted, they use almost 10 times as long to make the item in the first place, but then again, shortage is on materials, not man-hours, so it is generally a good deal.