Board Thread:Suggestions Forum/@comment-27043663-20151208132128

The Dark Lands are scarcely mentioned in source material, however some facts are certain: The Atlas of Middle Earth mentions that they are covered by forest, and that wild men (similar to Rhudaur Hillmen) lived there. However, it also mentions possible Numenorean settlement, where the wood-hungry Dunedain probably made a sizeable dent into it's tree population.

Landscape:

Therefore, I propose 4 main biomes:

1: Dark Land Forest - Forested area of the Dark Lands. Contains villages of wild men, somewhat hostile to invaders of any kind. There are also Numenorean ruins spawning rarely. The forest itself would be similar to the Wild Wood, as they were once part of the same forest.

Variations: Clearing, Hills, Lake, Coast

2: Dark Land Plains - Deforested area of the Dark Lands, usually around the coast (specifically the west). Contains more Numenorean ruins than the forest. The coast itself will have larger ruins designed to be reminiscent of harbours. Some wild men live here, although villages are much more scarce.

Variations: Coast, Hills, Lake

3: Dark Land Mountains - The long lost Yellow Mountains of Arda's south east. They would be parallel to the Orocarni and the Harad Mountains. Different tribes of wild men spawn here, but no Numenorean ruins are present.

Variations: Foothills, Forest, Lake

4: Dark Land Ice - In the far south of the Dark Lands, the land would be covered by ice and snow. Progressively going south leads to less vegetation and more ice and snow cover. This would damage you in the same way as Forodwaith.

Variations: Coast (and Ice Float), Hills, Forest (and Frozen Forest), Lake (and Frozen Lake), Plains

Peoples:

Wild men of the forests, similar in design to Rhuduar Hillmen. They begin neutral, but obviously do not trust you. They still remember the slavery of the Numenoreans, and believe you one of them. Their houses are wooden, built from the same wood as their trees.

Wild men of the ice. They are less violent than the forest-men, and are hardy and strong due to their harsh environment. They are wary of you, but only because they have had next to no contact with other men. They are nomads, having no permanent housing, but only camps, with most of them abandoned.

(And if the following is allowed:)

Dwarves of the Yellow Mountains. A long lost tribe of Orocarni dwarves settled here after the flooding of their cities during the First Age War of the Wrath. They are a reclusive people, not even attempting to seek out their lost kin. Apart from that outlying detail, they use their yellow stone in a manner similar to the other tribes of dwarves.

Elves of the Dark Land. Elves that were separated from their kin in the Wild Wood after one of the Valar vs Morgoth wars sunk the bridges between continents. These are plausible considering the fact that Middle Earth and the Dark Land were once connected, and so were their forests. They are exactly the same as Avari, with maybe some minor cosmetic differences.

Note: WIP 