Border Bowl
The Border Bowl is a geographic and geopolitical region located on the northwestern edge of claimed United Cities territory in north-central Kento. Geographically, it is the nexus point between the Bask Basin to its northeast, the Coldwinter Hills to its east, the Fleasands to its south, and the Goat Hills to its west and north. Geopolitically, it is defined as the northwestern frontier region of the United Cities along its border with the Flotsam Ninja State and the Greenlands Free State. At its northern rim is the United Cities fortress of Baskguard, while at its western rim is the joint Flotsam-Greenlands fortress of Eastern Shield.
During the Bask Wars of the mid-to-late 37th century Aj., the Border Bowl of the site of many fierce confrontations between the armies of the now-defunct Elder Synod and the United Cities. The region was overrun by the United Cities in the wake of the Ninja War, but the last surviving garrison of Synod forces at Eastern Shield prevented their expansion westward into the Monsoonlands. Later, the outbreak of the Freeholder Revolt would significant reduce the Cities' grip on power in the region, returning it to its more frontier nature by the beginning of the 39th century.
Although the region remains heavily patrolled by the United Cities, it is a frequent region through which escaped slaves traverse from the northern United Cities into the emancipated states of the Monsoonlands. Escapees, primarily from Oaish and Heyak, will cross the Northdunes of the Great Desert to reach the cover of rough terrain in the Coldwinter Hills. The western edge of the Coldwinter Hills must be transited carefully, and then the Border Bowl must be crossed with great haste. Typically travelling in groups, these escapees are sometimes spotted and pursued by United Cities guards or bounty hunters up to just a few hundred metres from the western gate of Eastern Shield, well within the view of Flotsam and Greenlands guards. Previous efforts to infringe upon United Cities claimed territory in the Border Bowl has nearly caused the outbreak of open conflict between the emancipated states and the Cities, and as such, at least in daylight, guards from the Eastern Shield will not intervene on behalf of the escapees until they are within "an arrow's flight" of the western gate.