The Hinterlands are the outer edge of Mabar, the collection of planar fragments that are currently being consumed and integrated into the Endless Night. Here, the Hunger of Mabar property has not yet taken hold, which generally makes them safer to visit than other layers of Mabar. The Mabaran properties a fragment reflects vary depending on its nature and how close it is to complete integration with Mabar.
There can be infinite variety in the fragments within the Hinterlands. This largely depends on what plane a fragment is from. Is it a verdant forest of Lamannia? A floating tower of Syrania? Or is it a piece of the Material Plane—a fortress plucked out of the Last War or a Riedran village? The second question is how long the fragment has been under siege. To what degree does it retain its original flavor, and how much has the influence of Mabar overtaken it? The final question is which of the Dark Powers has claimed it—and why? What is it about this region that draws it toward a Dark Power’s domain? The Empress of Shadows looks for places that shine too brightly—places that bask in their achievements, sure their glory will never fade. The Bone King claims fragments where commoners suffer or where rulers turn to tyranny; there are a few Karrnathi fragments in his domain, though it can be hard to tell how close they are to being subsumed. The Queen of All Tears seeks the places where terrible tragedies have occurred, forcing the inhabitants to forever dwell in these moments of misery. With fragments of the outer planes, it’s more a question of reshaping the plane to fit these stories. By contrast, when it comes to the Material Plane, it’s the story itself that often draws the dire hand of Mabar