There are few areas on a map stranger or more storied than The Bleak Lands.
The entire region was the home of the Blood Raider Covenant. The Minmatar Rebellion, the Purge of Nation, and the Separation of the Kingdom all left the Holy Amarr Empire unable to deal with this deadly threat practically on it’s doorstep. A civilization of sorts did thrive there, but always hard pressed and barely contained by the CONCORD signatories that surrounded it.
Then, not even 2 decades ago, with Amarr enjoying a level of peace it had not known in generations, The Covenant grew complacent, kicked the beehive, and was drawn into a conflict which brought the swift purging of the entire faction to Delve. The speed at which this campaign concluded, and the scope of an entire region of Worlds being evacuated in the face of the invaders, left so many planets and cities as ghost towns practically overnight. Normally, such a huge military undertaking would have resulted in heavy bombardments from orbit, or protracted battles on the ground, but this was not the case; The Blood Wars lasted less than 3 months before the complete retreat began. As a result, so much of what was left behind was in relatively pristine condition compared to, say, the worlds on the front lines of the Matari Rebellion.
Amarrian settlers moved into the area with fervor, hastily rebuilding on top of the bones of the settlements of the many differing Sabik factions that all called the Covenant their protectors. However, in the wake of the so-called ‘Elders’ attack on Holy Amarr, and the subsequent commencement of the Pendulum Wars, the region was once again plunged into chaos after only a handful of years of calm, putting great pressure on those Amarr wishing to find a new life in this troubled region, and drastically crippling efforts to make The Bleak Lands a vibrant and growing addition to the Greater Amarria.
These are troubled worlds, the Bleaks, of that there is no question. You could run into Matari terrorist bands, zealous Amarrians driven by faith to reclaim, or even remnant Blood Raiders hoping to prove themselves to their dark overlord. Only the most driven of those who fight for their factions willingly deploy to The Bleaks. Outlaws and outcasts of all kinds find haven in many places scorched by the ever-shifting fronts between the Tribals and the Paladins, and there are many sectors that an academic should rightly consider insane to attempt to visit, but the amount of history contained there, and the circumstances that have kept the area unable to ‘pave over the past’, means the The Bleak Lands are a brutal playground for the archaeological adventurer. With ever-present conflict in the area for so long, scientific endeavors of discovery have been lacking. Many maps are incomplete; for Here There be Dragons.
Take a gun. Bring a guide. Explore. You may find what only warriors of a dozen different armies, hastily passing by towards their next objective, have had the chance to gaze upon.