Chessboard Lands

Closer to the white castle, the chessboard squares vary from marble to grass.
Closer to the red castle, where the Queen resides, the marble turns black and the grass turns a dark, sickly maroon. These stretch out all across the Midlands, dotted with little settlements where the chessboard has faded out into solid soil.
But watch out here. Much of the land is flat, and open save for a few patches of forest. Assassins love it here. As do a few large predators.