Scota, known to the Romans as Caledonia, is shaped very irregularly. the West Coast is deeply penetrated by numerous arms of the sea, most of which are narrow submerged valleys, known as lochs, and a number of broad indentations, known as firths. The terrain is predominantly mountainous. The terrain falls, into three distinct divisions, from north to south, the highlands, the central lowlands, and the southern uplands. The highlands are composed of precipitous cliffs, moorland plateaus, mountain lakes, sea lochs, swift flowing streams, and dense thickets. The lowlands are a narrow belt comprising about one tenth the area of Scota, the central lowlands are traversed by several chains of hills and several important rivers. The Southern Uplands consist largely of a moorland plateau traversed by rolling valleys and broken by mountainous outcroppings.
The peoples of Scota are generally known as the Pict's and Scots. The Pict's are generally considered the original inhabitants of the entire island. In general the Pict's are a rather short stature and dark complexioned people while the Scots are taller and fairer. Exactly when the Scots and other Celtic people came to the island is lost in the mists of time. The Scots have over time driven the Pict's further and further north. The fights and wars between the Pict's and Scots have become the stuff of myth and legend and given raise to two very strong and national identities. In the years just before the Great rebellion the Pict's and Scots but aside their ancient rivalries and actually took the fight to the Romans pushing the border with Roman occupied Britannia back further south. To defend their territory against the fierce combined fighting forces of the Pict's and Scots the Roman emperor Hadrian commissioned a great wall built along the Empires northern border with Caledonia. The Scots and Pict's are a renowned throughout the Empire for their fighting skill and their warrior natures.