Thursday, April 15, 2010

Vernal Valley Sub-Regions

Crown Pasture: Occupying the southeast corner of the Vernal Valley, the Crown Pasture is the primary farming land used by the citizens of Floivin Province. Much of the land is broken off into farmsteads, who trade among themselves and also bring their goods to Halehusk and Livenoak where they barter them for clothing and other necessities. Several of the farmsteads serve as local distilleries or breweries, and several are overseen directly by the Eidolorn government. The rest of the farmsteads pay an annual tithe to the Empire, but are allowed to buy and sell their produce as desired. While it's not an extremely dangerous area of the Valley, farmers are often beset upon by ankhegs, giant ants, dire weasels, vipers and goblin marauders who creep into the Valley through the Great Westermarch road.

Frail Forest: The Frail Forest is home to both bands of elves native to the Vernal Valley: the Roodeyes and Reddenbalms. Both are nomadic families who wander about the forest seasonally, occasionally crossing over to the Crown Pasture or Skunk Ridge to set up their camps. Otherwise, the Forest is a great source for woodland game, and the primary source of lumber in Floivin Province, so camps of woodcutters are quite common on the outskirts. In the center of the Forest lies the beautiful Eastnesse with its crystal waters, so clear that one can often see close to the bottom of its 30 foot depths during a bright summer day. It's the primary source of fresh water for the game in the area, so hunters will often set up around its shores. The villages of Livenoak and Littlewolf are also found here, and the ruined dwarf keep known as Ettencap, which is dangerous and off limits save for the Last Eidolorn soldiers who maintain a vigil upon it. The Forest has been cleared of most of its most deadly game by now, but some predators still exist, including krenshar, black bears, dire wolves and giant owls. Several small clans of kobolds are also believed to exist in the region, though they are known more as pests who steal supplies from hunting and logging camps than an outright threat.

Skunk Ridge: Skunk Ridge is so named for the plethora of bizarre skunkweed plants that dominate its otherwise rocky, rolling hills. The region comprises the entire area between the Pinewater and Midge Creek rivers, stretching south over the Udders Well and north through Oldbone Pass which eventually arrives in the Province of Wintersbreath. Tarndim is a fishing community on a small bridge of rock over the Well, and Cedarway is a small shipping stop located on the west ban of the Pinewater, where goods are checked and organized for trade to the neighboring Province. The skunkweed and other herbs are noted for their medicinal or olfactory traits, but the Ridge is also home to a number of dangers. Giant stag beetles, dire wolves, troglodytes and even mating bulettes are known to frequent the area, and citizens are advised to stay far away from them. In addition, there are a great many small, abandoned mines dotting the region, and many a hollow hill which might house a dwarf barrow from times predating Imperial rule.

Tooth Marsh: Perhaps the most diverse terrain of the Vernal Valley, the Tooth Marsh is full of swamp groves to the north, peters off into flat wetlands in its center, and becomes slightly more solid and rocky to the south, where a valley pass leads through the Mimresh to the Fyreklaw barrens beyond. A great range of herbs and wildlife can be found within, as the Marsh has a more diverse ecology than any other area of the Valley. Hobfast is the one settlement here, on the western bank of Udders Well, but scavengers, hunters and pickers can often be found scattered through the Marsh. Though the war against Fharkkas the Gnawer catalyzed the cleansing of most of the more dangerous creatures in the Marsh by the Last Eidolon guard, there remain a number of hostile enemies: lizardfolk, stirges, chokers and small hydras have been spotted here through the years, and there is always the threat of an invasion via the Mimresh.

Udders Well: One of the largest freshwater lakes in all of the Eidolorn Empire, the Udders Well is fed by the 'Udders', an ancient damn that controls the flow of the higher Dimnesse waters into the lake and out through the Pinewater and Midge Creek to lands beyond the Vernal Wall. The Well is a major resource for fishing, drinking water and recreation, and probably the real lifesblood of both the Empire living here and the previous Gnarlbottom clan. Small fishing craft are common on its waters, and occasionally a river barge from Wintersbreath, but the Last Eidolon guard maintain no naval force in Floivin Province. The Well is suspected to be close to 200 feet deep in its center, and there are a number of dangerous denizens which fishermen must do their best to avoid: scrags and merrow raiders that come upriver through the Midge Creek are not unheard of, dire bass are a deadly prize, and more than one freshwater hydra is known to lurk beneath its waters.

Vernal Wall: The massive mountainous enclosure surrounding the Vernal Valley is both a blessing and curse. It provides great protection from both the elements and invasion, provided you can defend the various river and land passes which offer access. But it's also home to some of the more dangerous monsters of the region, and its vast walls are dotted with old mines, burial sites and former dwarven holds: Haunted Horrn, Crowslode and the Dwarf Lords' Rest are all found upon its cliffs and slopes. There is only one community in the Wall, the Hud Horrn which lies below its overrun neighbor on the Haunted Path in the western mountains, but mountaineers, miners and even the more daring birdwatchers of the Empire are often found in the heights, which rise above 2,000 feet in some areas. It's suspected that deep below the Wall, various old dwarf fortresses and cities may lie, that predate Floivin Keep itself. The more common denizens of its heights include mountain lions, dire bears, giant eagles, gargoyles and bugbear tribes that ascend to the peaks from the subterranean depths, and who knows what else lies below the roots of the Vernal Wall's many, many caverns.

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