Darkmoon Vale

Darkmoon Vale

(Region)

Nation

Andoran

Alignment

Neutral

Languages

Common

Images of Darkmoon Vale

Source: Andoran, Birthplace of Freedom, pg(s). 18–21

Darkmoon Vale is a frontier region in northwestern Andoran stretching from the Arthfell Forest on its southern border to the Five Kings Mountains in the north.

Geography

The River Foam is the primary waterway in the region and cuts a line through the center of the Vale. While Darkmoon Vale consists mostly of frontier lands, it nevertheless hosts several mentionable settlements. These include Falcon's Hollow, Olfden, Oregent, and Piren's Bluff. Despite the region's many dangers, Andoran remains interested in the Vale's natural resources, from darkwood to silver, and its access to the Isgeri border. Its eastern border is defined by the Wolfrun Hills, beyond which runs the Andoshen River.

Woodlands

The two main woodlands in the Darkmoon Vale are the Darkmoon Wood, located between the River Foam and the Five Kings Range; and the northern reaches of the Arthfell Forest. They were once a continuous forest, but the lands between them have been clear-cut over the preceding centuries. This logging continues to create great tensions between the Vale's human inhabitants and the native fey protectors of the forest.

History

The history of the region goes back before Taldan and Chelaxian humans first settled in the region in the mid-42nd century AR. In 3980 AR, it was rocked by the eruption of Droskar's Crag, a volcano just north of the Vale. The event, known as the Rending, destroyed the nearby dwarven settlement of Jernashall and flooded the Foam and Andoshen Rivers with millions of gallons of snowmelt. The resulting flooding caused widespread destruction along the banks of the rivers, particularly in the capital of Almas hundreds of miles away.

The indigenous Kellid inhabitants of Darkmoon Vale were first conquered in 4113 AR by Karas "the Falcon" Novotnian.

Government

Due to its geographical isolation from the capital Almas and the rest of the Andoren heartland, Darkmoon Vale is given quite a bit of political autonomy, a situation that substantially benefits the Lumber Consortium. This militaristic and tyrannical organization covets the region's large stands of darkwood trees.

Inhabitants

The wild reaches of the Darkmoon Vale are rife with kobolds, fey, werewolves, hags, and worgs. The Vale is also home to flame drakes, which have recently begun to raid across the border into neighbouring Isger. Additional dangers arise from the nearby Candlestone Caverns, an expansive network of caves inhabited by kobolds, hryngars, undead, and other menacing creatures. These threats are compounded by the deep passages connecting to the Darklands, granting access to even more perilous beings from beneath the surface.

The Novotnian family of Darkmoon Vale is known throughout Andoran and beyond for developing advanced falconry techniques.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.