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Azhmodai 08-14-07, 12:37 AM

After a long hiatus, I'm about to start a new campaign and I created a new campaign world to set it in. In keeping with the spirit of Ray Winninger's Dungeoncraft articles (Dragon Magazine 255-290) I'm aiming to keep the setting small and somewhat restricted (the less work for me) but open and flexible enough to accomodate grand adventures and any characters the players wish to create. The Three Towns area described below makes up roughly 1/6th of the Vale's total area, but will be the only region familiar to the players at the beginning of the game. This is a bare-bones document that represents the knowledge that the starting players will have. I'm sure it's incomplete, but are there any glaring areas I've overlooked? Any comments, questions, or critiques are welcome, and I'm grateful to those of you who take time to look this over. Thanks. A Brief History of the Vale In the distant past, the Vale (known also as the Last Valley or the Vale of Enther) was part of a vast and thriving world, a world that contained numerous peoples and all manner of creatures, good and ill. The Vale was ruled by Enther, a Wizard of great power and legendary kindness, and he ruled well. Something went wrong in the world, however. Evil came (or maybe it was there all along) and it grew and swept over the world. The bowels of the earth opened and belched forth demons and all manner of foulness, and beings of terrible fury and righteous wrath descended from the heavens. War covered the earth, scattering the peoples and laying waste to the great cities. Only a few refuges remained, of which the Vale was one, but even these were threatened by the tides of war. The Wizard, despite his power, could not avail against the forces arrayed against him, but he did the one thing that would preserve the Vale. Staff in hand, he stood atop the highest parapet of his tower and summoned the Old Powers of Earth and Sky to do his bidding—his greatest and final spell. Calling on secret names, he forced the Old Powers of Earth to raise great walls of mountains around the Vale, ringing it in impenetrable walls of stone. He bound the Old Powers of Sky to ring the Vale with a Veil of Winds to remove it from the sight and reach of those outside. After working these wonders, he was undone. Exhausted, he could not defeat the Old Powers as they turned against him, seeking to devour the soul of the mortal who had been so audacious to command them. Yet before the Old Powers could claim his soul, the Wizard performed his final feat: Taking his staff and breaking it over his knee, he destroyed himself, burst his tower to the ground, and dispersed the Old Powers to the remote corners of the Vale. How long ago this was, no one knows—though the elves reckon it may have been over a hundred of their generations. Since that time, the Vale has stood safe and isolated from whatever lies beyond the mountains, safe from the world beyond. That is not to say that the Vale is peaceful, of course. The civilized folk have made the best of the natural riches of the Vale, but others have as well—goblinkind, ogres, trolls, and worse. Even giants and a few solitary dragons lair in the mountains that gird the Vale, and who knows what lurks in the dark deep below the earth? One thing is certain: remnants of Enther’s magic linger and course in the veins of those who dwell in the Vale, yet none have yet risen who could rival his power and undo what he wrought with his death. And many give thanks for that. The Three Towns http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p1/tzulscha/ThreeTowns2.jpg From the Hills of Kaust, to the eaves of the Crescent Wood, to the Stone of Falmor in the Fields of Eryth, stands a rough triangle of land where civilized folk have carved out a safe home. The dwarven hold of Khulzad, the elven spires of Vailforil, and the free city of Falmora claim joint ownership over these lands, and oaths of mutual allegiance have kept them safe against the machinations of their more warlike neighbors. Though named for the original three towns, two others have sprung up more recently: Baramy and Magrond. These new towns are significantly smaller than the original three, but possess rights as free cities under the Charter of the Three Towns. Baramy • The youngest of the Three Towns (and technically the fifth). • Known for its frontier character and rustic charm. • Home to woodsmen, hunters, trappers, and miners who venture into the nearby Hills of Kaust or the West Reach of the Crescent Wood. • Ruled by a town council of prominent citizens. The Crescent Wood • A forest claimed by the elves and bound by their laws against trespass. • Some claim that something terrible lives in “The Dark Heart of the Wood.” • Other believe that the elves spread this rumor to hide a secret of their own. • Recently, the West Reach (the part of the wood that lies both South and West of Vailforil) has been ceded to Baramy for a period of ten years. • If the people of Baramy manage the forest well, the elves of Vailforil will extent this grant. Falmora • Home to a bustling Foreign Market, where even orcs and goblins can gather to trade, albeit in carefully limited numbers. • This thriving fortified town is surrounded by farmland and the terminus of several important trade routes. • Named for Falmor Masril, a local hero who organized the people of the Vale against a horde of goblins, orcs, and giants who came out of the mountains and forged the Treaty of the Three Towns. • Currently ruled by Lord Mayor Telmar Masril, a direct descendent of Falmor. The Fields of Eryth • The place where the most conclusive battles of Falmor’s War were fought. • Farmers and treasure-hunters still turn up old bones, rusty arms, and the occasional object of value. • Locals say ghostly legions reenact battles of the war on moonless nights. The Hills of Kaust • Once rife with goblins and other fell creatures hostile to the dwarves of Khulzad, now home to dwarves, gnomes and a few human settlers. • Old standing stones and stone circles can be found in the hills, which predate the time of Enther by many centuries, perhaps millennia. Khulzad • A dwarven citadel carved deep into stone, surrounded by the burrows and villages of gnomes and halflings. • Ruled by Brombel Khulzorad, an aged king whose fondness for humans stems from his campaigning with the hero Falmor. • The heir apparent, his son Gromboril, is less favorably disposed to humans. He had publicly criticized his father for lenient tariffs and unfair treaty terms. The Lake of Curses • The Lake fills a deep crater where a large fragment of Enther’s Tower fell. • Magic infuses the water itself, but causes strange aberrations in those who drink of it. Magrond • A small farming town set in low, fertile plains along the River Nakal. • As Falmor grows, Magrond is becoming more important as a food producer. • Ruled by a town council of the wealthiest farmers. River Nakal • A wide, slow river that springs from a source in the hills of Kaust and flows through the center of the Three Towns. • Important to trade between Falmora, Magrond, and Baramy. River Skai • A large, swift river that converges from many sources high in the Southern Mountains. • Known for a wealth of fish, as well as a dangerous population of river-trolls. The Stone of Falmor • A fortified keep and garrison on the east bank of the River Skai, built on the site where Falmor slew the giant Oreshkigal. • Overseen by the Defender of the Stone, Falmora's ranking general. Vailforil • Hidden city of the elves, forbidden to all outsiders. • The elves trade and mingle with others in the outlying villages, but distrust outsiders and enforce a death penalty for trespass. • Ruled by a Council of unknown numbers, the eldest and wisest of the elves. Religion in the Three Towns Druids and the Sacred Groves • Druidism is the dominant religion, as many consider Enther’s Sacrifice the result of a war between the gods and thus distrust the worship of deities. • Druids bless the crops and herds, care for the sick, and watch over forest, hill, and field. • Druids must renounce all ties to family and country and accept the decrees of their circle and the High Circle. • The most important of the Druidic Rites are seasonal and annual ceremonies to pacify the Elder Powers of Earth and Sky at the shores of the Lake of Wrath. The Mourners of Enther • Whether they are truly priests or instead scholars and historians is in question, but the Mourners revere the Wizard and seek to regain his lost knowledge. • Their chief holiday is the anniversary of Enther’s Sacrifice. • Some Mourners believe that the remnants of Enther’s Tower lie at the bottom of the Lake of Wrath, but the elemental forces in and around the lake prevent investigation. Other Faiths • Priests of the old gods (from the PBH and other rulebooks) are not unheard of, and are tolerated and respected (sometimes grudgingly), but many people shun them, so they seldom gather a great following. • In some places, priests (especially vocal proselytizers) are regarded with suspicion and many of them are forced to become mendicants as they are expelled from one town after another. • Paladins in particular draw attention due to the extremity of their beliefs and actions, though they are often praised for their deeds. • The Three Towns is home to a folk belief that someday in an hour of need the hero Falmor will return from the dead and lead his people to a land beyond the Vale. • Falmor himself spoke against those who claimed his divinity and quelled several attempts to deify him before his death. To their credit, his family continues this tradition instead of profiting from what would certainly become a popular religion. • Some people believe that the world outside the Vale utterly perished sometime after Enther sealed the Vale, or removed it from the world entirely to some celestial refuge. Edit: The high concentration of magic in the area is my way of justifying a hugely diverse population in such a small area. Basically, all of the races and subraces from all WotC published material will be available. For instance, in Vailforil, different elven families will represent different "races" of elves, having been changed long ago by the release of Enther's final spell. More recent mutations exist as well. This campaign is designed for characters starting at 1st level and going to 20th, and possibly beyond into epic levels. In the low and mid-levels, the PCs will be dealing with local problems that gradually gain scope as the progress, leading to a conflict with repercussions for the entire Valley. Sometime around 16-20th level, the PCs will begin discovering more about Enther and his work, and possibly (in epic levels) learn how to break the spell.