Parn Tandalorn - The Great Archive

Near the headwaters of the Tandalorn River there is a strange and magical community, high in the mountains, that is dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.  This is the site of the fantastic Great Library of Parn Tandalorn.  It was settled by a group of monks and priests from the Olmart Empire that accompanied the first settlers to come into the Valley, south of the great river.  They brought with them soldiers, as well as their own families, seeking to establish a new community, in the strange and dangerous land of the Valley.

Parn Tandalorn

It was here, with the various artifacts and ruined sites of the Old Ones, that the Archivists thought they could study and make sense of what the world was like before the advent of Man.  To understand what the Archivists (the original settlers of the Great Library and the community there) understood about man, it is important to understand how they viewed Man's place in the world.  This was, of course, very different than the understanding that the inhabitants, with their knowledge of the three goddesses, and some of the subjected peoples of the old empire - such as the Lass Indol and their goddesses of the Seasons.  The old orders of the Olmart empire see the coming of man as some fulfillment of the element of magic.  The old races were not enough - the Elves themselves are magic, the Dwarves capture magic, the Saurials sing of magic, but only Man can create magic.  Hence, the element itself was responsible for bringing man into the world.  So, they came to study the Old Ones and find out what they could about them, and see whey there were passed over by Magic and why Man was chosen/birthed instead.

In coming into contact with the artifacts, and surviving learning, of the Old Ones, the Archivists learned something very, very different.  The Old Ones were enthralled, and worshipped (largely out of fear) their own elemental god.  There were immensely powerful beings, from another dimension, that were bent on the destruction of reality.  The Old Ones believed that by supplication and appeasement, they could keep them (the elemental gods) pacified until their knowledge of magic advanced to such a point that they could imprison them.  This they did, but at a cost.  Great structures were build by Ba'a Zarn the builder, in order to serve as the locks on the dimensional prisons that the elemental gods are imprisoned in.  These structures are part of the world, in the Valley, and the Archivists are beginning to learn the secrets of the Great River, the King's Highway, Fire Mountain, and the Tears of Heaven.  But not all the secrets, not yet.

The Archivists do know that after the elemental gods were imprisoned, that the young gods and goddesses of the world began to awaken - with the help of The Krunge, and Mika, and Earnissa.  Bronc and Photoss escaped, and became the two Warrior gods known as the Storm King and the Sun King, and their people (the Storm King barbarians in the north, and the Sun King barbarians in the south) have flourished, albeit the tainting of the Sun King by his diabolical mistress has led to a certain strain of chaos and evil that has suffused the culture of the Sun King barbarians.  The three goddesses have awoken, and even the forces of the seasons that the Lass Indol venerated have become goddesses.

Something else that the Archivists realize, that much of the remainder of the Valley (the Westroners, the Northerners, the Southerners and many of the non-humans) is that there is still a taint of power from the elemental gods loose in the world.  There are, in secret, and in shadow, pocket of worshipers who feel as if they can gain power, by serving the four sleeping horrors.  Some, the mad and those deranged by evil, see the bringing about the destruction of the world through the doings of elemental god magic, as a desirable goal.  These are the evil forces that the Archivists are arranged against.

Alas, however, the Archivists, in their quest for magic and knowledge, and their desire to exist as a separate community, has led them into a secluded and isolationist state.  They live, alone in their community of towers, schools, halls of study, and dens of magic, without any real thought to intervention in the outside world.  Let the petty barons fight over lands and holdings.  Let the Elves bicker over the boundaries between Faery and the world.  Let the Dwarves hollow out all the mountains, and make war against the orcs and goblins they find there.  The Archivists have much more important things to do - at Parn Tandalorn.

Nyagam Worm-Smokers - Chaotic Sorcerers of the Sun King Barbarians

Deep in the far southlands, where the chaotic worshipers of the Sun King spread terror and horrors, some of the most terrible and horrible are a group of chaos sorcerers known as the Nyagam Worm-Smokers.

Nyagam is the name of one of the abandoned temples of the Old Ones, thought that at one time it was constructed to serve the worship of their elemental god, the Earth Weaver.

The temple is actually a large compound, similar to our real world temple sites in South America.  The structures at Nyagam are in alignment to predict and observe certain astronomical phenomena - the rising of the Three Moons, the alignment of the Spheres, and the Summer Apogee of the Sun.  But where Nyagam differs from the sites in our own world, rather than being massive stone step pyramids raised high up over the plains, the structures at Nyagam are like inverse step pyramids, each layer dug down into the earth.  The whole structure is lined with stone, and there are doors into the earth at each layer, revealing tunnels and structures going deep underground.  In all there are 13 such structures ranging from the tiniest, nicknamed "The Little Bird" all the way up to the largest, which is called "Temple of the Moons".

Dwelling in the earth surrounding the structure, are a peculiar species of large worms.  They are large, growing to 30 or 40 feet in length, but retaining a body diameter of only 4-5 feet.  They have a light green body that gives off a faint luminescent glow, and are completely legless.  They have a hard chitinous plate over their head, and huge mandibles, reaching out as far as 9 feet wide, pulling victims into their mouth.  There are no sensory organs apparent, other than the vast array of tiny tentacles, forming a cloud of feelers out 3 feet in every direction around the head.  The Archivists at Parn Tandalorn have discovered that the Old Ones referred to these as Infinite Worms, but most simply call them Nyagam Worms.  It is thought that these might be related to purple worms, for their size approaches that of those hideous monsters.  But the worms of Nyagam are a bit smaller, and different. Time around one of these creatures is magically altered, sped up, so that those in the vicinity of of a fully grown Nyagam worm experience reality at a rate sped up to approximately five times normal time.  Physical effects, such as those that require exposure (magic cast outside their time-warping field, any fire, any acid, and so on) do not seem to have an effect on Infinite Worms, they are immune to all of those.

The earth surrounding the Nyagam site is, as mentioned, full of these worms.  Unfortunately, it is also the site of a massive number of Sun King barbarians.  They come because they believe that this is a holy site.  Some of the priest-leaders of the barbarians come here and hold court, and seek oracles and inspiration from the weird things in the temple structures.  But mostly, throngs and mobs of sun king peasants come here.  The ecology is a grisly and sickening one - the weak, slow, infirm or elderly are killed and eaten.  Overall the population is quite ill not very well fed on this horrible cannibalistic diet.

A type of sorcerer that lives among the Sun King Barbarians are known simply as the Nyagam Worm-Smokers.  These individuals almost always appear as tall gaunt men, with their heads completely clean-shaven.  They, as an order, share spells and knowledge with each other, and seem to practice a sort of telepathic communication.  It is not known if that telepathy extends to any other outside their order.   They are immediately apparent, for wearing rich red robes, among the Sun King barbarians which are normally barely dressed.

The order of sorcerers, which refer to themselves as the Brothers of Hazerun (Hazerun is the demon prince son of Photoss, the Sun King, who is the god that these barbarians worship), have a curious relationship with the Nyagam Worms.  They protect the worms, and even help to create new habitats for them.  In return, they steal some of the young born to the worms, and these are ritually killed and their bodies are left to dry out.  Once the bodies are dried out, the sorcerers retain certain parts (the details of this grisly practice are vague), and then smoke them in braziers, while breathing in the smoke, and participating in rites to the Earth Weaver.  (note that the Church does not recognize that the cult of the Earth Weaver is still alive, even in this fashion, so it is only by the word of the Archivists or other sages, that this story is true).  This practice grants the Worm-Smokers (the Brothers of Hazerun) a very strange and peculiar ability.  Up to three times a day, the regular Worm-Smoker, has the ability to warp reality.  He can change one attribute of reality at a time, for upt to a number of hours equal to half his level.  So a sixth level Worm-Smoker sorcerer, could change one attribute of reality (for instance, making his surroundings Hot, or changing the sky to Cloudy, or making Iron soft, etc) for up to three hours at a time, but he could do this three times per day.  This is dangerous enough, but the real horror for those who hunt and fight against the evils of the Sun King Barbarians, is that the Brothers of Hazerun almost never travel singly, but always in groups.   So imagine a group of five or six such sorcerers, each with the ability to change three attributes of reality (either one at a time, or all three at once).  Reality around this group would be completely shifting and unpredictable.

The ability that they can use three times per day can be done all at once, with overlapping time durations, or it can be done at three different times.  In order to consider the ability and its limits, word the change in such a way so that there is a noun that is part of reality (Elves, Sky, Iron, Cheese) and then some modifying word that changes an attribute of that (all Elves are Small; the Sky is Cloudy; the Temperature is Hot; Cheese is Ubiquitous).

The Sunguard rangers are always on the lookout for Nyagam Worm-Smokers, and hunt them down whenever they have word of them being found, they are just too dangerous.  In addition to their grisly cannibal habits, and their ability to warp reality, they are, after all, experienced spell casters.  And they are often accompanied by adult Nyagam Worms, as well as armed bands of Sun King barbarians.  A horrific encounter for any crusading warrior trying to make the south a safer place.

The Legend of Longlance Karew

This is one of many legendary stories about the paladin of Scallen, Longlance Karew, and his sidekick the fighter/rogue known simply as The Bluejay.  It is an old tale, as most legends are, taking place deep in the south of the Rising Land region, and concerning the founding of the barony of Kof Karn.

Approximately two centuries following the first migrations of Westroners out of the Olmert Empire and into the Valley, a pilgrimage led by the mystic (Efeck the Jade, formerly of the Azure Court) made it's way far to the south, where the winds howl north out of the Holabria Mountains, into the neck of land between the Two Moons river and the Tandalorn River.  There is a rift there, which became known as The Cradle, and it was there that Efeck the Jade told his followers that the stars had decreed they should settle.

The problem with the location, although this did not seem to trouble either the stars nor Efeck the Jade, was that the area was overrun by a tribe of Sun King barbarians.  This particular tribe was under control of a vile creature of chaos, The Walking Man, and his vile army of followers.  The Walking Man himself was a giant of a man, with six fingers on each hand, and instead of a head, featured a bright red octopus instead.  When he spoke, it was the sound of a dead body being dragged through gravel.  When he went into battle, it was a blur of deadly steel, as he wielded two great curved khopesh blades in his human hands, and another eight axes with his eight tentacles.  As horrible as the Walking Man himself was (and still is, he is still alive, even though it has been 1300 years since this story) his army of Sun King worshipers was even more horrible.  In addition to the usual mobs of flesh-reavers (the near-animal crazed worshippers of the Sun King, who would move around in frenzied mobs, looking for humans - and demi-humans such as elves and dwarves - to tear into pieces, and then consume), the army of the Walking Man also included dozens and dozens of the headless, as well as Nyagam Worm-Smokers, Illithids, and a whole menagerie of nightmare chaos creatures.

In the face of this wretched army that followed the Walking Man, and inhabited The Cradle, the mystic Efeck the Jade had convinced his followers (who were unused to such horrors, back in the civilized lands of the Olmert Empire) that this was where the stars had decreed that they should settle and make a new life.  It was the recipe for disaster.

Illithids in the service of the Walking Man

In the year 214, after the beginning of the Migrations, the followers of Efeck the Jade were following his advice, and the advice of the leader of the main body of Pilgrims - Kof Karn - in building shelf farms (as they would become to be called), on the terraces of the side of the Cradle.  Down in the heart of the cradle, the site that would eventually become the "City in the Cradle" (later renamed Kof Karn in honor of the "first pilgrim" as he is remembered) was being surveyed, but it would be five years still before it would be settled.

With the first shelf farms being constructed, terraces were marked off, crops were planted, and the business of settling the thousands of settlers was well under way.  When the army of The Walking Man descended on the hapless pilgrims.  A sort of a defense was put up, with Kof Karn forming a make-shift militia, and several of the pilgrims having had experience as men-at-arms while back in Olmert, however it had been years now since they left, and these were few were old and tired.  Efeck the Jade, and his acolytes, were trained as warrior monks, and they helped to stiffen the defenses, but it wasn't enough.  The raids became a disaster, and all looked lost, as farm after farm fell to the raiding cannibals, their sorcerer-masters, and horrid monsters of chaos.

Then, out of the north, came help unsought for, and unexpected.  A column of crusading wing-knights, from the City of Birds (Scallen), came riding down into the Cradle, having crossed the Two-Moons River the night before, and riding steadily to the aid of the Westroner pilgrims.  The column of wing-knights was magnificent - the wind blowing through the wings and bells at the backs of the knights; the men at arms all bedecked in the silks and colors of the knights they served, and the bards of Scallen playing the mighty warpipes! The column was led by a paladin lord named Longlance Karew, from the City of Birds, and he had intelligences of the onslaught planned by the Walking Man.

The knights put the flesh-reavers to flight, and pursued them as far as their mighty warhorses would permit, attempting to kill as many of the abominations as possible.  The men-at-arms defended the farms and pilgrims, and the paladins with Longlance Karew pursued the Nyagam Worm-Smokers, who were shifting reality as they fled, and also the Illithids, and the monsters of chaos.  Longlance Karew, and his companion the Bluejay (a dextrous swordsman, who was rescued from a life of crime as a rogue by Longlance), pursued the Walking Man himself.  Long they rode in pursuit of this terrible evil, south, and further south, into the Holabrian mountains.  Pursuit through the mountains continued, even while the noble horses of Longlance and the Bluejay perished (legendary animals known as Black Dragon, and Trotter), they continued in pursuit, far south, untill they reached the Fircarran Peaks, and the lake at the source of the Two-Moons River.  Here, the Walking Man descended deep into the earth, into the ancient Old One dungeons of Spirran Deep.  Relying on the might of Longlance's magic sword Virtuos, and the marvelous magical flute of the Bluejay known simply as the Feather Flute, they were able to bring down part of the mountain on the entrance to Spirran Deep, trapping the Walking Man underground.  As far as the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn are concerned, that is where he remains until this day.

The tradition of the Wing-knights fighting against the Sun King barbarians in the south was not just a one time event, under the leadership of Longlance Karew.  Following this crusade, a number of knights out of Scallen, and some of the other Baronies, formed a loose association known as the Sunguard.  As it grew over the years, it became less a military order of knights, and more of an information and intelligence sharing association of Rangers.

The Order of Saint Kelvin

 St. Kelvin was a priest of Magenta who, in the late 6th century, made the proclamation that knowledge and strength can come from the magic in the sun, as well as the magic that Magenta's daughters had in the three moons.

At the time this was very unpopular, because of the early attempts at city building south of the Great River, and the clashes that the migrating population had there when dealing with the Sun King tribes.  However, St. Kelvin (who at the time, was only Padre Kelvin of Kennidor) perfected a limited system of prophetic seeing based on the magic of the sun, and also researched a great deal of magic having to do with light.  Soon, this began to win over the opinion of peoples, who also understood the diabolical nature of Photoss and the relationship he had with the Sun King Tribes.

Before his death in 603, Padre Kelvin oversaw the building of the first Temple of Light, southwest of the Barony of Ungems, along the edge of the Nell Nod Forest.  This was a marvelous structure, and Kelvin and his followers were aided by the Wood Elves of the Nell Nod, who helped them with the earliest construction of crystalline architecture.  The Temple still stands, and an academic/religious town has grown up around it, as the center of what would later become the Order of St. Kelvin.  It is a lovely temple, built of white marble, but with the upper walls and portions of the domed ceiling made of crystals, so that the light shines in and splits into a hundred different dancing colors.

Priests in the order are split into two groups - the Light Holders (who stay at the many temples built in the wilderness by the order, across the valley), and the Light Bringers.  The Light Holder Temples are known as great spots of healing, peace, and prophecy.  The Light Bringer Stations are located throughout the valley on roads where there are no taverns or other resting areas.  They are left as open shelters, but often will have one or more traveling members of the clergy or lay members of the order.

The Order wears light blue colored tunics (over either skirts or pants, usually of white or tan, but not proscribed by the order), with a golden sun on the chest, and seven rays coming out in all directions.  Light Bringers wear a crystal on a necklace around their neck, and Light Holders wear a gold rimmed round glass around their neck.

Spells available to the order are from the spheres of All, Charm, Divination, Healing, Sun; they also have minor access to the spheres of Animal, Creation, Necromantic, Plant.

The order frequently welcomes Elves and Half Elves into its clergy.

The abilities taught to priests of the order include:

• The ability to see as if with Infravision (out to 60').  Elves in the order have their Infravision improved to 120'.
• The priests may Turn Undead.
• Laying on hands, healing 2 points per level, per day.
• Charm/Fascination - 1 time per day, works as the wizard spell Suggestion, but not usable in combat.
• Prophecy - 1 time per day, requires a 10 minute trance of meditation/concentration, and then 1 question may be asked of the DM.
• Light Holders may cast the "Light" spell 1x per day for free, in addition to other spells.
• Light Bringers receive a +1 to hit with ranged weapons, if used outdoors during daylight.

Light Bringers may wear non-metal armor.  Light Holders wear no armor.  Neither branch uses shields.

Both types of priests may employ the Dagger, Dart and Spear.  In addition, Light Bringers may also employ the Javelin, Crossbows, Bows, Knife and Sling.

Bardic Colleges

There are three widely recognized Bardic Colleges among the Westron Baronies, and also a distributed Bardic Circle amongst the tribes of the Storm King.

The three Bardic Colleges are located in the cities of Botts, Ockham and Gorrem.  These are responsible for training in the craft and science of being a Bard.  Within the Westron Baronies, and elsewhere, being a Bard can take on a number of different titles.  Almost every castle of any size has a Troubadour, Jester, Minstrel or other educated musician.  These sometimes appear to be Fools who only entertain their masters and the household, but they are finely trained in music, the ability to tell and remember a tale, as well as the ability to recall and pass on important information.  Some Bards progress in the science of Magic as well.  In addition to the castle Bards, there are many traveling Bards who bring news and information from place to place, as well as undertaking adventures and quests.

Each Baron with any sort of money also maintain a number of Heralds (more on that in a later post), many of which are also formally trained as Bards.  While the City of Narn professes to have a College of Heralds (which one time was responsible for all nobility patents and lists throughout the Westron Baronies, now that has largely localized), all those who participate are educated at one or more of the Bardic Colleges listed here.

• In Gorrem, the Bardic College of Maelwyn (a master of the night harp from ancient times) is located.  It is housed within the Tower of Druaqua, and the Master of the Tower is Chief Harper Terr Ondway.
• In Botts, the Bardic College of  Brandismore is located at Feyd Hall.  The Lute Master of the Hall is Mistress Leanarra Gwayne.
• In Ockham, the Bardic School of Arts is housed in the ancient castle Larkstone Heights (once a building of the Old Ones, constructed of a mysterious green stone).  The headmaster of the school is Chanter Stuven Fivestar.

Almost all tribes or settlements amongst the Storm King tribes have a bard who is resident to that people.  They don't have a formal school for training, but do all by word of mouth from one generation to the next (in the old fashion that the Westroners used to observe, before the establishment of the three Colleges).

The concept of a Bard is unknown amongst the Sun King tribes.

Thieves in the Valley of the Old Ones

In a sword and sorcery setting like the Valley of the Old Ones, there are ample adventure and storyline opportunities for thieves.  In fact, they are a vital part of any large adventuring party.  But how do they fit into the setting?  In the Westron Baronies, there are of course thieves and outlaws of all stripes - as many as you would expect in any typical medieval setting - and there are also laws and lawkeepers at all levels who would seek to thwart them.

Before discussing outlaws, however, a brief word about laws and justice is in order.  Since the collapse of the Duchy at Narn, and even before, each Barony set its own laws and handed out its own justice.  In all but the most wealthy, there is little in the way of a prison - except for important notable prisoners (Gorrem, Ungams, Na Kram, and Huygen are exceptions with large prisons for criminals of all social levels).  Because of this, justice is usually quick.  Either execution, or mutilation, and the criminal is let go.  Thieves who have been at it for a long time, and who are not excellent at their trade, are often missing ears, hands, or have brands on their bodies.  Thieves who risk bold crimes who aren't very good at it, end up dead in one of the many gibbets that dot the countryside outside the larger cities and castles.  In many cases, determining who is guilty and who is not, is done by Ordeal.  This can vary from the very crude Ordeals by Fire and Water (just as brutal and horrible as they were in our own Middle Ages), to Ordeals by Combat and by Magic. In some areas, these Ordeals are handled by members of the Church, and in others by civic Judges or Sheriffs.

Thieves, or particularly the adventuring type, are often wise to avoid crimes in the larger cities (although not all follow this advice).  With the many adventuring sites, burial mounds, ancient ruins, and petty castles and towers scattered throughout the valley there are ample opportunities for thieves to get rich by removing the treasures of those who are either long dead, or who are living outside the law themselves.  Not too many will give more than an instant of pause to the legality or morality of a thief plundering the dungeon burrows of an orc chieftain, or taking the golden treasures in the tower of a long dead necromancer.

All of this is not to say that crime does not exist in the cities, nor are there outlaws who operate in the populated reaches of the Baronies.  Those criminals, however, are often a member of one or more thieves' guilds.  The guilds that have overlapping geographical reach often have secret signs and passwords to identify one another (after all, they can't go about with easily recognized outward signs of their membership), and are often at war with each other.  Being a member in a guild requires the thief to contribute some amount of his take (perhaps 10% per year) but provides a reasonable source for hiring "help" and also for learning the skills of the trade.

In almost any population center, there is some level of organized crime.  In the larger areas this guilds fulfill this role, but in smaller areas this could be a band of rogues (thieves to be sure, but also affiliated sell-swords and outlaw magicians) that practices a systematic (or highly random!) campaign of banditry.

Thieves, as with all others who live on the fringe of society, are as likely to be from an "alien" culture as from the native population.  In the hearlands of the Valley this includes members of the Storm King Tribes, the Sun King Tribes, and the many, many types of non-humans that dwell in the valley (including the somewhat friendly demi-humans such as Gnomes, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings).  Both Faery and Goblyn changeling children (commonly called Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) are often thieves, even in civilized areas.  Although the occupation seems to diminish any strong feelings of trust and honor amongst their fellow pursuers of the trade, there is a sort of kinship amongst thieves, as they are all together outside the law.

What's Going On Here

(From the Introduction to the Valley)

The Valley of the Old Ones is a homebrew setting for old school Fantasy gaming.

The world is one where there is a lot of built in mystery.  Not so much at the tactical level - meaning that it is not a world where mysteries are the main type of adventures.  Rather, it means that the meaning behind several features of the world is unknown (and finding out what it "means" could be a key point of a campaign held here).  In brief, there are a few things that a DM should know about the world if they are interested in holding adventures there, and perhaps this would also be useful to set the mood for players as well.

Currently the Valley of the Old Ones is a vast body of land (some 3200 miles side, and half again almost from north to south).  It is bounded on the north and south first by incredible mountain ranges (themselves home to many fantastic spots and sites of adventure), but beyond those mountains, desolate deserted terrain awaits.  To the north it is vast tracks of ice fields and snowy expanses.  To the south it is endless desert, blanched lifeless by the unceasing pounding of sunlight.

The chief civilization of the Valley is of a human series of baronies, known collectively as the Westroners.  These people came into the valley, migrating from the west, approximately 1500 years ago.  They came as a barbarian migration, but quickly settled down and became tied to the land.  Until recently, all of the baronies were feudally tied to the Duke of Narn.  The Duke, in turn, was loyal (as a self-proscribed servant) to the King in the West (the legendary ruler of the Westron peoples, who will eventually claim the lands due him, and watched over by his loyal subjects here in the Valley).  However the power of the Duke and his demesne were broken some 20 years past with the unexplained death of Alasdair III.  His son, Alasdair IV "reigns" in his place at the city of Narn, however he is neither completely effective, nor sane.  The city runs itself, and is served by a court of deluded and deluding sycophants who believe, still, in Ducal power.  Yet little real power is projected beyond the immediate lands of the City and its direct feudal holdings.

In the previous 20 years, coming to today, the various Baronies have looked to their own rule and defense.  The defense was originally against the many non-human races who would spread mischief and evil, and do harm to the genteel populated areas of the valley.  However, as time has passed, threats also now exist from one Barony to another, as each seeks to make itself stronger for purposes of greed and also defense.

Additional cultures are located within the Valley as well.  The two most prominent amongst Humans are the Tribes of the Storm King in the north, and the Tribes of the Sun King in the south.  These are two very different barbarian cultures.  The one in the north is reminiscent of the barbarians of northern Europe in the late Iron Age.  The Germans and Vikings of the 8th and 9th century on Earth are the inspiration for the Tribes of the Storm King.  In the south, the barbarian culture is similar to several on Earth that covered the change from complex late Stone Age to early Bronze Age (Aztecs, early Egyptians, etc).  There are numerous warring city states in the southern mountains, each worshipping some aspect or other of deities in the pantheon of Photoss the Sun King and his son Hazeron the demon prince.  Mysterious groups of human nomads also crisscross the Valley, themselves tied to neither the Westron baronies, the northern or southern barbarian tribes.

Player characters are adventurers making their way in the Valley.  They can be aligned with one of the several Baronies, or freebooters.  They could travel in the barbaric north - home to the Storm King tribes and many gigantic, dangerous beasts such as mammoths, great saber cats, and dire wolves.  They could venture to the sun drenched rocky slopes of the south, braving raids of the cannibal warriors of the Sun King and their blood drinking witches.  The mountain ranges in the south are dotted with great lakes and verdant, marshy river valleys that are full of all manner of great reptilian horrors, dinosaurs, and lizard men.  In between the mountains of the north, and those of the south, are the valley heartlands.  In addition to the many fantastic creatures and sites of adventure one would find in a land if wizards and dragons, there are also ancient sites of the Old Ones that can be found, full of inscrutable powers and unimaginable riches.

The Valley is a land where a good sword will take you far.  A good spell book might take you farther.  The gods are fickle, and the darker powers are ever threatening.  In short, it is a perfect setting for adventure.