Elsir Vale

Elsir Vale
is a thinly populated human frontier. The vale stretches almost 250 miles east to west and averages about 70 miles north to south. Several small mountain ranges and dense forests form the vale's borders. Elsir Vale lies in the subtropical latitudes. Summers are hot and dry (although punctuated by the occasional intense thunderstorm), and winters are warm and rainy. Large stretches of the area are quite arid, and the vale is flanked by the vast savannahs stretching for mile after dusty mile. The forests that stretch across most of the vale's northern reaches are stifling and sweltering hot in the summertime, with not a breath of wind to relieve the oppressive heat It is currently mid-summer in the vale. Days are hot (85E to 110E F) and nights warm (60E to 85E F). This is the dry season, so rainfall is infrequent - but when it comes down, it really comes down. Thunderstorms and tornadoes are common. Though the borders of the vale are mostly hills, mountains and forests, the heart of the vale is grassy plains for the most part. Every town in the vale is surrounded by numerous farms. Beyond the civilized areas are vast rolling plains with infrequent hillocks and copses of trees.

Civilizations of the Vale
Several civilizations have come and gone over the last 1000 years in the vale. The dwarves built most of the roadways, Overlook and the fortress in the pass. Rhest re-established trade and safe travel with neighboring regions about 500 years later. Both empires built to a peak; made advances in metalwork, stonework, agriculture and magic; then fell apart for some reason. Erathis (god of civilization) remains a significant diety in the vale, but the region is ruled by numerous city/states with no common leadership. Nobles and merchants (the wealthy) keep things like security, trade and farming at acceptable levels, for their own benefit. No doubt some of the advances those great empires made have been lost. There is an organization known as the Vanguard (of Erathis) spread throughout the vale. This group operates independently of the church, though often with common goals, and many members are members of both. They are not very large or influential as a whole. They exist much like the Masons; visible to all, but subtle in their actions. Most people consider them benevolent and harmless. The organization is composed of numerous independent cells throughout the region.

The scattered human towns and villages of the area grew up along the Dawn Way, an important east-west trade road linking the heavily settled lands that lie northwest across the Endless Plains with the exotic kingdoms and goods of the coastal lands lying to the southeast. Much of the Dawn Way was built by an ancient dwarven kingdom that spanned the Wyrmsmoke and Giantshield Mountains more than a thousand years ago. While the dwarven kingdom is long gone, their roads, bridges, and cisterns remain in use to this day. After the kingdom passed, the presence of various monsters and raiders kept traffic along the Dawn Way light for many years; few caravans dared the long and dangerous trek. Few humans lived in Elsir Vale during those years - only scattered settlements of druidic folk who left behind little more than grassy barrows and stone circles on the hilltops.

About five hundred years ago, the nearby city of Rhest came to control the vale and a large swath of land north of the Giantshields as well. Soldiers from Rhest secured the roads all the way to Dennovar and beyond, creating a safe passage for trade. More and more traders traveled the Dawn Way, and the kingdom of Rhestilor grew wealthy on the tariffs exacted from the passing merchants. Under the kingdom's shield, the towns along the Dawn Way - Brindol, Talar, Terrelton, and the rest - grew up from tiny hamlets or lonely soldiers' posts to flourishing human settlements. The kingdom of Rhestilor eventually collapsed under civil strife, monstrous incursions, and magical blights. Almost two hundred years ago, the city of Rhest was burned by savage horde out of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Although the warriors of Rhestilor killed many of the goblins and their kind, the city was abandoned and the already weakened kingdom broken. The locks and canals surrounding Rhest fell into disrepair, and the Blackfens (swamp) swallowed the ruined city. Today Rhest and the Blackfens lie in the hands of King Rissed of the Lizardfolk.

In the years after the kingdom's fall, the towns of Elsir Vale came to look after themselves. Most of the local lords still held titles derived from the old kingdom of Rhestilor. While everyone knew that the kings of Rhestilor were long dead, no new realm arose in the vale.

The Elsir Consortium
The Consortium is the largest merchant group operating in the vale. It is led by a council residing in Overlook. Currently Bram Ironfell, head of the dwarf Clan Ironfell, sits as council Chairman.

The Consortium has also created the Ponies; a network of messengers (Ponies) and deliverymen (Waynesmen) that runs throughout the Vale.

The Red Hand of Doom
For centuries, the dry and dusty Wyrmsmoke Mountains were home to dozens of goblinoid tribes. Travelers skirted the goblin-infested hills by a generous margin, but the Wyrmsmoke tribes posed no significant threat to the nearby human townlands and settlements, other than the occasional bloody raid. Yet deep within the mountains lay hidden something that would spell doom - an ancient temple dedicated to Tiamat, the Queen of Evil Dragons.

Built hundreds of years ago to serve as the hidden redoubt of a despicable cult of dragon worshippers, the temple was eventually cleansed by a band of heroes from the human city of Rhest. For several centuries the complex lay empty. Then, eighty years ago, the young half-dragon hobgoblin warrior Azarr Kul discovered the abandoned temple and was awed by the teachings of Tiamat he read on the walls therein. He abandoned Maglubiyet, the traditional deity of his people, and dedicated himself to leading the rest of his nation to Tiamat's worship.

Over the next twenty years, Azarr Kul grew into a powerful warlord and a mighty priest of Tiamat. Early in his rise to power he struck up an alliance with the blue dragon Tyrgarun, his own sire. Aided by this powerful ally, Azarr Kul converted his entire tribe into fanatical worshipers of Tiamat. He renamed the tribes that had fallen under his wing the Kulkor Zhul and began to lay his plans for conquest of Elsir Vale.

Dedicating themselves to the Queen of Evil Dragons with the fanaticism of the recently converted, the members of the Kulkor Zhul grew strong, stronger than any Wyrmsmoke tribe before them. Adopting the standard of the Red Hand, an ancient symbol of Tiamat's cult, Azarr Kul created an elite caste of warpriests, monks, and dragon-favored champions to lead the Kulkor Zhul.

Eventually, Azarr Kul and his dragon-worshipping zealots destroyed the last opposition to his supremacy over the Wyrmsmoke tribes, slaughtering the Black Knife Goblins and the tribes allied to them in a ferocious onslaught. The survivors accepted his sovereignty and were absorbed into his realm. Azarr Kul named his new kingdom Harg Kulkor, or "Land of the Dragon."

After a long season of rebuilding his strength, offering bribes to many of the intelligent monsters in the region, and reinforcing the power of his Red Hand warpriests over the disparate tribes he ruled, Azarr Kul finally turned his attention to the lands beyond the Wyrmsmoke Mountains.

What he saw whetted his ambition for power; no city or state within hundreds of miles could field an army as strong as his. The High Wyrmlord dreamed of carving out a hobgoblin empire stretching from the Sunset Sea to the Golden Plains - and the first step was to crush the human towns in Elsir Vale.

The Silver Sentinels
The civilized folk of Elsir Vale had no clue what was coming their way. The goblinoid army sent well trained scouts ahead to silence any that might alert the vale to their approach. But the vale was not without it's own skilled warriors. A band of adventurers hailing from Brindol was exploring ruins at the base of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains, Vraath Keep. These adventurers, who would later be known as the Silver Sentinels, were no match for the army they soon discovered. They were however enough to slow the army & buy their homeland some time to prepare. The small band of men & women destroyed the ancient dwarven bridge at Skull Gorge and set off to warn Drellin's Ferry and the vale. In the weeks to come, not much stood a chance against the thousands of goblinoid troops with their warpriests and dragons. A few brave souls managed to slow the army at a river or mountain pass, but often at the cost of their lives. During this time, the Silver Sentinels proved themselves valiant defenders of the people. They led raids on the Red Hand supply lines, garnered allies from neighboring elven and dwarven settlements, and ruined more than a few of Azarr Kul's war plans.

As time went on though, it was evident that not even the Silver Sentinels could stop the advancing army. It spread through the eastern plains of the vale, right to the gates of Brindol. The little walled city was the first real obstacle the army had faced. They laid seige to the town and wore down it's defenses day after day. Then something amazing happened. The leaders of the army reverted to fighting amongst themselves. Battalion commanders began vying for control of the army. The leadership tore itself apart. The great army split apart with many heading back to the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. The Lion Guard of Brindol, Tiri Kitor Hunters, Hammer Guard, and others quickly shifted to the offensive. The goblinoid tribes were at war now with foes on several fronts. The Red Hand was crushed.

Shortly thereafter, the Silver Sentinels reappeared, hauling fabulous loot and prominently displaying the body of Azarr Kul. They had skirted around the main army and ventured all the way to the Fane of Tiamat in the heart of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. There they laid waste to the clergy & warpriests and packed all the valuables they could carry. By some miracle, they even stumbled upon Azarr Kul on their way back. It was an epic battle as the two groups crossed blades & magic flew. Two of the heroes lost their lives, and several others were seriously wounded, but in the end they won through & the dragon-king fell. Stories of these brave heroes spread like wildfire, spurring the good people of the vale to further action. The military forces, as meager as they were, went on the hunt and killed hundreds upon hundreds of goblinoids. The Silver Sentinels even brought down Tyrgarun the blue dragon, their third dragon kill in as many months.

The war came to a halt. People returned home and rebuilt. Life in the vale would eventually return to normal.

And what of the Silver Sentinels? They worked alongside their neighbors and friends, restoring what they could. Until finally, there was nothing left for them to do in the vale. They were wealthy heroes, retired adventurers, middle aged now, some with families. Several of them settled down in the vale and lived out their years in peace. Others would never settle down, and so they moved on in search of some new adventure in far off lands, never to return to their humble birthplace in Elsir Vale.

The Silver Sentinels included seven members:

-Omar Tobias (male elven ranger)

-Arizel Storm (male dragonborn paladin of bahamut)

-Slade Gunter (male dwarf fighter)

-Breya Fariza (female halfling wizard)

-Damon Marvis (male warforged warlord)

Places of Interest
Hammerfist Holds

The dwarves in the Wyvernwatch mountains southeast of Brindol have a number of mining communities. None have more than a few hundred people working and living there, but the various mines are quick to come to each other’s aid. In total there are probably 2500 people in these villages, almost entirely dwarves. This is the area’s only source of raw stone and metal ore.

Marth Forest This dense wood is northeast of Brindol. The Tiri Kitor call this forest home. These Elves & Eladrin are known to number over 1000, but no one can say for sure how many of them there are. These elusive people are known for their giant owl mounts and superior archery skills. This is the last place you want to go for wood or furs. The Tiri Kitor trade with others in nearby towns, but few outsiders are welcomed into their forest.

Southwood

This light forest stretches from Dauth to Prosser, south of Brindol. It’s been heavily hunted and thinned out. The greatest danger here is usually bandits in hiding. Occasionally, rumors spread about ghosts in the woods, but it’s usually proven to be bandit tricks and traps to scare off good folk. There was actually a ghost in the woods some 40 years ago that killed a number of people. Bandits or ghosts, most people travel through the woods during the day and in large groups.

The Witchwood This forest lies west of Brindol, bordered on three sides by mountains or swamp. It is the largest forest in the area. Most wood and hunting goods come from this area. The Tiri Kitor have a presence here, but don’t protect it nearly as well as the Marth Forest. Most of this woodland is still wild, and home to all manner of beasts. Roads and humanoid trails generally skirt the edges of the forest.

Drellin’s Ferry

This small town is THE river crossing for the Dawn Way (main east-west highway in the region). There was a stone, dwarven bridge here hundreds of years ago, but it was destroyed. The stone pillars are still visible in the river, but little remains of the bridge. A hundred feet downstream is the ferry crossing. A large barge floats here, attached to ropes and pulleys on both sides of the river. The river is 30 feet deep here, and the ferry is the only way to get wagons, livestock and such across.

Dennovar The only other city of any significance in the region, Dennovar lies 100 miles east of Brindol on the Dawn Way. It too has an outer defensive wall of stone. Population 11,000. Dennovar has it’s share of farm land, but it also sits on a huge lake, Lake Ern. So, seafood and water related products are common trade goods from Dennovar. Dennovar hasn’t been attacked by anything significant in hundreds of years. In fact, several of the gates are in poor working order. They’re open 24-7. A merchant council is the governing body.

Rhest

Once a prosperous city and center of the kingdom of Rhestilor, Rhest is now a half-drowned ruin slowly sinking into the Blackfens (swamp). At it’s peak, the surrounding lands were well tended fields with levies, irrigation systems, and were clear for miles. Centuries of erosion and lack of attention have turned the farmlands into swamp. Rice and soybean fields are now overgrown with twisted trees, poisonous vines, and are crawling with snakes, crocodiles, and worse. Civilized people abandoned the place long ago. The only intelligent beings there now are lizard folk, if you consider them intelligent.

Jarmaan Keep (in Brindol) Jarmaan Keep predates the nation of Rhestilor. It was built on the remains of an ancient dwarven keep over 500 hundred years ago. During the reign of Rhestilor, the village around the keep grew into a town, then a city. When that great nation fell apart, the commanding officer, Kerden Jarmaan, claimed the keep as his own. It’s been in the Jarmaan family ever since.

Astrazalian

To the north, in the middle of Lake Rhestin(at least some of the time) lies the Eladrin city of Astrazalian, known to residents of the Vale as the City of Starlight. This magnificent city strides the border between the mortal realm and the Feywild, and exists in each for fully half of every year. During the spring and summer, it resides a few hundred miles to the east of the Vale and is the source (or destination) of a significant amount of the trade that flows through the Vale.