The Nentir Vale 6q395h

The Nentir Vale “Far to the north, sitting like an anvil beneath the hammer that is the Realm of the Shadow Princes, lies Nentir Vale. While never a strategically important domain, Bael Nerath nevertheless took great pains to protect this region. For a time it was quite prosperous. But like all former imperial provinces the deepening shadows threaten to strangle it.” --An Examination of Iskandria and its Wonders, by Aldayn Rotebinder, Sage and Advisor to the Lord of the Grinding Peaks, Governor of the City-State of Telain Nestled in the northern realms, the Nentir Vale is a quiet and isolated land. It is a place of stark beauty and stunning natural wonders. It is home to sparse communities of humans and, in all reality, sits on the edge of a knife. All around the darkness grows. Some think it will only be a matter of time before the vale falls to the depredations of the local evils. The vale is now mostly empty, with a handful of living villages and towns scattered over this wide area. Abandoned farmsteads, ruined manors, and broken keeps litter the countryside. Bandits, wild animals, and monsters roam freely throughout the vale, threatening anyone who fares more than few miles away from one of the surviving settlements. Travel along the roads or river is usually safe—usually. But every now and then, travelers come to bad ends between towns. The Nentir Vale is a northern land, but it sees relatively little snow—winters are windy and bitterly cold. The Nentir River is too big to freeze except for a few weeks in the coldest part of the year. Summers are cool and mild. Up until four centuries or so ago, the Moon Hills and the surrounding Nentir Vale were thinly settled borderlands, home to quarrelsome human hill-chieftains and remote realms of nonhumans such as dwarves and elves. Giants, minotaurs, orcs, ogres, and goblins plagued the area. Ruins such as those on the Gray Downs or the ring-forts atop the Old Hills date back to these days, as do stories of the hero Vendar and the dragon of the Nentir. With the rise of Bael Nerath to the south, human settlers began to move up the Nentir, establishing towns such as Fastormel, Harkenwold, and Winterhaven. A Nerathan hero named Aranda Markelhay obtained a charter to build a keep at the portage of the Nentir Falls. She raised a simple tower at the site of Moonstone Keep three hundred and

ten years ago, and under its protection the town of Fallcrest, originally known as Fallrath, began to grow. Over the next two centuries, Fallcrest grew into a small and prosperous city. It was a natural crossroads for trade, and the Markelhays ruled it well. When Bael Nerath began to crumble about a century ago, Fallcrest continued to flourish—for a time. Ninety years ago, a fierce horde of orcs known as the Bloodspears descended from the Stonemarch and swept over the vale. Fallcrest’s army was defeated in a rash attempt to halt the Bloodspears out on Gardbury Downs. The Bloodspears burned and pillaged Fallcrest and went on to wreak havoc all across the Nentir Vale. In the decades since the Bloodspear War, Fallcrest has struggled to reestablish itself. The town is a shadow of the former city; little trade es up and down the river these days. The countryside for scores of miles around is dotted with abandoned homesteads and manors from the days of Nerath. Once again the Nentir Vale is a thinly settled borderland where few folk live. This is a place in need of a few heroes. Races of the Nentir Vale Here are some of the races that can be found in the Nentir Vale: Dragonborn No dragonborn are native to Fallcrest, but travelers occasionally through and take up work for a time, especially as bodyguards or caravan guards. Dwarves A fair number of dwarves live in Fallcrest, so a dwarf character could easily be a native of the city. If not, the nearest dwarven homeland is Hammerfast, a week’s travel distant. Merchants and crafters from Hammerfast travel to Fallcrest to trade or work, lodging in one of the local inns for a few weeks.

Eladrin Eladrin are not often seen in Fallcrest. Some of the old manors in the Moon Hills and the nearby parts of the Vale were once the homes of well-off eladrin families. A few make their home in the Feywild, primarily dwelling in fortresses along the Winterbole Forest or Dawnforge Mountains. Elves Elves are also scarce in Fallcrest, but a small number reside in and around the town. Elves from outside Fallcrest might belong to the Woodsinger clan from the Harkenwold Forest. Half-elves A small number of half-elves reside in Fallcrest or the vicinity. Most are well-off farmers or herders living in the Moon Hills near the town; the rest are expert artisans—jewelers, tailors, or woodworkers— in the town. Halflings Halflings are the second most abundant race in the Nentir Vale, next to humans. A number of halflings live in Fallcrest, managing merchant houses or providing other services to travelers. Quite a few are well known scouts and guides. Humans Humans in the Nentir Vale come from two major racial bloodlines, the Nerathians and the Ugashtan. Nerathians: Stout, resolute, and determined; the Nerathians aren’t really a clearly defined racial group. Instead they represent a host of people subsumed into Bael Nerath when the empire was at its height. Pragmatic to a fault, the Nerathians feel secure with their hold on the land and are confident that they can continue to maintain order in the years to come. Since they are from such disparate backgrounds a Nerathian can take on just about any appearance. Ugasthan: Tall, powerfully built, and enigmatic are the most common ways to describe an Ugasthan. Today they live in scattered tribes along the edge of the Dawnforge Mountains but at one time the Ugashtan ruled a vast kingdom centered in the grand city known as Umeshti, Scion of the Glittering Peaks. Lying deep in the Dawnforge Mountains, Umeshti was home to such sophistication that even the gods envied its grandeur. Legend states it was the gods that brought the city low, smiting it with a starstone that decimated the metropolis of 500,00 and left only a treacherous crater in its place. The Ugashtan are tall, often exceeding 6 feet in height. They have blond hair, pale skin, and green or blue eyes. All Ugashtan wear masks, usually half-masks that only cover the upper face. An Ugashtan never takes his mask off willingly, unless he is with family or remarkably close friends. Since the destruction of their ancient city the Ugashtan maintain a clan structure, with each clan differentiated by the style of mask they wear. They have no organized kingdom or government.

Tieflings Two tiefling houses, the Naerumars and the Azaers, call the Nentir Vale home. Both of them are descended from ancient Bael Turathian dynasties and both maintain major businesses in the region. Religion Three faiths maintain predominance in the Nentir Vale and a bulk of the residents follows their tenets. Pelor Pelor is the God of the Sun and Agriculture. Obviously he is quite popular amongst the farmers in the region but he also commands a fairly serious following amongst soldiers. His temple in Fallcrest also contains shrines to Kord and Bahamut. Sehanine As the Goddess of the Moon, Sehanine has a strong following amongst women but the local authority, the Markelhay family, considers the Moon Lady their personal deity. Her temple in Fallcrest also contains shrines to Corellon, Melora and Avandra. Erathis Once the patron of Bael Turath, Erathis now represents glory lost but not forgotten. The faith of Erathis is still very popular but as the strands of civilization continue to unravel many question the power of the god. Erathis has the largest temple in Fallcrest and it contains shrines to Moradin and Ioun.

Fallcrest The Town in the Mists Population: 1,350. Another 900 live in outlying farms no further than 7 miles from town. Government: Lord Warden Faren Markelhay Defense: A group of guards totaling no more than 60 men at any one time. Inns: The Silver Unicorn and the Nentir Inn Taverns: Blue Moon Alehouse, Lucky Gnome Taphouse, Nentir Inn taproom, Eagle’s Pub Supplies: Halfmoon Trading House, Sandercot Provisioners Temples: Temple of Erathis, Moonsong Temple, House of the Sun Located at the juncture of the King’s Road, the Trade Road and the Nentir River, Fallcrest rests at the foot of the Nentir Falls. The town is constantly surrounded by a misty haze produced from the nearby falling water, earning it the suitable moniker of The Town in the Mists. More than 400 years ago this area was wild; thick with goblins, kobolds, and minotaurs. While some brave souls established towns in this area the land truly didn’t come under Nerathan control until the hero Aranda Markelhay obtained a charter to establish a town at the base of the falls.

Fallcrest grew into a rich and prosperous city. Most of the Nentir Vale was ruled of the Markelhay family, uniting the region under the banner of the Grand Duchy of Nentir. Even during the Decade of Entropy, after sky grew dark and the land no longer produced the bounty it once did, the city of Fallcrest grew and the duchy consolidated its power. But this prosperity was short lived. Roaring out of the north like a fell wind the orcs of the Bloodspear tribe decimated much of the Nentir Vale. The army of Fallcrest was crushed in the Battle of Gardbury Downs and the orcish army marched straight for the wealth of the undefended city. The bloodshed was horrific. Those that did survive were taken as slaves, dragged screaming into the north to meet a fate worse than merciful death. In the decades since the Bloodspear Wars Fallcrest has struggled to maintain a presence in the north. It is a pale shadow of its former glory, a frontier town built on the ruins of greatness. Little trade makes it way from the south any more. The shattering of Bael Nerath has pushed the knowledge of Nentir Vale from the minds of many who dwell in lands that once constituted the core of the empire. The few merchants who do make their along the decaying King’s Road do so to obtain dwarven goods from Hammerfast rather for anything that Fallcrest has to offer.