Region Basics
Darkmoon Vale stands at the northwestern corner of the
democracy of Andoran, which only recently succeeded in breaking away from the
infernal empire of Cheliax. Although named Darkmoon Vale, the area is more like
a dale or flat dell than a true valley (and is occasionally referred to as
such). While the northern border of the area does indeed sweep down from a
range of mountains, the southern end of the vale only rises up to a low shelf.
The River Foam crosses the vale, but it had no hand in creating the lowland
through which it runs.
Semantics aside, Darkmoon Vale is a resource-rich,
geologically active wilderness at the edge of civilization. Its borders rest
more than a day’s ride from any major city. While it does provide an overland
trading route to neighboring Isger, the few merchants who take advantage of the
dangerous journey do not hasten Andoran’s desire to increase patrols along the
road. If not for the dwindling supply of darkwood and the few silver mines in
the nearby mountains, Andoran would have little reason to show any interest in
the region at all.
Symbols
People define their affiliations symbolically, from the
colors of their uniforms to the specific looks of their coat of arms. As a
region within Andoran, many of the symbols used in Darkmoon Vale are not
specific to the region.
Colors: Black,
blue, and gold feature prominently in Andoran and, by extension, within
Darkmoon Vale. In Andoran, black signifies honor, blue denotes freedom, and
gold symbolizes courage. Red, as seen on the symbol and uniform of the Diamond
Regiment, naturally represents blood, which in turn indicates a willingness to
sacrifice.
Mascots: The
eagle of Andoran denotes courage and freedom. Most eagle representations in
Andoran show the mighty animal clutching a sword and branch of holly. The sword
shows that Andoran is willing to fight to remain free, while the holy indicates
honesty.
In the Darkmoon Vale region itself, images of falcons and
wolves are prominent. Wolves play a significant role in the lives of Darkmoon
Vale residents, while the falcon is the ancient symbol of an old human family
in the area.
Motto: As
indicated on its full coat of arms, Andoran’s motto is “Efrir ep Bered”, ancient
Taldoran for “Free and Ready”.
Residences
Most people who live in Darkmoon Vale own their homes or
rent them from the Lumber Consortium. Very few multi-family dwellings exist,
and all of them stand in the vale’s largest settlement, Olfden. Despite the
wealth generated by logging, housing prices in Darkmoon Vale remain relatively
low. Most attribute this to a lack of safety in the region. The following
descriptions provide a general overview of how people live in Darkmoon Vale,
broken down by sociopolitical standing.
Free Farmer: Self-sufficient
farms do exist in Darkmoon Vale, and most of them stand north of the River Foam
or atop the Elberwick Rise. Those who live on farms tend to produce more food
than they can eat, which they then sell for other supplies. Most farms in
Darkmoon Vale use hedgerows and natural borders to mark their boundaries, and
those far from the region’s major settlements use more defensible barriers,
such as walls, around their buildings and fields.
Merchants: Most
of the people who live in Olfden either work for the Lumber Consortium or are
merchants. Common items useful to adventurers and explorers are available in
Olfden, thanks to the multitude of merchants in that town. Merchants tend to
own the buildings in which they operate and keep their living quarters above
their storefronts. The exception to this rule is Falcon’s Hollow, where the
Lumber Consortium owns every building. The few merchants who scrape by in
Falcon’s Hollow must pay exorbitant rents.
Skilled Workers: From
craftsmen to lumberjacks, skilled workers make up the majority of people in
Darkmoon Vale. The largest group of skilled workers, of course, is the
lumberjacks. More than 400 loggers live and work in Darkmoon Vale, and most of
them belong to the Lumber Consortium. All the other common trades (carpenters,
masons, blacksmiths, and the like) exist in Darkmoon Vale. Those who live in
Perin’s Bluff and Olfden usually own the buildings in which their businesses
and connected homes exist, while those in Falcon’s Hollow are typically
employees of the Lumber Consortium and thus sacrifice much of what they would
earn to subsidize their so-called “free rent”.
Soldiers: Whether
members of the Diamond Regiment or transient mercenaries, hundreds of fighting
men and women live in Darkmoon Vale. Those who belong to an organization live
for free in barracks, while those who fight for money either rent their homes
or have free housing provided to them (usually from the Lumber Consortium).
Unlike the skilled workers who work for the consortium, though, the guards are
paid very well on top of their free housing.
Wealthy: The
lumber baron Thuldrin Kreed is easily the most famous (or rather, infamous)
wealthy person in Darkmoon Vale, but he is not the wealthiest. Retired
adventurers, cooperative ex-nobles, particularly successful merchants, and the
occasional non-logging industry leader from other parts of Andoran all comprise
the wealthy elite of Darkmoon Vale. Most of these people live in or near
Olfden, although a few maintain their own self-sufficient manors (even castles,
in some cases) beyond the walls of the region’s settlements.
Life in Darkmoon Vale
Outside of Olfden, life in and around Darkmoon Vale is
difficult, dirty, and often violently cut short. Only the law of the wild holds
sway in most areas of the region. The weak scarcely have a chance here. To live
in such a rough and tumble place, the people themselves must remain strong.
If not for the lucrative logging of darkwood, no one would
bother living in such a wild and dangerous place. With each passing generation,
though, the calming influence of civilization grows in Darkmoon Vale.
Darkmoon Vale Mindset
Paranoia grips many who live in Darkmoon Vale outside of
Olfden, and for good reason. Valers (those who grow up in Darkmoon Vale)
distrust newcomers and strangers, at least until those new to the area stay
through at least one full moon. Anyone who expresses sympathy or fascination
with the area’s wolves draws additional suspicion, and those who dare to point
out the positive lupine influences in the vale are lucky to avoid lynch squads.
Valers are a distrustful, taciturn lot and tend to keep to
themselves. They fear what they know (werewolves and the region’s geologic
dangers) and what they don’t know (strangers and what lurks within the nearby
hills and mountains). Unknown bogeymen constantly haunt their dreams and they
frequently offer rewards or incentives for adventurers to come to their vale,
investigate some rumored horror, and then leave.
As the largest refuge of civilization in the vale, Olfden
and its residents buck this trend. Those who live in Olfden actively welcome
and encourage newcomers, as visitors tend to bring coin. Thanks partially to
the town’s openness, most Valers who live outside Olfden don’t truly consider
it or its residents a part of the vale. Many rural Valers look down on the
town’s residents as weak cowards afraid to face the region’s many dangers. For
their part, the urban Valers laugh off these insults and constantly seek to
mend the relationship between the two groups.
Business
As if the high tax rate in Falcon’s Hollow weren’t enough to
stifle its people and keep them poor and working, the Lumber Consortium – which
owns the small town and provides a living to most of its residents – charges
outrageous rents for tiny, dingy houses and boarding house rooms. Despite the
unconscionable way in which it treats its employees and their dependents, the
Lumber Consortium possesses carte blanche
north of the Foam River. Thanks to its monopoly hold on the timber trade in
Darkmoon Vale (especially the exceedingly valuable darkwood), the consortium
can effectively hold Andoran hostage, threatening to cut off the darkwood
supply whenever the country’s leaders become too interested in its affairs.
From the River Foam to the foothills of the Five Kings
Mountains, nearly every coin of profit made is thanks to the draconian methods
of the Lumber Consortium. Beyond Darkmoon Wood, however, other types of
business flourish. In the foothills, a handful of heavily guarded dwarven mines
have recently reopened, providing both silver and iron. Because these
operations remain small and various monsters continue to plague the area, the
supplies of metal from the mines barely affect the region’s economy. More
notably, the town of Olfden provides numerous services and goods to the vale’s
largest source of outside gold: adventurers and explorers. Nearly any item such
groups could need is available for sale in Olfden (including items of magic).
Speaking Like a Valer
Darkmoon Vale’s human residents all speak Taldoran (also
called Chelaxian), the most widespread tongue in the areas surrounding the
Inner Sea. They do so, however, with an accent that borrows speech patterns
from both Andoran and nearby Isger. This distinctive vale accent sounds clipped
and sharp, but not to the point of seeming angry. In addition to this unique
accent, the people of Darkmoon Vale have their own dialect unique to the area.
In order to help you blend in while exploring Darkmoon Vale, make sure to
(correctly) use the following phrases.
Cutyard: A
tree-felling camp that temporarily houses lumberjacks chopping an area of the
woods.
Mudpot: A type of
hot spring or fumarole consisting of bubbling mud instead of boiling water.
Also called a mud pool or paint pot.
The Store: Lumbering
supplies provided by the Lumber Consortium, which often come with additional
“taxes”, even long after purchase.
Stoutfolk: What
dwarves of the Five Kings Mountains call themselves.
Valer: A human
born, raised, and living in Darkmoon Vale. Immigrants, transients, and
non-humans are not Valers.
The Woods: Darkmoon
Wood. Valers don’t call any other group of trees “the woods”.
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