The Independent Territories of Valenaria

Vast and pocked with defiant natives, no single folk or nation can truly call itself master of this untamable land. Settled but two centuries ago, Valenaria represents the most prosperous overseas ventures of the Old World Peoples. Its fertile plains, dense forests, and ore-rich mountains all lend themselves to an excess of booming industries. For those brave pioneers of this great frontier it represents a collective promise of a better future. Whether it be refuge, fortune, or political ambition, each faction found a place they could call home.

Sanctum Celes

The Sanctum Celes (also referred to as the Crystal Citadel) is most notably known as a strongbox to the Mighty Fountain. A vast complex has been built to protect this irreplaceable, all-important spring.

In the decades since the Calamity of Man (see Hildegard’s War of the Seven Peoples), a covenant was formed between the surviving Peoples to secure an everlasting peace. From the establishment of this first pact, the Consortium was formed to manage the fair and equitable distribution of the Fountain’s alchemic waters.

The inherently diverse nature of the Consortium resulted in the Sanctum becoming lodgings for all and sundry—political dignitaries, industrial tycoons, half-a-dozen different security forces, infamous crimelords, and more than a few occultist zealots… all of them with one thing in common: an insatiable thirst for the alchemic waters.

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Ashvale: Market town of the crafter gnomes. Shops, saloons, and front offices all operate from the quaint simulacrum of a village that exists at the surface. While residential, military, and covert affairs all take place in a subterranean stronghold—accessible only to the crafters through the use of various portals spread throughout the town.

Basher’s Market: Troll meeting place and cultural hub. When walking these dusty avenues, the acrid smell of a food stall draws visitors’ attention away from the public rituals of frenzied shamans. The market’s proximity to the Rattler’s Guild has been both a blessing and a curse. Gnome and elf railmen come down the hill hungry and often in need of services—which (for a quick buck) the trolls willingly oblige. Unfortunately, along with their coin the railmen bring a drunkenness and rancor unmatched in all of the Valenaria.

Bowhen Manor: Vast Manor of Lord Sarkin Bowhen. The Manor plays an important role in producing agricultural staples for the region. A sizable percentage of the crops are exported back to the imperial elf homeland, Ilfindis, where they sell at a higher profit. Rumor has it that Lord Bowhen is known to use these proceeds to fuel a habit of imbibing the alchemical waters.

Erudite’s Tower: Institute for the Study of the Alchemical Sciences. Currently expanded past its original purpose of solely studying the Alchemical Waters, this institute of learning represents the premiere academic institution of Valenaria (with less notable counterparts existing in Old Marianna and Wildnook). Current focuses include studies of Miraculous Invention, Biology of the Mythological, and Political Brinkmanship.

Faria Junction: Crossroads of the Valenarian Rail. A series of wyes built at the station allow for the locomotives to switch tracks and directions. Also a point of sale for many local farmers, whose goods get are ultimately sold in either Old Marianna or the Sanctum.

Fishtown: Goblin fishing village. Their Old World origin being a hundred isle archipelago, the Goblins of Valenaria make for natural mariners. Fishtown is primarily populated by their ilk, though they—the Goblins—are found in most communities across Valenaria, and are generally well liked.

Fort Siger: Elven Border Keep. Centaur raids from the Eastern frontier have made this outpost a necessary guard against native incursions into the region. The Commander, Sybil Alderfey, is widely known as one of the greatest military tacticians in the Valenaria.

Maru’s Hermitage: Seat of the Kobold Union. Originally the Winter Palace of their Matriarch, Maru the Great, the Hermitage has since become the private world of the kobold dog-men. Decimated as the price for their valiance during the Calamity of Man their tribe has retired from the public life of Valenaria to this sylvan retreat. While they retain a small envoy at the Sanctum, their society has seen a dramatic shift toward introspection.

Old Marianna: Cosmopolitan port city. Although the territories are technically sovereign of any Old World nations, foreign influence inform much of Old Marianna’s political workings. In the harbour the steam of merchant flotillas can be seen filling all corners of the sky, evidence of an insatiable global demand for the alchemical waters.

Port Dag: Universal center of skullduggery and vice. A forsaken hamlet of smugglers, thieves, cutthroats, and every other manner of ne’er-do-gooder, Port Dag has gone from bad to worse in recent history. Sanctum intelligence has determined a local tavern and inn, The Sunk Fortune, as the nerve center of this criminal underground. Along with grog and comfort, The Fortune, is known to provide its clients with much sought lead information regarding work of a less-than-legitimate nature.

Rattler’s Guild: Railroad operator. Originally a joint venture between the gnomes, elves, and Erudite’s Tower, due to the immense dangers of travelling the countryside, the Rattler’s Guild holds a virtual monopoly on the safe transportation of goods and people. The current guildmaster, Baloth, was born in Old Marianna to a prominent digger gnome family.

Wildnook: Mountain home of the digger gnomes. Chief exporter of ores and solid fuels (charcoal, coal, and coke) this important resource and industrial center plays the central role in land improvements. They are led by Master Engineer Zek, who in his envy for the crafter gnomes and their portals built a superior transport of his own: the Valerian Rail Network.

Uz: Ancestral capital of the Frognari People. Of all the native peoples found in Valenaria, only the Frognari were capable of contending with and (eventually) collaborating with the Old World settlers. The naturally defensive position of their capital deep within the Great Swamp, negated any attempt at invasion. And, though they had no retort for the devastating action of musket fire, their innate ability to camouflage meant that (in small numbers) they were able to navigate the outside world virtually undetectable. Natural scholars, the Frognari have a tenacity for for learning new sciences and inventing out-of-the-box solutions. As such in modern times many of their rank populate the halls of the Erudite’s Tower.