The Blood Vale
The Blood Vale is a land of contradictions—a bastion of trade and power, yet marred by scars of war, disease, and ambition. Dukes scheme in gilded halls while adventurers risk life and limb in the wild Marches. Portasang, its crown jewel, pulses with wealth and intrigue, a city where kings, mages, and priests all vie for dominance. But beneath its surface, ancient magics stir, old grudges fester, and the thin Veil to the Scarlands threatens to tear anew. Heroes here are not born—they are forged in blood, ambition, and the ceaseless struggle for survival in a land at the edge of destiny.
In the aftermath of Sargos' fall, a new age of peril and opportunity has dawned. The collapse of trade routes and the devastation caused by the Ichor birthed smuggling networks, black markets, and primitive advancements in tools and alchemy to counter labor shortages. Adventurers now roam the fractured lands as agents of change—employed by lords to recover lost relics, uncover ancient magics, or root out emerging threats. Yet, while kingdoms feud and the Dominion rises, a greater danger festers in the shadows. The Uffern's armies stir once more, and whispers speak of corrupted remnants from the Rending—ancient Fae or magics unleashed into the world. As new powers vie for dominance, the dark tide that looms on the horizon threatens to unite a divided world in common dread.
In all the world there is no place like the Blood Vale. It straddles the shores of both old Almatia, and Culis, divided by the Meredesang as it empties into the Sea of Contest. Its capstone city, Portasong, is the gateway of the world, and all trade from Edor and Adoran is passed on its journey by trade from Rivas, Thendare, and Caltovis. It is the last true remnant of the Sargosian Empire, and though it carries the prestige of its legacy, it is in no way bound by it.
All ethnicities and races have a presence in the Blood Vale, from the exotic to the mundane. All religions, systems of magic, philosophies, old grudges, and new, mix in a volatile cauldron of terse acceptance tempered only by a desire for trade, and opportunity.
The Scar Lands to the east are dangerous, yet filled with riches and the promise of adventure. The principalities that constitute the vale guard over uneasy borders, and hungry minor lords have ample opportunity and motivation to expand their holds. Where there are feuding minor lords there are mercenary companies seeking their own fortunes.
The Ichor, and the decades of war with Virida and Accipitera have left ample room for settlement and development. The conquest of Avaris in Amon has given the Blood Vale an alliance with Rivas, and they have begun to establish themselves as a new kingdom in and of itself.
The Keepers of the Gates, and the Mage Colleges of Bardsey, both call the Blood Vale home. Both are powerful institutions in their own right, but their presence only serves to underscore the growing strength and influence of the Vale at large.
The Dutchies
The Blood Vale is comprised of nine dutchies, each ruled by a Duke, and each holding any number of Counts who administer the counties, and Barons who are charged with the knights, soldiery, and defense of the principality. Each Duke holds the right to nominate the Grand Duke who serves for life. The dutchies of the Blood Vale are largely ordered around hereditary lines from the tribes of Mydlothnyr, Alendor, and the remnants of Sargos.
Dutchy of Bryn
The Cullis people were the oldest line of humans in the Blood Vale, and were often locked in conflict with the Almatian elves. Over time, the Cullis tribes were conquered, or intermarried with the Viridans that migrated eastward. The landscape of Bryn is dotted with old Cullis ruins and forts, temples erected to gods long forgotten. The people who live here now speak an odd dialect of Mydlim, and are a reclusive people. They are considered the black sheep of the other Mydlothnyan provinces.
Primary Language: Mydlim
Dominant Ethnicity: Mydlothnyan
Racial Makeup: Human (94%), Nemedian (2%), Other (4%)
Dominant Gods: Annwn, Ioris, Elberick
Ruling House: Corbin - Motto: “Rise Above”
Dutchy of Addewid
Addewid is the largest of the dutchies, and its people are a diverse collection of representative cultures that have flowed in, out, and through the duchy over the past century. Cullis refugees from the south, Mydlothnyan settlers from the west, and Accipiteran settlers from the north, all make for a mottled tapestry that is often at odds with itself. The copper mines, rolling fields of barley, and hilltops adorned with windmills, make for an economically diverse and thriving region. Addewid is considered the heartland of the Blood Vale.
Primary Language: Mydlim
Dominant Ethnicity: Mydlothnyan
Racial Makeup: Human (92%), Thorfor (4%), Other (4%)
Dominant Gods: Gaedrik, Elara, Annwn
Ruling House: Dyfen - Motto: “Humility in Victory.”
Dutchy of Almeia
Almeia has long been home to Accipiteran settlers, and is a stalwart supporter of the Colleges of Magic. Nearly all the lords of Almeia contribute their second born sons to the Colleges. Almeia has also seen its fair share of entrepreneurial adventurers come to the region as entrances to a vast underhome of a city believed to be of the age of the Titans has been found. Scholars, explorers, and tomb raiders are scouring the Corde Epaisse looking to find treasures, lost knowledge, or ancient magics. The lords have also taken to requiring such groups apply for and purchase writs, and some even have taken to a lottery system for delving rights.
Primary Language: Afarin
Dominant Ethnicity: Alendorish
Racial Makeup: Human (92%), Eldan (5%), Other (3%)
Dominant Gods: Arawn, Math, Ealyndryl
Ruling House: Chevin - Motto: “Every Man is the Son of His Works”
Dutchy of Dwyfer
Dwyfer is the purported home of the heirs of Rikard who fled here in 920 CA. It is a staunchley Mydlothnyan hold, although it has seen its fair share of immigrants from Alendor and old Sargos. The line of Rikard has been broken into the noble families of the Kendricks, and the Rikardsons, but they have intermarried with other lords of the Blood Vale over the last ten generations. Dwyfer is a dreary place of thick forests, moors, and seemingly perpetual gray skies. It does have a fair amount of silver mines which affords the territory some level of wealth and prestige at court, despite most other lords considering it a place of criminals, poor breeding, and backward thinking.
Primary Language: Mydlim
Dominant Ethnicity: Mydlothnyan
Racial Makeup: Human (96%), Eldan (3%), Other (1%)
Dominant Gods: Annwn, Saedra, Ioris
Ruling House: Reese - Motto: “Faith is Stronger than Fortune”
Dutchy of Cavala
Cavala, jewel of the Blood Vale, is covered in rolling fields of wheat, deep deposits of gems, and gold, and a major trade port that controls the flow of goods to and from Alendor. It is the home dutchy of the Gaspar family, whose patriarch, Alphonse Gaspar, has ruled as Grand Duke of the Blood Vale for over thirty-five years. It is home to artisans, the threatre, and all manner of high society, and cultural innovation.
Primary Language: Afarin
Dominant Ethnicity: Alendorish
Racial Makeup: Human (95%), Sidhe (3%), Other (2%)
Dominant Gods: Ealydnryl, Ioris, Unarna
Ruling House: Gaspar - Motto: “Thrice Challenged. Thrice Victorious”
Dutchy of Prisetlund
When the Blood Vale was fighting a war of independance from all comers, an Ulnastyran warband came to raid the coasts while the major armies were distracted. But Accipiteran soldiers made the grave error of trying to stop the Ulnastyrans, and only served to make an enemy. Soon, the forces of the Blood Vale began to count the Ulnastyran raiders as allies. When the war was done, Jarl Kjell Sivers was given his own territory, and joined the table of dukes. Today, Prisetlund is a provider of mercenaries and soldiery, and the bulk of the Mercenary Guild call Prisetlund home.
Primary Language: Ulnas
Dominant Ethnicity: Ulnastyran
Racial Makeup: Human (90%), Nemedian (5%), Other (5%)
Dominant Gods: Mharaz, Liripai, Ultor
Ruling House: Skogan - Motto: "Feast and Fell"
Dutchy of Karaktos
Karaktos, highland moors bordered on the east by expansive alpine forests that scale up to the midrise of the Arpasian Mountains. The land east of the Arpasians is the desolate Alabaster Sea, a region of blasted deserts and cursed undead. The people of Karaktos are hearty and independant, and Sidhe of the long dispersed Almatian people still linger in the region. The massive Alabaster Sea still holds ancient ruins and treasures, enough to draw wayward adventurers to Karaktos to seek their fortunes, though most only find an early grave.
Primary Language: Sargassian
Dominant Ethnicity: Sargosan
Racial Makeup: Human (85%), Sidhe (10%), Other (5%)
Dominant Gods: Ultor, Elberick, Unarna
Ruling House: Ravenus - Motto: "Begin With a Plan”
Dutchy of Lithos
The Lithos valley is rife with fertile plains sprawling in the western shadow of long cold volcanoes. It’s limestone quarries from the Whitespine Mountains line all the manor homes and temple exteriors of the Blood Vale. Lithos is home to three dragons: Acheron, Xasinax, and Doro. It is ruled by House Ostia, a family that contributed more than a dozen Sargons. Despite the wealth of their lands, and the weight of their name, Lithos has been a stalwart supporter of the Grand Duke. They envision a Blood Vale ascendant, one that can achieve far more than Sargos ever could; unbound by the hubris of legacy.
Primary Language: Sargassian
Dominant Ethnicity: Sargosan
Racial Makeup: Human (95%), Sidhe (3%), Other (2%)
Dominant Gods: Ultor, Elberick, Avenal
Ruling House: Ostia - Motto: “"The Die is Cast”
Dutchy of Thume
Thume stands vanguard over the Marches, and is a land of equal parts opportunity, danger, and intrigue. East of Thume is wildlands populated by dangerous wildman tribes, remnants of the Almatian empire, agents of the Dominion, and all manner of fae and beast emboldened by the ripped Veil that stretches from the Scarlands. It is a place where the rule of law is impotent to enforce, making it home to all manner of smuggler, criminal, and renegade mage. This makes it an ideal home for the adventurer, the crusader, and the explorer.
Primary Language: Sargassian
Dominant Ethnicity: Sargosan
Racial Makeup: Human (80%), Sidhe (15%), Other (5%)
Dominant Gods: Annwn, Avenal, Ioris
Ruling House: Porcius - Motto: “Truth in Goblets, Lies in Pews.”
The Marches
The Marches are swaths of land that is considered frontier, or hinterland. While the Blood Vale court assigns each March a Margrave to secure it, settlers and commonfolk are scarce in the Marches.
Estermarch
Marked by the massive forest of the Bellurwood, Estermarch, or East March, has the most settled regions in the frontier. These outposts benefit from the Margrave’s huntsmen and wardens, but there are reports every month of goblins getting braver in their incursions closer to Thume.
The Salt March
The great salt lake of Sal Muria marks the border of the Salt March, and it stretches all through the deserts of the Alabaster Sea, and ends at the dark swamps of Vethik Mire. Its valleys are occupied by Ogres and Giants, its mountains give lair to at least one dragon, and only wildman tribes dare call this region home.
The Adder March
The Adder March contains the whole of Vethik Mire, and is the northeast extent of the Marches claimed by the Blood Vale. Here the Veil is thin, and Hags, Trolls, and ancient undead nest in the dark reaches. The Mire holds critical herbs and flora valued by alchemists and mages alike, their value comensurate with the danger in retrieving them.
The March of Calidus Fons
Marked by hot springs, picturesque lakes, and teeming with evergreens, the March of Calidus Fons has attracted recent interest from settlers. Silver has been found in the rivers and streams, and guilds, nobles, and companies are flocking to the area, despite the everpresent threat of raiders, dire wolves, and goblins.
Portasang
Once known as Aurumos, Portasang is the last remaining great city of old Sargos with the destruction of Arcaenum and Ulum. Portasang stradles both sides of the Meredesang that empties into the Sea of Contest. It is a natural throughway from which Edor and Adoran gain access to Amon, Rivas, Thendare, and the rest of the known world by sea. All merchants, all manner of goods, and all strikes of coin, at one point, have likely sailed through the Seagates of Portasang. It is a massive city, physically more expansive than Ullum was, and its architecture is uncanny in its diversity.
The heart of Portasang, its massive Seagates, are of a construction never before seen, nor reproduced since. Some say the Titans themselves must have crafted them, for the whole of their structure seems carved from a single massive sheet of limestone. This area of the city is unrivaled the world over for its immensity, precision architecture, and alien style.
Radiating out from the Seagates are the parts of Portasang built by Sargos during their direct rule of the region. Much of the trade and commerce of the city takes place in these sections. Sargosian sewer systems, copper plumbing, aqueducts, bath houses, theatres, and distinctive roads all make Portasang a modern city by all accounts. The newer portions of the city bear clear designs inspired by both Mydlothnyan and Alendorish settlers. They are mostly of timbers, with plaster and straw facades braced by crossbeams, and wood tiled rooves.
Today, nearly five hundred thousand people reside in the city and its outskirts. Denizens the world over reside in Portasang, either as resident, or temporary visitor. All manner of spices, invention, schools of thought, religions, systems of magic, cultures, criminal, and hero can be found in Portasang.
The Crownlands
The Crownlands are the provinces west of Portasang that stretch to the borders of the Dutchy of Bryn. This land is the privilege of the Grand Duke, and he affords the other Dukes, Counts, and major families land plots for estates near the capitol. This territory is often used as rewards for loyalty and gifts of the crown. It is well patroled, and only the very wealthy, the very favored, and their attendants can reside here.
The Mudflats
The Mudflats refer to the delta that sprawls eastward outside of Portasang. It is a region of the destitute, of criminals, and the diseased. Despite being in the shadow of the greatest city of the known world, the Mudflats show the disparity between those with power, and those without. Few come here willingly, and even though only to conduct some nefarious business, conscript some thugs, or hide from the authorities.
Gull Island
When the Blood Vale and Rivas conquered the Amonite city of Avaris, thousands of Amonite refugees made for the mainland. While Portasang is a cultural patchwork, Amonites are the subject of superstition and fear from the common folk. Many Amonites were relegated to Gull Island, and it has become a place known for gaining ill-gotten goods. Over the last few years the Amonites have established a level of self governance on the island. The schism between these refugees and the Blood Vale is only growing, and it is only a matter of time before either side seeks to forcibly change the dynamic of the relationship.
