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WHISPERING VALE
Overview
The Whispering Vale isn't a place a sensible person would choose to visit, unless there was real coin to be made. The lands are harsh and the people tend to distrust outsiders. Matters are made worse by the fact that this is widely known to be cursed lands, as everything here is built over the ruins of the elven empire that challenged the gods in the Twilight War.
The region is dominated by one powerful city: Solstice. This bastion of civilization has existed for hundreds of years, and serves as the hub for various small towns and villages through the valley.
Denizens of the vale have faced challenges both physical and philosophical as their world has been changing over decades and years. But if there's one thing you learn in the vale is that no matter what, you find a way to make things work.
Locations
Solstice
The Eternal City
Hartfell
The City of Life
Silverstone
Humble Mountain Home
Lotheim
Keepers of the Old Ways
People and Politics
People of the Vale
Non-Player Characters
The people of the Vale are known as Valians and are known to endure great hardship. The population is overwhelmingly human, but there is a sizable minority of elves. Most cities in the Whispering Vale are organized into a loose confederation known as the Valian League.
Like most areas of the world today, they have strong faith in the gods. But in the Whispering Vale that is even more true than most places. Built atop the ruins of the Eltari Empire, it's citizens have seen the devastation of the Decimation first hand. Every city has temples to major deities, and small towns often have ecumenical services that support a diversity of faiths.
The population of the Vale is based mostly in Solstice, but a few major cities like Hartfell have sizable populations. It is dotted with small towns like Silverstone that are part of the Valian League, as well as neutral independent groups like the dwaves of Lotheim as well as hostile neighbors such as the giant city-state of Korrundor.
Embers
Over the last fifteen years, a new threat has begun to emerge in the Vale: embers. They resemble massive humans made entirely out of a mass of twisted wood that is permanently on fire. Embers are incredibly dangerous, and only experienced warriors are able to take them on.
Embers seem to roam about randomly, though many believe they originate in the Cinderfall Woods - a forest that permanently cycles between blazes and regrowth at rapid pace. They avoid crossing water as it seems to diminish them, but are hostile to all things they encounter.
Out of fear of embers, most travel in the region happens at night. It's far easier to see an Ember coming and avoid it.
In recent years, the number of sightings of Embers has been steadily rising. There even has been loose rumor of Winter Knights wanting to venture into the Cinderfall Woods and try to find the source of these creatures, but so far Solstice sees this as a mere annoyance for trade lines and something to keep an eye on.
Remnants
The Breakthrough
Everything changed with the Stratus Invocation. A magical technique pioneered by Corvinus Veil, this technique was named posthumously after his former master, Caldor Stratus. This arcane invocation was a leap forward in the preservation and reanimation of the dead. Prior to this, most mages could only temporarily raise mindless zombies and skeletons. With the Stratus Invocation, they could be made permanent, and they could be trained.
Remnants and Culture
That breakthrough happened thirty years ago, and in the generation since, life in the of the Whispering Vale has changed. These creatures came to be known as Remnants, and those that create them are known as Binders. Terms like zombie and necromancer are considered out of date and rude, though individuals who express hostility to Remnants tend to call them Faceless.
Remnants are used across society as household servants, miners, porters, and even soldiers. The more complex the orders and higher level of intelligence a Remnant possess, the more Chroma and expertise is required by to complete the ritual. Thus, only the wealthy tend to be able to afford advanced remnants. Still, their use even for menial labor has changed the society across a generation.
Cultural norms surrounding this practice have spread across the vale, communicated through decrees from the Council of Solstice as well as recommendations from the Soulwardens, a mage guild dedicated to binding.
Remnant Guidelines
When a loved one passes, you may donate the body to the Soulwardens and receive a stipend in return.
When a Remnant is returned to our world, they must always be placed anonymously and far from the care of the people who originally knew that body in life.
Remnants must be kept masked at all times, and it is recommended that their bodies be covered at all times.
Remnants must be maintained and be inspected by a member of the Soulwardens annually or your license can be revoked. Evidence of intentional abuse of a Remnant is considered a criminal act, though they may be worked hard and put in dangerous situations.
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