In-Game Settings

## Guardian Vale

*OOC: Guardian Vale is where regular fortnightly Scy'kadian events are currently set. Our weekender events tend to take place deeper in the Weft.*

The vale rests in the foothills of a small, moderately-forested mountain range on The Weft’s southern border and is slowly becoming a major inroads to the deeper Weft. This is due to the relative stability of it’s landscape, as well as the strange detail that large monsters seem to avoid it… for the most part. Further south and east lie The Crosslands and The Ride, through which travelers approach overland. The closest tributary of the River Wyrd ends a weeks stride to the north-west, preventing nautical forces from arriving directly by sea vessel. Many who enter Guardian Vale for the first time feel their minds befuddled by the Weft’s arcane saturation. It can take several days or even weeks to recall prominent memories. Apart from encamped raiders and passing armies, the only sizable populations are the five camps clustered beneath a lone rise at the very heart of the vale… Guardian Hill.

### The Five Camps

Guardian Vale is home to five major camps of adventurers and factions, each with different ideals. Some adventurers choose not to align themselves with a camp, instead preferring to work with each as their whims dictate. The five camps, listed alphabetically, are:

* **The Circle** - A shrewd group of scholars and mages dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and powerful magics.
* **The Clan** - A rowdy band of brigands and rogues who take pleasure in causing chaos and making money.
* **Light Camp** - A congregation of those devoted to The Greater Gods, sworn to spreading good and triumphing over evil.
* **Shadow Camp** - A villainous assembly of those devoted to The Narga, sworn to spreading evil and dismay.
* **Tavern Town** - A civic collection of merchants and mercenaries valuing law and order, and the home of Guardian Vale's largest tavern, the Blinded Boar.

### Guardian Hill

It is said that beneath this hill can be found the ruins of a fortress, labyrinth, or even city… accounts differ depending on who you ask. What is known for sure is that the sunken ruins once belonged to a Human culture called the Yenrady, famed for their binding of elementals and other magical entities. The entire region bears mysterious wards of unknown function, though it is suspected that they contribute to the area's monster repulsion. Another common rumor holds that the ruins are a prison, built to contain some ancient or even deific monstrosity… those who put stock in this theory point to not only the wards, but the fact that the ruins remain sealed, unreachable except by small portals which open sporadically every so often. Despite the clear dangers of wandering into an unknown maze, local factions fight fiercely to enter these portals, often returning with treasure or relics of great power… though many who do so awaken the following day in nearby woods or on the outskirts of town, having no memory of how they got there.

### Sneak’s Wood

Unnaturally gloomy, Sneak’s Wood is forbidding enough without acknowledging the lurking Goblins and other sinister creatures within. Yet the danger they pose is as nothing compared to what lies at the core of the woods… The Camp Of Shadow, Guardian Vale’s haven for cultists of Ruin and other dabblers in darkness. Within their eerily creaking tents and commandeered Goblin tunnels, servants of The Narga enact horrifying rituals of devotion.

### Archon Wood

Opposite Sneak's Wood, on the other side of Tavern Town, lies a second noteworthy forest. It is a place where sunlight beams artfully through the canopy, falling upon crystal clear pools over which giggling sprites dart to and fro. The Camp Of Light, a collection of heroic do-gooders and divine champions, stands vigil over Archon Wood.

### Field Of Ghosts

*OOC: The Field of Ghosts refers to the sport field nearby that is regularly in use by the general public. To retain immersion, these people are referred to as "ghosts" and should be ignored during play.*

Due no-doubt to the proximity of The Crosslands, chilly fogs and restless spirits sporadically appear upon his field. Locals tend to give the place a wide berth.

### Other Notable Spots

* **Ogryk's Hollow:** Before the founding of The Blinded Boar, here stood a wooden sign with the word "Ogryk" upon it… none know it’s meaning.
* **The Arena:** This affectionately named square of grass serves as a stage for brawlers and gamblers alike.
* **Hero's Holdout:** Rumored to be the site of a heroic last stand, where a dozen Thaedians held off a pack of Trolls for a night and a day.
* **Warlock's Folly:** A local Mage once declared his intent to gain immortality via a highly experimental ritual. This lifeless crater is the sad result.
* **Wyvern Glade:** A clearing within the encircling bones of an enormous Wyvern; many poisonous plants grow here. A favored spot for poisoners in search of fresh ingredients.
* **Bandit Run:** Caravans that get lost on their way into Guardian Vale oft pass through, running afoul of hidden raiders.
* **The Treelings:** Bound long ago by unknown hands, Greater Elementals inhabit these trees. Bypassers feel their watchful presence.

## New Hearth

*OOC: This is the current location of our twice-yearly Weekender events.*

A forested region north and east of Guardian Vale, it was once a staging point for the Yenrady during their exodus Weftward. Unlike Guardian Vale, with it's mysterious wards and other protections, New Hearth is very much like the rest of The Weft... riddled with monsters and dangerous magical zones.

Despite the risk, Guardian Vale's adventurers have vied for control of the location and it's undiscovered treasures on several occasions.

Their first visit in 649MR saw them fighting over a magical forge in a nearby fort, which triggered powerful temporal anomalies. The forge was eventually stolen by a Pharidae Lich, freeing the adventurers from a loop of endlessly repeating battles.

Later in 649MR the locale was briefly colonized by a mixed community of Humans and Dwarves. Unfortunately, not long after naming their colony (New Hearth) they fell afoul of monsters, Ruinous cult activity, and a spark of Magic held captive beneath the fort... every single colonist was slain or vanished, leaving our adventurers to slowly uncover their fate. In the process, the forces of Shadow were able to transform the spark of Magic into a newborn Demon, draining the region of much of it's chaotic arcana.

In 650MR Guardian Vale's adventurers returned to investigate an eerie carnival, only to find themselves besieged by several powerful monsters.