Valt

*Do not read beyond **this point** if you want to avoid being **spoiled!***

*Landshard* - **Neutral Independent Entity**

**Valt** is a landshard in the southern seas that was once a relatively prosperous settlement with ironworks and a small shipbuilding industry (focusing on building fishing vessels), which has since fallen on hard times. Approximately a decade ago it suffered an economic collapse due to Novoalbian trade intereference, resulting in the disuse of the shipyard, formerly led by Edna Corpsley. It is currently possessed by nobody. The major settlement on the landshard is Valtswell.

## Background

In reality, however, its de facto ruler is Ellie Fante, otherwise known as Widow, a merchant, information broker and fence. Many often arrive in Valt to visit her lair for information, which is located within a dilapidated Southern-style mansion.

Part of the old ironworks has been converted to an open air market area, with the food court located within the shell of a former train station and trainyard. Valt is often frequented by Novalbian Navy sailors on shore leave, as well as pirates and other independent and non-state actors.

It has a constabulary, the Valtswell Flintfolk, led by Captain of the Guard Victoria Valentine, and a prison and legal system of sorts. The Flintfolk have an "understanding" with Widow that have allowed the two to cooexist for at least eight years.

## Personages of Note

* Widow
* Captain of the Guard Victoria Valentine
* Harbourmaster Margie Woods
* Edna Corpsley, former master shipwright
* Miller Collins

### Merchants

* Zinfandel Perriwinkle, Weapons and Armourer artisan
* Morpho the Magnificent, mage
	+ Sullivan Callan, assistant to Morpho the Magnificent

## Places of Interest

* Widow's Lair
* Flintfolk Guardtower
* Market
	+ Delphine Dare's Truth or Dare Furniture Store
	+ Morpho the Magnificent's Mansion
* Shipyards (in disuse)
* Docks
* One Eye Willy's, a public establishment based in the hull of a broken ship

## The Anvil Incident

Part of the **Voyages of the *Nightingale***

### Objective

Dissolution of the Cult of Anvil, via assassination of Floyd Doppler or Religious Coup with Lignus Stormsent as the True Prophet of Anvil

### Result

Apparent dissolution of the Cult of Anvil

A Cult of Anvil, an apocalyptic religion of some sort, has emerged on the landshard after a fire-and-brimstone preacher spotted a 15-year old boy, Ben, on whom Saara Smallwick had cast an illusion of a fire on. Ben later had a glowing anvil somehow imprinted onto his forehead and was seen in the company of the cult. At a later return to Valt, Ben had become a proselytiser himself. It was believed that this accidental prank escalated the cult into an actually notable occurance, as people had otherwise paid very little attention to the group otherwise.

The holy symbol of this cult is an anvil, with its adherents wearing a symbol around their neck of a gear cog with an anvil in it. Its adherents, led by Ben, recently burnt down One Eye Willy's. The cult apparently has some magical or holy ability, manifested by its leaders and acolytes; consequently, it is unknown whether Anvil is a real deity or not. The cult is known to have semi-weekly meetings at locations that are well-known by the populace.

The Cult considers gambling and alcohol to be sinful, even though the leader of the Cult, Floyd Doppler, is known to be a drinker; the Cult ignores this and considers him to be a repenter.

#### Known Members

* Floyd Doppler, Preacher of Anvil
* Ben

The cult appeared to have dissolved after a failed assassination attempt/religious coup on Floyd Doppler by Vermillion Versailles, Lignus Stormsent and Waldein Samkeit at the ruin of One Eye Willy's, involving an anvil, which resulted in the death of Ben to said anvil. Floyd, a former drunkard, charlatan and "known shitheel", was taken to the Valtswell Flintfolk, who had quietly approved the operation, who threw him in jail.

## Battle of Valt

Part of the **Voyages of the *Nightingale***

### Result

Pyrrhic Valt victory
Novalbian task force repelled

Following the attack on Billingsworth and the death of Novalbian servicemen at the hands of Vermillion Versailles and his crew, the HMS *Tireless Pursuit* was dispatched to Valt to restore order. However, Versailles' ensuing attack on the much larger *Trident*-class vessel in Valtswell harbour and its eventual capture precipitated Novo Albia to move upon Valt to restore order.

An advance vessel bearing a Novalbian officer, Ulrich, was captured by Waldein Samkeit, who hurried to Valt with this news (and Ulrich) in tow. This was revealed to Versailles, and the three, with Lignus Stormsent, informed the Widow. It was revealed that Novo Albia planned to subdue the island by force, and arrest notable individuals including the Widow (identified as Ellie Fante), the Harbourmaster Margie Woods and the former head of the shipyards Edna Corpsley. This meant that attempts at compromise first proposed by Widow and Captain of the Guard Valentine were out of the question, and that they had to look to themselves for protection.

The task force was believed to consist of at least three *Trident*-class cruisers.

After reducing the threat from the Cult of Anvil during a failed assassination attempt on Floyd Doppler (killing Ben in the process and capturing Doppler), the crews of the *Nightingale* and *Dawn Howl* assisted in preparations of a defence. The guns of the HMS *Tireless Pursuit* were landed and mounted on elevated carriages for high-elevation fire at points where crossfire could be achieved, while the HMS *Tireless Pursuit* was prepared as a fire ship to be lit by Versailles. The *Dawn Howl* was to hide in a cloud bank to intercept the Novalbian ships as they released their troops by fastroping.

When the battle commenced, Versailles' planned deception worked out perfectly, drawing the HMS *Iron Rock*, which had spotted the *Dawn Howl* but not identified it as a pirate vessel, towards the "stricken" *Tireless Pursuit*; the ensuing magazine detonation obliterated both ships, but Versailles managed to escape. Seizing this opportunity, the *Dawn Howl* boarded one of the *Trident*-class vessels engorging its troops aboard. In the ensuing fight, where the Captain jumped overboard to avoid fighting the dragonborn pirates, Waldein's crew carried the ship and cut the ropes, sending the shock troops to their death, before taking off with the *Trident*-class.

This moment of victory was soured by the arrival of the HMS *Lanessa*, which was due to rendezvous with the *Tireless Pursuit*, and by assistance flares from Widow's mansion rising up above the sky. Versailles and his crew, accompanied by a clockwork dog Zinsy Sparksprocket had repaired (named Buster) and Miller Collins in a refitted Novalbian assault suit, made it to Widow's, where they fought off a large group of at least 6 advanced clockwork dogs and 3 Novalbian officers, managing save Widow and one of her clockwork spiders, Spot. After a quite respite with some vigour vapours, they set off towards the docks, which sent off a distress flare. However, the shipyards also sent off a flare, as Edna Corpsley had refused to leave. Tinder offered to leave to defend Edna and they parted with an emotional goodbye.

En route to the docks, the spotted the HMS *Lanessa* above, which had been modified with pipes and machinery that resembed that from the Island of Bone, with a net slung under it containing a bone naga. After Billingsworth spotted them, they were forced to fight Billingsworth, clearly corrupted in some way, and the bone naga. In the ensuing fight Versailles was cut down by an electrical attack by the Bone Naga, Sithresh, and killed instantly, while Zinsy was knocked unconscious and gravely wounded. Lignus managed to kill the bone naga while in black bear form, and Saara Smallwick killed Billingsworth with Melth's acid arrow to the eye. While Zinsy could be revived, Versailles could not be, and Stormsent bore him back to the docks, taking charge.

At the docks, signs of serious fighting were observed, with Captain Valentine having arrived to command the guns to fire upon and serious damage the remaining *Trident*-class, though the HMS *Lanessa* and its corrupted crew had escaped. Valentine thanked Stormsent profusely for their assistance, and was shocked and saddened by Versailles' death. After hearing no word from the shipyards, they sailed the *Nightingale* there after leaving Versailles' charred corpse in the captain's cabin.

There they found the area apparently devoid of life, with the knelt figure of Tinder Collins' exosuit surrounded by two destroyed assault suits and a section of dead Novalbians, with the shipyard on fire. Edna Corpsley had survived, though her hut was aflame and lost, and Tinder had just about survived. Despite this glimmer of hope, however, Valt was ruined with fires raging out of control and many of its brave defenders dead, and while the Empire was defeated, they were all aware that it could return. The veteran Harbourmaster, Margie Woods, had been killed in the fighting as one of the most notable of the dead, and it became inevitable that Valt would require the assistance of the Fortune Isles to survive both the scale of devastation and the inevitable Novalbian onslaught.