Voheme

The authoritarianism of the Levissian Empire has not been unopposed. In fact, the oppression has led to unlikely friendships and alliances. One such friendship led to the founding of **Voheme, the Sunset City**.

Nestled in the Zefirfal Valley in the Twillan Summits, south-east of Solaire, hides the peaceful city of Voheme. The settlement sits amidst a forest of Glasleif trees, whose mirror-like leaves reflect the evening sky, granting the city its 'sunset' epithet.

## A Tale of Two Soldiers

A little over a decade ago, Knight-Captain Léonie Lefaucheux of the Ashen Templars was tasked with scouting the Summits, amongst reports of frontier settlements being raided by unknown forces. She led a small contingent of elven Templars through the mountain passes, while the skies overhead became overcast and thunder rumbled in the distance, before descending into a valley. After travelling for a few hours the knights stopped to take shelter from the raging storm that had begun. They set up camp in a cave, and there they sat for 2 days, unable to venture out due to extreme winds and freezing rain and sleet. On the third night, Léonie awoke to find her men tied up with axes at their throats, held by squat, bearded, bedraggled folk. She recognised them to be dwarves, as they were yelling at her in a gravelly language she didn't understand.

A small squabble occurred, leaving many bruised and bloodied, before the soldiers of both sides gathered around to watch as the Knight Captain wrestled a dwarf that had tackled her. The two wailed on each other, until they both collapsed from exhaustion. The dwarf clambered to her feet and looked around the room and the battered and starving troops, both elf and dwarf alike, and extended a hand down to Léonie. The dwarf introduced herself as Lyudmila the Fractured, ex-general of the Krov'voyny clan, and told her that she and her fellow dwarves had deserted their people due to a realisation of the senselessness of the Stonefeud. They had travelled east, through the Outback, to find somewhere to call home, before getting caught in the awful hurricane that raged outside. They were just as destitute as the Templars.

The two opposing forces decided to form a temporary truce while they figured out the best way to escape their predicament. The dwarves set about re-forging two suits of armour to withstand the wicked tempest and its brutal hail, the soldiers shared war stories and religious beliefs. They came to realise that they had fewer differences than they had assumed. Eventually, Léonie and Lyudmila donned the protective armour and ventured out into the storm.

Battling gale force winds and avoiding flying debris, they found the cause of the zephyr; an enraged storm giant. They brandished their weapons, side by side, and leaped into battle. After vicious combat, they realised the cause of the giant’s rage. A large black claw, assumedly from a dragon, was embedded in his chest. Léonie distracted the giant while Lyudmila scaled its body and removed the splinter, and the giant collapsed. As the storm subsided, he crawled to his knees, thanked the duo and begged for forgiveness. He introduced himself as Vindsvalr, and bid them farewell as he returned to his keep overlooking the valley.

The soldiers, who couldn’t help smiling and joking around with each other about their victory, returned to the cave and told their compatriots about the fight. They cheered and held a raucous victory feast with what food they could now hunt.

As they shared the meal and swapped stories, the two leaders went for a moonlit stroll under the now clear skies. They spoke of their mistrust for their respective nations, and dreamed of a place free from the restrictive grasp of such harsh political doctrine.

When they returned, their men agreed to stay here in the valley with them, and to found a new settlement, open to all who sought asylum from the oppression of the greater factions. In time the town grew into a city, nestled amongst the trees, welcoming to the outcasts and the strange

They named the town Voheme.