The Lands of Warlderia

Endhome Region and Elsir Vale

Endhome (Large City - Republic) 

Alignment: LN

Population: 35,000; Mixed (80% human, 5% Halfling, 5% half-elf, 5% dwarf, 3% elf, 2% other).

Authority figure: Ranlan Poll (Human Male, elected governor)

Major Religion: Xerbo, The Sea Dragon; Lesser Deity (Endhome patron deity). Portfolio; the Sea, Sailing, Money and Business. Pelor, Sun God; Greater Deity. Portfolio: Sun, Strength, Light, Good.

Geography: The city of Endhome sits on the south east peninsular of the Divine Empire and is the last port on the east coast in civilised lands. Due to its prime location it has become a major trading port and it is where the wealthy come from every port on every continent to broker deals and forge trade alliances.

To the north are the Duskmoon Hills through which cuts the main road to the capital of the Divine Kingdoms, Kaegoria, although the hills are far from safe making this road a dangerous route for all but the most desperate or well guarded of caravans. To the northwest of the city is the old Penprie Forest, a large expanse of trees slowing being eroded by the industrious workers of the logging camp on its south eastern edge.

To the west are the Giantshield Mountains, from which spring the waters that form the Gaeleon River that flows through the fertile farmlands west of Endhome’s walls before reaching the sea where the bustling docks stand. Barges and trade boats wend their way up and down the river between Endhome and the city of Dennovar, the nearest neighbour in the Vale. The abundant resources available have made Endhome one of the most populous cities, certainly in the Divine Kingdom, if not all of Warlderia.

Politics

Endhome, being a republic, is governed by elected officials rather than ruled by a hereditary Earl. The city and environs are divided into 13 districts and every four years the people of the districts hold a vote to elect a councillor to represent them. These 13 councillors then vote to elect one of their numbers to be governor. The incumbent governor is Ranlan Poll who is a year into his fourth tenure.

The primary source of income is trade or, more accurately, the tax collected from trade. Every ship mooring in its large harbour and every caravan passing through its gates must pay a small tax for the right to do business in this desirable location. Because it is the only city where merchants can buy or sell to other merchants from so many far off lands, the streets are always crowded with culturally and racially exotic travellers and businessmen looking to make their fortune. There is a local saying amongst the merchants, “If you’ve got the coin and the connections you can buy your heart’s desire.”

Although Endhome is still officially part of Divine Kaegoria its leaders have taken advantage of the waning influence of Emperor Innocence and become an independent state in all but name and The Emperor’s banner has not flown above the city hall for the last few years. This state of affairs has irked some of the other rulers in the Kingdom, but Endhome’s financial muscle, its dominance in trade, its high walls and large standing army (which double as the City Watch) mean there has never been the collective will to do anything about it, much to the deposed Earl Tiberius’ chagrin.

History

Endhome has been a republic for a little over a decade. Prior to this time it was ruled by Earl Heratio Tiberius V whose family had ruled over Endhome and the Elsir Vale since I.Y. 202 (shortly after the overthrow of the Empire). Endhome was a city even then but much of the old Kaegorian buildings were burnt or torn down and it’s wide avenues and green spaces were filled with a riot of houses, taverns, and all manner of merchants and artisans workshops as the population grew rapidly in the war’s aftermath.

Endhome prospered under the rule of the Tiberian’s becoming one of the biggest cities in the Divine Empire. That all ended with the ascension of Heratio Tiberius V who became ruler after his father, Francis Tiberius I, died in a hunting accident deep in the Penprie Forest.

Heratio had always been a spoilt brat but he was also egotistical and vain. He spent huge sums of money buying expensive jewellery; he tore down the old palace and built an even more extravagant replacement, but is greatest folly was his “great navy”.

Heratio cut down swathes of the Penprie forest to provide the wood for the boats and forced farmers to switch from corn, maize and barley to hemp to make the ropes and rigging. Merchant ships and fishing boats struggled to land their goods or catches as more and more ship berths were taken up with vessels of war.

Just as tension were about to boil over the fleet was finished and with Tiberius waving the ships off from the dockside they set sail out to open waters to begin their sea trials and fleet exercises. That was the last time the fleet was ever seen. The only evidence that it had ever existed was a pennant found floating on the waves by a fishing boat.

If there was any truth in the words of the superstitious who said Xerbo had punished Heratio for his vanity, the young Earl cared not. In a fit of rage he demanded another fleet twice as large as the first be constructed. His chief advisor, Ranlan Poll, beseeched his Earl to change his mind. Food shortages had almost caused riots the last time and experienced crew would be hard to find now that several hundred had already been drowned. But most concerning of all he knew that taxes would have to be raised significantly to refill the treasury and that wouldn’t sit well with the merchant guilds at all.

Secretly, a plan for a coup was agreed and the wheels of revolution began to turn. While Heratio was led to believe the warships he saw at anchor were his they were in fact mercenary ships, their retinue of troops having already been smuggled into the city.

In the early hours of the morning after the Midsummer Festival, the palace was surrounded, Earl Tiberius’ Legion Guard overpowered and Heratio given an ultimatum by a thirteen man delegation including Ranlan, relinquish all claims and titles to Endhome and the surrounding region and rule the Vale as he desired, or, be summarily executed for crimes against the people of the city. Suffice to say, Heratio chose the latter option and his retinue and court moved to Dennovar where he sits to this day casting an envious eye towards his former capital.

The members of the delegation formed the first council and voted Ranlan to lead as governor, a role he still holds to this day. The city prospered once more becoming even more diverse and liberal in its attitudes towards other races. However, gold always attracts the greedy and corrupt and this is no different in Endhome where you might hear someone in the seedier taverns twist the merchants’ saying, “If you’ve got the coin, or the connections, someone will knife the heart you desire”.

Brindol (Small City - Feudal): 

Alignment: NG, LE

Population 8,400; Mixed (81% human, 8% Halfling, 5% dwarf, 3% half-orc, 2% gnome, 1% elf).

Authority figure: Baron Kerden Jarmaath (Human Male, Baron).

The second largest settlement in The Vale after Dennovar, Brindol is the prosperous farming community and caravan stopover located along the Dawn Way (the main road between Endhome and Helgoforth) with goods being brought up from Dennovar. Orchards of apple and pear trees follow the river’s winding shores, while broad grain fields and farmlands surround the town for miles in all directions. Brindol is the home of Baron Kerden Jarmaath , and his small keep and the city walls are the only fortifications of note this side of Dennovar.

Baron Jarmaath’s swears fealty to Earl Tiberius in Dennovar.

Dennovar (Small City - Feudal):

Alignment: N, LN;

Population: 11,600; Mixed (81% human, 10% Halfling, 4% dwarf, 2% half-orc, 2% gnome, 1% elf)

Authority figure: Earl Horatio Tiberius V (Human Male, Ruler of the Vale).

A trade-city located on the shores of Lake Ern, Dennovar is the largest community in the Elsir Vale. It’s the eastern gateway to the Vale, and link between Brindol and Endhome for trade to switch overland between the Gaeleon and Elsir rivers.

Earl Tiberius V rules the Vale from here with his wife Lady Yisel Bristeir. The Earl’s seat of power had originally been Endhome, to the east, but around a decade ago he was deposed in a bloodless coup orchestrated by the merchants and his former chief advisor, Ranlan Poll. Despite the Earl’s best efforts to garner support amongst the other rulers in the Kingdom being futile his desire to retake Endhome from “those accursed usurpers!” consumes him all but utterly. Therefore, it is left to his wife to rule although, in reality, the Merchant’s Council – a group of powerful oligarch’s – who handle most of the city’s affairs.

Dennovar is also noteworthy for the dozens of temples, both minor and major, that dot its streets. The activities of these places are overseen by the Temple Council, made up of the highest ranking clerics devoted to each of the deities the temples serve.

Drellin’s Ferry

If Dennovar is the eastern gateway to Elsir Vale, then the small town of Drellin’s Ferry is the western. A dwarf-made bridge spanned the Elsir River here, but it was destroyed during an epic flood about a hundred years ago. Since that time, travellers on the Dawn Way have crossed by means of a ferry, from which the town gets its name.

Other Areas of Note

Hammersmith Holds (not shown on map): In the high foothills of the Wyvernwatch Mountains lie the Hammerfist Holds, a half-dozen dwarf clan holds that sometimes trade with the humans of the vale. Each of the holds is a hamlet or village, home to a hundred or more dwarves.

Giantshield Mountains: Sheltering Elsir Vale from the storms of the Inner Sea, the Giantshield Mountains are a low range of well weathered peaks. The northern slopes are barren, dry and rocky, home to a variety of dangerous monsters. The southern slopes are a little more hospitable, covered in light pine forest and cut by gorges of many small seasonal streams. The coast road connects Endhome to Slausen but is only travelled by the fool-hardy or desperate, although merchant caravans will occasionally use the road when winter storms on the Inner Sea prevent ships from carrying goods between the two cities.

Lake Rhestin: This shallow, marshy lake stretches almost 100 miles from north to south. Once its shores were dotted with the Elvish villages and manors of Rhestilor, but in the time since that kingdom’s fall, these have largely been abandoned by both elf and human alike.

Marth Forest: Climbing the southern foothills of the Giantshield Mountains, Marth Forest is a rugged, wild woodland rarely trodden by human feet except in its south western fringes. In its lower reaches, the forest is dotted with the old barrows and stone circles of the ancient druidic folk who once dominated the Vale. The higher parts are home to human and half-orc barbarian tribes – disorganised clutches of feral berserkers rarely encountered outside the woods.

The Thornwaste: South of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains lies a vast barren land known as the Thornwaste. A maze of broken hills, briar-choked ravines and dry dusty scrubland, these badlands has long been the haunt of lions, hieracosphinxes, and other hungry monsters.

The Witchwood: Generally held to be haunted by the restless spirits of the ancient druid folk who once dwelled here, The Witchwood is a lush, wet woodland interspersed with swampy stretches in the vicinity of the large rivers.

The Westdeep: Several xenophobic tribes of wild elves dwell in the depths of this dense forest, avoiding contact with most other folk.

Wyrmsmoke Mountains: Several volcanic peaks gave this rugged range of hills and low mountains its name; the few travellers who dared to enter these ranges observed the plumes of ash and smoke that sometimes arose from the inner hills believed that a great red dragon was responsible for the fuming hills. The Wyrmsmokes are home to a number of goblin, hobgoblin and bugbear tribes constantly warring with each other.

Wyvernwatch Mountains: South of Elsir Vale lie the Wyvernwatch Mountains, a forbidding range of high, steep mountains with few passes leading to coast on the other side.