The Valley of Darkness:Main Page

[The Main Plot]

An Overview of the Valley:

This is a very large valley set in a moderate, temperate region. The Western edge of the valley is set against a large bay, the three other borders are defined by Rugged Mountains that had no less than 2 passes each, allowing for robust trade with the nations and regions beyond the valley prior to the 'Darkening.'

Set against the bay there are 3 fairly large cities, Pillinqual is the largest of these, as well as the largest city of the valley. Pillinqual is built into the cliffs that border the sea for most of the western coast. The two rivers that flow into the sea are on the northern and southern sides of the plateau upon which Pillinqual sets. I had the adventure begin here in Pillinqual. There is a rivalry between these 3 cities, each claiming to have rightful claim to rulership over the valley. In Pillinqual, they refer to their leader as the Emperor. The emperor is ruler over the largest region of any of the cities, including several other townships, giving him the largest population to pull from for armed forces, and other resources.

In spite of the prominent rivalry, there is still a vibrant trade system between the cities, and each of them sends royal contengents to compete in gladiatorial tournaments regularly. Each city hosts no less than 2 major gladiatorial tournaments per year. The true reason for hosting these gladiatorial events, is to give cause for travel between cities for rich merchants, dignitaries and persons of power who are interested in the rampant slave trade market in each city. Approximately 75% of the population of each of these cities consists of slaves.

The slave trade is a very vibrant form of income for the valley as a whole. Nearly all communities, no matter the race, have been victimized by slavers, or used the slave market to help them carve a nich for themselves. There are slaving groups that act very similarly to the way the Privatiers of the 1500's did. They are licensed to operate by one of the rival ruling parties, but considered outlaws and thieves by the other ruling party. The slave market is not exclusive to any race, creed, or socio/political stature, they are all possible slaves; though it is dominated by the minority races (Orc, Dwarf, Elf, etc...). All of the slaves have a magical mark on them that is recognizable by anyone who does not have that mark.

Deeper into the valley, which is 500+/- miles East to West and 350+/- miles North to South, there are numerous communities, a few of which rival Pillinqual in size and diversity. Typical traveling to and from these communities can be either by river or road. Most of the communities deeper into the valley have little or no slavery, they are the communities most commonly victimized by the slavers, and have developed a dislike for it.

The western end of the valley is difficult to travel through without the roads or rivers for it is rife with plateaus and deep river canyons. There are many bridges and switchback trails that lead into and out of Pillinqual, and the other two cities on the coast, but each of these cities have direct access to each other by sea, and to the valley by the rivers. Skald and Ermach have easier access to the eastern portions of the valley by land because they are ouside the area with all the canyons.

Set in the heart of the valley, is a fairly large mountain range that is known to be the home of numerous savage species, as well as two strong, successful dwarven clans. There are a couple big townships that have sprouted up in the foothill surrounding these mountains. In the northern and southern corners along the far eastern border of the valley, there are two fortress communities who have storied histories dating back before the darkening, but they are mostly remembered for their roles in allowing the darkening to occur.

Races of the Valley:

I ran this valley with Orcs and 1/2 Orcs as regular members of society. Yes, they are nearly always left in the dregs, scraping and fighting to make a living, but they are accepted as another of the civilized races - barely. Therefor, full Orc can be taken as a Player Character. STATS: As per the Monster Manual 3.5 except that I gave them an additional +2 Con. If you compare the Orc from the MM w/ the common Dwarf, there is no reason not to give the orc the extra Con. (in my humble opinion)

Drow Elves are common members of society, however, their 3 centures of exposure to the pseudo-sun and fresh air have had an effect upon them similar to the effects it has upon their magical armor & swords - their powers and abilities have diminished greatly. Drow no longer have spell resistance and their dark vision is cut down to 60'. STATS: No Spell Resistance, Dark Vision 60 ft., No Light Blindness, No Dancing Lights, No Faerie Fire, Light Sensetivity (dazzled in bright light). All other stats are identical to those from the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting rule book, pg. 13.

Mountain Dwarves; These are a sturdier race of dwarf that come from the Dragon Scale mountains - the range of mountains in the heart of the valley. These dwarves are refered to as Mountain Dwarves, their homes are more like the cliff face homes of the native american tribes of the american south west. These dwarves average 9" taller than typical dwarves. STATS:+2 Str, +2 Con, -2 Cha, +2 attack vs orc, goblinkin, & giantkin, base speed 30, +2 AC vs giant, no appraise bonus, Low Light Vision, No sense of Depth underground, no bonus to saving throws vs spells, no bonus to stone-crafting skills.

No race with outsider blood was allowed. As the story goes, the people of the valley learned to loath and mistrust any creature from the outerplanes, for they are the reason the valley has become what it is today. All regions of the valley, and all levels of society, will draw together to slay anyone they feel has outsider blood. Therefor, no Aasimar, Genasi, Tiefling or any other powerful race should be allowed.

Slavery in the Valley:

It is vile and despicable, it is reviled by most, and yet it is pretty much everywhere. Even the people of the valley who have little exposure to slavery take it for granted and are unwilling to help any who are trying to escape it. It has been a part of the culture of the region since before the Darkening, though before the Darkening they were not victimized by slavers, nearly all of the slaves came from beyond the valley, with a small few consisting of convicted criminals.

There is a society and hierarchy for the slaves. There are three basic catagories under which the vast majority of slaves fall: Household Worker Gladiator Of these catagories, the gladiators have the quickest road to freedom, they can earn it through enough successes in the ring. However one defeat will send them down to start over again. While death occurs constantly upon the sands of the ring, few of the deaths are permanent, at least for successful or charismatic gladiators. Magic allows their owners to preserve their lives, allowing them to again foray into the ring.

This adventure will begin with all of the group being slaves who have one way or another found their way into the gladiatorial rings. Either they are too unruly or just plain built for life in the ring and have been trained there ever since.

Withing the Gladiatorial slave society there too is a hierarchy. This hierarch is coveted by those at the bottom and brutally protected by those at or near the top. Within this society, the concern of overzealous bosses is rampant, many work to constantly keep those beneath them, beneath them. There is a Ranking system, to which all of the slaves answer and most aspire to ascend: Slave Private Seargent Lieutenant Captain Each of these ranks have privileges or lack there of, based upon their station. While the slaves sleep in cold dank rooms with straw strewn upon the floor, holding no real possessions, the captain has a suite of rooms all to himself, a wench or two upon whom he can call any time and access to better parts of the city. Slaves have no access to any shops, they are provided a cloth smock for clothes and eat & drink all from the same trough, like livestock. Slaves typically are crowded into a room about 15 per 100 sq feet.

Those who rise above slave find they are privates. As privates, they will get a miniscule share of the purse for each victory, they are allowed to visit a very select few shops to improve their clothing and possibly even buy shoes. After any victory they achieve, they will be allowed one watered down beer or ale. Their rooms are slighly less crowded, about 10 people per 100 sq feet.

Seargents have it much nicer, but rising from private to seargent is probably the most difficlt ascension of them all. Once a slave achieves seargent, he/she is allowed to visit the shops of the poorer part of town, they get a larger portion of their purse, which they can spend on anything but weapons or items that could be perceived/used as weapons (bat guano for instance). Seargents are sheltered in rooms of about 3 per 100 sq feet, given straw matresses and allowed to hold their possessions in locked boxes.

The Broken Dagger is a well organized group of thieves, thugs, & cripples who, in addition to their more commonly expected forms of employment, work to assist slaves in escaping their bonds. This group has some powerful wizards who are capable of removing the slave mark, with no residual mark remaining. For an additional fee, the Broken Dagger will arrainge for the freed slave to leave the region of the heaviest slaving. This process is not cheap, but it comes with guarantees and the Broken Dagger are the real deal. In fact, the Broken Dagger also works to protect the slave market; they like the slaves being enslaved, so they have reason to pay for their freedom. They also work to protect their market, they come down hard on anyone trying to break into the outlawed slave freeing market.

The Darkening:

History tells the inhabitants of the valley that for more than a century, prior to the Darkening, the world around their valley had erupted into catastrophic war. The war, it is said, reached unimaginable levels of horror, depravity and destruction, wizards and priest around the world had invited creatures of the outer planes to come over and assist them in their pursuit of their goals. Somehow, this valley had managed to stay mostly free of much of the conflict that went on around them, however, and many began to realize that something drastic must be done.

So the people of influence from around the valley began to work on a way to prevent the war from overlapping into their relatively peaceful home. As time passed, pressure mounted for those involved to succeed, so they too started to recruit help, but only from outside their valley, they limited their recruitment, allowing only mortals to contribute. This collaboration is why Drow are regular members of society, for they were amongst some of the greatest wizards contributing to the ritual spell they eventually cast.

Sadly, something went terribly wrong with the casting of the spell, for all those involved were permanently turned to stone: every form of enchantment breaking magic and transmutation has been used upon them since the Darkening, all to no avail. However, it appeared to accomplish that which they said it would, albeit with some unexpected side effect.

Upon the completion of the ritual a thick, miasmic darkness descended around the valley in a palpable line. In the early years, many people would cross over the line of darkness, seeking news from the outside, brave adventurers seeking unknown glory, lovesick family members or sweethearts searching for a lost loved one, they all went into the shadows but never returned. The Darkness stretches around the entirety of the valley, beginning just where the statues of those great wizards, priests and other people of power stood to enact their one last hope. Even out in the mouth of the Bay, there is a line of statues that appear to be standing upon the surface of the sea, where the heroes who were there to contribute to the ritual, were levitating or flying.

The only remnant of the bright, beautiful realm they lived in before the darkening, the people of the valley have is their subdued sun. While their sun rises and sets every day, as it has done since the creation of their world, the darkness seems to sap away some of its light, subduing it, making it appear to be twilight, even in the middle of the longest day of the year.

Many, if not most of the people have come to hate the darkness, saying they should have taken their chances with the war. At least then they would have died normally. There are those who believe this darkness is supernatural and not of their world, that it is cold, and smacks of the freightful, Dark Goddess Shar, Mistress of the Night.

Magic & Healing in the Valley:

Immediately after the completion of the Darkening ritual, manny users of magic around the valley began to notice very profound changes in the way magic works:

Teleportation, Dimension Door, and all other forms of immediate travel have ceased to work.

Spells that use extra-dimensional effects, such as Magic Rope, or Meld Into Stone, no longer function.

Effects such as Fly, Levitate and Wind Walk have their effects significantly restricted. They move at a greatly reduced pace, while the maneuverability, and duration require significant concentration - on a plus side, however, they all now last at least as long as their caster can hold his/her concentration and most of them last a little longer, based upon the caster's level.

Healing effects of priests, druids, shaman & bards have increased significantly: The orison 'Cure Minor Wounds' heals 2 pts + 1 pt per 5 levels of the caster. All of the other Curing spells add the casters level x 1.5 to the dice roll, and all healing dice have been increased from a D8 to a D10.

Additionally, spell casters who traditionally have had access to powerful magic, but not to powerful healing magic, have found a new connection to the magical weave, allowing them to cast some worthwile healing spells. 2nd lvl. Wiz./Sorc. spell 'Mend Minor Wounds' heals 1d6+1/2 lvl. (Maximum +5) 4th lvl. Wiz./Sorc. spell 'Mend Moderate Wounds' heals 2d6+1/lvl. (Maximum +10) 7th lvl. Wiz./Sorc. spell 'Mend Serious Wounds' heals 3d6+1/lvl. (Maximum +15) 9th lvl. Wiz./Sorc. spell 'Mend Critical Wounds' heals 4d6+1/lvl. (Maximum +20)

Religeons of the Dark Valley:

THE NINE Practiced Primarily in Pillinqual, the Nine are new gods that have enjoyed a great increase in their following over the past 200ish years. After the Dark War and the collapse of the rest of civilization, The Nine were attributed with leading the High Wizards to contact the Drow and convince them to come up from the depths to aid the citizens of the Dark Valley. It is taught that The Nine were the creators of this world, forgotten for millennia, awaiting the coming of the Dark War and their rediscovery. THE HAG - Mistress of Death, The Crone, Queen of the Dark, Web Weaver Followers are typically NE, Favored Weapon: Hand Crossbow and Club THE ALL FATHER - Rager, Storm Bringer, The Judge Followers are typically CG Favored Weapon: Battle Axe and Spear THE PRINCE - Blade Master, Followers are typically LG Favored Weapon: Long Sword, Bastard Sword and Heavy Repeating Crossbow THE PRINCESS - Beauty Queen, Life Bringer, Morning Glory Followers are typically NG Favored Weapon: Scimitar and Light Crossbow THE JESTER - The Clown, The Fool, Keeper of Secrets, Gossip Monger Followers are typically CN Favored Weapon: Dagger and Dart THE GENERAL - Tactician, Battle Master Followers are typically LN Favored Weapon: War Hammer and Horn Composite Bow THE MISTRESS - The Seductress, Followers are typically CN Favored Weapon: Dagger (melee & thrown) THE ORACLE - Harbinger, Followers are typically N Favored Weapon: Scythe and Javelin THE WIZARD - Moon Rider, Dark Spirit Followers are typically LE Favored Weapon: Stave and Sling

THE ONE TRUE GOD A new, volatile religion that is gaining more and more momentum in the outlying towns and villages. Much of what is taught by this following is very similar to the Muslim faith of today. Specifically that it is acceptable, even expected that those who are not believers are not worthy of respect; that it is okay to enslave them, or even slay them. They are fervent believers in a keeping purity within the races. It is also taught in this faith that men are expected to have more than one bride/lover to more quickly spread the good word, and that women are to respect their men, who are their superiors. THE GODS OF OLD When the Dark War ended, most of the citizens of the Dark Valley abandoned the old gods, especially since their ability to communicate with the people of the valley was severely hampered by the warding that currently keeps the valley safe from the Demonic denizens of the world. Only these few Gods of Old have been able to keep much of a following in the valley, and it is mostly in Skald and Emach where they have anything resembling a strong following. These gods have even adapted some, to better fit the needs and demands of their believers. It is taught by the fellowship of the Gods of Old that the Dark War was planned, orchestrated, and put into play by The Nine. MYSTRA - NG KORD - CN BANE - LE TYR - LG HELM - LN SHAR - NE EHLONA - CG CYRIC - CE