We will begin in the environs of Eamonvale, a broad valley shaped by the river Eamon that runs from the Stoneheart mountains to the Sea of Crossed Swords. At the headwaters, staunchly guarding the mountain passes is the Grey Citadel. At the sea is the riotous city of Asgulan. In between are a scattered keeps and castles defending small towns and much disputed territory. To the east and west are swaths of wilderness untamed since the time of the Dwarves when Dolgan was King Under the Mountain. Society is feudal and survival oriented. Travel between such settlements is best done in groups and well armed. Villagers do not go outside the stockade at night. The dead are cremated and sent out to sea. The warrior class is respected and needed to protect threatened farmlands and unsure trade routes. Clerics are revered. Wizards are feared. Rangers are well regarded. Thieves are hung. Settlements are precariously defended.

Men are the dominant race and form the majority of society. There are there are many races of Men: Dour Vanir, Pike wielding Gundermen, erudite Numidians, dusky Stygians and flamboyant Zingarans. Then there are the island natives of Pant’Tang, whose blood is said to have mingled with demons and whose elaborate tattoos describe such unions… Dwarves are the most well respected of the non-human races, and they are treated with great respect for their senority and knowledge. Elves are a very reclusive people, residing in deep forests with little formal contact with society. While it’s well-known that the gnomes of Neradia make their homes in the woodlands and forests, few can truthfully say they’ve ever seen an actual gnome community. Whimsical but secretive—despite their seemingly good natures—gnomes rarely speak of their homes. Even when they do, their details rarely weather retellings, leading many to speculate that a great treasure, gate-ways to the fey court, or some other secret lies hidden. They always wear red hats. Halflings are the unremarked fifth race, at once non-existant and ubiquitous. “Hobbits” as they like to be called are considered by some scholars to be the fathers of domestic civilization. They are well beloved of Demeter. Half-Orcs are considered travesties of war. Often referred to in very degrading and hateful terms, half-orcs are rarely welcome in any settlement, although they occasionally find a place in mercenary units and as such are able to hide behind a uniform.

Major churches are that of Demeter: Goddess of the Hearth, Husbandry and Agriculture, and Mithras: God of Might and Fortitude. Rangers in the service of Daladon patrol the wilder paths as best they can, and occasional itinerant emissaries of the Paladine, known as the Order of the Eternal Flame attempt to do battle with the blackest threats to humanity. The small community of Delver’s Dale will crucible of our campaign. The town lies at the foot of the Stoneheart Mountains, where the River Eamon pours out of the Misty Canyon in a last mighty cataract. The town is guarded by King Brandoch Daha, the Black Eagle, who wrested its fortress from its beastial occupants some decades ago. Once the center of a thriving hub of dwarven mines, Delver’s Dale has fallen into disrepair and is beset on all sides. Subhuman swoop down from the western hills, dragonmen lurk in the eastern swamp, flocks of ravens infest in the mines, the Witch Queen and her consort the Black Knight roam the dark woods, and the Mad Wizard’s Tower overlooks it all shining in its unearthly light. It is up to our heroes to make right of all that has gone so wrong in the time since the Wars to End the Winter’s Dark.

The Grey Citadelof Dun Eamon is a bastion of defense of the coastlands of Eamonvale from the terrors of the mountainous interior. Built of dark basalt stone, wet with mist and defended by dour warriors, the Grey Citadel squats astride the Eamon River at the very lip of the Falls of Rauros where the river flows out of the Stoneheart Mountains and tumbles to the vale below. There is only one crossing of the broad and turbulent river, a broad ford between waterfalls. This ford is divided by a slab of bedrock that divides the river into two channels. On this island many generations ago, Eamon Angus made his claim amidst the constant mist and rain. Now, centuries later, the tiny fort has grown into a heavily fortified citadel, ruled still by the Angus dynasty. Three brothers now rule: Angus Arb the Eldest is King, and known to be Just. Bron is the Captain of the Mist Watch. Cael is High Priest of the Temple of Fortitude. Together they stand in vigilance against all manner of incursions from beyond. The city is known for its fine forges and the quality of its metallurgy. A trading crossroads, the Citadel is a tolerant place, if not particularly jovial. Local customs include drinking strong ale and racing small boats on the River Eamon upstream of the City.

Asgulan, the City of the Dragon, the Dreaming City, is a decadent metropolis, old beyond the memory of mankind. Once the capital of a great empire before the coming of the Winter Dark, Asgulan has chosen not to notice the ages pass. As commerce sails to and fro beneath its mystic Sea Arch, the Queen and her court lie dreaming in gardens of luxury while the fierce horseman General Mazdak rules the streets. It is a place where red bearded Vanirmen and dusky Numidians rub shoulders with tattooed acolytes from the exotic isles of Pan’Tang, where anything can be bought and sold from turbaned Shemite merchants, where bewhiskered Rakshasas answer esoteric questions for a price.