Valen'taomi is the name of two crescent-shaped islands in the middle of
The Vast. Separated by a small strait called the Riven, these islands straddle the ocean border between
Keshloam and
Vardura.
Valen'taomi long stood as the only port allowing trade between the two continents before the Vardurans issued
The Decree Against Foreign Discord and ceased all contact with the outside world.
As of 1120 AC, the island is occupied by Valen, the elderly elf Emissary and sole ambassador to Vardura, and a small coterie of hand-picked attendants. It is said that the 1000-year-old Valen spends his days seated in his ceremonial throne, forever gazing eastward across the Vast toward the lost and mysterious Vardura.
The Discovery of Valen'taomi
Legend claims that first contact with the Varudrans happened thousands of years ago, deep in the Unknown Era. At this time, shipbuilding tech kept boats close to shore, but still some braved to venture deeper into the Vast. One such desperate vessel from Keshloam, its name lost to the ages, took refuge on a small island during a storm. Perhaps directed by the gods, a small skiff from Vardura suffered the same shipwrecked fate, also stranded on a mysterious island. When the sun rose, the Keshloamians discovered that their island had a twin separated by a strait barely 10 feet across. They also discovered that another group of people had shipwrecked on this opposite island last night: the Vardurans. It was here, on the twin islands of what would become Valen'taomi, that the peoples of Keshloam and Vardura first met and mingled. The islands became a hub of international trade and travel, with the two peoples enjoying a very friendly peace and very interesting trade for quite some time.
This relationship would never become well-defined or explored, however. Contact between the two continents concerned itself mostly with trade, and that at a safe distance. What little has been recorded of the Vardurans notes that they were extreme isolationists; information out of Vardura was controlled, vague, and with very little detail. Many Vardurans were hesitant to discuss their homeland or reveal personal things about themselves. As years progressed, this strange private culture became accepted; the few merchants that held contact with the Vardurans were happy to couch their curiosity in exchange for lucrative Varduran trade. The blossoming nations of Keshloam had enough concerns on their own soil to worry overmuch about a continent half a world away.
It was on Valen’taomi that the two lifelong representatives of each continent, The Emissaries, oversaw trade, politicked, and lived. Peace, however shallow, reigned.
The Emissaries of Independence
But as all things must, the relation between Vardura and Keshloam changed. Over those long years, Varduran culture shifted even further toward isolationism. Their representatives and tradespeople became gruff and rude, an attitude that soon led to paranoia, reservation, and suspicion. The Vardurans began to enforce stricter trade rules and standards of communication. One such demand was a consistent and singular entity which would oversee and approve every interaction between the two peoples. The Vardurans would also provide such an Emissary.
For Keshloam, the west’s guildmasters chose a young elf named Parvinnal for this role. For years, he had been enamored with the mystery of Vardura. The elf had made Valen’taomi his personal residence decades ago and was more than eager to take on the lifelong role. He adopted the name Valen as per the Varduran demand.
The Vardurans also chose an elf, but not much was known about her before her appointment. She only ever introduced herself as Taomi and only ever spoke directly to Valen, no matter who was there or what was being discussed. This formalized relationship between the two continents would continue as such for a few more decades, with Varduran interest and investment fading more and more every passing year. In the years before issuing the Decree Against Foreign Discord, it was not uncommon that negotiations were entirely silent with the Emissaries reading the terms to themselves before issuing brief statements on their assessments, only delivering their verdicts to the invested parties after all decisions were final.
After the Vardurans issued the Decree, they were never seen again.
