When our ancestors arrived in the Vale it was full of life but a rugged place. One person, completely by chance, tripped over a root and saw something that would change the settlement forever; a single yellow flower growing in a small patch of soil held atop the bare rock by a tree root. In that moment, the terrace farm was created.
The Shelter Above
Long ago, probably before the
Time of Darkness, a group of
avens discovered a sheltered mountain valley - now called
Highpeak's Vale - and made a home there. It is believed that the founders of Astendoun were members of the
Skyfarers but even Astendoun's records from that time had been lost.
The mountainside offered little in the way of airable land. While there were some plants that the
avens could eat, there would never have been enough to grow a community. That is, until they created their terrace farms and were able to turn the rough mountainside into bountiful green tiered farmland. It is these farms - and the protection offered by the mountains - that would help them weather the
Time of Darkness when the rest of
Breharan was engulfed by storms, chaos, and paranoia.
Before the Promise
Astendoun was once an
aven-only community. The
humans - and even outside
aven communities - were not allowed in or even close to its sheltered valley. If there was a historical reason for this, it was lost during the great fire that burned the
Aerie and most of the historical records within.
After the Promise
The actions of two people changed the course of history on
Breharan forever in an event known as the
Promise. From that point forward
aven and
human populations would begin to tolerate each other, work side-by-side, and, eventually, live together.
Astendoun was the most remote community and the most resistant to working not only with
avens from other communities but with
humans. It was only when they needed aid and others were willing to provide it that things began to change. However, even in the present, while many traders make their way to the remote community, there are no permanent
human residents in Astendoun.
Trade has brought a lot of change to the mountainside. Now there are apple trees dotting the landscape or arranged in large orchards and there is even a well-worn road up the mountain.
Nice how trade brought change, but I understand one would still feel an outsider there.
Too low they build who build beneath the stars - Edward Young