The coastal town of Puerto Rojo was initially founded by an exploration vessel carrying empresarios from the Kingdom of Salvone. A small colony was established at the end of the Shadowmountain Run (then called the Rio Valle), but was eventually seemingly abandoned.
Though many unofficial expeditions had already pressed into the Central Highlands of the Faylen Continent, this was the first official expedition sponsored by the Dominion.
The Iron Dominion sponsors the first official exploration eastward across the Continent of Faylen. Though humanoids from the Dominion, Jhatur, Salvone, and the Sovereignty have already set foot in the Eastern territories of Faylen (including Chapel Valley), the official exploration of 170 Y.D. makes available the first maps, geographic surveys, and documentation of wildlife of the Eastern expanse of the continent.
Explorers from the Dominion become the first citizens of the Dominion to discover the Chapel’s unique magical properties when they view the solstice through the ethereal plane on the day of the Lively Solstice.
What would become the greatest city of Chapel Valley, Beacon, is founded as a small settlement just beyond the shores of the Ironloch.
Shortly after the founding of Beacon, Birmingham Transport receives a commission from the Iron Lord to build a railway along Shadowmountain Run on the Western edge of Chapel Valley.
The small, port side town of Settler's Point is founded to assist in the settlement of Chapel Valley along Shadowmountain Run.
The second settlement of the Valley, Lochport, is founded on the edge of the Ironloch lake in the Northern end of the Valley, just Southwest of Beacon.
The settlement of Idlehill is founded by a group of settlers making their way to Lochport. Local legend says that they became lost after taking a short rest off the main highway, and were guided to a sheltered alcove beneath the hills by an aspect of Luumis.
The city of Hellford is founded by an enterprising Tiefling called Cornelius Plunk. The town is named Hellford in homage to his infernal ancestry.
Less than a month after the founding of Hellford, the settlement of Bigmountain is founded beneath the Gracewall range.
In anticipation of a future railway, a group of settlers financed by the Birmingham Transport company found the settlement of Richbanks along the Shadowmount Run. Construction of an extension to the Birmingham Line soon follows.
The first permanent Dominion settlement is created at the Chapel of the Valley.
Following in the footsteps of the settlers of Richbanks, the settlement of Starkwater is founded. Though it begins as a major settlement, it is eventually renamed Starkwater Crossing, being diminished to a passthrough town by its younger sister-town, Midriver, which is founded later the same year.
The town of Midriver is founded along the western banks of Shadowmountain Run, just south of Starkwater Crossing. Midriver eventually becomes an important port for riverboats, military vessels, and settlers looking to make their way to Basinvale.
The city of Coldridge is founded at the terminus of the Shattered Plains beneath the ridgeline and along the Broken Brook.
The town of Rattlevale is founded amid the Broken Brook Bog.
The city of Sorewood is founded by refugees escaping the destruction of Hellford. Over time many of its residents relocate to large communities along the Settler's Highway, but the settlement remains as a small trading post. Many of its residents still maintain a strong anti-Dominion stance for the destruction of Hellford.
The settlement of Sanctuary is founded by a group of archeologists seeking to better understand the ruins of the Great Dune Sea. The settlement is centered on one of only a handful of oases in the entire Dune Sea.
The small trading post of Crossroads is founded by settlers making their way along the Settler's Highway, as well as refugees from the destruction of Hellford. The size of the settlement has waxed and waned over time, and it is currently little more than a trading post.
Settlers of the Dominion rediscover what remains of Puerto Rojo. Over the next 17 years, the settlers would rebuild the port and turn it into an important center of commerce and military transport for the Dominion
The town of Glinlow is founded among the Glinlow Mire, just West of Puerto Rojo. The town is still in its infancy, but is already showing signs of wear and decay from the mire. Folks have begun leaving Glinlow, claiming that the surrounding swamps are mighty haunted. If nothing is done, Glinlow will be a ghost town in a very short amount of time.
The small town of Far Harbor is founded at the Southern edge of the Valley along the base of the Silverridge Range. The founders of Far Harbor are hoping to capitalize on the progress of the Stevenson Line by giving them a reason to continue the railway all the way down the Valley.