Stoneheart Valley

Foothills, swales, and nadirs mark the buffer zone between the massive Stoneheart Mountains to the north and the flatter grasslands and forests to the south. The valley is a study in flux and transition. Where the soil is fertile, lush grasses, pine trees, and other vegetation flourish. In regions dominated by exposed stone, the land appears lifeless and barren. The rocks embedded into the earth often feature sharp edges and jagged protrusions that make travel through the region slow and tedious. Despite its desolate appearance, the valley boasts a reliable water supply fed by frequent precipitation and runoff from the snowcapped summits of the neighboring Stoneheart Mountains. Small hamlets and lone farmsteads dot large portions of the landscape, though most residents dwell alongside the Tradeway running through the heart of the valley as well as the larger towns of Fairhill and Crimmor.
Hawks, falcons, eagles, and other birds of prey nest in the rocky nooks and crannies atop the foothills. These predators frequently circle the clear skies while scanning the bare stone for their next meal. Rodents such as mice, rats, squirrels, and other small mammals are their typical fare. Wolves are the dominant land-based predator species in the region. Their larger and more vicious worg relatives frequently accompany the pack during their hunts for deer and other game animals. Gnolls are the dominant disruptive force in the region, spreading havoc wherever they go. Orcs have also begun to make inroads into the area, most notably in the Ruined Keep and the wilderness surrounding Fairhill. Rumors even claim wormholes in the northern section of the valley burrow into the earth, where they ultimately lead to the Cyclopean Deeps.

Type

Valley