Elsir Vale

The Elsir Vale is a thinly populated frontier, stretching from east to west for almost 250 miles (402 kms.), and averaging about 70 miles (112 kms.) from north to south. Several small mountain ranges and dense forests form the Vale's boundaries. Though the borders of the vale are mostly hills, mountains and forests, the heart of the vale is grassy plains for the most part. Every town in the vale is surrounded by numerous farms. Beyond the civilized areas are vast rolling plains with infrequent hillocks and copses of trees. Summers in the vale are hot and dry (although punctuated by the occasional intense thunderstorm), and winters are warm and rainy. Large stretches of the area are quite arid, and the vale is flanked by the vast savannahs stretching for miles. The forests that stretch across most of the vale's northern reaches are stifling and sweltering hot in the summertime, with not a breath of wind to relieve the oppressive heat.