County Alder

The Hook River Valley is a famous farming and brewing region. Alder city has lived with light fog for almost 300 years, since around 1250, but has enjoyed clear summers and light winds for most of that time.
Alder has a strong sense of community and responsibility to the local environment, and continues to grow stronger and larger as it fills with displaced families from the Hook River Valley and points south.
Alder has an adjunct Cachet City (“CATCH-it” City, less commonly "Ca-SHAY" City), High Alder. Cachet Cities are a fairly common practice throughout Skye, as the wealthy families of a fog-bound city make plans to relocate the city’s heart to higher ground. High Alder stalled during the Dearworth renaissance, however, and remains a mostly empty place. Today it is mostly a winter home for the affluent in Alder. There is little industry or commerce in High Alder, save that which supports its wealthy and mobile community.
Farther down the Hook River Valley are the hamlets of Newth, Upper Cais, and Lewer Cais. A “Cais” is a stack of stones, another word for cairn, and the old cities of Upper and Lewer Cais tell the same age-old story of moving cities uphill, but from more than a thousand years ago. Both cities have been buried in nearly complete darkness since around 1300, but today even Lewer Cais is seeing some light summers, Spring blooms, and even a few summer harvests.
In its heyday, the entire Hook River Valley was renowned for wines and spirits. Many family names from this region have moved elsewhere and taken their brands with them. This has recently led to some confusion as new wineries sprout up in the same locales as their elder namesakes.
The slow recession of the fog in County Alder has made it one of the last refuges for Curian traders, the blue-skinned nomads who dwell only in deep fog.
The Hook River Valley celebrates Midwinter with world-famous bonfires.