The Forsaken Vale

The Forsaken Vale

The Forsaken Vale is a vast, desolate region lying in the Province of Stormpeak in the northwestern coast of Asceria, once a thriving and fertile land known for its bountiful harvests and vibrant communities. However, after the death of Vorthaz the Eternal, this valley became the epicenter of The Mourning Haze, a cursed land where the fog never fully dissipates, casting a perpetual gloom over the area. The Vale is a land that time seems to have forgotten, its once-proud villages reduced to crumbling ruins, its fields and forests barren, consumed by the lingering effects of the Haze. The only large settlement within the Vale is the town of Barovia on the Vale's outskirts.

Geography and Atmosphere:

The Forsaken Vale is surrounded by jagged mountain ranges on all sides, isolating it from the rest of the kingdom. The mountains themselves are said to hold ancient ruins—forgotten temples, hidden tombs, and the shattered remains of Vorthaz’s citadel—imbued with the same dark magic that birthed the Mourning Haze. The fog in the Vale is thick and constant, swirling in eternal mists that wrap around the land like a living entity. The air is heavy, cold, and unnaturally still, with a silence so profound that even the birds refuse to fly overhead. The sun barely filters through the dense fog, casting the region in a muted, spectral light that never fully brightens or darkens the land.

Within the Vale, the undead are not just a danger—they are part of the landscape. They wander the fog-shrouded streets of forgotten settlements, or they rise from the earth itself, pulled from their graves by the relentless presence of the Haze. The land seems to feed on death, and every corner of the Vale holds the tragic echoes of lives long past.

The town of Barovia is located at the outskirts of the Vale. Rumors stating that the Mourning Haze is the cause of the towns dark reputation.

The Seven-Year Cycle:

Every seven years, the nature of the Mourning Haze shifts in the Forsaken Vale. During this time, the fog grows more intense, thicker than ever, as the dark magic that sustains it reaches a breaking point. Pieces of the Haze break free from the Vale, drifting out into the surrounding kingdom. These fragments of the Haze do not simply fade away—they are alive with dark energy and willfully spread across the land, bringing death and ruin in their wake. They follow no set path, moving randomly across the kingdom, bringing the dead back to life, reanimating ancient battlefields, forgotten cemeteries, and long-abandoned ruins.

As these pieces of the Haze roam, they leave devastation in their wake: villages and towns fall to the undead forces they raise, crops wither, and livestock perish. The fog is drawn to fear and grief, so it lingers in places where people are most vulnerable—desperate, mourning, or hopeless. It is said that some places are doomed to never be the same after the Haze touches them, as the land itself seems to become infected by the same dark energy that courses through the Vale.

After several months of roaming, the pieces of the Haze return to the Forsaken Vale, drawn back by the gravitational pull of the dark magic that started it all. The land, already steeped in grief and decay, becomes even more oppressive, and the cycle begins anew.

The People’s Beliefs:

The Forsaken Vale is widely feared, and few dare venture into the cursed region. Even those who live near its borders whisper of the Haze, warning travelers to stay far away, especially during the seven-year cycle. Some claim that the Vale is alive, feeding off the suffering of the living, and that the land itself is cursed to never know rest. The surrounding kingdoms have long tried to seal off the region, but the Mourning Haze is a force beyond any physical barrier.

Some believe that the Vale is where Vorthaz’s spirit lingers in the shadows, watching over the land that was once his. Others claim the land is a manifestation of the kingdom’s own guilt, a place where the weight of its past atrocities—against the innocent, against the natural order—has coalesced into an endless cycle of torment. But regardless of the truth, all agree on one thing: The Forsaken Vale is a place where life is not welcome, and where the echoes of death never cease.

Type

Vale