The Cinder Valley
"I looked all about me and I saw not but ruin, decay, and darkness as far as the eye could see. The volcano which for many days did not cease it's eruption finally broke and with it soon after the cloud of ash which hung over this land broke as well. Though with the sun upon the land it grew no more beautiful indeed many was the time when I had to turn my eyes away from the reflective ground which brought as much pain to my eyes as looking at the sun overhead. What remained of the towns villages and people were buried within the ash the volcano had brought forth. Any plants that I came across were on a steady march towards death there were no animals that could be found. The once clear lake now resembled a great puddle of gray mud. I had grown up here and in my youth could imagine no place more beautiful. Now I can imagine no place more dismal in all the world."
-Robert Walton first exploratory and rescue party of the valley formerly known as Punt
Geography
The cinder valley exists at the meeting point between two mountain ranges one of the lower of the peaks is a semi active volcano known as Beorma when it does erupt it is thick ash and poisonous gas. Being surrounded by larger mountains causes most of the ash and gas to fall into the valley. While there are no physical borders the furthest point where the ash usually falls is considered it. Within this border is a large lake which is fed by melting snowfall.
Fauna & Flora
Animals tend to avoid the area due to the volcanic eruptions. As a result of these eruptions the ground is incredibly fertile though the forge has no interest in growing things and all plant life is snuffed out whenever there is an eruption.
Natural Resources
There are natural deposits of metal within the area though efforts to mine have been minimal as the amount of metal is seemingly small and it would be easier to ship processed metals into the area.
History
The area was first settle sometime before the Titanomachy by fire giants the modified the volcano. In fact it has been theorized that due to their meddling the volcano erupts more frequently but less violently spewing more ash but less lava. It is believed that the fire giants who settled the are left to fight in the titanomachy but their structures remained underneath the volcano. They became buried for much of recorded history but were eventually unearthed after a particularly powerful eruption shifted the earth and revealed one of the entrances. The area still remained abandoned due to the danger of the eruptions, until the Inleyan empire conquered the area.
They sent a few expeditions into the area and into the fire giant structures below. The forge by this time had grown to while still small compared to the rest of the army much larger than it ever had been. This caused the group to become scattered and not as useful with various members being dispersed across the empire. This division made it so their use for mass production was limited and experimentation even more so. This caused the proposal of a singular base for the Forge with adequate facilities for doing what the forge was created for. Though this proposal was tossed out as being too expensive.
Eventually the suggestion was made to utilize the cinder valley. While renovations to the fire giant's structures would be costly they would be much smaller compared to the cost of building a base from scratch. As well as the overall size of the Valley allowing for expansion as needed. And so the forge moved in altered what it needed to and built what it needed to.
Tourism
A small museum dedicated to the forge was erected just within the borders of the cinder valley, as well as several tourist trap ghost towns outside of it. Though even with this tourism to the area is still fairly minimal and it is recommended that people with lung conditions avoid the area.
Alternative Name(s)
The Punt Valley, The most dismal place in the world
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