Smoo's Valley
No one had a name for the valley before Smoo and his brothers arrived and started digging, it was a wilderness, home to bears, birds, and bees. Humans had passed through but taken one look at the thick forests and deep grooves cut by the springtime floods and kept going. Life in the valley was too hard even for the hard folk that lived in the mountains.
Only the dwarves dared to venture into the valley but they stuck to the cliffs and the higher slopes. Smoo was one of those dwarves, drawn to the valley in search of precious metals. The old dwarf was accompanied by his brothers, Tam and Famor, along with their families. Over the years they have scouted most of the slopes in search of their fortune but the mountains refused to reveal their secrets.
Geography
The valley was carved out by a glacier that now sits at the southern end, biding its time before it sets out once again. Tall peaks cast long shadows over the thick forest and sheer cliffs trap the spring snow melt, channelling the floods into the marshes of the north.
Ecosystem
Before Boden and the followers of Liandra arrived and created the settlement of Fowler the valley had been untouched. The creatures of the forest thrived and the mountains teemed with eagles and agile goats. Hunters arrived but they stayed at the northern end wary of the strange beasts roaming in the ancient places. They were right to since the valley is home to many small gods drawn by the magic flowing towards Heaven's Spire.
Localized Phenomena
To the south is the highest peak in all of Nostvary, Heaven's Spire. Long ago the dwarves discovered that the mountain acted as a focal point for magic, drawing it in and infusing the chambers in the rock. The valleys surrounding the peak have a higher level of free magic in them than anywhere else and some creatures have learned how to absorb it. The ones that aren't eaten by others become gods, too large to exist on the mortal plane but also too small to drift on the Timeless Sea. They live among the trees and in the rivers as ageless beings, guardians of their realms.
Natural Resources
The lower slopes are a rich source of timber, furs and meat with most of the goods sent on to Gan River Fort or to Master Smoo. The southern half is too treacherous and refuses to open up despite a few hardy souls attempting just that.
Maps
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Smoo's Valley
Type
Valley
Included Locations
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