The Vale of Alungar
Fire-breathing dragons are the pride and glory of The Vale of Alungar, also known as The Dragon Eyrie. They used to rule the land with their fiery might until The Sondaran Empire put an end to their reign in The war of the sands. The Vale of Alungar lies west of The Jennarian Desert, where the high elves hide their secret city, The Black Mesa. It also shares a border with the jungles of Karalon, where the Jurati, high elves who reject any ties to The Black Mesa, dwell among the trees in towering ziggurats and raise water dragons in enchanted pools. But the water dragons are no match for the dragons of the Vale of Alungar.
Alungar
When Alungar the Demonic first laid eyes on the valley of fire, he knew it would make the perfect site for his new kingdom. The rocks still smouldered from the most recent eruption and the volcano looming to the north rumbled threateningly as Alungar led his people down the mountain pass. Over the centuries, the people of the valley would carve homes into the rock and build towers on the surface, all the while contending with the torrents of lava flowing past their doors. They soon learned it was easier to pray to the dragon god, Gorphin, that lived in the volcano than to fight it and an uneasy peace fell upon the valley. With the god of the valley appeased, Alungar instructed his people to bury the eggs they had carried across the desert deep into the flanks of the rumbling peak. When they refused, he asked Gorphin for a demonstration of its magic and the dragon god hatched one of the eggs. The dragon that came forth grew before their eyes and stretched its wings before taking flight. A monastery was built on the site of the miracle, and it is there that the dragon eggs are kept in vaults, tended by monks. The surrounding lands live in fear of the Vale of Alungar, but to those inside it is the centre of the universe.Geography
A glacier carved the valley out before retreating to the west, leaving behind a scoured land. Into this pored the rivers of magma flowing from the volcano that dominates the northern ridgeline. Over eons the valley filled with the black rock, waiting for Alungar and his followers to arrive.
They built their first homes in caves but soon built towers and bridges connecting the spines of rock that cross the valley.
A fast flowing rivers cuts through the city from the glacier, bringing much needed water to the parched land, before leaving via steep ravine at the southern end.
Ecosystem Cycles
Weather in the valley is changeable to say the least, with snow and scorching heat barely a month apart. It's high altitude and proximity to the Intraana Mountain Range leave it on the colder side, but warm winds blow in from both The Jennarian Desert to the south-east, and the jungles of Karpanaa to the south.
The citizens of The Dragon Eyrie are protected from the cold by an ingenious heating system that taps into the super heated chambers just below the surface. Sadly for most there is no way to escape the sweltering heat, but those who grew up in the shadow of the volcano are used to sweating.
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