Dynamo River Valley

The Dynamo River Valley is a temperate area located in the extreme southeastern corner of Hyperborea Hoedenheim Territory, nestled between the north slopes of the Jorgmungandr mountains and the Great Hoeden Glacier. Like the rest of the Hoeden territory, there is no central government here.
The settlements in the Dynamo River Valley each contribute uniquely to the region’s development, and their interactions with one another create a dynamic, interdependent network. The vast valley is united by geography but divided by the distinct roles these towns play, with each influencing the others through trade, politics, and culture. Let’s explore the relationships between them and their broader connection to the setting.

Economic Interdependence

The valley’s economy revolves around the natural resources and industry present in each settlement. Dynamo Hill is the industrial and economic powerhouse of the region, with its manufacturing capabilities and control over key resources like the ever-spinning Dynamo Stones and geothermal energy from Mount Dynamo. These resources are exported through Dynamo Harbour, the major coastal trading hub that connects the valley with distant markets. Without Dynamo Harbour’s riverport and coastal trade routes, Dynamo Hill’s industry wouldn’t have the reach to expand its influence. Conversely, Dynamo Harbour depends on the industry and infrastructure that Dynamo Hill provides to sustain itself.
La Stoke and its suburb, Ti Creek, introduce a unique layer to the valley’s economy. Though anarchist in origin, La Stoke has embraced a quasi-democratic system and contributes to trade in high-value goods, such as artisan crafts and progressive technologies. Ti Creek’s wealthy residents, many of whom are retired adventurers, invest heavily in local businesses and research, driving the tech industries that emerge from Prince Lothada’s research labs. These three towns are tightly connected in an informal network of wealth and innovation, offering alternatives to the heavy industry of Dynamo Hill.
Mallorytown plays a more insular role, unique of all of the Northlands settlements in that it is entirely the exclusive, private property of Guilderoy Mallory. Mallory’s monopolization of key roads and his control of precious ores keeps him connected to the broader valley economy, but the private nature of Mallorytown causes rumours to abound as to the true nature of the place. What's he actually building in there?
The frontier towns—Bourubert, Moose Falls, and Saint Liotki Aux Harbo—provide raw materials and agricultural goods for the valley but struggle with the harsh northern climate and the limited fertility of the land. These towns depend on the industrial might of Dynamo Hill and the trade connections of Dynamo Harbour to sustain their economies, in exchange for supplying key resources and foodstuffs.

Political Dynamics

Though there is no central government in Dynamo Hill or the valley, governance is a decentralized mix of common laws and best practices gathered from corporations both national and private alike, referred to locally as “The Code.” This code allows for a degree of self-governance and flexibility, which suits the independent spirit of the valley’s settlers. However, there are power imbalances and tensions between the towns.
Gobha & Ceàrd’s dominance in Dynamo Hill casts a long shadow over the entire region. Though it does not officially govern, the company’s control over the valley’s economy gives it significant influence, particularly in settlements like Dynamo Harbour and Mallorytown, which depend on Gobha & Ceàrd for their survival.

Towns like La Stoke and Ti Creek, with their progressive ideals and wealthy inhabitants, often challenge the power of Gobha & Ceàrd, resisting its influence in their local affairs. However, their influence is more limited to social and economic realms than political power.
Mallorytown, as Guilderoy Mallory’s personal fiefdom, plays its own political game, with Mallory leveraging his wealth and control of key resources to exert influence over other settlements. His relationship with Lady Seraphine Dannon of the Aerospace Division adds another layer to this, as their control over resources and transportation infrastructure creates friction with other towns and interests.

Cultural Exchange and Identity

The cultural identities of the settlements vary significantly, but the shared history of frontier life unites them. Dynamo Hill’s identity is tied to industry, innovation, and the pioneering spirit of the Arcanite boom, while Dynamo Harbour retains a rough-and-tumble maritime culture, influenced by sailors and traders passing through. This transient population brings outside ideas, stories, and goods, making Dynamo Harbour the valley’s cultural crossroads.
La Stoke and Ti Creek are cultural outliers, with their anarchist roots and strong values of individualism and social freedom. They attract artists, technologists, and thinkers, creating a bohemian, progressive culture distinct from the rest of the valley. This intellectual and cultural vibrancy, particularly in Prince Lothada, sometimes causes friction with the more traditional, work-focused values of Dynamo Hill.
The frontier towns, particularly Bourubert and Moose Falls, represent the rugged spirit of survival, with a strong sense of community forged by hardship. They are culturally closer to Dynamo Hill in their work ethic and self-reliance, though they differ in scale and resources. Saint Liotki Aux Harbo remains steeped in mining traditions, with its heritage tied to the land and its resources.

Technological and Scientific Growth

Prince Lothada is a hub for technological innovation, with its research labs and tech industry playing a key role in the valley’s advancement. It pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with the valley’s natural resources, particularly Arcanite, and frequently collaborates with Ti Creek and La Stoke on cutting-edge projects. The valley’s tech innovations help keep the region competitive and maintain its importance within the larger Northern economy.
However, the reliance on tech, particularly in aerospace and energy, brings its own challenges. As the Ethernauts and other factions push the boundaries of aerospace technology, there’s an increasing tension between progress and safety, with settlements like Landhouse feeling the strain of rapid expansion into new territories.

The Dynamo River Valley operates as a complex web of economic, political, and cultural interactions. Each settlement plays its role, and their interdependence is key to the valley’s continued growth, but underlying tensions between independence and control, progress and tradition, create a dynamic environment ripe for conflict and opportunity.

Geography

The Dynamo River flows northwest-southeast through the hills, muskegs and marshes of its eponymous valley, from where it rises in the foothills of Mount Dynamo at Lake Hrunka to its mouth at Port Fordwidth, near the Drakenfjord.
The local biome is cool, temperate forest with an average annual temperature of 6°C (+25°/-11°C). Summers can be humid, and winters typically blanket areas away from the river in heavy snow.
Mount Dynamo is a supervolcano. Its eruption in ancient times put an effective end to the Thousand Year War between Ostoria and Kayakume by catching both sides unaware and causing massive destruction to both. (for more, see The Thousand Year War (Runelands Version).)
In the intervening centuries, glaciation and volcanism have created a hilly landscape rife with conifers, criss-crossed by an uncountable number of small spring-fed brooks, creeks, streams, and other channels by which rain, spring, and meltwater might seek the lowest point. The trees get shorter and scrubbier and the terrain climbs to a stony shieldland the closer one gets to the Great Glacier.
Local soil profiles are decent for agriculture, and small farms dot the valley. Most of these take advantage of the river's constant temperature for year-round agricultural pursuits.

Local ground cover includes feather reed, various grasses and hardy, frost-resistant perennial flowers, and fruit-bearing bushes like blueberries and raspberries, and grows thinner the closer one draws to the Great Glacier.

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Dynamo River
Freshwater, volcanically-heated River. • Maximum Depth: 22 m • Widest Point: 4.87 km • Navigable: Yes •

The amazing Dynamo River remains open all year, thanks to its constant temperature. Catfish, Smelt, Pickerel, Rainbow Trout, and Salmon are commonly fished out of the Dynamo and the nearby Drakenfjord.

Drakenfjord

Brackish Estuary • Maximum Depth: 137 • Widest Point: 37.7 km. • Navigable: Yes •

Localized Phenomena

Because most of its tributaries are geothermally heated, the Dynamo River maintains a constant temperature of 80°F/26.6°C year-round. This prevents the river from freezing, and provides its eponymous valley with a somewhat-milder climate than the rest of the surrounding area. It also cloaks the areas closest to the river in thick fog which accumulates as ice on structures and trees in the area in the colder months.

History

The Dynamo River Valley is part of the Hoedenheim Territory. It was first explored in IR 779 by the Gearheart Expeditions, sponsored by the Republic of Bael Bradach and led by "Frumious" Jim Gearheart. Conceived as an attempt to discover a trade route through the Great Glacier, Gearheart's basecamp eventually evolved into the settlement at Dynamo Hill.
Since, the Dynamo River Valley has appealed to the sort of people who might enjoy a remote, ungoverned location on the frontier. Local goblin and kobold nations who had used the site of Dynamo Hill as a trading moot continued to do so; a few tussles here and there taught the settlers they'd be welcome if they didn't get pushy.

Maps

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  Dynamo River Valley

  The environs surrounding the Dynamo River, including the hidden Citadel of Ashardalon.

Type

Valley

Included Locations

• Creekvik
• Dynamo Hill

Related Historical Events

• 988 IR
  Summer of Flood
• 957 IR
  Foundation Period