Wild Peony Valley

This valley lies between jagged hillsides with many ridges and pockets, stretching up over a thousand feet on either side. Each side has a small flattened mesa at the top which is slowly disintegrating. The hundreds of packets of soil have become home to wild breeds of peonies. From the valley floor and climbing up the sides are thousands of peonies. Blotches of pinks and white dotted by their bright yellow centers. The higher elevations have naturalized with the earliest blooming breeds, the brisker winds keeping the temperatures cooler than down on the valley floor. In early spring the display starts up on the ridges and at the northernmost end where the land rises up. Dots of blooms break out in a downward cascade in the following weeks. The ground becomes covered in petals and the fragrance lasts for weeks. When the weather change is very gradual there is a week when the whole valley is carpeted with open blooms.
Some believe that these ridges were once used for farming, perhaps for these flowers. Such a display must not be natural, surely the work of druids. But paintings several centuries-old exist of the valley. An order of nearby druids do visit the valley daily, protecting the natural beauty from being damaged by careless travelers.
But they did not make this. Attempts to establish these wild peony elsewhere have been met by much trouble. The wild peony is quite resilient, having the deepest root structure of the peony. But they are difficult to establish, taking ten or twelve seasons to become a hardy perennial. This valley provided perfect conditions.
It is a destination for romantic couples. People have marriage ceremonies to bless their marriage with the everlasting beauty of the peonies. Artists sketch and paint to capture the scene. People will walk the length of the valley and back, about an hour and a half. There are rocky spots where dwarves long ago carved the rocks into benches. At each end are wooden gazebos. The ones at the far end are from an old tree that was split by lightning in a storm. The center column of the gazebo is the remains of that old trunk. The gazebos have been repaired multiple times. The original builders have all been forgotten.

Type

Valley