Valamon
The Constitutional Queendom of
Valamon is a populous human-elven nation spanning about half the Delta Quadrant of the plane of Waking Materia. It is the largest non-dwarven civilization on the Great Deltan Archipelago, found atop a vast subterranean network of dwarven cities collectively known as Túúr. Valamon and the surrounding Kalevan Freelands cover the mid- and lowlands east of the dwarven gate-city of Reíkh-Nokh-Hrínth ("Bright Terminus One", usually just called Hrínth).
Valamon is a Constitutional Queendom, ruled (within agreed-upon boundaries) by a warrior matriarch known as a Ruskandireij or simply Ruskan. It is named after the great First Age explorer and hero, Erik Valamon, who initially kindled political relations with the Túúrians.
The Kalevan Freelands are ruled by various clan chieftains. They are sometimes called Norvaalans (from nor, meaning tall), in contrast to the Selvaalans (sel meaning short) of Valamon City and its environs. The Kalevans are generally taller, broader and swarthier than their Meranthic cousins due to more prominently human genetics.
Several ascendant demigods hail from these harsh lands, including the Allmother Kaleva, the Strongest Jarl Juulnir, Thunderlord Ronom and possibly the trickster god Silas.Geography
See also Valamon Scenery Image Gallery (External)Valamon covers the eastern half of the largest island (Old Dwarven (OD): Míír) of an archipelago spanning much of the Delta Quadrant of Waking Materia (OD: Túúr). It maintains a tense border with the Kalevan Freelands to the west and a cordial but lukewarm relations with the dwarves of Hrínth.
Outside Hrínth sprawls the primarily human settlement of Highlodge. It is one of the few places on the continent where Selvaalans (lowlanders generally associated with Valamon City) and Norvaalans (Kalevan Freemen) coexist in peace; those who break this peace can expect harsh punishment from Highlodge's dwarven landlords.
Major settlements in Valamon include:
- Valamon City
- The Ruskanseyrie (Capital)
- Telamon City
- Hjerðamon City
- Karalå
- Lindenholm
- Highlodge
- Jarlswatch
- Blackwaterside
- Maralen Downs
Valamon City
The main population centre of Valamon is a quadruplicate metropolis consisting of the cities of Valamon, Telamon and Hjerðamon (HIER-thamon), all overlooked by the nation's capital, the castle-city of Ruskanseyrie. They are collectively named Valamon City, after the largest and most central of the four, as is the nation itself. Locals often call it the VCR (Valamon City Region) or "The Bustle". It is one of the most populous surface civilizations on the plane, after Fauregand & Dalmatica in The Broken Empire and the Petal Cities of Marai.
The VCR is collectively located to the far Coreëast of the mainland, on the Coreward coast. Telamon acts as the inland "gateway" city, with Valamon in the centre and Hjerðamon stretched along the coast. The castle-city of Ruskanseyrie (the eyrie or tower fortress of the ruling Ruskandireij) covers various stepped plateaus of Mount Ånja (ON-ya), which overlooks the VCR.The Ruskanseyrie
The amazing Ruskanseyrie is a patchwork maze of connected forts, mansions, courtyards, cathedrals and towers, with the Ruskandireij's titular eyrie overlooking it all from yet another tier above, with its back to Mount Ånja. Especially unique about the fortress town is that it's almost entirely wooden: even metal masonry is omitted in lieu of an ingenious method of wedging the wooden pieces together with unique angular shapes.The Kalevan Freelands
Much of the steppes and plateaus on the Voidward uplands of the continent are ruled by the more rugged and warlike "Twelve Tribes of Kaleva", though four have since been lost, either extinct or inhabiting the islands further west, toward Stargrave.
The Kalevans lead a mostly nomadic lifestyle. Nonetheless they have a few major settlements for rest, ritual and elder care, including:
- Dolmengaard
- Redcliff
- Scarschronicle
- Duskmantle
Culture
Valamonian culture is divided roughly between the more cosmopolitan, Meranthic Selvaalans of the "VCR" (Valamon City Region) and the more nomadic, heavily human-blooded Norvaalans of the Kalevan Veldt and non-dwarven uplands.Valamon City Region
As Valamon City was a popular trade port in the First Age, a wide variety of cultures and ethnicities were on the island when the Deluge occurred. Suddenly, tens of thousands of merchants, diplomats and other travelers were forced to make their home on Valamon, after their homes were obliterated by tsunamis and drowned in haunted brine. As a result, the VCR is a magnificent quilt of many histories and peoples.Sample names: Selvaalans
Masculine: Torvald, Avaar, Sorin, Edgar, Arcum, Endrek, Rallick, Locke, Agrus, Thorkel, KarolFeminine: Soraya, Sigarda, Anya, Hanna, Breya, Eila, Edytha, Arlinn, Gertrude, Brigid, Maril
Kalevan Freelands
The Kalevans, also called the Norvaalans, have much more dominant human genes than the more Meranthic Selvaalans, and as such are taller, more broad-of-shoulder and wide-of-head, with more body hair. Their beliefs are centred on worship of ancestral heroes, the apex of which is the goddess of hunting and territory: Kaleva.
The Kalevans lead a mostly nomadic lifestyle, traveling both to guard their exapansive territory from the Selvaalans and to gather resources, but most importantly to follow the teachings of their Allmother Kaleva: one of her higher strictures is to never grow too comfortable in a single place.Sample names: Kalevans
Masculine: Sten, Onrak, Hakkon, Ruhan, Krom, Angrath, Krom, Gorstag, Grondr, UlfgarFeminine: Ydra, Sorya, Karya, Ragnhild, Marl, Radha, Utvara, Girta
The Ruskandireij
See also: Ruskandireij Image Gallery (External)Valamon is what’s known as a constitutional queendom, ruled within agreed-upon limits by the Ruskandireij (rus-KAN-di-ray, from Old Valamonian, meaning Landschosen). The Ruskandireij, sometimes shortened to ‘Ruskan’, is a sort of warrior queen, granted the position only after defeating other aspirants in contests of strength and intellect. These contests, known collectively as the Ruskansmøt (Landsmoot) are only triggered by sufficient votes of non-confidence by Valamon’s various tribal, merchant and religious councils.
While the Ruskandireij is not an outright avatar of The Lady of the Mountain, the contest does seem to be sanctioned by the Lady herself: once crowned, the new ruler does indeed come into a large amount of earth-aspected divine power.
Historical Ruskandireij come from a wide variety of backgrounds, as victory in the Ruskansmøt is the only prerequisite to sit the throne. Though the Selvaalans of Valamon City & environs never had warm relations with the Norvaalans of the Kalevan Freelands, a few Ruskandireij have been Kalevan. Most notable of these was the 9th Ruskan, Nikka Crowmother of Duskmantle, who bore the Ruskansnøm Nikka the Unexpected. Her three decades of rule were highly eventful, most notably her brief and ill-fated success in uniting the Norvaalans and Selvaalans, following the frightening chaos of the The Näckros War. It was the only such peace to occur in Valamon's history. Her rule was famously supported by another Kalevan chieftain named Ronom, who would eventually Ascend to become one of the popularly-worshipped Stormlords.
Profile: Details of a wooden door in the Ruskanseyrie in Valamon City. It depicts the fourth Ruskandireij of Antediluvian Valamon, Gundula the Gladhanded, born Gundula Vekk of Highlodge.
Art credit: Heinrich Lefler
Banner art credit: Ron Spencer, Ausonia, Kilart (Heonwha Choe)
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