Tormvald Plateau
The Tormvald Plateau is an area of flat higlands in the southeastern corner of the Atalassian land mass of Talanas. Though it has not traditionally been a unified state, the different fiefdoms and settlement-states that comprise the Tormvald have usually enjoyed an era of usual peace and general cooperation. Thusly, for a number of centuries at the end of the Fifth and into the Sixth Ages of Azocar, The Tormvald has stood as a bulwark between the central plains of Talanas and the Esthren Enclaves in the Northeast.
Most of the Tormvald's denizens live along the coast on its southeastern and eastern edges. Along with the City of Tormvald, the larger coastal settlements include the towns of Felvarn and Vahndir, some 60 and 120 miles up the eastern coast respectively from the large city. Less than 100 miles along the coast in the opposite direction from the city lies the town of Styrm Vaerie. Additionally, numerous other smaller towns, villages, and fortifications dot the coastline all the way up to the Dawn Gate of the Atal.
Another significant portion of the Tormvald's people live inland, within a half day's travel from one of the two longest rivers in the region. Numerous towns and villages lie on the banks of the north to south run of the Orst River. The largest of these are the centrally-located Glenn Orst and the strategically-placed Gwyn Vald. The smaller but fortified town of Orst Aerie as well as numerous others also rest on the Orst.
Additionally, the fortified town of Glennvarm as well as the nearby Varm Keep sit near the source of the Torm River at the base of the northern range of the Varm Hills. A number of villages and hamlets dot the landscape along the Torm's eastward journey to its confluence with the Orst River, near the town of Torm Mor.
Geography
The Tormvald is bordered inland by various hill ranges and woodlands and by the Avolmyr and Malraigh Passage along the coast. The plateau is over 200 miles from west to east at it's widest. Similarly, it's also more than 200 miles along its longest north to south stretch, from the Gwynwood to the southern coast.
The majority of the landscape is comprised of rolling highlands nestled between and lower than the high hills in the west and north and the rocky clifs of the coasts. It is rocky terrain with substrates that are more clay than soil in most places. Thousands of years of toiling at the land by the denizens of the Tormvald have yielded substantive patches of fertile farmlands, however.
Waterways and coasts
Most of the agriculture on the Tormvald is done near one of the region's two longest rivers and their tributaries. The Orst River flows from its northern origins in the Gwynwood south and southwest, running in approach of 300 miles before reaching the sea at the city of Tormvald. Its main tributary is the Torm River in the southern third of the Tormvald. This waterway flows almost due east from its origins in the northern range of the Varm Hills for over 150 miles until it meets the Orst at the town of Torm Mor. There are also areas of land along the coasts of the Tormvald that have been worked over the centuries to become decent agricultural stock. Most of these sit around the settlements that hug both the Avolmyr and the Malraigh Passage. The hard work through the ages to create these fields was prudent because, much to the chagrin of its inhabitants, the coastlines of the Tormvald are rocky and forbidding. There are no grand harbors to speak of here.Woodlands
Several woodland areas are found in the Tormvald. Most of these ring around the western and northern edges of the plateau. All of these are primarily coniferous forests. Nestled in the southwestern valley between the two ranges of the Varm hills is the similarly-named Varmwood. In the northwest of the plateau, the two Bandir Wood forests sit north and south of the upper reaches of the Bandir Vald. An extant range of the Barrier Hills is all that separates the Upper Bandir Wood from the largest woodlands of the Tormvald, the Gwynwood. To the east of this, and just west of the lower range of Estheren Mountains, also known as the Dawngate Hills, is the Estherwood. Additionally, two large woodland areas sit within the boundaries of the Tormvald, rather than along its edges. In the center of the plateau is the Orst Woodland, which is significant because it contains an unordinarily high percentage of deciduous woods, most of them maples. Lastly, on the eastern coast, nestled in a depression in the plateau is the Felwood. This forest is most notable because of its inaccessibility. It is entirely surrounded by sheer cliffs except along the coastline.Hills and highlands
Almost all the hill ranges of note in the Tormvald ring around and away from its western and northern edges. The most significant of these are the Central Barrier Hills. In actuality, all of the hills and highlands that border the west and northwest of the Tormvald are part of the Central Barrier. However, some of the groupings that range out from the main run of the Barrier are specifically known and identified. One range of highlands, however, that is not part of the Central Barrier, northeast of the Tormvald, is the Dawngate Hills range. These hills rise up from the border of the plateau, some 60 miles or more west of the coast and the Dawn Gate. The Dawngate Hills are rocky and treacherous and almost impossible to summit. So, combined with the rocky and forbidding coastal cliffs, the Dawngate Hills force northward travelers to use the passages between the Estherwood just to the hills' west and the Gwynood further inland. The Bandir Hills are part of the Central Barrier. This range of highlands extends from the Barrier just south of the Lower Bandir Wood. Nestled between the Upper Bandir Wood and the Gwynwood are the Gwyn Hills. The Bandir and Gwyn Hills thus form a valley between them and this is called the Bandir Vale. The area of the Bandir Vale rivals the southeastern coast of the Tormvald in population and is the area of the plateau that is most abundant in natural resources. In the south of the region, along its western edge, two ranges of highlands strech east from the Central Barrier. These are North and South Varm Hills. As in the north with the Bandir, these two ranges form a valley between them. This is a much smaller valley, however, and is entirely occupied by the Varmwood. Lastly, one range of hills within the plateau itself is the Dawn Aerie. These higlands sit in the northeast of the Tormvald, about midway between the confluence of the Orst River and its northern tributaries and the western coastline of the plateau.Natural Resources
The landscape and climate of the Tormvald are rough and hard, but the land yields great rewards to those who confront its challenges. Particularly in the northwest of the plateau, nature's bounties are numerous and plentiful.
The woodlands of the Tormvald are all ancient and prolific. As a result, logging is a common endeavor and lumber one of the richest exports from the plateau. Most of the settlements in and around the Bandir Vald have a logging tradition and infrastructure. The same is true for the lands around the Varm Hills. Also, the Orst Woodland is a source of lumber but logging there is much more specialized and limited due to the special characteristics of that forest. There are also logging operatoins in and around other, smaller woodlands around the Tormvald.
A second type of natural resource available in abundance in the areas of the Tormvald are minerals and metals. The hills of the Central Barrier and its extant ranges all host rich deposits of iron as well as smaller sources of copper and silver. The challenge with this industry however, is the political landscape. Much of the Central Barrier is populated by independent tribes and clans of orcs and goblinoids and these do not always ally with their neighbors.
Agriculture is another source of goods in the Tormvald, albeit a more limited one. The clay-laden ground throughout the plateau has had to be worked hard to become productive farmland so agricultural lands are limited and usually clustered around settlements. Still, those that have been prepared for the purpose yield root vegetalbles and cold-weather greens in abundance.
Some growers of barley and other hardy grains can also be found along the southern coast of the Tormvald. Lastly, apple orchards are prevalent in the southwest corner of the Tormvald, around the town of Styrm Vaerie.
Wildlife is also plentiful if one knows where to look for it. The woodlands of the Tormvald, particularly in areas adjanced to hills and highlands, have plentiful populations of caribou and elk. Deer also roam the countryside within 100 miles or so of the southern coast. Additionally, the waters of the Avolmyr and the Malraigh Passages are plentiful but the lack of viable harbors does limit the cultivation of seafood quite a bit.
History
Much of the history of the Tormvald is the history of Talanas and even the continent of Atalassia. The details of this can be found in the parent articles.
The Current Age
As with all of Talanas, and indeed, all of Atalassia, The Tormvald experienced great upheavals around the coming of the Sixth Age of Azocar. The Shadow Masters of the Hordes recruited many of their combatants from Talanas and the majority of these came from the land's eastern areas. Almost an entire generation of able-bodied warriors and the like left their homes to fight in the Horde Wars. Most did not return. The following generation was similarly recruited, this time not to fight a foreign war, but one in their own homeland. Many of the Talanasian's Estheren Alliance's people sided with the forces of the Aramago. Not necessarily because they believed in or supported the ancient archmage's cause. Mostly they used the conflict as an opportunity to act on grievances the people of the east of Talanas had with the Dwarven Nations and the power brokers in the land's largest city and it's area of influence. More than 5,000 fighters went off to fight the War of the Night King and many of these came from the Tormvald. Almost a decade later, less than a third would eventually return. The Plateau was fortunate in one manner, however; at least at first. During the first years of the war, all of the fighting raged over the central plains of Talanas. The Tormvald, and indeed, all of the lands in the east, escaped the collateral damage places where battles and wars are fought are often subjected to. The good fortune did not last, however. After the defeat of the Night King, his war continued, largely inexplicably. And, even though many of the other forces involved peeled away from the conflict, the dwarves and the people from the east kept at it. in the final two years of the conflict, the fighting raged eastward and consumed all of the Estheren Enclaves. It even pushed south into the Tormvald and many of the towns and smaller settlements in the north of the plateau suffered great damages and loss. Since the end of the fighting in CA 21, the people of the Tormvald have been forced to take stock of their losses and begin rebuilding.
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