These are dire times, indeed. The mighty Thendar Empire that endured almost 1000 years and even brought the mighty Dragon Empire down, the empire that brought peace and prosperity to wide swaths of the world is crumbling.
Why the mighty Thendar is falling apart, nobody knows, but most regions that where protected by imperial legions now have to fend for themselves, keep away Goblins and other dangerous beasts. Even Ork sightings have been rumoured in regions where such beasts were regarded as myths and spooky tales before. However, now every nightmare seems to have come to life raiding and mutilating and killing. Monsters that were confined to the deepest forests raid human settlements and surviving travellers tell tales of two four and multi-legged beasts roaming the land. Many remote settlements lie abandoned now and fugitives are everywhere. Civilization has receded to the core of the empire. Furthermore, as fewer and fewer trade caravans brave these perilous roads, the major mode of getting news and communicating with outside areas has been interrupted. Hence most regions know very little about the state of other provinces of the empire. Moreover Dragonborn have been sighted in many parts of the empire. And while these proud warriors won’t admit it, they clearly are fugitives from some unspeakable danger.
The Story sets out in Elsir Vale, a thinly populated frontier of the empire. The vale stretches almost 250 miles east to west and averages about 70 miles north to south. Several small mountain ranges and dense forests form the vale’s borders. Major settlements in the valley are Dennovar, Brindol, and the Dwarven city Overlook. Since the collapse of the empire, each community in Elsir Vale has acted relatively autonomous; several attempts to create a common government of the valley have failed.
The weather here is temperate. Winters are often bitterly cold while summers are hot and dry while thunderstorms and tornadoes are quite common. Large stretches of the area are quite arid and to the north of the vale lay vast savannahs populated by many marauding tribes of Orks. However, mostly thanks to the Dwarven Fortress of Boridin’s Watch, Elsir vale has not seen an Ork attack in several hundred years.
