Setting Information.

Hey gang, I don't have time at this moment to do my write up for the whole setting, but I wanted to throw a few ideas out here and then invite you guys to make suggestions on what you might like to see. So to begin...

The story will start in the town or Barrelwaight. Barrelwaight is a small river trade village that is nestled into a fork where two rivers meet and form the larger river that leads to the kingdom's capitol. The town got its name because there is a small fort that the kingdom uses to check cargo before it heads north to the capitol. The largest commodity to come from the southern portions of the kingdom is wine and other beverages. So merchants who came this way had to sit and "wait with their barrels" while magistrates inspected manifest and levied taxes. The idea is to speed up the process at the docks in the capitol by having some of the paperwork out of the way.

The town is roughly three-quarters of a day's travel from the capitol by standard river boat/barge. Some Lords and Ladies have faster vessels that don't stop in Barrelwaight regularly. By horse and cart it is a solid two days because of the somewhat hilly terrain between the two settlements. That is if you don't get stopped by bandits or roaming monsters on the road.

So the primary trade in town is services. Inns are well appointed and the two blacksmiths are never out of work making tools that both boatmen and farmers can make use of. Trade is brisk and common. If the town doesn't have what a person needs, they can get it in a few days by telling a passing merchant and having them bring it in.

So... more on the town and the surrounding area to come.

Notes on the kingdom of Valarin, in which Barrelwaight exists. Valarin is a kingdom under siege. Its neighbors are constantly bringing war to its borders. To the east lies the Wastes of Dul'tooth. The Wastes are a misnamed however. The land is very rich in natural resources and fertile as any other land. The problem is it is a land of Giants, Ogres, Orcs and Goblins, not to mention the myriad of other types of monsters that live there. For the most part the monstrous natives of Dual'tioth are unorganized. Most of the time when a group or tribe gatheres, they will be limited to raiding border posts and settlements because infighting and greed break them up once they have some wealth to squabble over. However right now there is a powerful Hobgoblin chief named Kansirack that is keeping the dispersant savage tribes focused. His demands are strange for a member of his race. He has laid claim to the Dutch of Lem, primarily farm land known for growing a very spicy pepper. Additionally he demands that Valarin recognize him as King of Dul'tooth. It is believed that this he wants Valarin to acknowledge his rule in hopes of influencing other nations to do the same.

To the south lie two nations that are at war with each other. The Tribes of the Gale Plains and The Tal'har'e'marin Elves of the Great Forest. The Tribes of the Gale Plains are a group of horse riding barbaric nomads. Their skill on horseback is unrivaled. Even the knights of Valarin are weary of a charging Tribesman. The people of The Gale Plains human and halflings. It is said that the halflings are more dangerous of the two races, but this reputation might be because members of the larger races underestimated the half long warriors and assumed the size difference would decide the battle. The elves of the Great Forest object to the development of nations at the cost of The Great Forest. They claim that all forests are connected and thus The Great Forest is global. The Great Forest supplies their magic and every tree felled weakens them. However they refuse to teach non-elves how to use their magic, so these claims are unsubstantiated. While neither nation is openly hostile to Valarin, neither will let a pesky detail like a "border" stop them from fighting.

To the north are the Dwarven Holds. A mostly mountainous region, The Holds are home to numerous Dwarven Clans. The clans fight among themselves often and only a master of political intrigues can follow the web of treaties currently being held or broken among the clans. However they are in agreement on one topic, what lands are theirs to mine, and it just happens to be "all of it" according to them. Most of the time there is no conflict, the dwarves are content to pursue their wealth deep in their own earth. Occasionally though an enterprising clan will get it in their head to dig south and cross into Valarin. Then conflict breaks out.

To the west of Valarin are the Fire Fields. This blasted land is pitted with highly active volcanoes. No one is sure how far the lava burns to the west. Every expedition that has attempted to map the Fields has met with disaster or completely disappeared. Its not just the unstable ground or lava flows though. The people that live in this region are twisted mockeries of life. Rumor is that demons walk freely in the west and breed with the mortal races. All kinds of beasts also crawl out of this unholy land that would surely ravage Valarin if left unchecked. Luckily there is such a check in place, the Lich Lystera, Sorceress of Death. Mountains and swamps form the western border of Valarin and the Lich has claimed them for her own. The region is mostly uninhabited and Lystera has proven to powerful to route out. She keeps the creatures and savages of the Fire Fields largely in check as well. It is very treacherous to cross Lystera's territory but occasionally one or more slip by. The region used to be the hunting ground of a blue dragon known for powerful weather magic, but it has not been seen for some time.