Cinnamon Valley

Cinnamon Valley is a richly soiled area with a split population. First, there are the Hill People, who farm the land. Second, the the towns of the area are populated mostly by Hmanas, with a sprinkling of other invading races. These peoples existed in harmony with the Hill People, celebrating their coexistence yearly at the Festival of the Magpie, until the Jarl came.

The Sea of Windbourne Hills, A Children's Primer

Prior to the Fourth Cataclysm, this area, east of Shadow Mountain and North of Culverwood, was some of the richest farmland found anywhere in the wold. When the invasion came, it was not considered strategically important, separated from the rest of the peninsula by Culverwood and Shadow Mountain as it was. The farmers of Windbourne took two stances. Some sold their land or portions of it to different invading groups, while others took arms against the invaders and those farmers who sold out. Those who took up arms said their brothers “souled” out and prayed to the three sisters, who were their primary god, for vengeance against their brothers and the invaders.

When the cataclysm hit, Donyra answered their prayers causing hurricane strength winds to sweep the hills. And wherever the winds blew, Mittiri caused the earth to be “bubbled” with geysers, hot pools, lava pools, and other geothermal activity. And whenever a geyser spouted, a farmer who had “souled” out died a horrible death. And whenever a farmer died, Teresalia caused the land itself to be given a song to sing each morning at sunrise and a dirge to sing at sunset to remind both invaders and loyal Elennians who would forever rule these lands. The geothermal activity caused the Windbourne Hills to be even richer for farming than before. All creeks and rivers were purified and became safe to drink. Donyra became celebrated as never before along with her sisters, The Serenbeth Maidens. Even the invaders had to respect these “hands on” gods and converted by the hundreds.

Quickly it was realized that a new coral reef had risen during the cataclysm. Investigation confirmed that the reef acted as a barrier to prevent the wrath of the Creusa Sea at Bay. Fishing would now be limited to fishing the reef. Those adventurous ones who made it beyond the reef never returned. Stories were told of sentient whirlpools that attacked approaching ships. These whirlpools were rumored to have huge maws at their bottoms that acted as a gate to the Elemental Planes.

As the invaders and the Hill People sorted themselves out, a series of city-states were created. Each town ruled itself and made alliances with its neighbors. Quickly Osto, the city of criminals, and geysertown rose to the forefront. Ambassadors from New Elenna came and tried to reabsorb the area city-state by city-state. The Hillites refused because of Elenna’s failure to send forces to protect their lands during the invasion. The invader states also refused because of the distance and a lack of trust.

A generation later, when the Aisildurians became expansionistic for the first time, the Hill People realized that they would have to form a mutual defense against aggressors. This organization of city-states should defend each other in case of outside attack. However, an attack from a fellow city-state would not be covered under this alliance. This did not preclude city-states from assisting each other, but the current wisdom was that to try and legislate peace between so many city-states in such a crowded location would be useless. This organization became known as the Free-stater’s league. It was such a success that many governments outside the Windbourne hills applied for membership. Current members include: Lankhmar, The Floating City, Isumbre, and Fargunia.

The Free-staters are a conglomerate of cultures. The primary cultures consist of the Hmanas, the Hill People and The Contested Kingdoms. The most prevalent group of settlers are “Hmanas from the HomeHland of Hnandur” in the Forbidden country. Hmanas use no “article” parts of speech viewing such designations as pompous and vain-glorious. Many words and Title “in Hmanic dialect” begin with the letter “H”, due to the belief that it is an ugly letter and nomenclature should be self-effacing. Many times “H” is followed by a smooth letter such as “M or N” These people are all extremely religious and live in a theocracy. Their ruler governs both secular and religious parts of their lives, but refuses to “Hlord” if over his subjects calling them “fellow sojourners on this hWold.” The leader’s title is “Hmost honorable Hnand.” Their god’s name is Hnakra who is an incarnation of Kerracles. Because of their acceptance of everyone, they are well known as negotiators of peace and compromise.

The second culture of people in the Windbourne Hills are The Hill People. These folk are the elennian farmers who refused to leave during the cataclysm. For the most part they are all followers of donyra. Due to their strong beliefs, donyra gives rewards to loyal families and clans in the form of special gifts or powers. Many women have the gift of controlling winds. Some few, at least one per village, can send messages on the wind to inform other villages of danger, news, etc. Some men have the ability to withstand the heat of lava, so they can move it to their fields to increase the richness of their soil. To fishermen, she gives divining abilities concerning where to fish, weather foretelling, and the ability to use their breath to sail against the wind. The Hill People are gossips and usually believe the last or best version of a story they hear if it is a relatively harmless one. If it is of import, they don’t necessarily believe it, but will definitely pass along the story with their interpretation of its import. These people are healthy. A large portion of them are halflings. They tend to breed short.

The third culture of people who occupy the Windbourne Hills are the Contested kingdoms. These consist of retired adventurers who build a castle and offer protection to the local inhabitants (whether they want it or not), evil conquerors (who do the same thing), and remnants of old pre-cataclysm civilizations trying to preserve the remnants of their culture. The only constant of these contested kingdoms is change and war. The ultimate example of this is an area just west of the Scab with a landmark known as Castle Surrender. Names thus by the common people, it has been conquered over 100 times, including the Seven Days War, when it was conquered every day for a week in a bloodbath killing all of two people (the two who would rule).

Before the Jarl

The Cinnamon Valley was a fertile place, blessed by the gods with the Volcano Glitterox and many geysers and numerous lava pools. Glitterox erupted annually in a spectacular fashion on the winter equinox, enriching the soil. The volcano sent up sparks that resembled firecrackers exploding at great height. Some of these "sparks" actually landed in various places across the valley. Where a spark landed, a Glittermint Tree grew in the spring, a gift of health and goodness from Alemi.

Another sacred landmark in the valley was Magpie Lake and Magpie Falls. The lake had some of the purest water in The Wold. "Cleansed by Alemi," these waters helped the folk of the area to remain healthy and able to work until the day they died.

Throughout the valley, there were always some people -- more often, Hill People -- who were blessed with talents, with unusual powers. Some said that Alemi used the sacred waters of Magpie Lake to bestow these liberal gifts, used for the good of all. Others said that certain beings, called The Sisters, watched over Cinnamon Valley and blessed those with talents.

Cinnamon Valley lies in the south central part of the Windbourne Hills, jutted up against Culverwood.

The Dread lies to the north and east. This neighbor is a northern extension of Culverwood that was perverted by a powerful lich who gives the area its name. The Dread has always sought to rule by power and expand its borders, striving to become powerful enough to bring upon everyone The Great Death, a horrible blight that will signal the end of The Wold. The lich is the father of a splinter group of mages called the Sons of Dread, who played a prominent role in the Year of Ascension.

Rowena lies to the north and west. The City-state of Effacia is a day¹s travel north through Rowena. Rowena is as peaceful as the Dread is violent. It's people are kin to the Hill People of Cinnamon Valley, but they have become estranged since the coming of Royd the Merciless.

The Time of Change

In a place called the Scab, the people of the valley say, there lived a mighty race of Fire Giants, who protected important things and accomplished important tasks. But these giants were manipulated by a great evil, so that their culture diminished into servitude. Eventually, the giants were corrupted and weakened to the point that they were not prepared for attack. A powerful group of adventurers invaded their home and slaughtered half the tribe before being defeated. Great damage was done, and those giants who were young and could not remember the honor of their people overthrew their elders and killed King of the Fire Giants.

The son of the giant king was named Royd, and later in his life he became known as Royd the Merciless, the Jarl. After his father was deposed, Royd had to make a run for it, taking three of his closest and most loyal subjects with him. Traveling the high valleys of the Scab, they finally forced the dwarfs of the area to show them the way out and down. They traveled west, causing havoc wherever they went. They learned about the societies of men and the ways of power.

Five years ago, the Jarl, Royd the Merciless, arrived in Cinnamon Valley. He simply walked into Castle Wolf, asked for an audience, killed Sorngrim the VII, the Hmost Honorable Hnand, and took over. Royd and his three giant-kin recruited a most vile army that taxed the land horribly. Once a month he visited the Honorable Hnand and Hill People Chiefs and collected taxes. No one dared to refuse. The Witchspawn Coven tried to overthrow him, but lost their power when Jarl ordered his two fire giant brothers, Hrolf and Magnor, to knock over their sacred stones, robbing them of much power. He burned those witches he could catch. A few still survived in secret.

At that time the evil of the Dread threatened the valley. Royd then declared that all males over the age of 14 must join the army to defend the homeland. The army, spurred on by Hrolf and Magnor, held back the Dread armies with great success. Eventually a great battle was fought near Strongwind Castle. After that the Dread seemed to turn their energies elsewhere.

The Hill People of Rowena, however, did not come to aid their neighbor. They believe that their brothers and sisters of Cinnamon Valley must have forsaken their faith, or such a horrible fate would never have come upon them. They also blame Cinnamon Valley for the recent influx of two witch covens into their peaceful kingdom, saying that it is the Cins' fault that the witches were allowed in this area of the Windbourne Hills in the first place. The Cins argue that the witches' coven was always loyal to the kingdom, even giving their lives in its defense.

But even though the army of the Dread was turned away, no one was inspired to rejoice. It is as if the spirit of the Hill People died in Cinnamon Valley the day Royd took over. Whereas they, in the past, had stood up to or simply ignored all previous invaders, here they just gave up and accepted their lot. Something vibrant in this people was lost. Where there were gifts, they were erased. When Glitterox erupted, the Hill People shuddered and hid in their hovels -- afraid of the wrath of the gods. It is generally accepted that someone of the Hill People, or some clan or family, acted as a traitor to their people, allowing Royd¹s coup to succeed -- and indeed, for a time, there were no gifts of the gods, either to the land or to the Hill People. Even the loyal priests were not granted spells above the 3rd level.

After the Jarl

This was the situation of the peoples of Cinnamon Valley -- until the coming of the noble heroes known as the Dragons! A one time collaboration of the Storm Dragons and the Gold Dragons Adventuring Troups, this large group of adventurers came to Cinnamon Valley when one of their own, a son of the Hill People named Gareth, learned that the Dread had kidnapped his father. Coming in like a proverbial storm, they rode into The Dreadlands and rescued the patriarch.

Turning their wrath upon Royd and his allies, the giants were slain, along with a dragon named Blast who had allied himself with the giants. The Cinnamon Valley was once again free.

Before leaving, the Dragon Consortium helped the people set up a fledgling government with two pieces. First they recruited a second cousin of Gareth the Mighty's who had worked in the High Lord Mayor's office in Plateau City and appointed him the Transitional Governor for one year. Then they formed a Council to oversee the governor and named them The Pitchfork Council. This group would have a representative of each culture group within the valley: Hmanas, Hill People, Witches, and Druidfolk.

Cinnamon Valley is once again free and self-governed. However, the Windbourne Hills is a hotbed of contested kingdoms that tends to fight and vie with one another. The future is hopeful, but very fragile. May Alemi guide them and give them health. May Domi give them his courage.

Places of Note in the Valley

Jarlwolf

Jarlwolf is the largest town in the Cinnamon Valley, and the seat of government for the area. Following the overthrow of the Jarl, the Pitchfork Council was formed and convenes itself in the Jarlwolf Assembly Hall.

Three roads enter the town of Jarlwolf and converge on an open area that hosts the open air market twice weekly. In the middle of the ‘square’ lies a small fenced park where the Adventurer’s Board can be found. There is also a training arena with a combat ring, a track, and a series of archery targets. A field house abuts the arena and a jousting lane that lies to the west. The Green Dragons offer combat lessons here, and have set up quarters in a back room of the Jarlwolf Bathhouse. H’lals Café & Bakery does a brisk business during the festival when outdoor theater, jousting, and displays of the martial arts are held.

To the Northeast, along the road to Effacia, lies a small castle whose outer wall was destroyed during the overthrow of the Jarl. The ruins of the outer wall provide building materials for the rest of the village. The dry moat is now a grassed in ditch and often a flock of sheep can be seen grazing the area. The inner wall and great hall were repaired and turned over to the Pitchfork Council to be used as the Jarlwolf Assemby Hall and apartments for visiting council members.

Across the road from the old castle lies Dulcet’s Manor. Formerly an abbey for a sect of monks that has long since disappeared, it has been taken over by the leader of the Pitchfork Council and the Coven of Weal. It contains a number of interesting features including a glass roofed inner garden and a fruit orchard and apiary behind the main building. It is surrounded by a low stone wall. Who knows what lies beneath the old abbey!!

Bistoc’s Warehouse sits beside the road leading west to Witchspawn and Rowena. It is here that wagon trains are organized and guards hired. Bistoc, a large heavyset man, also rents storage space for a fee.

There are three inns in Jarlwolf; The Friendly Shadows, which is the best kept of the three, The Nag’s Head, and The Broken Cauldron which has the most rooms and is renowned for it’s hearty meals. Two taverns augment the inns but do not offer rooms. They are The Black Cat, a small seedy place, and The Last Drop, which through its name pays tribute to the many citizens who were hung by the Jarl’s forces during his bloody reign.

Jarlwolf has a small cadre of craftsmen including Thelonius Bedstraw , a half-elf who runs Thatches, Dorik Riverstone, a dwarven stonemason who owns Dorik’s Masonry, and Hmartin, a carpenter / cooper who runs Jarlwolf Woodworks and specializes in ornate barrels, crates and chests, and unfinished furniture. They are augmented by a variety of commercial enterprises including a local branch of the Catacombs.

Trakker’s sells outdoor gear including tents, bedrolls, rope and climbing gear, and outerwear. Hruby’s deals in inexpensive jewellery and glassware. Hruby is unmarried but is actively courted by a number of hmana men in the village. Inge and Hobbs, two halflings originally from Rowena, run a general store that services many of the local farmers. The Tannery is run by Marko Clemso, a small stocky man of advanced years. His two sons were lost in the Dread Wars and he has no other heirs to take over the business after he is gone. Clarra Brun is a half-elf who runs the Dancing Lights, where she makes and sells a variety of candles as well as oil lamps and outdoor lanterns. Shard’s Earthenware is where Ollo Redfern can be found, turning out clay pots and other items on his potters’ wheel. A puff of smoke from the chimney lets you know that his kiln is fired and that the shop will be a little on the warm side.

Sweets, well, the name speaks for itself, doesn’t it. This confectionary is run by Hmona Nightshade, a hmana with a gift for cooking. The chocolate fudge is especially worth stopping in for. Puk’s is by far the most interesting store in Jarlwolf. This fiesty gnome has assembled a unique collection of animals and plants that draw children and adults alike to his shop, just for a look. If you are looking for a quality ewe to upgrade your flock, or one of the rare Magpie Lake leeches for your aquarium, Puk’s is where you will find it.

Hnancy Oldfield is the proprieter of Hnan’s Tack Shop. The shop carries a full line of equestrian gear as well as harnesses for teams of oxen and other beasts of burden. If Hnan doesn’t have it, she will have it made on order. Hmark Oldfield, Hnan’s older brother, runs Hmark’s Granary and Mill. Hmark took the business over from his father, and has prospered greatly since the defeat of the Jarl.

The two main temples in Jarlwolf are dedicated to Alemi and Domi respectively. Neither is particularly large. There is a small shrine to Gargul on the outskirts of town, watched over by a ragged hermit.

To the south of town, along the road to Merrydale and Magie Crossing, lie the remains of an ancient circle of rough, uneven standing stones. Some have toppled over and no one knows who erected them, they have been there long before any written records began. The local druids and witches treat the circle with great reverence. A convergence of ley lines occurs beneath the stones, and just perhaps some ancient evil lies beneath them.

A traveler leaving Jarlwolf by any road will immediately find himself in a rolling, pastoral setting of farm fields and grazing lands punctuated by small isolated woodlots and wooded valley bottoms. Many of the barns have stone foundations and thatched roofs, as do the cottages that accompany them.

Magpie Crossing

Merrydale

Merrydale is a hamlet, with a colony of halflings living here as well as humans, as a visitor can tell by the hobbit-holes in several embankments on one side of the town. The human buildings are stone cottages, as it is not wise to build with wood so close to the Culverwood. Most have flowerboxes in the windows, and roofs of sod or thatch. A few elves and half-elves have settled here as well, and more have come recently as refugees from the Emerald Kingdom.

• There is a single inn -- The Thirsty Lad. The innkeeper, a human named Tem Goodbarrel, is also on the Village Council.
• The Village Council consists of Simmay Swanfeathers, an elderly female halfling druid and farmer. She seems to be the leader, or at least is the most respected; she is attended by her son, Stan. Hned Cooper, a bespectacled middle-aged man, is owner of the general store; Hned holds the title of "mayor," but Simmay is more respected. Emery Winston is a farmer and leader of the local militia. And Tem.
• There is a small shrine to Alemi, but no priest in residence. The shrine is tended by an older female halfling, Saray Goncklyn, an expert NPC with ranks in healing and know religion. She sweeps the place up and helps locals with cuts and births and broke bones and such.
• Other establishments of note: The local blacksmith is a former adventurer. There's also a village school run by the schoolmarm, a Miss Ammebelle.
• A Faerie Trail runs south from Merrydale into the Culverwood, but generally only elves, druids, and the forestborn walk there. Even they tread carefully. The Spring of Alnair is on the Trail, just inside the wood.

The Tower of Boydos

A tall magical tower stands on a low hill in the western part of the valley, near to the Culverwood. It is a lawless place, east of Merrydale, and the Pitchfork Council has little power there. There is a band of people thereabouts -- some call them renegades -- known as the Sons of Chaos. The tower itself is the place where an immortal power, named Boydos, sleeps. The tower changes in appearance from time to time. It has looked like a lighthouse painted as a candy cane. It has appeared as a blue lightning bolt, frozen as it hit the earth. It is a very dangerous place, guarded by strange mad dwarven monks who can teleport short distances.

The Pillar of Cnut

This sole standing pillar certainly seems odd, especially since there are no other ruins or signs that an ediface might once have stood here. Legend says this pillar appeared here overnight long ago without any hand building it. Maybe it comes from the legendary Tower of Cnut, of which all that now remains (they say) are a few scattered magic stones with strange rumored powers. In any case, inscribed on the base of the pillar itself are these words in antique common: "Let this Pillar here stand, in tribute to the glorious accomplishments of the Reknowned Cnut!" But no one now knows what those accomplishments were. At the nearby intersection, there are three signs on a signpost: To Jarlswolf, To Magpie Crossing, and To Merrydale.