More information has been revealed about the third region in Runes of Magic. The name is Aslan Valley, a glen filled with an atmosphere of primitive times. Many resources are available, such as water and wood. The humans settling on this continent disregard their value. For this reason alone the area still retains its original appearance and was not destroyed by human greed. According to tribes, who value the forces of nature, it is a place of ancient and immense power.
The Qilana woodland
The Qilana woodland connects the Aslan valley to the Silverspring valley
and consists of a wide-stretched lake and a picturesque strip of forest where
many animals find shelter. The name “Qilana” originally refers to a drinking
vessel used in shaman’s blessings and was adopted by the barbarians living
here.
The Qilana Camp
Adventures and hunters have set up a camp, which is now used by every
traveler to rest and to replenish water and food. Now the camp is used by an
expedition team researching the habits and way of life of the valley dwarfs.
These small creatures dwell in the Forsaken Mine.
Forsaken Mine
The Forsaken Mine was the first place the non-native humans of the Aslan
valley wanted to develop. First and foremost they hoped to find new deposits
of ore, but they soon discovered that there simply were none – not even a
trace of ore was found. Before long the Mine was abandoned. Because the
Aslan valley was not considered a worthy place for a settlement, those who
wanted to search for ore returned, and the whole area up to the Bloodhound
Hill was thoroughly searched.
Now the whole mine is overrun with weeds, inside and out. All mining tools,
that were left behind are now completely rusted. The mine attracted lots of
rare plants that like the humid and dark environment. Now it has become
the home for hill dwarves and spotted mushroom beings.
The Silverfall village
The village gets its name from the shimmering silver-white waterfall in its
proximity. Silverfall was once a barbarian settlement, but with the
expansion of the main road it evolved into a magnificent village. The
barbarians who lived there were integrated into society, however some
traces of their cultural heritage have stood the test of time and even real
shamans still exist.
Now Silverfall is a simple hunter’s village, where tools for that craft can be
found everywhere. Its main source of income is the hunt and the sale of
necessities to passing adventurers. Every so often some visitors also come
through here.
Bloodhound Hill
Since the wildfire of some years ago an emerald green forest has sprung up along the Bloodhound Hill, which is different from the rest of the Aslan valley. Here the trees grow relatively low and there are a lot of bushes. In many places even the hard and dry soil can bee seen. There are also many
humanoid creatures which roam the area and cast an eerie light over this
wild landscape.
Even though the Bloodhound Hill is goblin territory, according to barbarian
legends it is a holy hill. They believe that a mighty spirit by the name of
“Guard dog of the holy halls” watches over a sacred passageway. Settlers that arrived in later ages perverted the “Guard dog of the holy halls” into the
“holy bloodhound”. For that simple reason newcomers think that a terrifying
monster in dog guise haunts the hill and they call it Bloodhound Hill
accordingly.
Hunter‘s Encampment
To have a resting place on the hunt, a field encampment was established
which only consists of a campfire and some tents. Like the name suggests it is
mostly used by hunters.
The Goblin Village
Originally this place was a human mining compound, but they were later
frightened away by goblins. The little creatures intended to transform it into
one of their centers. It was there, where under the guidance of King Kyrm
Hammertooth, they established the Hammertooth Empire. Even though the
compound is called “Royal Fortress”, the goblins residing there can’t agree
with the term.
The village is a small cluster of huts protected only by a simple, wooden
palisade. Now a peculiar large machine stands in the middle of the village
relentlessly making noise day and night. Nobody knows exactly what it is, or
what the goblins intend to do with it.
The Din Machine
The Din Machine has a remarkable history of development. The goblin cave
which was situated on this patch of land now known as the Goblin’s Village,
was overrun by agile adventurers. They enslaved the goblins and found a
rich deposit of ore, which they sought to exploit. For several reasons the
human’s leaders decided to stop further development. After that one of the
goblin slaves by the name of Kyrm Hammertooth united his people and
incited a revolt. They drove away the humans from the compound and
founded a village. Later on he used the digging and forging skills he had
learned from his former masters to produce weapons and tools. The mine was
to become the centre of a new goblin empire, called the Hammertooth
Empire.
But it is just a harmonious name. The goblins quarrel with each other on a daily basis and everybody behaves according to his own will. Not even half
of the goblins of the Bloodhound Hill and of the Din Mine know that they
have something akin to a realm of their own. Of those who do know it, few
have ever heard of a King named Kyrm Hammertooth.
That is why brave adventurers can venture into the Din Mine without
hesitation, generally speaking, either to mine for themselves or to steal the
ore from the goblins. Disunited as they are, they have no chance to resist.
Those adventurers ridicule the goblins as tumultuous monstrosities and
jokingly refer to the Mine as Din Mine. But even in the face of human
aggression and the impotence of his clan, the courage of Kyrm Hammertooth
does not wane.
On a secret journey he changed, but even though he told no one about it,
other goblins have started to feel different lately as well. They are becoming
more vigorous in battle and more dangerous. Silverfall’s shamans think that
mysterious powers in the Din Mine are at work. In the future humankind
will have to admit, that the noisy goblins from the darkness are formidable
foes that should be feared.
Lake of Eternal Silence
The Lake of Eternal Silence is much-vaunted as one of the three most
beautiful landscapes in all of Aslan valley. It is completely surrounded by
deep forests and no motion hampers its plane flawless surface once the water has flown into it. Like a vast mirror it dominates the scenery and due to the composition of its bottom no waves can be seen. The reason behind the
Silverfall village being built on the shores of the Lake of Eternal Silence has
something to do with the water of its spring.
Silverfall was once a barbarian settlement and the spring water was called “soul spring” in their language.The shamans believe that it is a medium for the mountain spirit’s powers, and indeed the Lake of Eternal Silence is a mysterious place.
New Moon Forest
This is a region of the Aslan valley, where it is getting colder and beasts and
monsters are becoming more numerous. You have to pass through this forest
on your way to the Highland of Ystra; it is an important hunting ground
which is often crossed by adventurers. While many people waited for the
completion of the Tavern “The Distiller”, it swiftly evolved into an important
meeting point for this area.
New Moon Camp
In the New Moon Forest there is a camp ground situated in-between
Silverfall, The Distiller and the Mirror Necropolis. For all travelers heading
towards The Distiller and all adventurers on their way to the Mirror
Necropolis, the New Moon Camp is an important venue for rest and supplies.
The Distiller Tavern
Some people think that there are three things to visit in the Aslan valley –
The wood sea in the Jade Valley, the lake of Eternal Silence’s Silverfall and
the Distiller Tavern in the New Moon Forest. But what kind of place is the
Distiller Tavern? Take a building created by human hands and mix it with
unfathomable nature and a pinch of adventurous spirit.
In the Distiller Tavern you can experience all of the following: wild binge
drinking, mugs full of alcohol, opulent meals, fair bards, noisy guests, heated
chambers, all kinds of wild rumors and wavering drunkards. In one corner
they start to fight, while they argue so loudly in the next corner about an
alleged theft, that you can not have a normal discussion. The black market
trader at the corner table sells “lost” goods, while beefy adventurers still tend
to their weapons. The Distiller Tavern has a sense of danger inside and out.
People have a feeling of anticipation and excitement. Is that not the meaning
of “adventure”?
Mirror Necropolis
The Mirror Necropolis is very old, but was discovered only recently.
Seemingly a curse haunts the place though. Everybody who comes to close
will be struck with disaster. At the moment, the Eye of Wisdom is not sure if
investigating it is the right thing to do. Some of its members think that it
might be a site, where ancient magic was sealed and careless rummage
would cause great harm.
On the Mirror Necropolis’ stone walls, crystals glisten and reflect every
picture like mirrors. But since there is no life to be found anywhere nearby,
it became known as the Mirror Necropolis. The caves in its center are most
likely of natural origin, but there is an artificial atmosphere and rumors
swirl around that many a visitor went insane and died down there.
The Jade valley
Thousands of years ago a meteorite fell down from the sky changing the soil
in this area. The plants can reach tremendous proportions and are the
reason behind the Jade valley’s name.
Because humans still have no idea of space, they worship this holy place and
conceive the plants as a manifestation of divine and inexhaustible vital
energy. The Jade valley is the crater of a meteorite which formed a basin in
the middle of the mountains. From the air you can sense the dense green
which surrounds this place with interwoven briarwood in its centre, which is
called the Deep Aisle.
The Deep Aisle
In the middle of the Jade valley grows an old Banyan tree right on the spot,
where the meteorite impacted. It was exposed to the full extent of the cosmic
power, and became unbelievably majestic, with giant aerial roots clawing
into the ground. Most people don’t even realize that the forest in front of
them is one single tree, which is mistakenly referred to as a forest and also
called the Deep Aisle.
Basically the Deep Aisle is a green tunnel, where a leaf ceiling covers the
whole sky. Only some rays of light make it through to illuminate the foliagecovered ground. All this green can be quite surreal, especially when the
foliage whispers, it fills the whole area is with a mysterious atmosphere.
The Origin
The more you advance into the Deep Aisle, the bigger everything becomes.
For that reason it is said to be a holy tree, which has existed since the world’s
beginning. Even more mysterious though is the cavern beneath it. It looks as
if the tree’s roots keep an underground space clear. In the great cave some
things can be found, which are apparently not of natural origin.
Inferring from the roots growth the cave must have been there even before
the Holy Tree, which is why it is called the “Origin”. Actually the cave was
created by ancient mythical beings and in it the “Holy Truth” was stored.
Later on all the knowledge was lost with the disappearance of the mythical
beings. What kind of relation does that knowledge have with the oracle? Is it
the oracle itself? Nobody knows for sure.
More information about Runes of Magic
