Adventurer's Guide to Rock Valley
By Kyi Martyr
Dedication
Rock Valley is a very special place for me. My friends and I explored
most of Rock Valley, including the various ruins, the Nehal village,
up and down the mountain and the wooded areas. One friend in
particular stands out above the rest, only because we saw it all
together.
This codex is dedicated to Modius.
Contents
Page 3 Preparations
Page 4 Town of Rock Valley
Page 5 Tribes
Page 6 The Black Tower
Page 7 The Burial Grounds
Page 8 The Resting Place
Page 9 Fenri-Gifr Ruins
Page 10 Other Places
Preparations
Rock Valley is a breathtaking place with majestic mountains, deep
rivers, thick woods and endless grasslands. However, while the town
itself is a safe place to visit, the surrounding areas can be quite
dangerous, especially to the unprepared. My goal with this writing
is to provide a manual of what kinds of things to expect and how to
prepare.
First, bring some coin for unexpected purchases and leave it in the
bank in town. Bring a few spare weapons that are cheap and disposable
in case something happens to your main weapon or you don't want to
risk damage to it. Even if you have all the skills that you think you
may need, it is best to bring friends with you for safety, but also
for fun and conversation. Lastly, if possible, bring a guide who is
familiar with the area.
Town of Rock Valley
The town of Rock Valley is small and surrounded by a wooden palisade.
Crossing the bridge over the Anneal River, your travels will bring you
through the western gate of the town. A town square is located
roughly in the middle of the town and one would enter the great
expanse of Rock Valley through the eastern gate.
The town has a the most common necessities, such as a bank, baths, a
couple of inns, a flop house and places for food and drink. Also,
there are a few people who will train you for your coin, such as one
who is good with a very large axe that can be found in the inn north
of the town square. Also, there are shops that sell or repair wooden
weapons, specialty furniture, fabrics and leather goods.
Tribes
When you venture out into the valley, you may find some friendly or
more likely unfriendly people. Three tribes of 'barbarians' are
common to the area, though more are rarely seen.
The Lokeen are typically found in the great dark woods that expands
the whole southern portion of Rock Valley between the Anneal River on
the west, the Haagerspasch River on the east, and the ravines on the
south through which the Haagerspasch flows. While not as skilled as
the other tribes, the Lokeen are trained enough with their axes and
clubs to take down the poorly trained quickly. Rarely will you find a
member of the Lokeen or any other tribe by himself, but in numbers of
three to five. Occasionally, they can be seen in groups in greater
numbers, but this is uncommon.
The Aziri occupy the grasslands and the northern woods that can be
found near the great mountain range. Their skills can vary greatly
with the most skilled groups being found farther to the east. Where
the Lokeen fight with skill and strength, the Aziri use tactics with
speed, shields and with their bone or metal knives. Also, if the
thought of mysticism makes you nervous, beware of this tribe. Many
have been distracted by their chanting and gestures.
The Nehal occupy the town of Strohmhem in the northeastern part of the
valley, but are not seen as much by outsiders, though this doesn't
mean that they are not around. This tribe will not attack unprovoked
and has been friends of Iridine in the past, though, at the time of
this writing, the gates to the town are locked to outsiders. It is my
hope that this small stronghold will once against open its gates and
make available their rich colored clothes, flavorful food, skilled
blacksmith and taxidermist.
The Black Tower
Near the center of Rock Valley, on top of a wooded hill, you can find
what is left of black tower. It must have been impressive in size at
one point, which is clear by the amount of debris that lies around the
perimeter. However, lying in ruins, the tower seems without purpose
or life.
Inside, you will likely encounter very large turtles with spiky tails
that are extremely protective of their home. The scales of these
enormous turtles have worth with the carcass buyers, but to get them,
you have to take down the armored creature.
What is more dangerous than the turtle itself, is the hive that sits
upon each of these turtles, and the bees that live within. Any
attempt to attack the turtle will provoke the bees to swarm and defend
their home. These bees are aggressive when attacking, but will guard
themselves once they are attacked with their armored appendages,
making them difficult at best to attack.
The upper floors of the tower have unstable floors and even those who
a good memory will likely slip through a time or two, attempting to
reach the top of this broken tower. Near the top are two amphorae in
separate rooms that hold mysterious crystals, filled with memories or
pain. If you were curious enough to investigate these crystals, be
sure not to bring them back to Iridine, as they are seen as
unsanctioned magical items and considered contraband.
The Burial Grounds
To the north and a bit west of the wooded hill with the tower is a
rocky outcrop along the side of the mountain range. This can also be
found by walking northeast out of the town of Rock Valley and
following the mountain range towards the east. Within these caverns
are creatures that are stranger than those found in the tower. Make
your way into the opening that you find and be prepared to see some of
the strangest creatures ever seen.
Large, translucent slugs wander the caverns and will aggressively
attack by spitting spitting acid. Do not attack these with any
weapons that you want to keep, aside from bone, as the acid will
damage and possibly destroy. Small gems can be taken from their
stomachs, and occasionally a green pearl can be found.
Creepier still are the four legged creatures that are similar in
appearance to spiders. They have sharp talons for stabbing on the
each of each leg, though they are skilled at binding limbs of those
that attack. Also, on its body is a stinger, complete with poison.
When you navigate a bit deeper inside, you'll find that the cave
branches off a few times. There are dangers among all the paths, such
as scalding mud, sharp rocks and steam vents. Eventually, all the
paths converge and you'll find an amphora.
If you continue past this point, make sure that you can move your legs
very well or are great at dropping your shield low. Black scarabs
wander this stretch of the caves and will easily break your legs if
you can not defend yourself.
At the end of the cave, you'll find a room with two more amphorae and
a sarcophagus. It is best not to disturb the sarcophagus, since doing
so will bring out fiery hounds that are a real hassle to hit.
The Resting Place
The Resting Place is difficult to find, but the easiest way is to head
straight south from the west end of the wooded hill in the center of
Rock Valley. Only the best fighters should attempt to go here and
expect to bleed. I myself do not go inside anymore, but I assure you,
the danger of this place is immense. When you find the grassy knoll,
head down through the cave opening.
Navigate the cave a bit and you'll find some narrow black corridors.
Gaze at the ceiling and study it well, because you'll find clues on
how to open the door at the end of the hall. The door itself has a
puzzle that matches what you hopefully noticed in the halls.
I will not go into all the specifics that come next, but be prepared
for leech spiders that live on the ceiling. Rather, be prepared to
try and release yourself, because you won't see them coming.
Depending on the time of day, you will need to pick one path or the
other, but by studying the rooms, you should know which one is the
right way. Also, keep in mind the color of the rooms that you pass.
Besides the leech spiders, there are rock formations that are living,
if you can believe this. They will attack you if you start to get
close to the three amphorae that can be found inside. When you find
colored arches, makes sure you go through them in the right order, or
you will end up in a bad place, like laying down with a multitude of
leech spiders, though this is where the fourth and final amphora can
be found.
Fenri'Gifr Ruins
The Fenri-Gifr ruins are hard to find, if you don't have a reference
point. From the eastern most edge of the wooded hill in the center of
Rock Valley, you'd want to head southeast, but a bit more south than
southeast. Like the other ruins of Rock Valley, there is a mystery to
the art you find inside. Make sure to look around inside, especially
at the murals.
In the grassy areas around this area, you can find massive scaly
lizards with a strong tail that can knock you around like a club.
These creatures can easily knock you down if you're not paying
attention, though they are not all that tough alone.
The 'jolt beetles' that can also be found here are not all that bad
alone, but when you have a couple of them, or a lizard to deal with,
the results can be very bad. They look like rat sized rocks until
they move, and they move similar to a crab with their three legs.
When they hit, a jolting pain will run through your body, distracting
you from everything else. Metal weapons seem to enhance the pain that
these creatures can cause, so stick with wood or bone if you can.
Other Places
Rock Valley is pretty immense, so there are likely many places that
I've left out that you would want to see for yourself. However, I'll
list a few places you might want to visit.
Following the rutted path that is just outside the eastern gate of the
town of Rock Valley, you can arrive at the dumps in a large deforested
area. Expect to find large roaches, rats, deer and bears. If you're
lucky, you might find a wolf, but I haven't seen one there in a long
while.
Where the Anneal and Haagerspasch rivers meet in the southwest, you
can see and hear the roar of a mighty waterfall.
If you can find the right places to climb the mountain, the view is
spectacular. Watch out for mountain lions!
East from the burial grounds, or roughly north of the wooded hill in
the middle of Rock Valley, you can find a winding path into the
mountain that leads to a cliff, a rope that isn't very safe and a
cave. I haven't gotten more than a few feet inside before getting
turned around, but perhaps you might have more luck.
Strohmhem, the Nehal village, is in the northeastern part of Rock
Valley, but at the time of this writing, you can only see the massive
locked gate and the smoke from the hearths inside.