Locations

Vallard

Built on six islands in the middle of the River ____, Vallard is linked both internally and to the shore with bridges created using Smokeshaping. Historically it was a trading city lying between the Western Marches, Uldhome and the Heluso Confederacy. While it had a long history of defending its independence against the Western Marches, when confronted with a united and expansionist empire the prince at the time too the easier route of cutting a deal and preserving his position by swearing fealty to the Empress.

As  part of the Empire it had the highest concentration of Smokeshapers of any city outside of Turningford, who formed an organisation called the Pontifices, the members of which, were responsible for greating bridges to link the islands to the shore.

Stories and songs refer to the ‘Seven Islands’, and there’s some debate about the seventh island  - some use the phrase to mean ‘nowhere’ while others use it as a term for a position that you have found yourself in but cannot work out how you came there.

(suggestions - Mike: The smokeshapers in Vallard are an important power as they operate the bridges across the river and take a cut of trade. Presumably, there is a schism  between them and smokeshapers in turningford as they have access to wealth.

The flag of Valllard is a green/blue/green tricolor with six red triangles in the blue bit. The Royal flag has a seventh, golden triangle.)

The Groves

Beyond the River ____ lies a region claimed and controlled by Vallard and dominated by by small farms. The farms suffer a rare form of blight that is popularly believed to hail from the Lightless Jungle, which is difficult to detect, and renders infected fruit a dangerous toxin. Experienced locals can sort good fruit from bad, but their customers rely on their judgement, which makes the produce a difficult sale anywhere outside Vallard.

The Groves are controlled by a series of small forts known as the Thread, ‘manned’ by an elite cavalry force known as the Stitchers.

The Delta

At the end of the the River ____ it breaks up into a wide delta before plunging over the Great Falls. The Delta is a rich farmland plagued by crabs the size of man’s torso that emerge at night from the waters to hunt following vibrations in the soil and water. The locals make sure that they retreat to their stilt homes before sunset.