Special Places
Valley of the Ancients

    This is rumored to be a wide valley where the last of the Sorcerer Kings meet their ends at the hands of Zaphod the Mighty and the forces of Good. The entire valley is covered in a thick dark cloud of dense mist over 100 yards thick. This mist is even with the tops of the Cliff-Face and drops to form the Mistwall at the mouth of the valley. The mist was a feature of the Valley of the Ancients even before Zaphod brought down the last of the Sorcerer Kings within it. It is said that the mist used to be a pure white color and as the last of the Sorcerer Kings lay dying he laid a curse that turned the mist dark. Whatever the story, one thing is known, some property of the mist keeps evil creatures penned within it. Adventurers (those few who returned that is) tell of fearsome and strange evil creatures that roam the lands under the perpetual twilight of the mists. Even going as little as a few miles into the lands under the mists you are bound to encounter bands of evil creatures. Yet, strangely, none of these evil creatures are known to leave the mists. Some barrier seems to keep the evil creatures on the inside of the mist, much to the comfort of the people who live outside the Valley of the Ancients. The presence of the Mistwall and the sheer number of evil monsters under the Mistwall has given the Valley the title of "most dangerous place on Wearth".

    The name Valley of the Ancients also predates the Rule of the Sorcerer Kings. It is said that the ancient Marklabs made their last stand against the might of the Dark Elves within this valley. The valley is rumored to be littered with ancient fortresses and tombs. While the Army of Light looted much of the magic of the Sorcerer Kings, much was rumored to also be left behind. In addition, several of the great generals and leaders of the Army of Light who fell during the final battles were buried in lavish tombs upon the battlefields where they died. The most recent of these tombs to be discovered is Rappan Athuk, known as the Dungeon of Graves.

    The River of the Ancients is said to run the entire length of the valley, but no one in living memory has ever sailed up it and returned.

Special Places under the Mistwall

The River of the Ancients Rappan Athuk
The Dungeon of Graves		 The Cliff-Face
     

Rumors of the Valley of the Ancients
(as spread by the common folk)

With the Mistwall an ever present sight for those in the City of Greenswabs there are many rumors of what lies beneath it. It seems that everyone in every Inn and Tavern has heard of someone who went under the Mistwall to make their fortune. A few even claim to have heard of people who have returned alive. Every spring eager adventurers from distant lands disembark on the docks of Greenswabs with the intent of trying their fortunes under the Mistwall, seldom are they heard from again. Rumors of what lies under the Mistwall are a common way to pass the time. The rumors below can be heard in practically any Tavern in the city.

It is said that adventurers going under the Mistwall should avoid the plains and open areas. It is in these areas that packs of creatures can surround you and attack from the air. Within the Valley of the Ancients the final battles that ended the Rule of the Sorcerer Kings were fought. In the past there have been many large expeditions launched to reclaim the treasures under the Mistwall. While there are many records of those that left, there is no mention of any that ever returned.
It is said that somewhere in the Valley of the Ancients is a magical source that creates the Mistwall. It is said to be guarded by the undead spirits of those in the Army of Light that died in the final battles. It is said that the smell of garlic will protect you from the undead under the Mistwall. It is said that adventurers going under the Mistwall should avoid the hills and rocky wastes. It is there that the hardiest of the evil monsters lurk.
It is said that the farther into the Mistwall you go the fewer monsters, as if they are drawn to the entrance to the Valley. It is said that adventurers going under the Mistwall should avoid the dark and fell woods. Within these woods not only are the beasts evil but also the trees themselves. It is said that those who have been successful learned to conserve their strength. It is often as hard to leave the Mistwall as it is to enter.
The worst monsters under the Mistwall are known as Bovinous Terrifficus, the dreaded and rarely seen flying Dire Cows The fallen commanders on both sides were always buried with their arms and armor, along with the bodies of their troops and enemies. Elsewhere on Wearth, in the millenium since the Rule of the Sorcerer Kings, many of these tombs have been looted and much riches recovered. Every so often an adventurer shows up with some strange and powerful magic item that he claims came from under the Mistwall.
Somewhere, within one days march of the Mistwall is an army of statues made out of solid gold, still standing in formation. Bandits have been known to lie in wait for those that stumble out of the Mistwall, weakened these adventurers are often easy prey. While the Army of Light sacked the great cities of the Sorcerer Kings there was so much treasure that they were unable to carry it all off. Forced to leave much behind, it still waits for anyone brave enough to claim it.
There are packs of intelligent undead that live under the Mistwall. Some of these are left over from the final battles, many others are unfortunate adventurers who never made it out of the Mistwall. It is said that adventurers going under the Mistwall should avoid following too close to the Cliff-face. The shear walls are riddled with lairs and the nests of evil flying creatures. It is said that lying under the Mistwall are the remains of giant Battle Golems that were created by the Sorcerer Kings to fight the Army of Light. Some of these are still functioning, killing all who they meet.
It was the custom of both Army of Light and the Sorcerer Kings to entomb the fallen bodies of their great commanders in elaborate tombs and crypts. These tombs are always guarded by traps and creatures. There is said to be an Unkillable Beast, chained with links of solid Mithril, in a place known as Tethered Vale. It is said  that even Zaphod and the entire Army of Light could not destroy it, the best they could do was chain it in place. There are places under the Mistwall where treasure just lays open on the ground. Whatever had guarded it has long since been gone.
In the Valley of the Ancients, where the most desperate final battles took place, very few tombs have been located, let alone looted. The Valley under the Mistwall is always in permanent shadow. The lighting conditions range from at best twilight (high noon, on cloudless days) to absolute dark (nighttime) Both the air and the water under the Mistwall is said to be enchanted. Anyone who eats or drinks what is under the Mistwall will never leave it.
Strange plants and animals that are seen nowhere else thrive under the darkness of the Mistwall. It is said that breathing the mist changes a person, and not always for the better. It is said that Zaphod the Mighty created the Mistwall to keep the Evil That Could Not Be Destroyed contained within.
It is said that sailing up the River of the Ancients is the safest means of travel under the Mistwall. Of course, no one has ever been all the way up the River and returned to tell about it. So maybe it isn't the safest after all. It is said that not all the Sorcerer Kings were destroyed in the final battles, and that somewhere under the Mistwall there still lives a mighty Sorcerer King waiting for the day he can reclaim his birthright. Over the years much treasure from forgotten crypts has made it's way out of the Valley of the Ancients, much more has been found and then lost again by adventurers who never made it home again.
The statue of Zaphod the Mighty in Greenswabs is actually a Guardian, set by Zaphod at the founding of the city to defend Greenswabs against the creatures under the Mistwall. All the tombs and crypts that had anything of value were looted long ago in the distant past. Nothing is left in the Valley of the Ancients but empty tombs and death. The bodies of strange creatures are sometimes found floating down the River of the Ancients and into the Quay of the New Moon.
Both the Sorcerer Kings and the Army of Light used great magic weapons and artifacts in their battles. Many of these still lie for the taking on the ancient battlefields under the Mistwall. It is said that adventurers going under the Mistwall should avoid the swamps at all costs. Here there is only Death. Something about the Mistwall keeps most of the evil monsters and creatures of the Valley of the Ancients from passing through into civilized lands. Of course whatever this is also keeps them penned within.
There are many undead that continue their unlife in the darkness under the Mistwall. many of these are the restless spirits of the ancient armies. They do not take kindly to those who disturb them. There are tales of something big and evil, that is big and evil even for the Valley of the Ancients, that lives in the River of the Ancients. No one who has encountered it has lived to tell of it. The walls of the Cliff-face are riddled with the lairs of monsters. Some of these caves contain caches of supplies left over from the wars against the Sorcerer Kings, including magic and treasure.

Information about the Valley of the Ancients
(gained from Bardic Knowledge or Legend Lore)

The last, and some say the greatest, of the Sorcerer Kings was named Dragayas the Keep-Wrecker. It was on his deathbed that he uttered the horrible curse that turned the Mistwall from pristine white to the darkest black. The Sorcerer Queen Arnthora was said to rule a trading empire that reached the ends of Wearth before the Army of Light destroyed the Rule of the Sorcerer Kings. The last three of the great Sorcerer Kings were named Dragayas the Keep-Wrecker, Arnthora, Galdor the Mourner of Evil
Of the last three Sorcerer Kings; one was known for his necromantic arts and command over the undead, one was known for the creation of both constructs and living creatures, and one was known for the creation of powerful an unique magic items. The last three great cities of the Sorcerer Kings within the Mistwall were called Infamy, Myriad, and Resplendant Ridge. One of the great cities of the Sorcerer Kings was the source of many magic items during the Rule of the Sorcerer Kings. The sorcerers of this city wee experts in the making of wondrous magical items. The location, and even the name of this city has been lost for millenium.
The final city of the Sorcerer Kings to fall was called Resplendant Ridge. After the fall of the city, the Army of Light left the Valley of the Ancients.    

 

Page Last Updated Tuesday, November 13, 2001