The Nentir Vale reimaged

A little while ago I was casting around for a system to run a fantasy game and received some great suggestions. I checked a few out, but that itch to run a fantasy game never really got scratched, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and pick up some D&D 4E.


I have mentioned before playing D&D was a bit of geek blind spot for me, so I was a little unsure of what to expect. After getting familiar with the material and thinking about it some more, I came to conclusion that I could do what I wanted to do with the game, that being to run a character driven game with a strong story, that also had the essential flavour of D&D. The secret, I came to realise, would be a strong group of players.

Fortunately that was what I got with a group of fine role players who brought in to the game I am trying to run. Of them and their characters I will talk more of later.

What I wanted to write about here was the setting for the campaign. I decided to use the default setting for 4E - the Nentir Vale - as the base for my story, but with some pretty major changes. In the canonical setting, the Nentir Vale is a land that many years ago suffered an orc invasion that devastated the country side, leaving the country a shadow of its former glory. 

I wanted to work with that concept, but take the orc invasion the immediate past history of the setting, and turn it from a mindless rampaging horde into an occupying force. Below is my background for the 'reimaged' Nentir Vale.

The Nentir Vale is a fertile valley that lies to the north of a great continent (think something akin to the climate of Northern England). Major towns in include the 'capital' Fallcrest (also the seat of Lord Markalhay), Winterhaven, Hammerfast and Harkenwold.

The Nentir Vale grew into a prosperous patchwork of small kingdom and baronies under the rule of the Markalhays, with Fallcrest acting as a major trading hub for the region. The peace of the Vale was shattered three and half years ago by a rampaging orc horde, led by Narth Redtooth, which flooded into the Vale from the west through the Stonemarch Mountains. Such was their speed and ferocity that there was only limited time for the human kingdom to raise an army. The two forces met at the Gardbury downs. Hopelessly outmatched, the army of the humans fell quickly with the survivors fleeing east. They say nothing grows on the downs anymore, so great was the amount of blood that was spilled on it.

The orc forces moved East and occupied Fallcrest. These orcs were not simply raiders, but an occupying force. Markalhay's forces, led by General Regdar Willmarth, managed to hold the line against the forces and stop their advance near the Thunderspire. Here the two sides settled into a stalemate. Back in the west, the town of Winterhaven was sieged by the orc forces, but never fell, though there are many dark tales of the desperate acts that occurred during this time.

The orcish occupation - or the Time of Misery as scribes have started to call it - lasted three years. During that time the population under the orcish population suffered greatly with harsh taxes and unbridled savagery. The orcs under Redtooth however kept the structure of government in place and there were many humans who were happy to support the orcs in return for wealth and power. 

Life under Willmarth in the unoccupied land was equally miserable, with shortages of food meaning the increasing desperate army took what they needed to from the local population by force. Accusations of spying for the orcs meant regular summary executions, often of out petty spite than for any real reason.

There looked to be little hope for the human forces until Willmarth in an astound feat of diplomacy managed to draw both the dwarfs out of the Dawnforge Mountains and the Elves from the Winterbole and Harken forests. Up to this point both of these groups had refused to enter the fray and rumours run rife with what they were promised.

Their assistance helped drive back the orcs back from Fallcrest in a decisive battle which saw Redtooth fall and his forces scattered. Fallcrest was reclaimed and many orcs and goblins were driven from the Vale. Many human who worked with the orcs escaped underground, but still work for their return.

Six months after the reconquest, the mood is sombre. Trials and executions of prominent collaborators has not quenched the thirst for retribution of many. A general amnesty means most collaborators are free citizens, though old wounds remain and many watch their backs.

Though most of the orcish army has left the Vale, some isolated warbands and occupied towns still exists and are holed up waiting for reinforcements.

Lord Randolph Markalhay has returned to his castle in Fallcrest, though his time during the war has taken the toll on his health, and there are grave fears he will not make it through the winter. His young son Maketh (16) is next in line to the throne, though his inexperience worries many. 

Some, in a quiet moment, also express concern that Willmarth, the Saviour of the Vale, is yet to demobilise his army that is camped outside Fallcrest. Ostensibly this is because there is mopping up to be done and out of fear the orcs may return, though there are darker whispers about what other plans Willmarth may have.

Others, late at night in darken taverns, point to Morgrana Battlehammer, the Dwarven Leader who has been seen leaving Willmarth's camp in a foul mood. It has been suggested that whatever deal brought out the dwarfs from the mountains has not been honoured, and many dwarves and elves feel they are the real saviours of the Vale.

The land itself lies broken and battered. With winter coming soon there are grave concerns about famines and shortages of food. Many families are returning home to find their farms and villages destroyed or occupied by others. Castle and towns lie barren and empty and on certain night it is said that ghosts, both old and new, can be seen fighting battles and weeping for the fallen.

It is a dark time in the Nentir Vale. It is a land in desperate need of heroes.

The idea of the fallout from a brutal occupation was something I really wanted to explore. The theme was 'picking sides' I realised would be a powerful one that is woven into the very fabric of the campaign.

What I also like about this background is that it sets up a number of conflicts in the setting for the players to operate in:

Collaborators vs. resisters

Willmarth vs. Markalhay

Humans vs. Dwarves

Humans vs. orcs

The haves vs. the have-nots

How these different themes and conflicts emerged will be seen as the game progresses, but by being upfront and explicit about them with my players, they have incorporated them into both their characters and characters' backgrounds.