Valleydale, as its name suggests, is nestled in a valley.  Deep in the Desertsmouth Mountains, it is secluded with only one accessible pass leading towards Battledale and Shadowdale.  With rugged mountains, lush flatlands, an ancient forest, fresh streams and a massive freshwater lake, Valleydale has swiftly moved from fledgling community to bustling hub of economic prosperity in a short period of time.

Major Geographical Features

Valleydale has lush and fertile farmland, freshwater streams and a massive freshwater lake and a lush and ancient forest all surrounded by tall and rugged mountains.

  The Desertsmouth Mountains:  These tall and stony mountains rise ominously above the valley both protecting it from invasion from other Dales and imprisoning it within its grip.  The mountains house countless dangers from warring bands of gnolls and orcs to giant enclaves and dragons.  The mountains also house one of the largest and most prosperous Dwarf clans in Faerun; Clan Redbeard.

  The Redwood:  This ancient forest occupies almost 50% of the dale.  Rumors of wild elves living within the deepest recesses of the forest abound as hunters and foresters tell tales of being turned back forcefully on many occasions.  The forest is a place of great power, and logging its inner reaches is forbidden.  With the assistance of local druids, forested regions are replanted regularly.

  Elton's Spring:  On the northern edge of the Redwood lies the druid enclave of Elton's Spring.  The enclave is built around a pool of ancient power and tended to by druids, clerics and rangers of Chauntea, Silvanus and Mielekki.  The spring is open to all, and often a place where marriage ceremonies are held.

  Silver Keep:  Originally a keep of a wealthy landowner, it was taken over by an orc band before being liberated by the Company of the Silver Wolf who now use the keep as their headquarters.

  Mirror Lake:  This massive freshwater lake is teeming with fish and freshwater clams.  It's true depths have not been discovered and rumors of a lake monster abound.  The locals call the fabled creature "Millie."

  Fetid Marsh:  This large bog lies along the road from Valleydale to the rest of the Dalelands.  It is regularly patrolled, but still a dangerous area filled with all sorts of nasty swamp creatures.

Important Sites

Within Valleydale Influence

  Elton's Spring (Village, 491):  The community of Elton's Spring is built around the druid enclave that bears the same name.  The high druid resolves disputes in the area and often serves as an intermediary between the nearby Bugbear clan and the townsfolk.  The town houses a collection of farmers, ranchers and foresters, including a fair number of bugbears who have left their clan to live a more agrarian life among the villagers.  As a result, Elton's Spring also hosts the largest numbers of half-bugbear citizens in the dale.

  Estle's Hamlet (Hamlet, 227):  Estle's Hamlet lies at the midpoint between Elton's Spring and Threshold.  It is a mainly a farming community but has two claims to fame in the region.  First, Silver Keep lies only a mile from the hamlet.  Second, Estle's Inn is renowned for its cooking, selection of ales and wines, fine rooms and constant entertainment.  The founder of the town and owner of Estle's Inn is Mary Estle who is rumored to be over 150 years old.  She is an honest and friendly, if ancient, woman, with a no-nonsense attitude who many in the dale turn to for advice.  Estle's Hamlet entertains the Bugbear King at Estle's Inn as often as once a month, for the Bugbear King is smitten with Estle's cooking.

  Silver Keep:  Just outside of Estle lies Silver Keep.  The keep was liberated by the Company of the Silver Wolf who have used it as a base of operations since then.  The keep now stands as the center of a larger much larger walled complex and is surrounded by farmland.  Within the complex are a large stables and dog runs, including an impressive stable of Elven Hounds.  In days past there were as many as twenty members of the Company of the Silver Wolf residing here, but retirements and attrition have reduced those numbers greatly.

  Wayhouse of the Grumpy Griffon:  This wayhouse is not on the road to the rest of the Dalelands, but on the trail towards Clan Redbeard.  It is a popular meeting place for adventurers.  The owner and bartender, Zintad Gemlor, is a curious man of obvious mixed race, though how many races nobody can say for certain.  The wayhouse earned its name when an old griffon decided to take up residence and refused to leave no matter what was done to try to convince it.  It still resides in the wayhouse, and is likely laying in front of the hearth even now.

  Threshold (Large Town, 4879):  This well planned town is nearly entirely constructed of stonework.  Despite the hard substance, artistry is evident in all construction save one; it's defending walls.  It is a true town of commerce, with a large market and selling a wide range of wares.  There is room within the town walls to double the size of the town.

  Nestled against Mirror lake, fishing makes up a good deal of the trade, as does stonemasonry, but there is very few professions not practiced in the city.  It is home to a few wizards who accept apprentices, and a new great library is being built by the churches of Oghma and Denier.  The city's army numbers over 100 and help resolve disputes and keep an eye on foreigners.

  The Lord Mayor is the Elvard Wreth, a robust man who owns the largest mine in Valleydale.  He personally funds a great deal of the tax coffers of the Valley, encouraging the economy and winning praises from nearly everyone in the dale.  He also works closely with the local druids to ensure that nature is not destroyed by the dale's economy.

  The office of Lord Mayor is an elected one with all citizens of age within the dale required to vote by law.  The election is held once every four years.  Elvard has ruled as Lord Mayor for 15 years.

Outside Valleydale Influence

  Citadel Grom (Small Town, 239):  A short distance from Elton's Spring lies Citadel Grom.  It is a bugbear city housing the vast majority of bugbears in the dale.  While not true citizens, the bugbears of the citadel are no enemies of the people of the dale, though this was not always the case.  When the last war took place, it was poised to be a bloodletting the valley had never seen, devastating for both sides, but then one woman took matters into her own hands.  Mary Estle traveled alone into the bugbear encampment and after much arguing and some brilliant cooking, convinced the young King Grom that peace with the citizens of the dale would be beneficial for his clan.  The peace holds to this day and each year, the 'Peace Stew' is delivered to the Citadel as a symbol of the peace.  Many bugbears, some 50 years later, have left their people to live among the humans, and there have been half-bugbear children popping up rather frequently in the last 30 or so years.

  Granite City (Small City, 5,538):  This underground city of dwarves almost defies logic.  Where many dwarf kingdoms have fallen or are at risk of falling, Clan Redbeard has flourished.  Seven generations of dwarf have lived in the halls of Granite City and their skill at defending their home is unmatched.  The clan has strong trade relations with the Valleyfolk and welcome their neighbors to their city with open arms.  They have even begun trading with the bugbears of Citadel Grom and dwarven stonemasons have recently been assisting the bugbears in turning their cavern citadel into a stronghold.  King Var Redbeard is the third king of the Granite City and makes a yearly trip to Threshold to officially renew the ties between the dwarves and humans.  It is a well known fact among the Valleyfolk that King Redbeard and Sabrar ar'Kenheld are fast friends.

Regional History

Over six hundred years ago in DR 740 (Year of the Singing Waters), the young druid Elton of Chantea experienced a vision that sent him traveling through the dangerous wilds of the Desertmouth Mountains to a large and wild valley.  Within that valley he discovered an ancient spring holding great natural power that was being befouled by coven of dark mystics.  He rallied the inhabitants of the valley, animals and wild elves, and the champions of nature destroyed the dark coven utterly.  Elton tended the spring for just over 400 years, his life extended by his close ties to the ancient power of the spring.  He drew to him a substantial circle of druids during his time, and the spring came to be known as Elton's Spring.

  In DR 1064 (Year of the Stranger) came the first explorers to the valley followed shortly by the first settlers.  The settlers were lead by Morgan Thresh and settled on the shores of Mirror Lake, founding a small community called Threshold.  They were greeted by the druids and welcomed to the valley.  The druids helped the human settlers break and till the earth, gather lumber from the Redwood without causing harm to the forest and taught the newcomers to fish the cold mountain lake.

By DR 1104 (Year of the Dark Dawn), Threshold had grown to a population of over 500 people and a small community sprung up around the druid enclave, taking its name of Elton's Spring.  Tragedy struck the community when Morgan Thresh and his wife Lyra were killed in a fire that destroyed their home.  They 

were survived by two sons, Martin and Joshua, but neither had the leadership skills of their father.  A new leader arose, an opportunist merchant named Londo Falind who took the title of Lord of Valleydale.  Backed by his fellow merchants, Lord Falind quickly turned from working with nature to exploiting it.  By 1110 DR (Year of the Bloody Fields), he had broken off ties with the druids of Elton's Spring despite the opposition of anyone not of the merchant caste, and began a clear cutting operation for lumber and to create farmland.  This lead to the first contact by the settlers with the wild elves inhabiting the ancient Redwood.  The elves forceful but bloodless removal of foresters from the Redwood angered Lord Falind.  He convinced the merchants to raise a mercenary army and continue their planned harvesting of the forest.

  War between Lord Falind and the wild elves erupted on the 1st of Mirtul in the Year of the Bloody Fields.  The war lasted exactly one engagement when the citizens of Valleydale aided the wild elves of the Redwood by rising up and striking the mercenary army from the rear.  The elves, unable or unwilling to accept that the commoners had come to their aid, prepared to press their attack past the decimated mercenaries and onto the common folk.  Elton appeared between the groups and called for a halt to hostilities.  The elves finally accepted the truth when Lord Falind was brought before Elton who forced him to confess his plans.  Angered by the destruction of his fledgling empire, Lord Falind drew a hidden dagger and struck down Elton before the gathered elves and valley folk.  His reign as Lord of Valleydale came to a tumbling halt moments later when Seymour Wreth planted a pitchfork into his skull.  Elton was buried in a small cairn by Elton's Spring, the elves vanished into the Redwood never to emerge again and Seymour Wreth was nominated and elected Lord of Valleydale.

  Seymour Wreth made a quick return to the nature conscious ways of Morgan Thresh and peace and prosperity was returned to Valleydale.  In DR 1149 (Year of the Persuasive Trees), Kelemvor Wreth, son of Lord Wreth, discovered a rich vein of iron ore and began a mining operation.  The mine became a source of great income for the Wreth's and the dale as a whole, and drew the attention of a traveling dwarf, Moxpot Dent.  Dent helped teach the human how to mine and in DR 1152 (Year of Portentous Waters), he helped establish a trade relationship with Clan Redbeard.  Trade flourished and the Red Way Travel House was built midway between Threshold and the Granite City at the base of Red Axe pass.

  DR 1233 (Year of the Many Monsters) saw great strife and hardship come to Valleydale.  Red Axe pass became impassable as a clan of Gnolls took up residence, destroying the Red Way Travel House in the process.  All contact with the dwarves was lost.  The road to the rest of the Dalelands became a toll road as a black dragon took up residence within the Fetid Marsh, demanding payment for safe passage.  While more difficult and dangerous, the Valleyfolk held their own.  In DR 1270 (Year of the Tooth) it became even more difficult as a bugbear clan moved into caverns near Elton's Spring and began warring with the Valleyfolk.  Both sides readied for a massive conflict after the clever bugbears managed to capture nearly the entire enclave of druids and hold them hostage, demanding homage.  One young woman, Mary Estle, took matters into her own hands and strode into the bugbear caverns, confronting King Grom in his throne room.  Little detail is known of the goings on in that cavern, but within days, the bugbears released druids and offered peace, providing that Estle cook for the clan at least once a year.

  In DR 1234, Estle's Hamlet was founded as the local heroine moved from Elton's Spring to put some distance between herself, King Grom who was pestering her non-stop for cooking, and King Grom's rather overprotective wife, Ulga.  She built an Inn which remains to this day, though it is now much larger.  The bugbears reinforce the army of Valleydale and the peace has continued to last to this day.

  DR 1346 (Year of the Bloodbird) saw the keep of a wealthy landowner just outside of Estle overrun by orcs.  At the same time, a group of powerful hags overran the druid enclave of Elton's Spring, capturing the high druid Steven Mosstail along with many of the other druids, slaying the rest.  Things looked grim until a trio of adventurers calling themselves the Company of the Silver Wolf appeared, sneaking into the keep and eliminating the orcish wizardess leader and driving the orcs off with the use of a magical horn, then managing to free the High Druid from the clutches of the hags.  A massive spell battle ensued at Elton's Spring with the High Druid drawing greatly on the power of the spring to destroy the hags and reverse the corruption they had started.  The three, a moon elf warrior named Sabrar "Silver" ar'Kenheld, a wood elf wizard named Icewolf and a young druid of Silvanus named Resslar Timberwolf, became the heroes of the entire dale.

  DR 1347 (Year of the Bright Blade) saw more work by the Company of the Silver Wolf.  After refurbishing their keep and renaming it Silver Keep, the group set out to clear a road to the Granite City and the dwarves of Clan Redbeard.  Red Axe Pass was filled with the gnolls who had invaded years before, and those gnolls had multiplied.  The three were spotted early on in their attempt to sneak past the gnolls and forced into a desperate fight for survival.  Again the magical horn they used to best the orcs came into play with unexpected results.  A blast from the horn hit the cliff of the pass, bringing the entire mountainside down onto the encamped gnolls.  Conservative estimates put the gnoll death toll at over 3,000.  The few surviving gnolls scattered into the mountains, the gnolls dubbing Silver as "The Reaper" for his extermination of their settlement.  Contact with the dwarves was made by the Company of the Silver Wolf, and the pass was cleared in short order and renamed Gnollbone Pass.  A new wayhouse was built and named the Wayhouse of the Grumpy Griffon after a griffon broke in and took up residence in front of the hearth, refusing to leave but allowing the inn activity to continue without interruption.

  The year was far from over for the Company of the Silver Wolf as another road needed tending.  The Company, increased to four members by the moon elf Elimor Slynth, took to the Fetid Swamp, slaying the black dragon in and freeing its lizard folk slaves.  The lizard folk established trade with Valleydale soon after.  With the road clear of its tollmaster, trade resumes in force to Valleydale.  With trade come adventurers, and the Featherdale Dragons were sent by an employer to kidnap and 'bring to justice' local gnome wizard Poff Fiddlestone.  A magical message sent to his current apprentice, and member of the CotSW Icewolf, brings the wrath of the company onto the more numerous Featherdale Dragons.  Explosive magic was seen for miles around as the nine Dragons fought the four Wolves until Poff Fiddestone managed to get free and bring the battle to a swift and deathless end.

  The next few years saw Valleydale prosper.  Threshold expanded, the area was kept relatively free of monsters and invaders and things went well.  Then, in DR 1348 (Year of the Spur) the Granite City was besieged by goblins and giants.  The Company of the Silver Wolf went to their aid and did not return for over six months.  When they did return, it was without Elimor Slynth, whose fate remains unknown.  Trade resumed, but the members of the CotSW retreated to solitude for almost two years.

  By DR 1350 (Year of the Morningstar) it had become apparent that there was an immense tension between the new Lord Wreth and Sabrar ar'Kenheld.  The tension had been building for many years and came to a head at the midsummer festival in Threshold where the two very nearly came to blows before Lord Elvard Wreth's wife Eleanor put a halt to the feud with a public tongue lashing of the human and elf that has become a thing of legend in Valleydale.  In DR 1352, Eleanor Wreth vanishes.  Elvard and Sabrar vanish into the mountains, leaving Valleydale leaderless for six months.  They return with Eleanor and all three refuse to speak on what happened.

  DR 1351 (Year of the Crown) saw a mated pair of Red Dragons take up residence in Valleydale.  Their first attack proved to be their last as Sabrar slew the smaller female and held off the larger male long enough for Icewolf to appear and destroy the beast with powerful magic.  The title of Lord Protector was given to both Sabrar and Icewolf by Lord Wreth.

  DR 1352 (Year of the Dragon) sees the Company of the Silver Wolf leave on grand adventure.  Their absence is felt as orcs invade the land.  After heavy losses by both human and bugbear armies, the combined forces drive the orcs into the mountains, then follow and destroy the invaders utterly when the dwarves of the Granite City trap the retreating orc army with a landslide.  The year becomes known as the Year of Pain to the orcs of the Desertmouth Mountains.

  The Company of the Silver Wolf finally returns at the end of  DR 1353 (Year of the Arch) much changed, more powerful, but missing a founding member in Resslar Timberwolf.  After meeting with High Druid Mosstail, the High Druid issues a warning to all within Valleydale to be on the lookout for Resslar Timberwolf and treat him as an enemy of the vale should they see him.  Fortunately for all within the valley, he has not been seen to this day.