Nestled in the southwestern Core, Valachan (VAHL-eh-khan) is a rugged domain blanketed by lush evergreen forests and prowled by fearsome black panthers. The trees are ancient and massive, shrouded by cool fog and a thick beard of mosses. Eerie hoots and growls echo through the hollows, and the chill of the air is heavy with the primeval scent of damp redwoods. Although the shadowy ground is dotted with low, dewy ferns, travel is difficult due to the treacherous terrain. Ridges and narrow canyons wind their way through the domain, providing concealment for skulking predators. Rocky streams flow eastward toward the Arden River, their whitewater rapids teeming with fish.

Villages are densely clustered in Valachan, bustling pockets of industriousness amid the eldritch wilderness. The windowless buildings are constructed of heavy logs or planks, with gabled roofs shingled in black slate. Larger, single-room lodges are common even among wealthy nobles, who take great pride in their cavernous abodes and encourage villagers to socialize within. Structures are decorated with elaborate, stylized carvings of panthers, bears, wolves, and ravens. Heraldry is important tot he Valachani, and homes are proudly adorned with the matriarch's insignia. Baron Urik von Kharkov's Castle Pantara, in contrast to the inviting homes of his subjects, is a menacing fortress of charcoal-grey stone. Although temperate, the Valachan climate is exceedingly wet, with heavy rainfall through all seasons, but sweltering summers occur occasionally.

Major Settlements

Helbenik (pop. 3,500), Rotwald (pop. 4,400), Ungrad (pop. 1,500).

The People

Population: Humans (97%), Gnomes (2%), Other (1%).

Languages: Vaasi*, Mordentish, Gnome, Sithican.

Religions: Ezra, Hala.

Valachani are tall, muscular people with wide shoulders and long, sturdy limbs. Their skin is typically a dark coffee brown, though colors ranging from creamy tan to nearly charcoal black occur. Eye color is often dark brown, but the odd individual with unsettling bile-yellow eyes is sometimes born. Valachani hair is glossy black and worn long and straight by both genders. Men never wear beards or mustaches, but many grow long sideburns. Clothing is durable and simple, with both men and women preferring to go about in loose trousers and tunics often decorated with fringe and animal teeth. Faded black and white are the favorite colors, though these are accented with bold reds, greens, and blues. Valachani wear knee-high boots of soft leather throughout the year, even when not outdoors.

The Valachani are a stalwart people accustomed to rustic life amid the domain's eerie forests. They personify the creatures of the forest in myths, reserving their greatest reverence and fear for the panthers, which are numerous and notoriously cunning. Valachani value perseverance and strong family ties but tend to be suspicious of "book learning" and the trappings of more advanced domains. A Valachani who doesn't know how to shoot a bow or survive in the wilderness is less than a whole person. Despite their individualism, the Valachani are social people with exceedingly complex rituals for life's milestones, including births, coming of age, marriage, and death. Lengthy festivals mark these events in settlements. Handcrafted gifts are exchanged and wealthy Valachani attempt to outdo one another by obtaining the best foodstuffs and entertainment.

The Law

Valachan is an aristocratic monarchy. Baron Urik von Kharkov is a cold man who values obedience and his own privacy above all else. This stern aloofness doesn't endear the baron to his subjects, but the Valachani have learned to pay their taxes dutifully and thereby avoid the baron's attention and infamous temper. Von Kharkov demands petty servitude from random commoners on occasion, summoning them to Castle Pantara for a single night. Those who are summoned often return infected with the White Fever, a mild but debilitating flu that strikes many Valachani throughout their lives. Each year, von Kharkov forcefully takes a young Valachani woman as his bride; to date, the unfortunate soul he chooses has never lived out the year. These sinister facts only heighten fear of the baron and feed rumors that he truly is inhuman.

The baron's private army of enforcers collects taxes and rounds up anyone unfortunate enough to draw von Kharkov's ire. Expertly trained in swordsmanship and wilderness skills, these enforcers are monstrous sadists zealously loyal to their lord. The mysterious Lady Adelaide, the Veiled Mistress, commands them. Arrogant and astonishingly vicious, Adelaide shares the appetites of the baron. She can be bribed by the offering of a handsome youth, who usually emerges scarred without and within from the mistress's wicked attentions.

Despite the oppressive presence of the baron's minions, life in most Valachani settlements is peaceful. The most powerful nobles administer justice and arbitrate disputes as they see fit, but corruption is rare. Nobility is hereditary through the mother's side, and men rather than women marry out of their families. Although tradition dictates that nobles be respected and deferred to because of their wealth, commoners don't tolerate incompetence or weakness in their betters. Nobles who lack the guile to defend their positions are quickly eliminated and their assets divided among the remaining artistocrats. Serving in a settlement's militia is an honorable and profitable pursuit, as nobles reward service with wealth, titles, and arranged marriages.

Trade and Diplomacy

Resources: Wheat, barley, hops, cherries, apples, pease, flower bulbs, hogs, sheep, dairy, salmon, trout, timber, furs, gold, copper, bows, furniture.

Coinage: Pantherhead (gp), cateye (sp), claw (cp).

Despite expanding trade with neighboring domains, Valachan retains a strong streak of independence. Baron von Kharkov apparently has little interest in establishing alliances with other realms. His enforcers patrol the domain's frontiers irregularly, equally likely to harass, rob, or murder curious travelers. Thus, the Valachani are left to forge their own bonds with foreign merchants. For now, the Valachani seem content to trade their wares and avoid entangling themselves in the affairs of other lands.

Magic

Magic is often wild and untamed, seen as a primal force of nature. Most spellcasters in Valachan are either druids or sorcerers.

Characters

Most Valachani heroes are barbarians, druids, fighters, rangers, or sorcerers.