THE VALNWALL CAMPAIGN SETTING

It is the Year 992 of the Third Age of Man...


Valnwall: Last of the Great Kingdoms of Man. For a thousand years the Kings of Valnwall have ruled from the city of Dolmvay at the mouth of the White River, shielded from the Darklands of Chaos by the high wall of the Shield Mountains to the north. A century ago Valnwall’s sister-kingdom of Mor to the east fell to the forces of Sauroth, the Dark Lord of Chaos, under the traitor Valmodar. Now Valmodar rules the ruins of Mor as an immortal Witch-King, commanding hordes of orcs, beasts, and evil men. The last relic of Mor is the coastal Barony of Cheltar on Valnwall’s eastern border, ruled by the Lady Ileosa Myress, the Queen-in-Exile, last descendant of the True Kings of Mor.

Valnwall’s own King Moldar, the Silver Dragon, is himself now old and sickly. His son Prince Rodrigo is still young, and the ambitious Barons of Valnwall test their strength, seeking to expand their domains. There are rumours of barons’ plots to eliminate Rodrigo and marry his sister the Princess Shyela, thus seizing the Crown of Valnwall.

Other notables of Dolmvay include the Matron-Mother Alkira Grundis, Abbess of the Holy Light, and the Patriarch Fizdal, head of the Church of Law.

On Valnwall’s western border lies the powerful Western March under Baron Vasilek, while Baron Casimir of Larm defends Valnwall’s northern frontier and the trade route north-east to the dwarves of King Obni Hammerhand in the Shield Mountains.

West of Valnwall lies the powerful Elven realm of Vyalia, her forests ruled by the Elf-Queen Celeriel Galatar.

North-west of Valnwall, beyond the Shield Mountains, dwell the Riders of the Plains of Irlen, ruled from Irlendom by the wise king Theodath.

South-west of Dolmvay lies Reavers’ Isle, known for its pirates who raid the merchant shipping passing between Dolmvay and the fertile Ostaloth Isle to the south-east.

North of the Shield Mountains lies the Darklands of the Realm of Chaos, subject to the will of Sauroth, the Dark Lord. A thousand years ago the Last Alliance defeated Sauroth and greatly weakened him, but since then he has recovered much of his strength. Working through minions such as the Witch-King Valmodar of Mor, and the diabolical Zhenyis, Queen of Ghoul Keep, Sauroth works to bring all the Known Lands under his terrible rule.

NAHM

On Valnwall’s eastern frontier lies the small river-town of Nahm, granted to the Silver Dragon Knight Sir Stefan Alturek, wielder of the enchanted blade ‘Brightfire’, for his long service to the Crown. Sir Stefan is loyal to the King and his heir, but is troubled by the ambitions of the Baron Gultar, ruler of the coastal Barony of Osirath south of Nahm. Gultar seeks to expand his own realm north, incorporating Nahm. Still, Sir Stefan is assisted by his former adventuring companions: Lash the Spymaster, the priest Oldath the Wise, and Elgo Whiteraven, the Wizard of Nahm. Together they form a powerful obstacle to Baron Gultar’s ambitions. Other notables of Nahm include the master smith Zongall Blackbeard, and Myria Alturek, Sir Stefan’s adventurous daughter.

North of Nahm lies the wild Sarwood, littered with the ruins of fallen kingdoms, and beyond the Trosken Hills, held by the Thanes of the fierce Trosken barbarian clans and scattered dwarf mining-holds. Due south of Nahm along the Tresen River are the doughty Halflings of Tresenshire, led by their Sheriff, Oldo Goodfellow.     East of Nahm lies the woodlands of the Ostaren Elves under Eldavar the Elf-Lord, whose powerful magics shield Cheltar from the doom of Sauroth.


VALNWALL PCs
This campaign uses standard Labyrinth Lord rules. 
Attributes: 3d6 in order, can reroll character if net modifiers add to less than 0.
Hit Points: PCs begin with at least 'high average' hit points at 1st level, as follows:
Magic-User, Thief: 3
Cleric, Elf: 4
Dwarf, Fighter: 5
Extra Attacks: At 8th level Dwarf, Elf, Halfling and Fighter PCs can attack 3/2 (2-1-2-1-2) with any weapon. At 15th level Fighters attack 2/round as normal. 
Thief Backstab: At 8th level it does x3 damage. At 15th level it does x4 damage.

Incapacitation: A character reduced to 0 hp or less may sometimes be disabled rather than killed/mortally wounded, depending on the nature of the attack/damage (eg blade attacks are normally lethal, whereas a wooden club can incapacitate). Disabled characters are typically unconscious for 1 hour, then incapacitated, able only to move at half speed, no fighting or casting, until they have healed to at least 1 hp. Characters reduced to negative hp = CON or greater are always killed.

VALNWALL CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS - NAHM

Cleric: Most Clerics are younger sons of middle-class families. A Cleric could be a junior priest in Father Oldath’s church, either local-born or a recent arrival sent by the Patriarch in Dolmvay.

Dwarf: Dwarf adventurers and treasure-hunters from the mining holds in the Trosk hills north of the Sarwood are a fairly common sight in Nahm.

Elf: Most Elves seen in Nahm hail from the Ostaren Woods to the south-east. They are often agents of the Elf Lord Eldavar, sent forth to fight encroachments by the forces of Sauroth.

Halfling: Most halflings are a bucolic folk, but the occasional Halfling afflicted with wanderlust ventures forth from Tresenshire to seek his fortune. Halflings in Nahm most commonly hail from Burgdorf, the northernmost Halfling settlement in Tresenshire.

Fighter: Fighters in Nahm may be barbarian wanderers from the Trosken Hills, loyal retainers in service to Sir Stefan Alturek, mercenaries from Dolmvay or Cheltar, or even brigands from the Fallen Kingdom of Mor.

Magic-User: Always curious for knowledge, a Magic-User may have travelled from Dolmvay or elsewhere to apprentice him or herself to Elgo Whiteraven, the famous Wizard of Nahm.

Thief: A Thief may be an agent for Lash, the mysterious Spymaster of Sir Stefan Alturek, or for Baron Gultar of Osirath, reporting on the goings-on in Nahm. They may also simply a be local ne’er-do-well or rogue. A rare few may actually be spies for Valmodar, the Witch-King of Mor.

Valnwall and the Known Lands