Threatening Valley

Threatening Valley is one of the neighbouring valleys to Penaval Hill, settled between the Obsidian Valley and the Headless Mountains, and is part of the Iron Horseshoe Koid, which is a mix of Choleric Badlands and Phelgmatic Boglands. All sorts of people live in Threatening Valley, which is why it often carries the name “Graveyard of tyrants”, as the rulership is constantly changing and not even the Glendatis have bothered with it, other than when they attempt to raid their territory. Many raiders have been returned with their heads removed, leaving their body open to parasites until the next Oak and Laurel Cycle. 

What are your non-earth-like geographical features in your setting?

• Threatening Valley is part of the Iron Horseshoe Koid, which are a series of old mines and collieries - some of which are still burning underground. 
• The river which runs by the valley and past Obsidian Valley is the remnants of a glacier, and has been diverted into several hot springs and healing/disinfecting pools
• Sometimes people try to re-enter the mines to see if there is anything worth there, or to try and gain access to the energy/resources, this often causes explosions and heavy smog which travels with the wind
• This is why the Glendatis avoid this place like the plague, but will retaliate if provoked
• There is a beautiful path and Choleric garden (dedicated to Koidios) that takes a path between Threatening Valley and the Obsidian valley, made of obsidian mineral.
• Many of the “trees” of this koid are spoil heaps which have attracted minerals and strange shapes after being corroded by the wind or shaped by storms- Maidstone structures that mimic lightning strikes. 

What’s the general “lay of the land” of your active worldbuilding area?

• Large river valley carved by River Orgeto “Murder River”, with hot, humid, and scorching  bogs,  and dry, windswept uplands ravaged by industry and meal contamination.
• There is a lowland flood meadow which is generally partially submerged at least, part of the Obsidian Path and features stepping stones as well as the ruins of an obsidian palace that Danno Eresmos had commissioned and was taking forever to build, lived in briefly, and then built on haphazardly until living in there was considered a punishment because he let his partner’s oracles plan it as a statement - often called the Larkborn Palace, but it did feature beautiful gardens which unfortunately combusted one particularly hot summer and explosion
• There are less towns and settlements, and more so camps and compounds. A lot is made out of Meldstone, Obsidian, Iron, Arsenic alloys, and often mismatched in a “whatever works” fashion that makes it quite diverse, many of the encampments have become semi-permanant or groups have developed territories

And what is the climate or environment like, in your active worldbuilding area?

• It is one of the few places where the Bone Queen Law does not seem to deeply affect, as the burning land beneath provides a stable temperature and air pressure. It is very hot there, even rain dries up before it hits the ground.
• There is a lowland flood meadow which separates Threatening Valley from the more temperate Obsidian Valley
• Choleric Badlands, mixed with other Choleric terrains

Next, What is the ecosystem & habitat like in your active worldbuilding area?

• Little can be grown or farmed in Threatening Valley so they rely on “tactical trade” (read as: raiding) as well as excursions to the Headless Mountains and oases in the Iron Koid where the mines aren’t burning
• There is an encampment of Pompila that is literally used as a graveyard to dispose of bodies that aren’t dead yet. They’re left for the nymphs, because they often carry parasites and bacterias that overpower the Pompila’s taste for flesh. Chlorosynthesis is used to achieve this, unwanted Gwraig Verth are also sacrificed to them, it is known as ‘Pilot Town’ and protected by an elected pair, sometimes based on the amount of offspring they have in the compound
• The Vithnos Clan live in Threatening Valley, and house themselves in the old mining pits, as the warmth provides security and energy for the nymphs. But also, they seem to have lived in the area the longest and so their head of the clan and offspring, have taken over many of the “former” civilization pockets and help keep the climate from getting worse by maintaining them
• There is also an all-female priestesshood of Red Hoods, Gvaneti outcasts and refugees from the Cromlech in Wychazel, often escaping arranged marriages or war, they provide most of the medical infrastructure and run a small Guild on behalf of their shared courts, called the Alliance of the Bone King, allying the Formalin court among others
• Heno people, particularly the Eremos, tried to get in on Threatening Valley, but they were pushed out and ended up founding Obsidian Valley. They are still on tenuous terms.

Finally, what natural resources are found in your active worldbuilding area?

• A lot of rare minerals and precious stones like bismuth, obsidian, and diamond
• Iron, Copper, Tin 
• Healing/purgative waters