About Leefside

The founding of Leefside is credited to Donovan and Emilia Claddagh, a couple from Dragon’s Rest in Jade Valley. Fifty-one years ago, they led a group of settlers on a challenging migration to southwest Eren, a journey that has since become legendary among locals.

The trip was planned for one month, using the main road through Nokmar Canyon that connected Jade Valley to western Eren. However, during the first week, the group discovered that part of their food stores had spoiled due to improper sealing. They decided to push on to Northacre, their last stop before the wilderness, to restock supplies. Unfortunately, Northacre struggled with a crop blight, leaving the townsfolk rationing their food. The Claddaghs managed to trade for what little they could but knew it wouldn’t be enough.

Undeterred, Emilia, an experienced hunter and trapper, suggested living off the land during the journey. With several skilled hunters among the group, they agreed to the slower pace, knowing it was their best chance of reaching their destination safely.

The expedition descended from the Eren Highlands, following Nokmar Canyon’s basin into the dense forests of southwest Eren. Navigating the thick brush slowed their progress, but the group had come prepared with tools for clearing paths and foraging. They hunted deer and trapped nocturnal animals at night, sustaining themselves as they pushed deeper into the woods.

After a week, the forest's vastness became clear—they had severely underestimated its size. Unknown to them, the woodlands had expanded over time, influenced by the mysterious and dangerous Vale. They had intended to skirt its edge, but their path led them straight into its grasp. Signs of trouble began to mount: wild game became scarce, group members fell ill without explanation, and strange, unfamiliar beasts circled the caravan at night, feeding the settlers’ growing paranoia. Maps and traditional navigation methods failed, as the forest itself seemed to shift and disorient them. Fear turned into madness; two young men, driven to desperation, sprinted into the trees, never to return. Even Donovan and Emilia’s steadfast leadership began to falter under the pressure.

Two days lost in the Vale, the group faced their darkest moment. One night, the ground shook with the approach of a monstrous, four-armed beast—an ursaquad. It charged the camp, wreaking havoc and slaughtering several travelers who were too weak or disoriented to escape. All seemed lost. Then, from the shadows, a lone figure emerged. A woman clad in rugged clothes of finely crafted furs and leathers, with an elk skull mask obscuring her face. At first mistaken for another monster, she became their savior.

The woman singlehandedly drove off the monstrous ursaquad using small clay pots that exploded with blinding flashes and deafening sounds, as well as a massive longbow that fired arrows the size of shortspears into the creature’s vulnerable spots. When the dust settled, she found a broken and terrified group—several people losing their lives that night, with more succumbing in the following days from succumbing to the strange illness or their injuries in the attack.

During the attack, it was discovered that Donovan Claddagh had been fatally struck by the beast’s scimitar-like claws. In his final moments, Donovan heroically saved a trio of young children, hiding them in a storage crate and using himself as bait to draw the beast away. Though he attempted to defend himself with a makeshift shield, the monster overpowered him, ending his life. The woman, moved by the survivors' plight, introduced herself as Amarillys Bodhall. She urged Emilia and the remaining settlers to follow her to her base camp, where her people could provide food, shelter, and medical care. Desperate and grieving, the group agreed without hesitation.

Amarillys led the survivors to her encampment, located on the outskirts of the Vale—closer than most would dare to live. She and her people were outsiders: hunters and rangers who chose isolation over the safety of Eren’s cities. Unlike distant scholars who speculated about the Vale, Amarillys and her community had firsthand knowledge of its dangers. Skilled in tracking and survival, Amarillys also prided herself on being a compassionate leader. Over the next several days, the survivors recovered under the care of Amarillys’ people, regaining their strength and clarity. Through long discussions and planning, Amarillys offered her wisdom and skills to guide them forward, finally letting the settlers see the light of day once more.

Amarillys skillfully guided the settlers through the Vale, using her expertise to avoid dense miasma and providing countermeasures to mitigate its effects. After several days, they emerged from the cursed forest to a stunning sight: a verdant coastline overlooking the vast Asur Misoa, its lower landscape adorned with massive, mana-infused crystals. Relieved and overjoyed, the settlers spent their first night in the new land they had long dreamed of reaching. Over the next week, they surveyed the area, set up temporary tents, and began gathering resources, laying the groundwork for their new home.

Early Leefside began as a modest "tent town" near the coastline, with a canal leading to the sea and underwater rivers running through carved tunnels. Exploration of the surrounding hills and cliffs led to the discovery of underground caverns, which initially seemed unremarkable until miners uncovered veins of coal and iron. This sparked a thriving mining operation that bolstered the town's growth. The waterfront provided abundant fish and aquatic resources, while the presence of massive mana crystals drew attention from Nokmar's baron. Deals were made to allow mining guilds to extract the crystals, with Leefside profiting as both a rest stop for workers and through fees for mining privileges, further solidifying its prosperity.

During Leefside's early growth, challenges arose beyond the struggles of building the industry from scratch. Reports began surfacing of townsfolk and visitors being stalked by strange, fish-like creatures near water. The problem escalated when a fisherman returned injured, revealing the settlers had unknowingly encroached on the territory of a sahuagin tribe. These aquatic beings initially tolerated the settlers, but the rapid industrial growth and increased foot traffic disrupted their way of life, creating tensions that soon turned violent. Town warnings were issued, but the sporadic attacks persisted, threatening both lives and livelihoods.

In response, a local mercenary group, the Waytos Wanderers, offered their services to protect the town and investigate the issue. Despite reservations, Emilia Claddagh agreed to their terms, which included payment and permission to establish a base in Leefside. The Wanderers acted swiftly, confronting sahuagin bands with brutal efficiency. Within a month, the tribe had vanished—whether eradicated or driven away was unclear. While the town regained peace, the loss of life weighed heavily on Emilia, though she had little power to control the mercenaries' methods.

The Wanderers remained in Leefside until the town could form its own militia. Without warning, they eventually departed, rumored to have been bought out by a northern lord. Left without a professional defense force, Leefside relied on a volunteer militia for security, a practical but limited solution that would shape the town’s future approach to safety.

On the first anniversary of Leefside's founding, the town had grown rapidly despite its many hardships. Though Donovan Claddagh never lived to see its success, and Emilia, weakened by her ordeal in the Vale, passed away a few months later, their legacy endured. To honor their vision and dedication, a monument was built overlooking their graves, a symbol of the town’s gratitude. In modern times, however, this memorial was lost to the Vale, whose creeping boundaries encroached nearer to Leefside over the years.