Reintal Valley

The Reintal Valley is a small alpine mountain-valley surrounded on all sides by jagged mountain peaks. Once the ancestral heartland of the Kingdom of Reintal — from which the valley takes its name — the region was annexed into Nevarra after the kingdom’s collapse.   Cut off from the world by jagged peaks, the Reintal Valley can be entered only through the south-bound Brüchen Pass. Its people, the Reinmen, still cling to their ancestral name as a proud relic of their people's past.  

Ecology

Beyond the sheep and goats and pine forests many outsiders imagine, the valley is home to its own assortment of unique species found in few — if any — other places in the world.   Snow leopigs and beazards serve as keystone species. Snow leopigs are furry omnivores who dig up mushrooms and roots with their tusks. Their foraging process aerates the soil and spreads spores, making them vital the valley's plant life. They're also shockingly agile, and turn opportunistic predator with a moment's notice. Wanderers use their deep trails to navigate deep snow and, in bad storms, may try to shelter in their abandoned dens for warmth.   Beazards are ecological engineers, creating dams of stone that regulate meltwater flow and create habitats for fish, insects, moss, and birds. They use their rough, grinding jaw plates to carve through ice and rock to construct communal dens every winter, using decomposing moss from the dams to super-heat its many chambers. When winter ends, leftover moss is scattered downstream and fertilizes the valley.   So too can flocks of swarlins be seen in the spring leaping out of small pools of water in unison, fluttering their tiny wings for short distances, then flopping into the next pool to continue spear-fishing. Adolescent horned arctic foxes bash their curled horns against one another, in between diving headfirst into fluffy new-fallen snow or mud and scavenging for carrion. Tempermental llamacats look down upon the valley from their perches in scree piles, their tails keeping balance as they bound up perilous cliffs. Those domesticated llamacats serve as beasts of burden that groom themselves and in return are treated well, with their thick and multi-colored fur being a luxury good — calicos being a favorite.  

Places of Interest

Castle Wolkenberg

Balladeers merrily praise the first ruler of Reintal — King Damaria the Philosopher — for raising this mighty castle with nothing but her mind. This centuries old fortress still watches the mouth of the Brüchen Pass, looming over the nearby toll-booth to ensure not a single cent is lost.   Today, the Nevarran-appointed lord and their family reside in this keep.  

Settlements

The valley is home to three main settlements: the town of Gravenfurt, the village of Otterberg, and the hamlet of Vilseck. Despite it's small size, Otterberg has an outsized presence in modern worldly knowledge due to it being the birthplace of Saint Lazarai the Wounded. Many outsiders take pilgrimages to this village every summer to follow in the steps of their patron saint and bask in the area's many monasteries.   Meanwhile, Vilseck is an aging mess that can't remember whether it wants to get along or to steal everything you've got. Home to some of the hardest workers in the valley, Vilseck exists in rivalry to Gravenfurt — most seeing the latter as a righteous brother trying to keep its twin in check. Vilseck's many rebellions paint its history, with one that happened only a few decades ago still haunting valley politics.  

Forest Wolkenberg

Always encroaching upon civilization, the outskirt of these woods provide a bounty of timber, herbs, and game to the Reinmen. Few delve deeper. Tales speak of ceaseless prowling its heart, as if guarding something ancient or hidden. Rampant speculation has never amounted to anything... not that that's ever stopped the tall tales of people claiming to have glimpsed its wonders with their own eyes.