Lore & World

The World of Shadowwind

Valdera: The Human Homeland

Valdera is humanity’s home—a vast region of forests, plains, rivers, and mountains. Beyond its borders lie lands humans have never explored: the Dwarven Holds to the east, the Elven Shores across the western sea, and far to the north, the mysterious Drakelands where God’s Peak stands.

Nearly two thousand years ago, according to Church teaching, the Twelve Ascended—divine beings who once walked among mortals—rose to heaven from the summit of God’s Peak. They left behind ruins, artifacts, and mysteries that scholars still struggle to comprehend.

God’s Peak

God’s Peak is humanity’s holiest site—and its greatest frustration. The mountain where the Twelve Ascended stands far beyond Valdera, in lands controlled by the Drakes. No human has traveled there in living memory. Church teachings come from ancient texts and the tales of traders who have seen it from afar.

Why do the Drakes control the most sacred place in existence? The Church debates endlessly. Some say they are divine guardians, testing humanity’s worthiness. Others whisper darker theories.

The Breakthrough

Long ago, seismic activity beneath Valdris—the holy city—revealed something impossible: vast chambers and corridors beneath the earth, far too regular to be natural. As explorers descended, they discovered ancient ruins, strange artifacts, and the remnants of the gods’ time on earth.

The Breakthrough changed everything. The caverns seem to go down forever, layer upon layer of forgotten halls. Most ruins of the Twelve remain hidden—buried or concealed for reasons unknown—but what little has been found hints at power beyond imagination.

The Ancestries

Humans

The most numerous people in Valdera. Adaptable and ambitious, humans have built kingdoms, cathedrals, and trade routes across their homeland. They know other races only through the traders who visit their shores and mountain passes—except for the gnolls, who share their borders.

Gnolls

The only non-human race humans regularly encounter. Gnolls are organized into fiercely independent tribes, each with its own customs and territory. Their relationship with humans is complicated: some tribes raid human settlements, while others engage in wary trade. Most gnolls simply prefer to keep to themselves, deeply distrustful of outsiders—including other gnoll tribes.

Dwarves

Known through traders who arrive via the eastern mountains. Dwarves are master craftsmen of stone and metal, renowned for their reliability and their long memories. No human has visited the Dwarven Holds, but dwarven goods are prized throughout Valdera.

Elves

Known through occasional visitors who arrive by sea. Elves live far longer than humans and possess sensitivity to magical forces. The Church is uncertain whether they are blessed or cursed by the Twelve. Their motives for visiting Valdera remain mysterious.

Gnomes

Known through traveling merchants and inventors. Gnomes are clever, curious, and sometimes irritating. They claim to preserve ancient knowledge in their underground warrens—a claim the Church watches carefully.

Drakes

The most terrifying race, known through trader tales and Church speculation. Drakes are said to be dragon-like beings who control God’s Peak and the lands around it. Whether they are divine guardians or demonic usurpers, no one knows.

The Depths

The caverns beneath Valdris are organized into layers:

The Upper Reaches

Relatively safe and partially mapped. Home to licensed exploration outposts and Delvers’ Guild way-stations. Most new adventurers begin their descent here.

The Middle Depths

Dangerous but rewarding. Ancient chambers and forgotten halls draw explorers despite the risks. Strange creatures—twisted by unknown forces—roam these passages.

The Deep

Few return from the Deep. Those who do speak of impossible geometries, entities that defy description, and power beyond imagining. The truly brave—or foolish—venture here.

Beyond

What lies at the heart of the depths remains the greatest mystery of the age. Some say a realm of darkness waits there. Others believe the truth of the Twelve’s Ascension can only be found in the deepest places.

Factions

Various groups compete for control of the caverns and their secrets:

• The Church of the Twelve Ascended: Guardians of sacred relics and arbiters of what knowledge is fit for mortal minds
• The Delvers’ Guild: Professional explorers who map and secure the upper reaches for licensed expeditions
• The Arcane Society: Scholars studying the strange energies emanating from below, sometimes at odds with Church doctrine
• The Wardens: Those who believe some secrets should stay buried
• The Changed: Those transformed by exposure to the depths, seeking answers to their condition

The Shadow Wind

Approximately seven hundred years after the Ascension, a catastrophe struck Valdera. A wave of darkness—the Shadow Wind—swept across the land in a single devastating night.

No one knows what caused it. The Church teaches that it was sent by the Twelve for reasons beyond mortal comprehension. Scholars debate whether it was punishment, a test, or something else entirely. The truth remains buried.

What is known:

• Creatures throughout Valdera were twisted into the monsters that now plague the wilderness
• The gnolls emerged in their current form—whether they existed before or were created by the Shadow Wind is unknown
• The caverns beneath the earth became far more dangerous
• Magic itself seems to have changed in ways scholars still don’t fully understand

Understanding the Shadow Wind—and perhaps reversing its effects—is the great mystery that draws adventurers to the depths.