Dald

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Dald
19.jpg
Allegiance
Island
Realm
Beluaterra
(rogue)
Statistics
Type
Weather
Economy
Population
Gold
Food
Woodland
North Lowlands
Logging, Fishing
2012

DALD: CRUCIBLE OF ASHBORN

Occupying the westernmost edge of the Old Forest, Dald is famous for its agreeable weather, the deep and secret wooded glens that lie in its heart, a glorious variety of woodland songbirds and warblers, and the incessant warfare that has raged within its borders, laying waste to more than two thirds of its inhabitants.

The climate is of the most pleasant character in Dald, where the calm breezes flowing from the Inland Lake to the west and the cool, dusty wind from the Northern Lowlands mix with the warmer air of the Southern Plains. The grand oaks and pines of the Old Forest are notably vivid and lush, and the startling beauty of the sylvan idyll has inspired many prominent poets and painters to create their most notable works. The constant refrain of birdsong thrills the air, as many migratory birds travel through Dald on their way north in the summer and south in the winter, often pausing in Dald to bless the boughs with their bright and fulsome trilling. Searching through the forests for the notorious (and some would say mythical) Daldian Ocher Weasel, legendary for its mischief and guile, is a popular endeavor for many hunting enthusiasts, although there has not been a confirmed sighting of the mammal in several generations.

Besides its natural beauty, Dald is also unfortunately known for the brutal and bloody battles that have burned their mark upon the landscape. Throughout the Long War, Dald has been the crux of countless battles, takeovers, looting, and sieges between Democratic Ashborn and the Theocracy of Sint. This has resulted in the deaths of almost 1,500 commoners and smallfolk, which represents almost three quarters of the total population. Countless hamlets, thorps, and townships have been put to the torch by marauding Sint invaders over the years, and the very soil is indelibly saturated with the blood and tears of humble souls. Although there has been a respite in the slaughter, and the peoples of Dald are earnestly rebuilding their lives and families, nary a day passes without a resident of Dald saying a heart-felt prayer for their lost loved ones.

A small shrine has been erected on the shore of the Inland Lake, commemerating the fallen. It faces west, its epitaph of sorrow directed balefully at the towering walls of Firbalt just visible across the lake on a clear day.

The economic activities of Dald are primarily involved with mushroom-picking for the Keffan trade, fur trapping, paper-making, enemy scoutings, and grave-digging.

There has also been a recent increase in petty vandalism by teenagers, but the local elders maintain that this is just a phase they have to pass through.

The current Countess is Lady Valeria Trueblade.