Kiern Vale Handbook

Chapter 4: Kern A-Thel – The lands of house Kor-Om'thel

Prologue | Landscape and Important Locations | Local Population | Recent History | Characters

Organizations | Background of Player Characters |Expansions of Further Information

"Something foul is afoot there, in the castle above the granite courts." The old miner furrowed his brow, waving his hand to brush off a stubborn flake of snow from his gray beard. On the horizon, the ancient stairs disappeared into darkness, no longer visible. Only the two towering statues above them, frozen in their eternal battle, gleamed in the dim starlight seeping through the clouds; light snow continued to fall. "The three old foxes are each riding their high horse again, eh?" "Not just them, may the Dush’ma take them! The whole place has changed beyond recognition, I tell you. Even the people have changed. Folks around are looking over their shoulder when they talk, even in whispers. Then, there's that accursed commander; he fair looks like a hero from the tales, but his eyes – they're as cold as ice. His people are everywhere. A single careless word, and a man might lose a long-held family position - or even be expelled from the granite courts." The old man furrowed his brow. "That - or worse. They're giving people to the gray scholars, you ken?"

Kern A-Thel is the easternmost region in Kiern Vale, connecting the valley to the Karansil Ridge, and it is the domain of the Kor Omthel dynasty - one of the four major noble dynasties of the vale.

It's a rough and dangerous region, colder and prone to stormy weather more than most parts of the vale. Human settlements are smaller and farther apart, surrounded by rugged wilderness and hostile monsters. Furthermore, in recent years, the politics of the region have become increasingly convoluted and treacherous. Tensions are rising between the lord and his supporters on one side and his subjects and restless tribesmen on the other.

The Kern A-Thel region serves as the setting for several official adventures and prominent campaigns written for the Keirn Vale, notably the Adventure Path starting with "Where the crawdads screech " and "The Shadows of Thar Kardin."

Important Information

Population: Approximately 7,500 people: around 2,500 in the fortress of Lord Kor Omthel and the town of "Granite Courts" beneath it; about 750 people in the estate of Kor Om’thir and its surroundings. The balance of the population is scattered in smaller settlements dotting the region, most of them clustered around the Karandon Falls.

Ruler: Lord Marnellion Kor-Omthel.

Dynasty Symbol: Gray stone fist on a white background.

Motto: "The mountain stands firm!"

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Created and edited by Gideon Orbach (2017) © All rights reserved. Commercial use and/or any profit-making purpose is strictly prohibited without explicit permission from the creator, in writing and in advance. Noncommercial/personal use with no profit aim is allowed (and even recommended!)