Queen Stravalla's Tower The Nerath Campaign & The Nerath Timeline The current year for our Nerath campaign is set during the year 103AE. Inspired By Gary Gygax

Just south of Mount Starris, a valley cuts a scar-like line through the Dawnforge Mountains. Despite the summer heat or the bitter winter cold, a forest forever thick and lush fills this valley. Travelers smell Summerdown Valley long before they see it, as the blooming flowers cast a perfume on the wind. Despite its appearance, the valley is a place of grave danger.

A powerful hag, Queen Stravalla of Winter’s Mourning, dwells within this place. In her tower, she surveys the verdant garden that is her realm. Trolls, werewolves, and murderous fey heed her beck and call, and within the ever-verdant forest shamble the animated corpses of those who dared enter her realm. Clad in rusted armor and covered with sickly sweet orchids that grow from their decaying flesh, these sentinels make quick work of those who blunder into Summerdown Valley.

Minions of Queen Stravalla, trolls, werewolves and other fell creatures of Summerdown Valley venture far and wide in search of fresh victims and treasure for their queen. In addition to the groups just mentioned, other monsters common to the region include ankhegs, blood hawks, dire boars, cave bears, hippogriffs, harpies, manticores, owlbears, gray wolves, and wyverns. The valley and surrounding area are infested with trolls, hill giants, ogres, gnolls, goblins, and orcs, making trveling in the region very dangerous. In the aftermath of the Bloodspear War, these monsters have grown bolder and more aggressive. A number of marauding gangs of humans, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes, scour the peaks as well, in search of folk to rob and terrorize.

Several bands of goliaths range throughout the mountains as well. Most of the time these goliaths wander above the tree line to keep clear of monsters and travelers. Once a year, though, they engage in a great race across the mountains. A non-goliath that completes the race becomes an honorary member of one of the clans.

These mountains also hide dragons—foremost among them the three-headed monstrosity that calls herself Calastryx. The dragon is slumbering, still affected by a curse placed on her centuries ago, but fears are growing stronger that her reemergence is near. Like Vestapalk far to the west, she too has a tribe of kobolds that are fanatically subservient to her. The Emberdark kobolds can hardly wait till Calastryx wakes up, and they actively work to make that happen.

Apart from the dangers of bandits and monsters, the rough terrain, perilous slopes, and bitter cold of the mountains present equally deadly threats.