South of the wide, flat plain that dominates Darkmoon Vale climbs a short plateau known as the Elberwick Rise. The large and sparsely populated Shire of Elberwick fills the rise, which before the Rending ran up against the foothills of the Five Kings Mountains. The resulting collapse of the northern 30 miles of the plateau resulted in an irregular edge to the rise. In some places, the rise and the plain transition smoothly in a shallow slope, while in other areas the break is more sudden and forms 20- to 40-foot-tall cliffs. Very little of the rise officially resides within Darkmoon Vale, but the part of it that does holds two of the region’s most civilized locations: the gleaming tower of Adamas and the mercantile town of Olfden.
Many of the names in and near Darkmoon Vale bear the name of the Elberwick family, who once held the largest Chelish county within what is modernday Andoran. When Andoran became independent, then-count Rochard Elberwick peacefully surrendered his claim to the land (and reputedly half his other assets) and sent his son to Almas to enter democratic politics. Today, People’s Councilmember Wellam Elberwick (son of Rochard) represents the Shire of Elberwick and Darkmoon Vale in Almas. Wellam remains popular both among those he represents and with those he works alongside in the capitol.
Adamas: This 65-foot-tall whitemarble circular tower rises from the floor of Darkmoon Plain at the base of the Elberwick Rise a few miles east of Olfden. The bottom 25 feet of the tower is built pressed against the cliff wall, with the upper 40 feet rising freely above. Atop the shelf, where the edge of it meets the tower, a circular white-marble wall extends out from the tower and surrounds a few small buildings.
The tower has a small door at its base and another that opens into the circular enclosure—the only way into that walled-in area. Other than these doors, only a few small archery slits cut into the curved walls of the tower and enclosure break up their monolithic exteriors. Atop the tower’s f lat roof (which is surrounded by a crenellated wall) f lies the f lag of the Diamond Regiment of the Eagle Knights.
Adamas and its small enclosure house the 400 soldiers of the Diamond Regiment. Due to the small size of both the tower and its connected enclosure, many suspect that Adamas hides some kind of underground facility beneath its gleaming white exterior. The Diamond Regiment neither confirms nor denies these rumors.
Diamond Regiment: Although a backwoods on the edge of civilization, Darkmoon Vale provides a resource vital to the Andoran Navy. Thus, in order to protect the region’s inhabitants, the Golden Aerie—headquarters of the Eagle Knights—sent a regiment of 12 Eagle Knights and 388 army regulars to guard the vital trade road out of the vale.
Operating out of Adamas, the Diamond Regiment patrols all of Darkmoon Vale south of the River Foam (although it rarely visits Arthfell Forest, trusting to the Fangwatch to guard that area), with infrequent visits north of the river into Falcon’s Hollow. Neither Ingrid Odeber— the regiment’s commander—nor the leaders of Falcon’s Hollow enjoy these visits, however, so the order only goes there to escort convoys of darkwood to Olfden or when commanded by the Golden Aerie.
Ingrid Odeber leads the Diamond Regiment with an abiding passion tempered by a strict regimen. As a paladin of Iomedae, Commander Odeber tolerates no mischief from her soldiers, and for the most part she must deal with none. Her troops frequently prove their unbending loyalty in the face of terrible dangers birthed from the depths of the Arthfell Forest or the low scrabble of the Wolfrun Hills. Ingrid publicly acknowledges her marriage to the druid Tablic, leader of the Greenfire Circle. This arrangement led to the close collaboration of the Diamond Regiment with the Fangwatch, which in turn spawned Commander Odeber’s close friendship with Aurore Kaiseva.
Commander Odeber answers directly to General Traxxus, an ambitious but caring man who leads a small army of both Eagle Knights and regular soldiers headquartered in Carpenden. General Traxxus seems to favor Commander Odeber and keeps the Diamond Regiment well stocked with supplies and soldiers.
Sixteen Steps of Irori: A line of lava plugs extends in a gentle arc from within Arthfell Forest, curving north and slightly west over a distance of 2 miles. These plugs are remarkable for three reasons: they stand unusually close together in a slightly curving line, they have nearly identical heights, and the space between each one is almost identical. Atop each lava plug stands a small wooden platform used as a watchtower, maintained and manned by the Fangwatch and Greenfire Circle.
Dwarven volcanologists remain at a loss to explain the phenomenon. Historians note that, while the name for these natural towers has existed for nearly 3,000 years, no explanation for the unusual name remains in any text that has been found so far.