Paranoia grips many who live in Darkmoon Vale outside of Olfden, and for good reason. Valers (those who grow up in Darkmoon Vale) distrust newcomers and strangers, at least until those new to the area stay through at least one full moon. Anyone who expresses sympathy or fascination with the area’s wolves draws additional suspicion, and those who dare to point out the positive lupine influences in the vale are lucky to avoid lynch squads.
Valers are a distrustful, taciturn lot and tend to keep to themselves. They fear what they know (werewolves and the region’s geologic dangers) and what they don’t know (strangers and what lurks within the nearby hills and mountains). Unknown bogeymen constantly haunt their dreams and they frequently offer rewards or incentives for adventurers to come to their vale, investigate some rumored horror, and then leave.
As the largest refuge of civilization in the vale, Olfden and its residents buck this trend. Those who live in Olfden actively welcome and encourage newcomers, as visitors tend to bring coin. Thanks partially to the town’s openness, most Valers who live outside Olfden don’t truly consider it or its residents a part of the vale. Many rural Valers look down on the town’s residents as weak cowards afraid to face the region’s many dangers. For their part, the urban Valers laugh off these insults and constantly seek to mend the relationship between the two groups.
Falcon and Wolf
Many of the places, organizations, and even people in Darkmoon Vale contain either “Falcon” or “Wolf” (or a related word) in their names.
The wolf aspect of Darkmoon Vale becomes apparent to anyone who stays there—rarely does a night go by without at least one lonesome lupine calling. Wild dogs, wolves, worgs, winter wolves, and werewolves prowl the vale, its forests, and its hills.
On the other hand, few people understand the local obsession with falcons. While the area does contain a couple native species of falcons and the city of Olfden holds an annual falconry tournament, the true origin of “falcon” in so many names comes from the heraldic device of the Novotnian family. The first human to pacify Darkmoon Vale, Baron Karas Novotnian, received a land grant from the emperor of Cheliax in exchange for bringing civilization to the countryside. As more people flocked to the area, they noted the prominent falcon on Baron Novotnian’s crest and began to refer to him and his descendants as “the Falcon.” Even with the death of the last Falcon-Baron Novotnian and the eradication of nobility in Andoran, the people of the vale continue to embrace the imagery and iconography of the bird.
Falcon and Wolf
Many of the places, organizations, and even people in Darkmoon Vale contain either “Falcon” or “Wolf” (or a related word) in their names.
The wolf aspect of Darkmoon Vale becomes apparent to anyone who stays there—rarely does a night go by without at least one lonesome lupine calling. Wild dogs, wolves, worgs, winter wolves, and werewolves prowl the vale, its forests, and its hills.
On the other hand, few people understand the local obsession with falcons. While the area does contain a couple native species of falcons and the city of Olfden holds an annual falconry tournament, the true origin of “falcon” in so many names comes from the heraldic device of the Novotnian family. The first human to pacify Darkmoon Vale, Baron Karas Novotnian, received a land grant from the emperor of Cheliax in exchange for bringing civilization to the countryside. As more people flocked to the area, they noted the prominent falcon on Baron Novotnian’s crest and began to refer to him and his descendants as “the Falcon.” Even with the death of the last Falcon-Baron Novotnian and the eradication of nobility in Andoran, the people of the vale continue to embrace the imagery and iconography of the bird.