Region - map
Kernath Valley
Name: Kernath Valley
Type: Region / Isolated Valley
Theme: Low-fantasy, dark medieval realism, mystery, isolation
Main Factions:
The Crown’s Hand (royal agents)
The Church of the Flame (religious authority)
The Locals’ Circle (survivors and heretics)
The Old Faith (followers of the Three Mothers)
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AREA DESCRIPTION
Kernath Valley lies far to the north of the Erenwald Kingdom — a forgotten pocket of land cut off by forests, mountains, and silence. The only road in crosses an ancient stone bridge over the River Kern, where the ruins of the Abbey of Saint Kernath loom on the hill above.
The valley was once rich in iron and faith. Fifty years ago, it burned. The Abbey exploded in fire and ash after the monks of the Order of Saint Ochr began their secret experiments to create the Golden Blood — a potion meant to forge unbreakable soldiers. What followed was slaughter, madness, and disappearance. The Church sealed the valley, the King erased it from his maps, and time moved on without it.
Now Kernath exists in half-memory: broken villages swallowed by mist, blackened forests where no birds sing, and a river that sometimes flows backwards. Those who live here pretend it’s just another remote province. It isn’t. Something old still breathes beneath the ground.
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REGION OVERVIEW
The Bridge of Kernath: the only entrance to the valley. Watched by a weary guard named Edrin Hale.
The River Path: winding road that follows the Kern toward the ruins.
Orren’s House by the River: a small hut belonging to a reclusive ex-monk — rumored to keep forbidden texts.
The Abbey Ruins: the burned heart of Kernath; three layers of stone and secrets.
The Forest of Myrha: dense woods filled with traps, herbs, and the remains of those who got lost.
The Mercenary Camp: the Crown’s men disguised as hunters.
The Circle Stones: ancient trial site used by locals for secret meetings.
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CLIMATE & ATMOSPHERE
Cold and damp most of the year. Morning fog rolls down from the hills, and nights bring sudden winds that carry the smell of ash. Days are short, light gray rather than bright. Even animals move slower here.
The valley feels trapped in its own season — perpetual late autumn, when everything is dying but not yet dead.
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BOUNDARIES
South: The broken bridge — the only known entry.
North: The mountains of Vareth, impassable cliffs shrouded in mist.
East: The Dead Woods — rumored to lead nowhere, only looping paths.
West: The marshes — toxic pools and the remains of a collapsed mining village.
No one leaves the valley easily. Roads fade, paths vanish, and the forest always seems to grow back behind you.
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MOOD AND THEMES
Kernath is not a land of heroes. It’s a place where duty rotted into guilt, faith turned to fear, and survival became a habit.
Every person you meet has a reason to lie. Every kindness hides a cost.
The world isn’t ending — it already did, fifty years ago. You’re just walking through the remains.