The Serpent's Vale is a large valley nestled in the northern Serpentspine. It was known as the breadbasket of Aul-Dwarov before it's flooding during the Last Days of Dwarovar, in which it destroyed the agricultural infrastructure and made it hard to resettle.
Geography[]
The Serpent's Vale is located between two branches of the Serpentspine mountain range. In its center is King's Rock which houses the hold of Amldihr, the old capital of the Aul-Dwarov which connects to the Serpent's Vale via the Eastern and Southern Entrance.
The valley is very hilly and difficult to navigate. It is shielded from some precipitation by the mountains, but sees severe temperature swings due to being located so far inland. In modern times, it is also flooded with water from the old irrigation systems which were destroyed during the fall of Aul-Dwarov. The only major river is the Hornriver, which flows north from Amldihr's mountains to Lake Logr.
The ecology of the region is dominated by the Zotrdim tree; any attempts to redevelop the region must first and foremost contend with cutting back the spread of the weed-like plant.
History[]
The ancient dwarves used the Serpent's Vale for agriculture. With terrace farming and irrigation from the mountain rivers, they made the region very productive despite its soil not being particularly rich. It was wise for the High King to make his home here, for much of the underground population was dependent on grain and vegetables from the Serpent's Vale.
During the orcish invasion of the Dwarven Empire, Amldhir was placed under siege in 5920 BA. In desperation, the High King diverted the Vale's irrigation canals to flood the Vale. This significantly damaged the orcish army, but did not prevent the eventual fall of Amldhir. The valley is still flooded in many areas, and farming is now nearly impossible.
The vale was later occupied by the ogre Kingdom of Ghavamregh.