Eastmarch

East of the Greyspires and north of Lunebrook Forest lies Eastmarch, the agricultural heartland of Vel'Nathar. Broad plains follow the region's rivers and lakes, while wooded hills rise toward the Greyspires and Northern Highlands.

Much of the food produced in Vel'Nathar comes from Eastmarch. Grain fields dominate the central plains, with orchards, vineyards, grazing land, and smaller farms extending along the river valleys and into the surrounding hills. Timber and wool also move south and east from the less intensively cultivated parts of the region.

The climate is cooler than in the Lowlands, particularly near the Greyspires and across the northern uplands. Morning mist is common along the rivers, and colder winds become more noticeable as the land rises toward the mountains.

Wild horses still roam parts of the open country. Elk and aurochs are more common farther north, where the larger farms become less continuous and woodland begins to spread across the higher ground.

Rivers and Farmland

The River Valen is the largest river in Eastmarch. It crosses the central plains through some of the most productive farmland on the island, passing numerous villages and market towns before reaching the eastern coast.

Generations of cultivation have made extensive use of its floodplain. Old channels and seasonal flooding replenish the surrounding soil, while irrigation carries water farther into the fields during drier periods.

The Orla and Nara support other settled valleys elsewhere in Eastmarch. Numerous smaller streams descend from the Greyspires and northern hills before joining these larger waterways.

The rivers also carry a substantial share of the region's trade. Barges and shallow-draft vessels move between inland markets and the coast, while smaller landings allow farms and villages to send goods without relying entirely on the road network.

The same network is useful to smugglers. The Tidemarked use lesser landings and river routes to move cargo around the more closely watched ports.

People and Settlement

Humans, halflings, and gnomes make up much of Eastmarch's population, and mixed communities are common throughout the region.

Halflings are particularly numerous across the plains and river valleys. Many families have lived in the agricultural country for generations, while others are involved in the movement of goods between farms, towns, and markets.

Gnomish communities are more common around the wooded hills and wetter parts of the region. Several have developed strong traditions of horticulture and practical plant knowledge, particularly where local conditions allow crops that are more difficult to maintain on the exposed central plains.

Some smaller gnomish settlements make use of slopes, large roots, and woodland cover when building. This reflects local building traditions rather than any attempt to remain hidden from outsiders.

Southern Eastmarch

One of the principal branches of the Amber Road enters Eastmarch from Lunebrook Forest. The woodland gradually opens into pasture and cultivated country as the route approaches Briarhill.

From Briarhill, roads divide toward the central plains, the eastern settlements, and the Greyspire foothills. The western route passes through Keldwick before climbing toward Ridgeford and the mountain roads beyond.

The Waykeepers are a familiar presence along these routes. They monitor the condition of roads and crossings, carry warnings between settlements, and provide guides when travelers need to leave the better-known routes.

Northwest of Briarhill, the Orla valley is known for its orchards. Fruit from the valley moves south through Briarhill or east toward the larger markets of central Eastmarch.

Briarhill

Briarhill stands on a broad rise between two streams near the southern edge of Eastmarch. Roads climb toward its central square from the surrounding fields, and much of the town overlooks the northern edge of Lunebrook.

The hill was inhabited long before the present town developed. Worked stone and older foundations still appear beneath some streets and buildings, though most have long since been absorbed into later construction.

A spring beneath the hill feeds the well near the center of town. Vaela'drin and Falha'drin communities once held seasonal observances around the spring, and some of the practices associated with those gatherings survived long after the settlement changed.

Moonbriar was cultivated around the spring and elsewhere on the hill during this earlier period. The plant became associated locally with twilight observances, remembrance, guidance, and dreams. Most of the original cultivation disappeared as Briarhill expanded, though a few old stands survive near springs and along parts of the older settlement boundary.

The customs surrounding the spring gradually developed into the modern Blooming Light Festival. Each spring, lanterns are hung throughout Briarhill and released after sunset using enclosed lights designed to reduce the risk of fire. Visitors arrive from nearby communities for several days of celebration, while druids from Lunebrook continue the old practice of blessing the water.

During the rest of the year, Briarhill serves the farms and villages of southern Eastmarch. Its position keeps it closely connected with Lunebrook, the central plains, and the routes leading toward the Greyspires.

Keldwick

West of Briarhill, the farmland rises toward the lower slopes of the Greyspires. Keldwick developed around mines that have been worked by generations of dwarves, humans, and halflings.

The settlement climbs the lower slopes above the main road, while the mines occupy the ground closer to the mountains. Mining and the trades needed to support it provide much of Keldwick's work.

Iron and silver account for most local production. Small Galarium deposits are occasionally uncovered and are separated from ordinary ore before being sent to specialists elsewhere in Vel'Nathar.

Mineral-rich streams descending from the Greyspires also support Stonewort around parts of the foothills. The plant is gathered locally and used in the preparation and testing of mineral samples.

Regular wagon traffic connects Keldwick with Briarhill and the surrounding farms. The road continues west toward Ridgeford, where the gentler foothills give way to the steeper country of the Greyspires.

Heart of the March

The central plains contain Eastmarch's largest concentration of farmland and settlements.

Cultivation follows the rivers and major roads, with grain occupying much of the open country. Villages and farmsteads break up the fields, while hedgerows and small patches of woodland keep the landscape from becoming one uninterrupted expanse of cultivated ground.

Averham is one of the principal agricultural markets of the central plains. Produce from surrounding farms is gathered there before continuing toward Valenford, Greyharbor, or the southern roads.

Numerous smaller villages support the countryside between the larger settlements. Many rarely appear on maps of Vel'Nathar, but together they account for a substantial share of the region's agricultural output.

The movement of goods makes the central plains one of the busiest parts of inland Vel'Nathar. Produce from Eastmarch travels alongside imports from the coast and goods brought down from the Greyspires and Northern Highlands.

Ironwake maintains interests along parts of this commercial network, particularly where cargo changes hands between inland routes and the larger markets.

Elmsworth and Silvermere

Elmsworth stands beside Silvermere, a broad freshwater lake surrounded by low hills.

The city is one of Eastmarch's principal centers of scholarship and is particularly known for the study of Vel'Nathar's natural environment.

Its best-known institution is the Academy of Natural Philosophy. Research there ranges across the living world and the physical landscape, with some work overlapping with druidic and arcane traditions where those fields intersect.

Students and researchers come from across Vel'Nathar. Starpath Seekers also occasionally exchange observations with Academy scholars when their travels uncover unusual natural or magical phenomena elsewhere on the island.

Every five years, Elmsworth hosts the Elmsworth Symposium. Researchers from across Vel'Nathar gather to share current work, and the event also attracts some visitors from elsewhere in Ethelra.

Valenford

Valenford stands on the River Valen where several major roads meet the river routes crossing central Eastmarch.

Its position has made it the region's largest inland trade center.

Goods from farms and smaller markets throughout Eastmarch pass through Valenford before continuing elsewhere on the island. River traffic is especially important, allowing cargo to move through the central plains without relying entirely on long wagon journeys.

The amount of trade also makes complete inspection difficult. Authorities monitor the principal quays and commercial areas, while smugglers make use of smaller landings outside the busiest parts of the city.

Valenford is particularly associated with the Feast of the Harvest Moon, held after the main autumn harvest. The markets expand for the occasion, new cider and wine are opened, and carved gourd lanterns appear throughout the city as residents gather to mark the end of the season.

An old regional tradition holds that Yssarel blessed the first sowing of Eastmarch. The story survives in local songs and in customs associated with the harvest.

Greyharbor

Greyharbor lies on Eastmarch's eastern coast where the cultivated plains meet the Sea of Winds.

The port is younger and smaller than Stormhaven but has developed into an important outlet for Eastmarch's trade. Much of what passes through Greyharbor comes directly from the farms and wooded country inland.

Its shipyards concentrate on vessels suited to fishing and coastal commerce. The Sea of Winds can produce sudden squalls, and local ships are built with those conditions in mind.

The coast beyond the harbor becomes more exposed, with smaller fishing communities occupying the safer stretches between rocky headlands.

Greyharbor is one of the principal centers of the Greyharbor Mariners' League, whose members cooperate on commercial standards and navigation while maintaining the expertise needed for longer voyages. The League can also help provide experienced ships and crews when the eastern coast requires defense.

For much of Eastmarch, Greyharbor provides a more direct route to overseas markets than carrying goods south to Stormhaven.

Mosswillow Wood and Willow Marsh

Northeast of the central plains, the cultivated countryside gives way gradually to woodland and wetlands.

Farms remain on the drier ground, though settlements become smaller as the roads approach Mosswillow Wood. Streams and wet hollows become increasingly common toward Willow Marsh.

Mosswillow Wood

Several established gnomish communities lie within Mosswillow Wood.

The largest is Ashcroft, where homes have been built among old woodland without clearing more of the surrounding trees than necessary. Some structures make use of existing slopes or large roots, and planted roofs help them blend naturally into the wooded landscape.

The communities of Mosswillow are known for careful horticulture and medicinal gardening. Generations of local experience allow growers to maintain plants that require more controlled conditions than the exposed central plains usually provide.

Their knowledge is practical and widely shared within the surrounding communities rather than treated as a mysterious property of the forest.

Willow Marsh

East of Mosswillow lies Willow Marsh.

Shallow waterways wind between reed beds and low wooded ground, with some routes navigable only by small boats. Nearby communities also maintain raised paths across sections of the wetland where the ground permits it.

The marsh supports a wide range of medicinal plants, and experienced local gatherers know where the less common species are likely to grow.

Seasonal flooding can alter familiar channels and footpaths. Outside the better-maintained crossings, local knowledge is often more useful than an old map.

Northern Vale and Foothills

Northern Eastmarch grows progressively rougher as the plains approach the Greyspires and the Northern Highlands.

Large fields become less common. Farms are smaller and more widely separated, while pasture and woodland occupy an increasing share of the higher ground.

Exposed stone appears more frequently toward the Greyspires. Farther north, rough grass and heather spread across the hills, with pine becoming more common on sheltered slopes.

The Waykeepers still travel these valleys, though patrols are less frequent as the settlements grow farther apart.

Harebrook is one of the older communities of the northern foothills and has a large halfling population. It is closely associated with the Battle of Nara Ford, fought centuries ago when an orc-led raiding force descended from the northern mountain country with support from hill giants and trolls.

Communities from the surrounding region gathered at the crossing and stopped the advance before it could move farther into Eastmarch.

Memorials near the ford commemorate those who fought there, and an annual remembrance is still observed in nearby settlements.

Aelen Vale

Aelen Vale lies beneath the Greyspires where the hills begin to rise sharply toward the mountains.

Orchards and vineyards occupy many of the lower slopes. Higher ground is given increasingly to pasture and woodland as the terrain becomes less suitable for intensive cultivation.

Older groves and standing stones remain scattered through the vale, while several natural springs still serve as gathering places during seasonal observances. Some of these traditions predate the communities that now maintain them.

Roads through Aelen Vale connect its settlements with the eastern Greyspire routes. The vale also provides supplies and lodging for travelers preparing to continue into the mountains.

Beyond it, cultivated land becomes increasingly scattered. Roads continue toward Eldarûn, Dun Mordain, and the valleys of the Northern Highlands.

Brighthollow

Brighthollow stands at the eastern foot of the Greyspires on the remains of an older elven settlement.

Parts of the earlier city have been incorporated into later construction. Ancient masonry survives within modern walls and foundations, while additional remains are sometimes uncovered during repairs or building work.

This has made Brighthollow an important center for the study of Vel'Nathar's early elven history. Scholars work with builders and local authorities to record structures and inscriptions as they are discovered.

The city is governed by an elected council and is also home to the Greenward Halls.

The Halls preserve records dealing with the natural and early settlement history of eastern Vel'Nathar. Their scholars maintain connections with druids in Lunebrook and with the gnomish communities of Mosswillow Wood.

The River Nara continues northeast from Brighthollow into the higher country. Roads following the same general corridor carry goods between the northern settlements and the larger markets farther south.