Valdessa

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File:Mercatia-valdessa.jpg

Overview

Valdessa (Darktongue \ˌvɑlˈdɛsə\ is named for Dark Age member of House Viridian who reclaimed the island from competing Great Houses of Mercatia. Lore about Valdessa is common and accurate. It is heavily settled, well mapped, and studied by scholars and historians.

History

In the early Shattered Age, this island was known as Kvitrstrond (Nortongue \ˈkʰvi:tɜrˌstrɔnd\ for white shore). In the Imperial days of the Shattered Age, this island became known as Litorgentia (Imperial, \ˌlɪtɔrˈʤɛntiə\ for silver shore). There have been efforts in the Dawn Age to officially rename the island Silvershore ([Commontongue]]), but not have yet succeeded.

Populations

Valdessa has a population of 61800, across 1 city, 1 town, and 3 villages.

• Bellaverdis (Imperial \ˈbɛləˌvɜrdɪs\ for beautiful green) is the largest city on Valdessa, with a population of 55000. It is the seat of power for House Viridia. It is on the northern shores of Collivarden, a northern peninsula with roughly 2500 square miles of lush pasture and farmland. The beaches of the peninsula have a famously white sand. Bellaverdis is famous for its expansive libraries.
• Stuncora (Dawntongue \ˈstɨnˌkora\ for stone boat) is a medium sized town on Valdessa, with a population of 5000. It has some amount of river fishing from the Sungealbastru, but is primarily a mining town. It is nestled on the western face of Stonehollow Ridge, a hill ridge on the southern half of the island. The hills are rich with quarries for building stone and mines for common and precious metals.
• Lacustreni (Dawntongue \ˈlækjuˌstrɛni\ for place of the lake) is a small village on Valdessa, with a population of 450. It is mainly known for lake fishing and transporting supplies between Bellaverdis and Stuncora. It is located on the large central lake of Lacul Mare.
• Frasinei (Dawntongue \ˈfræsɪnˌeɪhi\ for ash tree) is a small village on Valdessa, with a population of 600. It is situated on the edge of a forest and is most famous for its lumber industry. It is also close enough to the eastern coast to have a fishing industry as well.
• Oreport (Commontongue) is a small shipping village on the southwest coast of Valdessa, with a population of 750. It is primarily known for fishing and transporting minerals from Stuncora to the sea.

High quality roads connect all of the settlements.

• The Greenway: This is the main road. It starts on the east side of Bellaverdis in the north and ends at Oreport in the south. It has four main segments.
  • Verdalane: Runs along the east coast of Collivarden from Bellaverdis to Frasinei.
  • Clarispan: Runs through Codrul Frasin and crosses Ruel Claris with a very large bridge, connecting Frasinei and Lacustreni.
  • Waterrun: Runs along the west shores of Lacul Mare and Ruel Sungulbastru between Lacustreni and Stuncora.
  • Stonetrace: Runs along the west side of Stonehollow Ridge between Stuncora and Oreport.

Geography

• Collivarden (Dawntongue \ˈkɑləˌvɑrdən\ for green hill): Northern peninsula of lush pasture and farmland, roughly 2500 square miles
• Codrul Frasin (Dawntongue \ˈkoʊdrəl ˈfræsɪn\ash wood for {{{4}}}): Eastern forest near Frasinei
• Lacul Mare (Dawntongue \ˈlækjul ˈmɑreɪ\ for great lake): Large central lake next to Lacustreni
• Ruel Claris (Dawntongue \ˈruəl\ for clear river): River flowing from Lacul Mare to the Amethyst Harbor
• Codrulutsa (Dawntongue \ˈkoʊdrʌlˌutsə\ for little wood): Smaller, western wood on the coast of Lacul Mare
• Ruel Sungulbastru (Dawntongue \ˈruəl ˌsɨŋɨlˈbæstru\ for river of blue blood): Spring river that comes from Stonehollow Ridge and leads to Lacul Mare
• Bitterrush (Commontongue): Southeastern marshland named for bitter reeds and dark water
• Stonehollow Ridge (Commontongue): Large southern hilly ridge rich with stone quarries and ore mines
• Maplegleam Copse (Commontongue): A small light wood in the southern tip of Stonehollow Ridge
• Skarnholm (Nortongue \ˈskɑrnhoʊm\ for iron home): Minor island off the southwest coast with steep cliffs and tern nests
• Eldrlysa (Nortongue \ˈɛldərˌlɪsə\ for fire light): Minor island off the southwest coast that was used to signal pirate fleets in the Shattered Age
• Shkurtaj (Darktongue \ˈʃkərtɑʒ\ for isolated): Minor island off the northwest coast with jagged coast, dense forest, and cursed reputation
• Mystrion Meizon (Elftongue ˈmɪstriˌɑn ˈmeɪzɑn for major mist land) and Mystrion Meion (Elftongue ˈmɪstriˌɑn ˈmeɪjɑn for minor mist land): Minor islands off the east coast, rarely visited and shrouded in mist

Economy

The island is owned by House Viridian and is the seat of their power. It is rich with a variety of resources and the center of large amounts of trade.