The Western Clash at a Glance

Major Value Conflict: Peace versus War.

Major Geographic Features: Forest and Wastelands.

Predominant Languages: Alpine, Bjoric, Foul Tongue, Riefellen, Strodi, Sylvan, Wild Tongue.

Kingdoms and Powers: Bjornsricket, Riefelter, Strødenheim.

Contents:

–           Introduction.

–           History.

–           Major Geographic Features

–           Settlements

–           The Road.

THE WESTERN CLASH

(As Related by Rue Heimstedt, Warrior Priestess of Volsh)

Do not let the name fool you, the Western Clash is actually quite calm.  It is not like the old days when the three kingdoms vied with each other for control of the island. Indeed, the founding of the Sunset Confederacy put an end to the wars that gave this island its name. Oh yes, the occasional skirmish does happen, but only very rarely, and nothing that would find its way into the histories. Even the monsters of the wastelands have been rather quiet for several generations, and the residents of the sylvan forest are content to keep others out of their homeland. The Faeries hardly steal any children from the villagers anymore. It has been 3 human generations since the Western Clash has seen true warfare. This is a peaceful land.

The Clash rests on the far western side of the Sunset Islands, rather near to the ice islands. Perhaps owing to the warring nations of the island’s past, the Western Clash has always seen a good number of foreigners. For a far-edge settlement, the island sees rather a lot of visitors. Many humans complete their trade by early fall and soon depart for warmer waters. Others will spend a winter on the island and sail out the following Spring.

History

The history of this land is no complex tale. In the days of yore when humans contested with one another for the pretense of rule, three separate kingdoms laid claim to this island, Bjornsricket, Riefelter and Strødenheim. They once fought a great battle on the western side of the island, and all of them lost.

The war between these kingdoms ceased 3 human generations past when all three kingdoms joined the Sunset Confederacy. Peace between them was of course a condition of joining, one that the sages of the Library Philosophic have enforced with great diligence. Each kingdom pulled its armies from the Western Clash, leaving behind a small port city. The cities of Pflorendrine and Klørnsby remain loyal to the kingdoms of Riefelter and Bjornricket, but the city of Rappakaliaden is now quite independent.

Okay, the kingdom of Strødenheim still claims it, but the folks from Rappakaliaden don’t usually claim Strødenheim.

Nowadays the humans are contained for the most part within the major cities and they mind their manners when traveling about the rest of the island.

It is an odd twist in the tale that none of these human kingdoms will trade with one another. This is of course the best that each kingdom can do to hurt its rival, though in truth the policy does little more than inconvenience their colonists on the Western Clash. As the ships from either kingdom will never be seen in the ports of the other, trade continues by another route, The Road of Clenched Teeth. This is the name given to the travel routes connecting each of the major human cities to one another.  It is an exceedingly dangerous road. What violence occurs in the Western Clash generally takes place somewhere along this route.

The real power on this island rests of course in the forests of the Faerie Fae, or perhaps with the dwarves under the earth. The round-eared fools are afraid to venture far from their own cities, so they never see enough to shake their confidence. As far as the humans know, they split control of the island between them, but even they know better than to act on their arrogance outside the walls of their own cities.

Notable Geographic Features

1          “Red Fish Lake” (The trait of this location is Red, at a power level of 2): For some reason the majority of the fish in this lake are red, even those that normally would not be.

2          “Roadside River” (Wandering 2): This river has 3 branches: the “North Fork,” the “South Fork” (which leads to “Red Fish Lake”) and the “The Southier Fork” which branches off to the south just to the west of Purdy’s Bride.

3          “The Wyrm Mountains” (Ancient, 3): Rumor has it that a Lindwurm lives in this mountain range, maybe two or three.

4          “The Lonely Peaks” (Solitary, 1): These two mountains are home to virtually no living creatures.

5          “The Northern Drainage” (Peace, 3): It is said that the river washes this region of the island clean. By most accounts, this refers to evils as well as garbage. The river has two forks: the “Left Fork” and the “Lefter Fork.”

6          “The Dwarven Range” (Stalwart, 2): This mountain range is obviously named for the presence of Grunder’s Hall. A few smaller settlements of dwarves can be found in and around these mountains.

7          “Pig Islet” (Solitary, 1): There are no pigs on this island. Rumor has it that an unlikable man once exiled himself to this tiny island.

8          “North Bay” and “North River” (Peace, 3): This bay and the river that feeds into it are both named simply for their location on the northern side of the island. The river has two forks; the “East Fork” and the Easter Fork.”

9          “It’s There.” (Peace, 1): This tiny islet is simply named “It’s there,” which it is. Nothing ever happens at this islet.

10        “Strøden’s Wall” (War, 3): These hills once provided an important defense for city of Rappakaliaden, effectly preventing dwarves and giants from joining their enemies in the great war.

11        “The Half Hills” (Nature, 2): These hills aren’t especially small, but they are divided into two halves. They are effectively known as the “Coastal Half” and the “Not So Coastal Half.”

12        “The Hills of Folly” (Tragic, 2): Legend has it that a number of parties have been lost in this mountain range. Nobody is quite sure why; they do not appear to be particularly foreboding.

13        “Piss Bucket Drainage” (Filthy, 1): This river is always filthy. Some say it’s because the wretched creatures use it as a sewage system. Actually, most everyone says that, because it’s probably true. Most definitely true.

14        “Blood River” (War, 2): This river has been known to flow red with blood. It even seems to happen when nobody outside the wastelands seems to know of anything violent happening upriver. The small fork feeding into it from the east is sometimes known as the “Puss River.” It really is best to leave that story alone.

15        “River of Tears” (Tragedy, 1): Suffice to say that this river is well named.

16        “Bay of Misery” (Tragedy, 1): This bay too is well named.

17        “Gassy River” (Filthy, 2): Yet another well-named feature of the wastelands.

18        “Milked River” (Nurturing. 1): No, there is no milk in the river. Never has been. The river is so named, because children in the region are known to starve. Folks took to saying the river had taken their mother’s milk. The northern fork of the river is sometimes called the “Curdled” fork of the river and the southern fork of the river is usually called the “spoiled” fork of the river.

19        “Normal River” (Peace, 1): There is nothing particularly unusual, gross, or outright evil about this river or its name, and that is the most disturbing thing about this river. Given its location, this perfectly lovely stream of water is surprisingly quite normal.

That is strange!

Oh yes, its forks are named the “boring” tributary (branching off to the north) and the “vanilla” tributary (to the south).

20        “The Southern River” (Peace, 6): This river runs slow. It is peaceful. Even during the great war, it seems to have seen little in the way of violence. The tributary branching off to the west is known as the “Anticlimactic River.” The branch that turns off to the east is known as the “Deletable Chapter.”

21        “The Bear River” (Imposing, 3): This river feeds into the city of Klørnsby. The branch of the river to the west is called the “East Bear” and the one to the east is known as the “Easter Bear.”

22        “The Lying River” (Craft, 2): This river is named for the pirates who settled at the rivers end.

23        “The Sword River” (War, 3): Nobody knows how this river got its name.

24        “The Grave River” (Grave, 4): This river is known for the orc village at its fork. The tributaries are known as the northern graveyard (to the south) and the Northier graveyard (to the north. You cannot find any graveyards by its banks, but some of the tree sages in this forest will tell you that the region is indeed a graveyard of sorts.

25        “The Enchanted River” (Enigmatic, 6): Wiards and sorcerers are often drawn to this river.

26        “Gnome River” (Mirthful, 4): Gnomes live along this river. Their dwellings extend well into the forest, mixing with the elves. The tributaries are named the “North Gnome” and the “South Gnome.” For some reason, people on this island consider this an odd way of talking about them.

27        “Cat River” (Fair, 3): For unknown reasons, a number of feral cats live along this river. They aren’t everywhere, but there are far more of them than one would normally find in a forest. Yes, they come in all the varieties known to domesticated cats.

28        “The Traveling River” (Wandering, 2): this river is deep and exceedingly gentle, making it quite amenable to boating. People travel on the river as often as they do the road beside it.

29        “The River of Death” (War, 10): While sentient creatures typically experience no extra conflict, they will often see signs of conflict among the animal kingdom along this river. River otters have been known to rage turf wars along its banks, ants engage in terrible battles with one another, and other creatures just seem more territorial than usual along the banks of this river.

30        “The Vegan River” (Peace, 2): For some reason, the elves living along this river have all sworn off the consumption of meat and other animal products.

31        “The Nameless River” (Enigmatic, 1): Just a basic river flowing through the tundra.

32        “Turnup River” (Nurturing, 1): This river is named for the abundance of wild root vegetables found near its banks. For some reason, locals have never come to distinguish its tributaries from one another.

33        “Useless Islet” (Austerity, 2): The island was named by settlers from Riefelter who always seemed to find their plans for its use frustrated.

34        “Islet of Spiders” (Industrious, 3): This little island is known for the many spiders known to dwell upon it (about 3 times as many as one would normally find for the area).

35        “The Blasted Stones” (War, 13): Legend has it that great gods fought upon this islet at sometime in the past. One can see evidence of their marks upon the land, but nobody knows what happened or what gods may have been involved.

36        “The Rock of Truce” (Peace, 4): The great war ended with a treaty negotiated here.

37        “The Isle of Beauty” (Art, 3): A small community of Tsidatsiti is known to live on this island. It is otherwise known for the frequency with which natural elements of the island seem to create beauty.

38        “The Islet of Disappointment” (Tragedy, 1): Someone once discovered a few nuggets of gold on this island. Years of efforts to mine the small stretch of land have discovered a few more. The Dwarves of Grunder’s Hall regard the island as a particularly horrible waste of time and effort.

39        “Miggy’s Stop” (Science, 2): Nobody remembers who “Miggy” was or why the islet bears his or her name.

40        “Massacre Islet” (War, 2): It is said that pirates once slaughtered the survivors of a shipwreck on this island. Those living in Thieves Harbor deny this of course. Most will tell you the pirates spared at least 1 person.

41        “The Jump” (Wandering, 1): This island is named “The Jump” as it is the last piece of land many see when sailing away from the Western Clash.

42        “Maeph Island” (Vibrant, 3): This islet is known for the number of waggamaephs that travel about it.

43        “Familiar Islet” (Sociable, 4): This islet is known to be home to a number of mascots. It is often visited by wizards looking for Familiars.

44        “The Ravens” (Black, 1): Nobody remembers why these two islands are called “The Ravens,” but they are. For the sake of specificity, they are sometimes called the “Top Raven” and the “Topper Raven.”

Current Settlements

Cave of the Leftward Dragon (Enigmatic, 15): Long before the humans came to this island it is said that a great white dragon made this his lair. The cavern takes its name from the crippled nature of the old wyrm, a weak left wing, as it were, a defect which could apparently be seen in its flight. The old wyrm always seem to fly in circles, so we are told. Nobody has seen him in a dozen human generations, but I’ll wager the old beast is still sleeping up there now, lying somewhere deep in that mountain, just waiting for some fool to wake him.

The City of the Dead (Death 6): This is the site of a ancient port. At its peak, the city had a population of about 2,000-3,000. It appears that roughly half the population died within the space of a single winter. Nobody today knows why.

The City Off the Floor (Fair, 12): This is a large city with a population of 5,000-8,000) elves and roughly 1,000 related kindreds. The vast majority of the homes in this city are up in the trees.

Crossroads Inn (Mirthful, 2): This is a small inn located at the crossroads between the three different branches of the Road of Clenched Teeth.

Elf-Sushie Hollow (War, 7): This is a small village of orcs and Hobgoblins, boasting a population of no more than 500. Its name is a terrible joke, told in the tongue of a terrible people, but it is not without truth. Another truth that could be told about Elf-Sushie Hollow is that the greatest war leaders of the Western Clash have consistently come from this village. There are larger settlements among the wretched creatures of the wasteland, but we do not keep track of them. None have more impact than the leaders of Elf-Sushi Hollow.

The Fairie Fey (Nature, 9): These stretches of forest land are filled with sprites of all kinds, filling the forest with great magical powers. With the exception of the city off the floor, most of the residents in this region do not have permanent dwellings. Humans and other more civilized kindreds are not welcome in these forests, though punishment for intrusion depends a great deal on the will of those catching an intruder. My own kindred, the elves, will most likely escort unwelcome guests to the birder, but the faeries are at least as likely to make an example of them.

Most regard the northern Fairie Fey as the greater source of power between them.

I grew up on the western edge of the Greater Fairie Fey.  I know little of its interior. What little I know beyond that whichh I have written above is not for human eyes to read. Most folk with any sense will leave this region alone. You, my reader, had best do the same.

The Gnome Warrens (Mirthful, 8): Gnomes are mysterious folk. Most would say that about a thousand gnomes live in the small hills along this coast. Most would also say it is best to leave them alone. It is not that the Gnomes have any great armies, but so much magic in one place is always a cause for concern.

Grunder’s Hall (Protection, 6): This is a community of dwarves numbering roughly 3,000 strong. They keep to themselves mostly, emerging only to trade weapons and other iron works with the city of Rappakaliaden or the Port of Giants. It is often rumored that this keep contains an entrance to the Great Dungeon, but there is little evidence of that. The Dwarves in this mountain certainly show no signs of access to it.

The Halfling Half-Mile (Peace, 3): This peninsula is of course far larger than a half mile wide, and it is home to a sprawling population of halflings. Most would number its population at about 5,000, almost all of them farmers. What contact these folks have with the outside world is for the most part limited to their human neighbors in the city Klørnsby, which the Halflings also look to for protection. They also do extensive trade with merchants traveling up the Road of Clenched Teeth.

Klørnsby (Great 3): This is a port city belonging to the kingdom of Bjornricket. It has about 5,000 full time residents, but it always has about 500 to 1,200 visitors.

Land of the Deer Keepers (Nurturing, 4): Time was when the Western Clash was home to a number of peoples given to herding reindeer. Now, they just reside in the northeastern side of the island, a bit north of the city of Pflorendrine. There might be about a thousand of them left; others of their kind have moved into the larger human settlements. A few have joined the elves in the Faerie Fae. The other Kingdoms have claimed the rest of their old deer-herding territories and the wild herds of caribou have declined of late.

Mud and Sorry (Death, 2): This village of mixed wretched creatures has been sacked many times by other wretched creatures of the region. Survivors are always joined by other wretched creatures to rebuild. Still, the community has seen more than its share of violent deaths, even for a village of wretches.

The Overkill (Death, 5): This is the site of a great battle between the kingdoms of and Bjornricket, Riefelter, and Strødenheim. A few of the great leaders were given some sort of burial. A few hundred bodies were placed in a mass grave, but the majority of the dead were left where they had fallen. To say that the site is haunted would be putting it mildly. Nobody goes here anymore.

Nobody!

Pflorendrine (Civilization, 3): The city of Pflorendrine is loyal to the Kingdom of Riefelter. Its population is about 7,000 strong with another 3,000 living in the hinterlands. The colony of Pflorendrine is capable of fielding just 4,000 spears in times of war. The colony falls under two rulers; Lord’s Methgar and Hroth Bilgen. Lord Methgar is a powerful merchant who handles all matters of trade and the management of infrastructure. Hroth Bilgen enforces the law and maintains a small force of warriors dedicated to the safety of the colony. In times of war, it is Hroth Bilgen who will manage the local armies of Pflorendrine.

The city of Pflorendrine imports large quantities of iron, some from its home kingdom and others from the Dwarves in Grunder’s Hall. Not surprisingly, Riefelter manufactures a great variety of weapons and tools. Its finest weapons are of course imported from Grunder’s Hall. The people of Pflorendrine have never had sufficient cloth. All attempts to establish sheep herds have been thwarted by orc raids from the Wasted Flats. Plenty of grains are grown in the hinterlands around this city, but what garden vegetables they wish to eat will generally come to them from the Halfling Half-Mile.

Port of Giants (Respect, 7): This is a colony of Sea Giants and a few related kin. It is about 400 strong (more when ships are in harbor). They do little to disturb others, and few would be so foolish as to disturb them.

Purdy’s Bridge (Industrious, 2): This is simply a bridge enabling folks traveling the Road of Clenched Teeth to cross a river.

Rappakaliaden (Freedom, 5): This is an independent port city formed from the remnants of Strødenheim’s colonial army. Its permanent residents number close to 4,000, about half of whom claim descent from Strødenheim. The other half of the permanent residents of the city came to it from someplace else entirely. The city always has at least 1,000 visitors from various kingdoms throughout the Sunset Islands, and occasionally from lands still further distant. While some residents are still loyal to the kingdom of Strødenheim, others abandoned their loyalty at the end of the great war. Still others came to reside in the city from different regions altogether, giving the city a tremendous variety of cultural influences. Life in Rappakaliaden can  be quite chaotic, but many of its residents cherish their independence and take great pride in their home.

Screamalot (Cruelty, 5): This is a large community of various wretched creatures (orcs, bugbears, goblins, hobgoblins, and kobalds). The most notable thing about this location is the fact that other wretched creatures consider their treatment of prisoners to be exceptionally cruel.

Screaming Lunch City (Cruelty, 4): This is a large city of about 3,000-5,000 orcs and related wretched creatures. It is also the source of a great number of half-orcs, many of which are thought to be the offspring of human slaves. By most accounts, the city has far more slaves than one could attribute to limited raiding of recent years. What sustains the volume of slaves held in this village remains the subject of much speculation.

Sour Note Village (Art, 2): This is an orc village (about 1,000 strong) known to produce a bard or two. Nobody outside the wastelands would be impressed by their music, but they do seem to be musicians. Others have noted that the leaders of this community have elevated cruelty to an art form. On that score, the orcs of this village are indeed artists.

The Skraeling Islet (Enigmatic, 3): It is said that folks from the Ice islands camp here from time to time. No-one knows why, and none have approached them to ask. Colonists from the Turtle Island tell terrible tales of thee strange men. I fear their interest in the Western Clash will prove a great challenge to us one day.

Thieves Cove (Cunning 3): Pirate ships have been known to drop anchor in this harbor. They are always careful to avoid conflict with any of the major settlements on the island. Rumor has it that they actively trade with elements of the Fairie Fey and perhaps the city of Klørnsby. The possibility that they may be trading with the orcs of Your Grave village seems implausible, and yet somehow also quite likely.

Valley of the Łigen (Peace 6): This entire valley is filled with Łigen, most of which are gathered into small communities of about 100 adults each. No-one knows how many live there, nor anything else about their resources or interests. They will engage in active relations with the city of Rappakaliaden as well as the dwarves in Grunder’s Hall, and of course they are happy to trade with any merchants traveling up the Road of Clenched Teeth. The Łigen community is widely regarded as a force for peace throughout the island.

The Wasted Flats (War, 4): This region is full of various small villages inhabited by orcs, kobalds, and other wretched kindreds. As these wretched creatures have brought little conflict to the rest of the island since the great war, they fight continuously among themselves, and they have never stopped preparing for a larger conflict.

The northern section of the wastelands is generally regarded as the weaker section of the wastelands while the southern part is considered stronger. Whether or not this is an accurate appraisal remains to be seen. Rumor has it an opening to the Great Caverns lies somewhere in these wastelands, whether it be in the lesser flats or the greater flats. For myself, I do not believe it.

The Wilding Marsh (Filthy, 3): Solid ground is scarce on this valley. Three separate villages of Vek call its southern edge home and centaurs dwell at its northern edges, but inside the marsh itself, one mostly finds lizardmen and Mushroom People. Nobody knows many souls occupy the marshes and their perimeter.

Your Grave (Peace, 3): This village is comprised of a number of wretched creatures. It is quite obviously out of place, well away from the wastelands and deep inside territory that should belong to the Fairie Fey, and would, if it were covered in more trees. Strangely, the Inhabitants of this small community do little to molest those around them. Since the end of the great war, a few would-be heroes have led expeditionary forces against this community. None have returned, neither humans nor elves. The village is clearly quite capable of violence, but they do not seem eager to instigate it.

I will say that I find the effort to make war on Your Grave to be quite foolish. While its inhabitants do not seem to take prisoners, and clearly they have no love for the fair kindreds, they have never been known to take part in any wars or raids on anyone else. If that village is a bear of sorts, it is a bear we should not be poking with a stick.

Your Mother (Violence, 3): This is an orc village of around 1,200 with about 500 related kindreds living in and around it. It is said that some of the wretches living in this village trade peaceably with the Inns along the South Bite Road, but of course they (and the inn keepers) are always discrete about it.

The Road of Clenched Teeth

To hear the locals talk, the Island has but one major road, but anyone looking at the map will most likely say that there are in fact three of them. As the point of the road is to connect the three major human settlements, the local perspective makes sense, but of course, there are in fact three different segments of this road system, all of which converge on the Crossroads Inn. The segment of the road proceeding from the inn to the south and the city of Klørnsby is known as the “Southern Bite.” The road proceeding to the east and the city of Pflorendrine is known as the “Eastern Bite.” The road proceeding north to the city of Rappakaliaden is known as the “Northern Bite.”

If one looks hard one can find the remain of an old road passing to the west, leading up to the “City of the Dead.” The road is overgrown with vegetation. It is quite impassible at this point. Nothing can be gained from traveling along it.

A: Grandpappy Happy’s Inn. Grandpappy Hapswitch, known as “Happy” operates under the protection of Klørnsby. His runs a small inn. His only staff are his two young sons and his wife.

B: Egil’s Stables. Egil Hammarson runs a comfortable inn. He has no family, but he employs 6-10 employees, at least 4 of which will be capabe fighters. Egil himself is known for his skill with a crossbow. He is also an accomplished breeder of horses, keeping upwards of 2 dozen horses at his inn at all times.

C: Halfdan’s Keep. A small operation run by Halfdan, his wife, three young sons and one teenage daughter. Halfdan typically employs 3-5 assistants, at least two of which will know how to fight. Halfdan is known to serve the best alcoholic refreshments on the island. Whether it be an ale or a brandy, Halfdan’s stock is the best to be had. Halfdan carries a great axe which is rumored to carry a powerful enchantment.

D: Hrolf’s Bend. Hrolf’s great grandson (Ulfre Thurmisgaard) runs this operation. It is the largest of the roadside inns along the Road of Clenched Teeth. Ulfre’s brother and his cousin Hamli and his wife Gretchen serve as the resident cooks. Hrolf employs 8 regular servants and 6 guards. Rumor has it that Hrolf’s Bend generates insufficient profit to keep going, surviving on the basis of its namesake, Hrolf, a pioneer who blazed the trail which would become the road itself.

E: Arn’s Place. Arn is perhaps the strongest warrior in the Weeping Way. A former explorer, and self-admitted plunderer, Arn built a small inn along the road where he now spends his retirement. Arn’s wife is an accomplished seamstress, but she is best known for the beauty of her voice. Both of Arn’s sons are accomplished warriors with wives of their own. Sneli has three boys and one girl. Garrick has two daughters. Arn’s daughter, Fria, is a well known healer with magical powers well known throughout the Road of Clenched Teeth.

© Daniel S. Wall, April, 4, 2026.