The Abos Valley is in an age of transition. Cultists search for souls to sacrifice to their unfeeling machine god, goblin bands frisk innocent travelers for gold and magic items at the behest of The Giant Lords in the north, and trains haul carloads of adventurers to the town of Crust.
As one of these adventurers it is up to you: Will you join the forces of chaos? Or will you bring order to this new world? How will you be remembered? What legacy will you leave behind?
The Abos Valley is a swath of heretofore unmapped and untapped wilderness. This has not stopped mortals from attempting to settle it, and with the invention of the steam locomotive and gunsmithing the valley is ripe for conquest. Several factions vie for control: The Brotherhood of Abos, a recently-turned-violent cult that worships the ancient colossus who wanders the valley; the Rats with Hats, a criminal organization made of goblinoids who work for the Giant Lords in the north; The Abos Valley Regulators, a group of rangers, monks, fighters, and paladins who seek to strike a balance between the chaos of nature and the order of civilization; and the University of Ruinwatch, a collection of colleges from Ruinwatch, who are interested in the valley for its history and magical properties.
Most adventures begin in the town of Crust, where adventurers fresh off the train find work with the factions or for the town itself. There’s a lot to do! Ancient and powerful magic items need finding, goblin dens need routing, alchemical reagents need gathering, and names need making. As more time is spent in and around Crust, the town will expand with amenities that the characters might want for their adventures: new shops, advanced blacksmithing, and maybe even helpful spellcasters. Crust invites you to forge your legacy. For what will your name be known throughout the land?
The environment in the Abos Valley is mostly forested. The lowlands, near the Abos River, is composed mostly of deciduous trees like maple, oak, and alder. The further north and south one goes (and therefore the higher in elevation one gets) the more coniferous the forest becomes, boasting a panoply of cedar, pine, and fir. Crust is the only town in the valley with a train station, so many of the goods produced in towns like New Wyrheim and Tremul are funneled east. The Abos Valley produces many raw materials needed by the bigger cities across the world like Fallingstune and Songchoi. The most valuable of these raw materials is calcified aether, an impossibly dense magical metal that was formed during the Fracture. Wagons carry the stuff from the foothills of the valley along hastily-built roads towards Crust, making them easy prey for Rats with Hats.
