Radiant valley history
Deep within the mountains of Appalachia, a consortium of mages known only as the Manhattan Council assembled a small settlement to conduct secret magical experiments of the extremely dangerous variety. After years of magical experimentation, their practices became well known to other kingdoms, and courageous adventurers came to settle the area looking to find and control the mages. The council was never found, but legends and artifacts prove their existence. Hundreds of years passed since the rumors of the Council first emerged. Eventually, settlers came to the area looking for a safe, new place to live. By this time, the tales of deep magic had faded into legend.
The first group of settlers to the area were led by Kalidor and Snicker, forming their home in the Mystic Glade. The Gladers, as they came to be known, wasted no time creating a stable and safe haven for civilized man against the wilds of the mountainous unknown. As time went on, leadership was passed to Gilan and Shalazar, ruthless war-leaders that would transform the Glade into a tough group of fighers. With this, no power could topple the Glade. Mystic Glade remains to this day a group of highly skilled warriors that form the protective backbone of the area.
As the Glade grew larger, a group of dissenters—led by Wolf—came together to topple the rigid and unwavering leadership they found themselves under. Finding no other choice, they left the area, settling nearby in the domain of the Sleeping Dragon, a land of great magical potency, thus creating a division in population as well as tensions between who would control the land. As the two states grew in power and in population, fighting broke out between them with no clear winner taking the lead. Mystic Glade may have had an elite fighting corps., but the forces of the Sleeping Dragon were more magically charged and just as fierce. Many battles took place in both lands, ravaging the countryside and destroying precious lands.
In time, a third group of settlers became tired of the constant warfare between the two states. Hearing legends of the Manhattan Council, the group split away to search for the forgotten mages. Gimpy and his crew surveyed the area, finally settling in a quiet, Radiant Valley. They spent many months searching for the fabled mages, but found no trace of them. One thing was certain, however. The lands were rich and bountiful. Magic seemed to be sewn into every inch of soil, yet it was completely incapable of being harnessed. The lands were easy to tend and never felt drought. Creatures resided aplenty, and the terrain had a way of being exactly what the residents needed of it. It was no wonder that the Radiant Valley became a refuge for those who would have nothing to do with the war terrorizing the area.
Eventually, Mystic Glade devised a clever plan to undermine the Sleeping Dragon, and would effectively wipe them off the map in one viscious blow. The remainder of the Dragon’s forces came to the Radiant Valley with intentions of peace. Having no qualms with each other, Radiant Valley and Mystic Glade began expanding hand-in-hand, finding other nearby tribes and settlements to deal with, creating the Central Eastern Alliance. Seeing the alliance’s potential, the Southern kingdom of Neverwinter came to the alliance with a proposition. This was the formation of the Principality of Winter's Edge under the supervision and sponsorship of Neverwinter.
The Manhattan Council is said to be long removed from the area, but rumours still circulate from time to time claiming that they are simply hiding underground, waiting to unleash their deadly magic upon the world.
-Story as told by Darth Squinty Footlong
