Vaelthar
| Vaelthar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Spirit | Vaelora |
| Inhabitants | Vey'Lora • Torinok |
| Significance | A realm of movement and freedom • where the land and wind exist in perfect harmony. |
Vaelthar, the Realm of Rolling Meadows, is an endless expanse of golden grasslands and open skies, where the wind never ceases, and the land is in constant motion. Created by Vaelora, the spirit of grass and meadows, Vaelthar is a realm of gentle, ceaseless movement, where nothing is permanent, and every path is open. The plains ripple like an ocean beneath the wind’s touch, shaping the land in an eternal dance between earth and air.
Geography
Vaelthar’s terrain is one of fluid stability, where the land stretches in endless rolling fields, broken only by pockets of woodlands and rising meadows that touch the sky. There are no towering mountains, only gentle highlands where the air is thin, and the flowers bloom in untamed abundance. The wind sculpts the land into an ever-shifting canvas, weaving patterns through the grass and scattering golden pollen across the fields.
The realm is defined by its distinct regions, each shaped by the breath of Vaelora:
- The Endless Plains – The heart of Vaelthar, an unbroken sea of golden grasses swaying in endless motion, shaped by the ceaseless wind.
- The Whispering Groves – Scattered clusters of trees, where the wind hums through ancient branches, resonating like a distant song.
- The Golden Drift – A vast stretch of alpine wildflower meadows, where the land is covered in shimmering pollen. As the wind rises, the pollen lifts into the air, creating a golden haze that lingers over the plains. During certain times, the entire sky glows with drifting motes, turning the landscape into an ethereal, dreamlike expanse.
- The Wandering Streams – Thin, winding rivers that never follow the same path for long, shifting with the earth and carving new routes through the plains.
Climate
Vaelthar exits in a perfect equilibrium of warmth and renewal. The wind is ever-present, a constant but gentle force, shaping both the land and those who walk upon it. The air is filled with the scent of wildflowers, sun-warmed grass, and the distant promise of rain.
While storms occasionally roll across the plains, they do not bring destruction—only renewal. Rain falls softly, nourishing the land, while the wind disperses it in shimmering veils across the meadows. The sky is always vast, ever-changing, but never hostile.
Inhabitants
Though unsettled and untamed, Vaelthar is home to those who embrace freedom and movement above all else.
- The Vey’Lora, the nomadic Windborne, roam Vaelthar with no permanent homes, following the will of Vaelora. They believe that to stand still is to die, and only through constant movement can one truly live.
- The Torinok, in contrast, are a people of stone and permanence, seeking to anchor themselves against the wind. They construct great fortresses, standing in defiance of Vaelora’s shifting paths—a philosophy that often puts them in direct conflict with the Vey’Lora.
Despite these differences, both peoples are shaped by the plains, their lives dictated by the ceaseless movement of wind and earth.
Mythology and legends
Vaelthar is steeped in stories, many of which speak of the wind’s eternal memory and the unseen paths it carves through the world.
- The Wind’s Embrace – It is said that Vaelora welcomes all who enter Vaelthar, but those who fear movement and change will never find their way out.
- The Song of the Plains – Legends claim that the winds of Vaelthar carry echoes of the past, allowing those who listen carefully to hear lost voices carried on the breeze.
- The Dance of the Golden Drift – During the pollen blooms, some claim to see Vaelora herself dancing in the fields, wrapped in golden light.