Camps
The Barrier made a prison; the prisoners made a society. Three great camps and a scattering of outcasts divide the Valley between them - each with its own law, its own guilds, and its own price of entry.
Iron law under the Old Camp barons. The largest camp in the Mining Valley. Held by ore-baron Gomez and his Heavy Mercenaries, the Old Camp trades magic ore to the King in exchange for survival supplies. Joining means swearing fealty to the barons and pulling a guard shift on the walls.
The free miners who broke the King's monopoly. A breakaway settlement founded by Lee, ex-King's General. The New Camp mines its own ore and the Water Mages hoard it for a magic ritual to break the Barrier. Soldiers guard the camp; Org Mercenaries patrol the road.
The Sleeper's faithful in the wet south. A cult settlement deep in the swamps, devoted to the Sleeper. The Gurus brew swamp-weed and worship; Templars enforce silence. They want the Barrier to fall by waking their god - not by destroying it.
The depleted mine the barons abandoned. The first mine - drained of ore and overrun by Minecrawlers. Still home to old prisoners and forgotten outposts. The deeper levels hide much older secrets.
Where the New Camp pulls its ore. The independent mine the New Camp diggers work outside the Old Camp's reach. Guarded by Org Mercenaries; raided by Old Camp Guards.
One banner, and the rest close
Joining a camp
Three powers vie for the valley: the Old Camp, the New Camp, and the Swamp Camp of the Brotherhood of the Sleeper. You are free to court all three at once and carry each admission line as far as it will go. The moment you commit to one, though, the doors of the other two swing shut for that run. Each has a first face you must win over to begin: Thorus opens the way into the Old Camp, Lares into the New Camp, and Lester into the Swamp Camp.
Guilds
Free workers and traders inside the camps. No formal weapons training, often armed with clubs and short blades.
Old Camp watch-guards. The first line at the camp gate.
Initiates of the Sleeper's cult in the Swamp Camp. Wear simple robes and serve the Gurus.
Free-camp mercenaries paid in ore. Independent contractors who guard the New Camp's road.
Templars - armoured guardians of the Sleeper's temple in the Swamp Camp.
King's-trained warriors, mostly serving the New Camp under Lee. Disciplined and well-armored.
Farmers, cooks, and ore-handlers inside the camps. Unarmed and unranked.
Bandits - outlaws who refuse all three camps and prey on travelers.
Shadows - Old Camp scavenger crew, the diggers' muscle.
Scrapers - diggers scratching ore in the Free Mine.
Gurus - high-tier monks of the Sleeper's cult, masters of runes and swamp-rituals.
Water Mage guild members in the Mining Valley.
The Magicians of Fire - Innos's order - sheltered in the Old Camp inside the Castle. They study the runes that bind the Barrier.
The Ore Barons of the Old Camp. They hold the camp and the ore trade. Wear heavy armor; field one- and two-handed steel.
Old Camp residents guild members in the Mining Valley.
Swamp Camp residents guild members in the Mining Valley.
Old Camp residents guild members in the Mining Valley.
Swamp Camp residents guild members in the Mining Valley.