Author's Notes
Ardenvale
Ardenvale is a mix of two concepts:
- Friendly giants and halflings living together. Different in body, similar in spirit, complementing each other. This is an idea I've been carrying around for decades, and which I finally found a place to plant.
- A friendly, comfortable nation, yet kind of "the eye of a storm". They are surrounded by conflict, and their peace, and very freedom, balances on their ability to deliver grain to the Empire. As cozy as it seems, it faces very real danger, something which they may not know the full extent of.
They also face moral implication of choosing to deliver food to Caerduin, risking war with the Empire, or playing it safe, dooming Caerduin to starvation.
Ardenvale is my Shire, but with shadows looming over it. It's a nice place on the surface, but the ship is leaking.