The Four-Fold World - The Vale of Woe and the Duke's Court

The Vale of Woe is the name of the long, narrow twisty canyon that rises from the floor of the Bear's Valley all the way to the Court of the Ogre Duke.  Since it is the main way ogres get down to the valley floor it once had a sturdy wooden wall across its Bears Valley end. Many years ago a mighty giant led an invasion of ogres down into the Valley and the wall was destroyed.  After a great struggle the giant was slain by Old Bear and his ogres were driven back.  All that remains of the giant is his bare skull, roughly 20 feet across, which is tightly wedged in the walls of the Vale facing the Valley.   The skull is far enough up the Vale that it cannot be seen from the Valley.  The rest of the giant's bones are long gone.  You have to pass under the mighty skull to proceed up the Vale.  The Vale is narrow and dark, barely wide enough for an ogre to touch both walls with his arms out stretched (roughly 16 feet in width).  All along the Vale stakes have been erected.  At the end closer to the Valley the stakes hold the skulls of dead ogres.  Further up the valley the ogre skulls are replaced by human remains.  Under foot the path is strewn with the grisly remains of the ongoing struggle between the ogres and humans.

At the end of the Vale is a large bowl shaped clearing known as the Court of the Crimson Duke.  Here on a sturdy throne of the rough-chiseled stone blocks sits the Ogre Duke.  The Duke is the biggest, toughest and meanest of his kind and rules with an iron fist.  Behind him in the wall of the Vale is the only reason why humans have any peaceful dealings with the Duke at all.  The reason?  An enormous chunk of obsidian embedded in the wall.

Created September 10, 2012.  Last updated September 10, 2012