22/06/2026
Part One: Caer Vhalen - The Fortress of the Last Watch
The people of Aurelorn often say that no one truly arrives at Caer Vhalen for the first time. Long before travellers glimpse its walls, they feel its presence.
The fortress dominates the western reaches of the Greyveil Marches, a vast realm of mist-shrouded valleys, dark forests, isolated villages and rugged mountain passes. Built atop the towering Cliffs of Vhalen, the citadel has watched over the kingdom for more than a thousand years, standing against dangers that most citizens know only through stories and fading songs.
From the battlements shown here, the fortress appears almost impossibly large. Countless towers, bridges and curtain walls cling to the mountain itself, forming a city-fortress unlike any other in Aurelorn. Its highest spires disappear into the twilight sky while its foundations descend deep into the living rock beneath the cliffs.
Yet Caer Vhalen was never built as a monument to wealth or power.
It was built as a warning.
Centuries ago, during a period known as the Long Shadow Wars, strange armies emerged from the northern highlands and swept across the realm. Kingdoms vanished. Trade roads disappeared. Entire valleys were abandoned. Though the invaders were eventually defeated, the rulers of Aurelorn swore that the realm would never again be caught unprepared.
Thus Caer Vhalen became the heart of the kingdom’s defence network.
Signal towers, ranger lodges, monasteries and frontier outposts were established throughout the Greyveil Marches. Every road, pass and valley ultimately reports to the fortress. Even today, the beacon fires atop its towers are maintained without interruption.
Beyond the walls lie many places that travellers may one day visit. The remote Ranger Frontier guards the great forests to the south. The sacred Pilgrim Monasteries cling to lonely mountain peaks. The Crescent Watchtowers stretch across distant ridgelines, maintaining communication throughout the kingdom. Far beyond them all lies the winding King’s Road, linking the scattered settlements that depend upon Caer Vhalen’s protection.
Most citizens never see the fortress closely.
Yet on clear nights, when the crescent moon hangs above the mountains and the distant lights of the citadel flicker against the darkness, the people of Aurelorn sleep easier knowing that the Last Watch still stands.
