- For for other items see, see Rivervale (Disambig).
Rivervale | |||||||||
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Levels 35-45 | |||||||||
Capital city of the halflings tragically brought to nigh ruin in a procession of unfortunate events. | |||||||||
Introduced | Shattered Lands | ||||||||
Zone Type | Public | ||||||||
Adjacent to | Enchanted Lands | ||||||||
Instances | The Tower of the Drafling | ||||||||
Quest Lines | Rivervale Timeline | ||||||||
Harvesting | Tier 5 | ||||||||
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“ | When forced to make a choice between a greater evil and a lesser evil, choose to look for the greater good instead. | ” |
Lore[]
Rivervale was and still is the capital of the halflings. Pre-Rending the halflings enjoyed relative peace and growth in their magically protected homeland of The Misty Thicket, what is now called the Enchanted Lands. Their primarily focus was agriculture, eating and the brewing of jumjum - a form of honey-mead. The native fairies and local Runnyeye Goblins provided only a slight nuisance and the groups lived in ecological balance, having occasional skirmishes with each other whenever one population grew too large.
The major turning point in the history of Rivervale came when The Age of War bled into The Age of Cataclysms. Orcs and goblins from the Northlands joined forces to form what they called the Horde of the Inferno, and they rampaged southward conquering everything in their path. When their onslaught reached the Misty Thicket they absorbed the Runnyeye Goblins and besieged Rivervale. The forces of the halflings and their Leatherfoot Brigade were not prepared for the magnitude of the assault and Rivervale was lost. - (Source: Remembering Rivervale)
Through events unknown, Rivervale was reclaimed by the halflings and they sought out at once to rebuild. However, fate was cruel unto the halflings and soon after reconstruction began, the earth started to shake and be torn apart. As chronicled in the book Collapse: "An unusually thick fog hung in the air for many days after the initial earthquake. When the tremors slowed.... the fog had not lifted. Rivervale and the Misty Thicket stood within a grey fog ring and where trees once marched away toward the horizon, a furiously bubbling sea frothed instead." Norrath had not allowed the unfortunate halflings a chance to recuperate before more of their homeland was wrought to further ruin in the cataclysmic events of The Rending.
Today, Rivervale is a twisted portrait of its former tranquility. Drawn to the latent magical energies of the former Misty Thicket, demons led by The Overfiend have taken over half of the Enchanted Lands and most of Rivervale. With most of the halfling population wiped out or scattered to the corners of the world, Rivervale fell easily to the clutches of the otherworldly demons. What few brave, albeit foolhardy, halflings that remain in Rivervale spend their lives in constant fear of the final death-blow the demonic presence in their lands provide. They are defended by occasional adventurers, a motley crew of deputies, and the hearty spirits of the young halflings who remind the older ones of a fading past.
Geography[]
Layout[]
Rolling hills lined with creeks throughout, deep thickets to the east and halfling-homes in the west define the landscape of Rivervale. The majority of halflings are found throughout West Rivervale and in a small concentration within The Laughing Trout at the center of the zone. The rest of the area is rife with demons and locals corrupted by the demons' influence.
Instances[]
- The Tower of the Drafling; A winding hive-network of bixies and wasps. Technically owned by the mysterious half-dragon half-halfling Drafling, this instance provides many sticky situations.