The Valley of Gent is situated on the western edge of the continent of Atla just below the continent’s mid-point. The Valley of Gent covers approximately 200,000 square kilometers and is lined by the massive Cliffs of Gent. Approximately 20% of FreePort Province’s population lives in the Valley of Gent.
Said to have been created thousands of years ago by the God Gent, the Valley of Gent has long since been a fascination for many, and source of extreme bewilderment to others. The peculiar geologic formation of the Cliffs of Gent have stumped and astounded researchers and explorers alike, for thousands of years.
The valley itself was once home to a dense and thriving forest primarily comprised of oaks. But over the past 1,000 years logging has taken a severe toll on the forest. The city of Sayfend has been one of the primary forces in clearing the land. Today, small pockets of forest are found scattered across the valley, with vast plains of grasses and shrubs in between. Luckily for the people, the deforestation had a secondary benefit beyond the lumber itself. With so much vacant land the people of the Valley have turned to farming and now are some of the most prolific producers of vegetables and fruit on the continent. And though the Valley sees numerous travelers and goods coming primarily to FreePort City, the entire area has remained almost entirely self sufficient over the past 600 years, importing a scant 5% of the people’s food.
Cool, moist air blowing off of the ocean travels over the valley and reaches the Cliffs of Gent. While much of the moisture condenses and falls on the area beyond the Cliffs, the Valley is somewhat wetter than the surrounding areas on Atla. The clouds and moisture are partly trapped in by the steep walls and gather in the valley. Turbulent flows bounce around in the valley and create long periods of rain, violent thunderstorms and the occasional tornado. Most of these storms take place in the northeastern reaches of the Valley. As a result, a majority of the settlements are situated in the lower half of the Valley. The once thriving forests have been cleared within the past 250 years by excessive logging and milling based out of the city of Sayfend.
The entire Valley of Gent is notable for its lack of raillines. Not one railline has been built connecting the rest of the FreePort Province with the Valley. Because the Cliffs of Gent are a protected national wilderness area, the Grand Provincial Council has prohibited tunneling through them. The technology to create an above ground railline traveling over the Cliffs and into the Valley does not yet exist, though plans are underway to connect the Valley with the rest of the world. It is this lack of raillines that has kept FreePort’s ports active for so long. Many analysts believe that bringing a railline into FreePort will displace at least half of the ships traveling to FreePort. As of now any goods heading to FreePort or father south must stop at the City’s ports. But with a railline traveling through the Valley, ships will no longer need to make the long voyage from Morrid or the Archipelago all the way to Tru Dahn or other coastal cities. Whether this will have any effect on the city’s financial future is currently being debated.
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