The Westvahl is a fertile prairie land, a strip running north to south between the dark greenery of the Shadowfahl and the barren wastes of The Seeche.  It has both long flat sections and areas where it is hilly and rocky.  Covered in savannah grass and stands of hardwoods, traced with small rivers and streams, it is home to such natural game as boars and antelope, deer and elk, wild goats, wild horses, and bear and cougar (in the north).  Badgers, foxes, game birds, wolves, hawks & eagles, all make their homes here, as well as an assortment of wandering monsters.  A common predator of both animal and man is the Wyvern population which can be found throughout the Westvahl, and which lairs in The Seeche.

The Westvahl experiences the four seasons, with Spring being cool and rainy, Summer mild and pleasant, Fall chilly and at times windy, and Winter extremely harsh, a time of bitter blizzards and deep snow.  The Harvest, and laying in of meat and firewood before the snows fly is a deadly serious time of year for the Vorsemen.

NATURAL RESOURCES
The hardwoods which grow in numerous clusters provide strong wood for building and weapons, and the environmental practices of the Vorsemen (planting three for every tree taken) ensures their survival.  More exotic woods (Ebony, Teak, Red Ramba) are harvested from the edge of the Shadowfahl by those courageous enough to do so.  The rock is limestone, easily harvested, and easier to carve and shape as needed.  The Westvahl produces a wide assortment of wild herbs, berries and edible grasses (a barley-type growth used for beer production called “Long Grain”), and the fat root “Pank” grows nearly everywhere without human assistance, a dense, hearty cross between a potato and a beet.  Pank is a staple of the Vorseman diet.  Along the northern shores of the Westvahl are fishing villages, whose saltwater bounty supplements the Vorse diet.

In the west are two important sites.  The first is the Iron Mine, known as “Black Harry,” where iron ore is unearthed and taken to on-site smelters, where it is transformed to steel bars.  These smelters are fueled by Warpstone (harvested from the Seeche by special gathering parties) which burns incredibly hot.  All the steel used throughout the Westvahl comes from Black Harry, so it is well defended, as is its primary access road.

South of Black Harry is the Silver Mine, “Sarah’s Tears,” a place where dozens of thick silver veins are harvested.  The silver is used for jewelry, household items and adornments, weapons and the coins of the Kingdom (square, solid silver chips bearing a hammer on one side and the profile of a Vorseman King on the other – different profiles depending upon how old the coin is – equal to approx. (1) imperial gold coin.  The coins are called “Rands.”)  The only source of silver in the kingdom, it is very well-guarded.

In the north, close to the fishing villages, is a Gold Panning site called “Spaad.”  Here, villages have been built around the mouths of narrow canyons, and dwellers pan for gold dust from the many creeks and washes flowing out of the hills and towards the sea.  This is a rough existence, and a very informal operation, so the workers provide their own security.  Most of the time they pull out just enough dust to trade for the goods they need to survive.  Occasionally, though, a panner will come across a nugget big enough to relocate his family to the comfort and safety of a Clan Holding, and it is moments like this which keeps all the others panning away.