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Wild Lands
Sparkling Creek Valley is host to a varied landscape, though it is primarily a temperate to cold region. To the north, the Ochotona Mountains dominate the uppermost border of the Valley, and is home to some of the colder, drier lands. The Croal Mountains start at the northwestern edge and stretched down along the western border until they reach the White River Mountain Range, the highest and most rugged chain of mountains in the area. This range expands down the rest of the western border before sweeping south and tapering off a few miles before reaching the ocean.
The Ferral Sea forms the entire eastern border, in and around which are several important locations, including Tears of Dew Isle and Orca Bay. Lesser known and much harder to reach is the Ebontarn Sea, found just south of the White River Mountain Range at the very southwestern corner of the Valley.
Other important waterways include Sparkling Creek, a long, winding river for which the Valley is named after, and Requiems River, the longest and largest of the area's rivers. Other major water systems include Sedge Creek, White River, Pike's Lake, Galar's Marsh, Lake Oasis, Lake of the Havens, and Elk Stand Lake.
The Valley itself is made up mostly of temperate and deciduous forests, the former being mostly spread to the south and western areas, while the latter dominates the northern sections of the Valley. Where trees are more scarce, grasslands, marshes, and the occasional farmland interweave the landscape. The largest of the grasslands is known as the Tall Grass Prairie, while Galar's Marsh, just south of Pike's Lake, takes the title as the largest watershed in the land.
Atroe City
Though once inhabited by an ancient civilization to the west, and then later by a mining town in the mid 1800's, the Valley has only one major area of civilization now. Atroe City was established as an offshoot of the mining town, based near the end of Requiem's River, a few miles from the coastline. The town has grown very slowly since its official founding in 1887, and today stands at a population around 16,000. With no offical airport or seaport, Atroe City is only accessible via two highways - one of which is closed down during the winter, as it passes through the rugged Croal Mountains. Despite its near-stagnant growth, powerful local organizations have brought a wealth of resources to the area, allowing Atroe City to benefit from the technowledgies of the day while still remaining small and relatively unseen by the rest of the world.
Built around Requiems River, Atroe City is divided into a western and eastern section by the water. Once connected by Carver's Bridge, the new 'H' bridge now links the two sides. The west side is typically filled with the 'upperclass' and 'wealthy' inhabitants, while the 'lowerclass' tends to live on the east side. Although the entire town is largly corrupt and prone to violence, it is the east that really personifies the dark and digny aspect of society. Apart from the social strains, the east side is also more prone to suffer from weather-related disasters. Backed by the end of the White River Mountain Range, the west side sits upon hills and a strech of bluffs, while the east portion lies in a bottom land. For this reason, flooding is a major problem during the spring, and following summer storms.