Along the north-central border with Fanolania sits the small, heavily forested, and terribly mysterious nation of Chute de l’Ombre. Little is known of this odd place, and even less is known about the Marquis that rules it. The natives are almost entirely gnomes, and settled here thousands of years ago when it was a frontier province of the Third Imperium. Since then, the place has suffered an enormous amount of decay. There is only one town of any size here, La Roche, and the countryside is overgrown with trees and underbrush. Remnants of old settlements can still be found, and ruins of all sorts dot the landscape.

Many people suspect that Chute de l’Ombre is haunted, or at least the vast majority of it. Evil creatures seldom wander in as a result of their fear, even the wretched hobgoblins of Maelonbourg are hesitant to venture too far into the dark, creepy woodlands of Chute de l’Ombre unless they have a horrifyingly good reason. The Marquis has a handful of foreign mercenaries that patrol his forests, wearing distinctive dark green hooded cloaks, and moving almost as ghosts through the otherwise impassable wilds. Other forces at the Marquis’ disposal are unknown, because he has never been seen outside of his decrepit, crumbling castle. It is said that he schemes almost ceaselessly to harass Colldrenia, but what exactly the source is of their feud, like so much else in Chute de l’Ombre, is a puzzle yet to be assembled.

The only people who have travelled to Chute de l’Ombre and met the Marquis have reported that he is quite an odd fellow. Some have gone a step further to suggest that he might be insane. But nobody has ever said that they found their stay in Chute de l’Ombre to be uninteresting.