The fall of Maelonbourg into chaos and self-destruction has made the nation of Weintäler one of the strongest and most affluent of the Wenigzustand. This is one of the centrally located little states and it has long enjoyed a quiet and stable existence. It is ruled by a powerful Archduke whose family has governed this region for almost a thousand years. As such it is one of the most long-lived human states on the continent. There are eight cities in the realm as well as a number of smaller towns and villages. The population of Weintäler is almost exclusively human although there are a handful of demihumans that have made themselves quite comfortable here. Everyone that lives in Weintäler has developed a love for the most important natural resource in the country: wine.

The Archduke of Weintäler is the patriarch of the Rheinpfalz family and he controls every aspect of wine production in the country. Even though many minor nobles help manage the vineyards it is the Archduke that owns the land and determines what grapes will be grown. The Rheinpfalz clan has never missed a bet on what grapes will be the most valuable in any given season. This has made the merchants and nobles of Weintäler insanely wealthy. In order to maintain the security of this wealth, the Archduke has a large standing army of well-paid mercenaries to prevent the orcs of Oublier (with whom they share a short border in the northwest of Weintäler) from plundering the land. These are the most prominent of the enemies facing Weintäler since the collapse of Maelonbourg. The Archduke of Weintäler was always ready to wage open war against the sinister forces of Colldrenia’s hobgoblin henchmen but such a contingency never arose. A band of intrepid adventurers managed to vanquish Colldrenia but the resulting unrest in her lands threatens to spill into Weintäler and this is something the Archduke simply cannot allow.

The capital of Weintäler is the massively fortified city of Kobelburg in the northern part of the country. This city sits where three rivers come together and the city is divided into four parts with the rivers running through them. There are powerful ships that patrol the major rivers of the country to secure the shipment of wine and other lesser goods. The largest city of Weintäler, Machtenburg, sits along the western side of the massive Rheggen river that forms part of the nation’s eastern border before it flows in and north to the city of Kobelburg. Machtenburg is the commercial hub of the country and controls the river traffic to the south as well as the overland traffic to the east. All of the eight cities of Weintäler are solidly fortified and boast well-prepared garrisons.

Other than the wine there is ample reason for adventurers to travel to Weintäler. In addition to having enormous markets filled with supplies, it is also possible to hire mercenaries for short military campaigns. The language spoken here is Geldenspeak, but there is a 30% chance that any given person in Weintäler will understand Fanolanian as well. Travel from here to Geldenreich is rather easy aboard riverboats that ply the Rheggen river.