Vale (kingdom)


 * For the city of the same name, see Vale (city).

Vale is one of the four kingdoms of Remnant and is considered a safe haven from the Grimm. Like the other three kingdoms, Vale is governed by a ruling council to represent and see to its people's needs.

Vale is the primary setting for the first three Volumes of RWBY.

Geography
Vale is located on the northeastern end of Remnant's largest continent, Sanus. It is bordered to the northwest by shallow waters and to the southeast by steep mountains. These geographic features make Vale a place of relative safety.

The Vale region is known to contain the City of Vale and several coastal cities, as well as Patch, a small island to the west. Beacon Academy, one of the four main Huntsman Academies of Remnant, is located in the City of Vale, while Signal Academy is located on the island of Patch.

An attempt to expand the reach of the region to the southeast resulted in the ill-fated extension Mountain Glenn. Other areas of interest include the Forever Fall Forest and the Emerald Forest. The island of Vytal is situated to the north of the kingdom.

History
Due to the natural barriers of shallow waters to the northwest and mountains to the southeast, Vale has managed to endure the onslaught of Grimm and become a beacon of safety in Remnant.



Around eighty years before the events of the series, Vale and the other three kingdoms – Mantle, Mistral and Vacuo – were engaged in a massive conflict simply known as the Great War. After years of bloodshed, the four kingdoms signed a truce on the island of Vytal. The end of the Great War led to a period of peace for all four kingdoms. The newfound peace was celebrated with the Vytal Festival, a biennial event where the people of Remnant gather to celebrate their unity and diversity.

Following the end of the Great War, four new academies were created in each of the four kingdoms to train Huntsmen, warriors trained specifically to fight the Grimm. Beacon Academy was founded in Vale. A tower for the Cross Continental Transmit System was also set up on the Beacon campus, enabling communication between Vale and the other Kingdoms.

Sometime before the events of the series, an attempt was made to expand the city of Vale to the southeast, creating a suburb known as Mountain Glenn. However, the attempt proved disastrously unsuccessful when repeated Grimm attacks destroyed the settlement and killed its residents. The failed expansion was sealed off from the rest of the Kingdom. The failure of Mountain Glenn is generally attributed to its lacking the natural defenses of Vale, but the involvement of Merlot Industries was also a factor.

80 years after the end of the Great War, the Kingdom of Vale was the host of the 40th Vytal Festival. Due to sabotage, the Festival ended in disaster and the destruction of Beacon Academy and the Cross Continental Transmit tower in Vale.

Trivia

 * As of Volume 3, the kingdom is represented by the color green in the World of Remnant episodes. Vytal Festival tournament contestants from Vale also have Aura monitors with a green background.