Long ago an astroid struck the continent of Greater, causing a massive crater to scar the earth. Over many millenia the crater began to fill up full of water. Soon, as volcanic eruptions and flash floods struck the land around the crater, a massive lake formed. Over five thousand miles long and three thousand miles wide, with a depth over over three miles in the center, Vastwind Sea was created.
Upon the south-east corner, in the forested mountains of the Spine Mountains, where the mighty six thousand mile long Dragon River pours into Lake Vastwind, sits the Greater Continent capital of Val'Dariah, an ancient city founded by the lorfae rebels during the first war of independance from the mighty Demigorian Demon Horde, who controlled all lands, save for those beyond the powerful Dawn Line in the north.
The first thousand years, Val'Dariah was in the hands of the lorfae, their rule over Greater being fought from the mighty Val'Dariah fortress. With Vastwind to the north, the lorfae used the lake to help set up a network of fortresses all throughout the northern habitable realm. After seven hundred years of fighting, the lorfae, with the help of the dwarves, elvin cousins, gobblins, orcs, and giants, were able to drive the Horde from all parts of Greater.
But peace did not last, and Greater soon became divided within the factions after the liberations of Lesser from the Horde. Val'Dariah remained in the hands of the lorfae, but war within the old alliances soon made Val'Dariah a target for conquest and ownership. For seven thousand years Val'Dariah was fought over, exchanging hands from one species to another until finally the Unification Council of 723 C.B.E. unified all of Vastwind Sea and it's surrounding ports. Seventenn years later all lands held by the Spine Mountain dwarves, goblins, and trolls turned over their claims to the Unification Council, adding their species to the ranks of the council. In 1156 C.B.E. a new war broke out, this time with a new species known as humans. This caused all species to give their lands to the Unification Council, though the capital moved from Val'Dariah to Colony City in the far south upon the cost of Leviathan Ocean. For another five thousand years Greater would be in some form of war or another, either within itself, or from the Demon Horde from Dark Continent. It wasn't until 211 K.C.E. with the fall of the growning human empire Purity by the hands of the necromancer/assassin Lexal Khan, that all of Greater came under one banner.
Val'Dariah was proclaimed the capital city of Greater by Lexal Khan, handing over to the council the peace treaty of the human race. With all those living on Greater proclaimed one nation, Val'Dariah began to flurrish, establishing fair trade laws, equal rights for all species, as well as setting up six new major guilde factions.
Val'Dariah holds the seat of power, though with a thirteen species council, with applications to increase to other species, peace is easy to maintain. All major guild factions, from the Theives Guilde to the Magus Guild, have councils at Val'Dariah. And still to this day, even with minor factions trying to break from the Unified Council's rule, Val'Dariah itself remains a vibrant, beautiful, prosperous city.