(Continuing from the prior post on the Borderlands, this post provides a little more information about the area in which the campaign will be set.)
The Borderlands are part of the Enduring Kingdom of Darnesh, a kingdom whose lands are to the west. The Borderlands or, as it is officially known, the Barony of Grenzant is the most easterly holding of the Kingdom. Fluvia Tidewater–Grenzant is the current Baroness. The only child of Baron Avial Tidewater-Grenzant, she was thrust into this position of leadership at the age of thirteen when both her father and mother succumbed to a strange illness that evaded all attempts to cure it.
The Baroness’s holdings consist of the wilderness of the Borderlands including forests, the Holt, mountains, the Sunrise Mountains, marsh and fen, the Mire, and rolling hills and grasslands. A major river, the Big Bend, cuts through the center of the Barony. It is fed by several tributaries, the Little Bend from the east, the Big Boreal and its sister the Little Boreal from the north, and the Serpent Wash and Twisted Run from the south. A single town, Bridgeford, and a village, Hamlet, are the only settlements. Two fortifications, The Keep and The Fort, round out her holdings.
Although there is some local agriculture, husbandry, and fishing, neither these nor any secondary industry forms the core of the area’s economy. Instead, the military is the core of the local economy. The Barony receives a substantial annual gift from the King of Darnesh to assist in maintaining a strong military presence in the Borderlands, specifically for deterring the Ostadrim from turning their attention to the west again. The monies paid to these troops then circulate through the Barony paying for supplies, equipment, and entertainment. The behavior of some of the soldiers may not always endear themselves to the locals, but anyone interested in more than basic sustenance or hoping for greater economic growth understands the importance of the military and treats its members accordingly.
Adventuring types are also a source of gold and other monies in the local economy. This economic stimulus, however, is neither as regular nor as reliable as that from the military. On top of that, many adventurers exhibit behaviors as bad as if not worse than the worst of the soldiers with no commanding officers to chastise, punish, or put a stop to (or at least limit) the behavior. As a result, locals are not always openly welcoming of adventurers. They do start to warm once the gold starts to flow. Adventurers who are generous with their recovered treasures and behave relatively well often become quite popular with many of the locals.
The Tidewater-Grenzants
The Tidewaters are one of the oldest and richest noble families of Darnesh. The Grenzants were a family that lacked title and lands but had provided great services to the kingdom. When a new eastern barony was to be established, King Garrett X granted the lands to the Grenzants and elevated the family to a baronial title. The family quickly consolidated their position by allying and merging with the Tidewaters via marriage. As a result, the Tidewater-Grenzants have significant alliances and rivalries with the noble families of Darnesh along with numerous familial relations.
One such relation is with the Blackwood family. The Blackwoods hold a large barony in the north of the kingdom and Baroness Fluvia is cousin to several Blackwoods through various marriages. One such cousin, Luca Blackwood, was recently appointed Lord of the Manor of the Keep on the Borderlands. Normally, a younger sibling from the Tidewater-Grenzants would hold this position, but the Baroness has no siblings. The prior Lord of the Manor, Lord Rill Tidewater-Grenzant, a younger brother of Baron Avial, perished while patrolling the wilds of the Borderlands just days before his brother passed away. Lord Rill had no children, forcing the Baroness to look to her extended family for a successor to this position.
Rumors whispered by those who strive to sow discord and discontent suggest that Lord Blackwood would like nothing more than to supplant the Baroness.
Settlements
There are only four settlements within the Barony, two are towns and two are military outposts. Bridgeford is the largest settlement and seat of the Barony. It is situated near a confluence of rivers joining the Big Bend. A bridge on the eastern side of town crosses the Big Boreal just before it joins the Big Bend. Bron Keep, named after the first Baron, is one of the most defensible locations in the Barony and the town is home to the second largest garrison of King’s Corps in the Borderlands.
Hamlet is a small village on the eastern shore of the Little Bend between The Keep and the Big Bend. This is the third Hamlet to be founded, the prior two having been destroyed. The village’s residents are primarily farmers and herdsman, many of whose families have lived here for generations. Hamlet is the last settlement before reaching The Keep and The Fort. It is also the first for soldiers returning from those two outposts to Bridgeport. A good bit of travel passes through Hamlet as a result, and it has more services and a larger inn than one would expect for a rural settlement of its size.
The Keep and The Fort on the Borderlands are the final two settlements in the barony. Both are military outposts with the latter being much larger. The Keep sits atop a hill just less than a day’s travel from Hamlet. Its garrison and commanding officer are charged with keeping the area between Hamlet and Bridgeport relatively safe and as a second bastion if The Fort were to fall. The commander of The Keep is the Lord of the Manor of the Keep on the Borderlands and the military commander of all of the King’s Corps in the Borderlands, reporting directly to the Baroness. The Fort holds the largest garrison of King’s Corps in the Barony. It is situated at the start of the only pass through the Sunrise Mountains. The troops are charged primarily with watching and preventing any incursions from the east.
Religion
The residents of the Borderlands are not an overly religious lot. Most pray as appropriate but those who get heavily involved in organized religious practices are a small minority of residents. There is a Church of the Shining Lords of Law in Bridgeport and a smaller one in Hamlet but neither has more than a handful attending services. The Church of the Shining Lords of Law is the predominant religion of Darnesh.
There is something of a tension between the faithful of the Church and those who worship the Grey Cloaks (when they worship at all). The “Old Faith” is common among the families who have lived in the Borderlands for generations. This tension is centered on the village of Hamlet where the head of the local church has been attempting to encourage the villagers to embrace the Lords of Law.
A third branch of religion is the Princes of Chaos. The Princes represent all that is depraved, evil, immoral, and wicked. Even when they have a veneer of civility or beauty, they are vile and corrupt at their core. There are no churches or organized services venerating these gods in either Bridgeport or Hamlet, at least none not held in secret. Worshippers of the Princes of Chaos are shunned when uncovered if not executed for their crimes or potential crimes. In the Empire of Ostadrim, the Princes are venerated and worshipped by many, including the Emperor.
The Ostadrim and Ravagers
The All-Conquering and Ever-Expanding Empire of Ostadrim lies many days to the east of the Borderlands. Separated by the Sunrise Mountains and days of badlands as well as significant cultural and religious differences, Darnesh and Ostadrim have had little contact and interaction outside of a handful of attempts by the Ostadrim to invade and conquer. The Empire, as its full name suggests, is both warlike and set on spreading its borders and control.
Despite the difficult logistics and arduous travel of crossing these wastelands, Ostadrim has invaded the Borderlands before, hoping to establish a foothold for advancing even further west into the heart of Darnesh. At the time, some three hundred years ago, Darnesh had only begun its expansion into the Borderlands with the Moathouse and a nearby fledgling village, Hamlet. The Ostadrim were stopped and turned back not by the armies of Darnesh but by a pair of adventurers and their retainers, Lujack the Fearless and Zellyod the Unfathomable.
When the Ostadrim withdrew in defeat, some, for one reason or another, were unable to join the forces that withdrew. These individuals and their descendants eventually congregated in the hills and mountains southeast of Hamlet near the headwaters of a tributary of the Twisted Run. Their primary settlement, called the Shanties by the Barony, is situated around a large, deep, and noxious pit. Barrow mounds of unknown origin surround the area. There is something unnatural and disturbing about the area, centered on this pit.
The residents are similarly unnatural and disturbing. Revering the most vile and depraved of the Princes of Chaos, they are violent and cannibalistic. Over the generations, they have changed to the point that it is almost hard to call them human anymore. The residents of the Shanties are rumored to freely associate with the undead common in the area even—as told in taverns in hushed whispers—sharing meals and mating with the undead. Other tales of encounters with these degenerates say that they start to eat their fallen opponents before the battle has even finished.
Residents of the Borderlands refer to these people as Ravagers. Fortunately, Ravagers tend to avoid the lands closer to Bridgeford and Hamlet, preferring to remain in the wilds and making periodic raids on the outskirts. When these raids become too numerous or too serious, the King’s Corps diligently pursue and put to the sword all Ravagers that they find. These expeditions have never reached the Shanties as the undead—primarily zombies and ghouls—assist the Ravagers against any approaching enemies.
More to come…
