History

[grokkngrognard]

History, Social, and Economic Structure

Like most of the Northern Reaches, Middenmark has been a lawless frontier until recently. In order to better protect the small, scattered villages from the ever-present threats of orcs and worse, the authorities in Threshold ceded control of the region to the church of St. Ygg. The region was structured into The Prelacy of Middenmark under His Venerable Mercy, Prelate Mordicar Justhand. The priests of St. Ygg established their political and administrative center at the Red Temple in Eastdale, as well as sending priests and building small shrines in the villages of Kirkliston, Westkeep, and Raven’s Pass.

Although the clerics of St. Ygg have a presence in each of the villages in Middenmark, their enforcement of ecclesiastical law, called the Red Laws, is strongest at the center in Eastdale than elsewhere. St. Ygg’s faith tends to be puritanical on matters of morality, and the Red Laws forbid gambling, prostitution, and alcohol (with a notable exception, see The Saucy Tart). The Red Laws also promote Sabbath observance and worship. These religious edicts have created an illegal underground network, facilitated by a small thieves’ guild, that traffics in forms of contraband. Only the senior-most priests of St. Ygg are aware of the guild, and occasionally use their services in a highly discreet manner for the greater good (or what they perceive as the greater good).

Geography

Darkwood Forest
The Darkwood Forest is known for its density of vegetation and roughness of terrain. The forest consists of a tall canopy of oaks, beech, and birch trees that nearly blocks out the sun. The terrain is difficult to penetrate due to rolling hills and escarpment ridges. Located between these spaces are small dangerous bogs. The rugged and densely-wooded nature of the terrain limits agriculture but the forest is rich in timber, stone, and charcoal (the latter serves as a fuel source). The forest is also abundant in game (deer and moose, in particular). The villages of Eastdale, Kirkliston, and Westkeep, as well as the dwarven holdfast of Silverhame, all benefit from their proximity to the Darkwood Forest. The largely human towns also tend cattle, goats, and sheep in the shadows of the wood.

A treacherous caravan route cross-sects the forest from Eastdale to Westkeep. This old path doubles the likelihood of a wagon wheel breaking (2 on d6) and a random encounter (2 on d6) but almost halves the distance. Merchants pay double wages to men-at-arms who run “The Gauntlet” through the Darkwood Forest. Most refuse to take that route, as they fear the trolls and other monsters that ambush caravans. The local folk believe that mischievous sprites, fairies, and will-o-the-wisps live in the wood. There are also stories of an ancient giant’s tomb, and a Hengegate, hidden somewhere in forest.

The Spine
The Spine of the Northern Reaches is a mountain range that runs from south of the Darkwood Forest to the northern edge of The Forbidden Zone. It also represents the eastern edge of the Middenmark region. The mountains in the center of The Spine are ice-capped. The range is known to be rich in minerals and gemstones. The dwarves of Citadel Silver (Silverhame) mine iron ore, silver, and gold. Bards still sing songs about the first dwarves and how they built a great kingdom in the mountains. Waves of monstrous humanoids, orcs, goblins, trolls, and giants from the far north, pushed them out and they fled to the southern tip of The Spine. The ancient abandoned halls of the dwarves are located in the center of the range and run deep below the mountains. Some say the dwarves even found a single vein of Mithril, the most rare and precious of metals, running through the mountains.

Coal Hills
The Coal Hills extend twenty miles northwest of the Black Peaks toward Threshold. These Highlands are mined for coal and iron—key resources for the nearby city. However, there are goblin tribes that live in the hills closest to the Black Peaks and they occasionally raid the small mining camps set along the northeastern edge of the ridge. The hills are rocky and they possess very little arable land. The hills have game: deer and rabbits in particular. Sheep are also shepherded in the hills immediately adjacent to Threshold.

The Black Peaks
The Black Peaks are a mountainous range along the western border of The Forbidden Zone. The mountains have numerous named peaks of various sizes and elevations including Mount Yst, the White Mount, The Fang, and Mount Desolate. These range in size from 9,000 to 12,000 feet high. Sages believe there are at least two passes, likely on either side of the articulation with the Coal Hills, through the mountains to the badlands of The Forbidden Zone. Monstrous humanoids use the passes to raid north of the peaks. There is also at least one orc stronghold, maybe more, somewhere in the range. Lead, iron, copper, and silver, can be found in the mountains but they have not been mined by humans, as of yet.

The Red Thicket
The Red Thicket is unique. The wood consists of gigantic white and red birch trees, the tallest of which can grow as high as 300 feet and have a width of 22 feet. The white trees have red leaves throughout the year and the red trees have the reverse. These trees live for approximately 600–1000 years. The forest is a distinctly beautiful, and yet sublime and otherworldly, feature of the Northern Reaches. Raven’s Pass, a small thorp, is found on the southern edge of the forest. A pass about 15 miles long extends from Raven’s Pass to the Ford-at-the-River-Isenduin. The ford must be crossed to reach Threshold. The first human settlers logged the forest immediately around Threshold. Gnarls and orcs know the Red Thicket Pass, and the Fordat-the-River-Isenduin, provide excellent points to ambush caravans and waylay merchants seeking to conduct trade. Caravans must be well-armed and there is always work for a strong sword-arm. Giant eagles, giant spotted owls, black bears, owlbears, and other monsters wander the forest. Some say giant treants protect the forest and attack those who cut down the trees.

River Isenduin
The River Isenduin, and its tributaries, dominates the geography of the Northern Reaches. Moving from the north it winds its way southwest towards Threshold and the westmost settlements in the Duchy of Aerik. The Isenduin is broad and deep, although there are fords and bridges where men and wagons can pass. Both men and monsters alike know the importance of these locations and they are often the site of skirmishes, ambushes, and battles. The best known is called the Ford-at-the-River-Isenduin. The other crossings have variant names based on the locale. This ford is absolutely crucial to The Prelacy of Middenmark as it provides the only route to conduct trade with Threshold, the capital of the Northern Reaches. Merchants in Middenmark can conduct trade directly with those in the Duchy of Aerik but this is rare. There is a caravan trail and river-ford west of Westkeep that winds its way to Ironguard Motte but this path is fraught monsters, danger, landscape hazards.

The Forbidden Zone
The Forbidden Zone is a central feature of Middenmark. The zone is a badland that was created in the wake of Anu-Eya’s cataclysm that destroyed the ancient city of Archaia. Such was his wrath that he laid waste to the entire region. The badland is dry, sandy, or cracked-earth terrain, with low short hills and almost no vegetation. The soil is black or black-grey in color. Traversing The Forbidden Zone is very dangerous. The badland is wracked by flash storms that include dust squalls, extreme high winds, earthquakes, sinkholes, meteor showers, acid rain, and wide variance in temperature.