Tag: faith-loc-srlm-darupet
Greenwood Knot order of Darupet and Wheyipuh
Posted on November 21, 2025 in Steel-Realms
Greenwood Knot order is one of the Cults, Orders and Sects of Darupet. It is small and ancient, located in a single Beastwoods on the grounds of Cunee Abbey of the Barony of Cunee in the Grand Duchy of Rhyl.
Noted For: They are one of the few druidic orders that have powerful shape-shifting ability – specifically the great northern timber wolf, once the Ducal symbol of Rhyl.
Revitalized Order: The new baronial line was not interested in patronage, but gave the old Abbey to the order. It languished, as did the order, until a new group referred to as “Wolf Runners” reconstituted the order and its responsibilities in CY 7961.
Chronicle/Facts of the Order
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability & Meticulous Record Keeping may improve usability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these. Specific Lores may increase the chance of knowing specific elements.
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
Greenwood Knot is one of the Cults, Orders and Sects of Darupet. It is small and ancient, located in a single Beastwoods in the Cunee Abbey of the Barony of Cunee in the Grand Duchy of Rhyl.Noted For: They are one of the few druidic orders that have powerful shape-shifting ability – specifically the great northern timber wolf, once the Ducal symbol of Rhyl.
Revitalized Order: The new baronial line was not interested in patronage, but gave the old Abbey to the order. It languished, as did the order, until a new group referred to as “Wolf Runners” reconstituted the order and its responsibilities in CY 7961.
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
They are considered a more militant order, the Greenwood Knot symbolizes nature twisted, angry, and not following the normal path.
Members: It is a small order of only about 250-300. Most of those entering the order are not local to the barony; Wyldlings, Freelanders, and Ilbarsi tribefolk who are drawn by a vision of the wolf running with the Lord of Beasts. They are predominantly male, but about 20% are female. Most are human, though a few half-elves, elves, and even half-orcs have been in their ranks – foundlings normally taken in by druids. Those accepted into the order care nothing for any civilized distinctions – if you meet the bar of the Wolf Runners, you are pack-marked and all are brothers and sisters. Most who come are aggressive, stubborn, societal outsiders seeking a place to belong. They desire to do good in their service, though their instinctual actions are bloody and savage. There is no shortage of missions for those of the order.
Revitalized Origins & Service
All of them serve at least 2 years on The Autumn Wall. Their specialty is using their savagery to fill gaps when the undead come in swarms, or chasing down swift running ghouls if they get over the wall and into the territories beyond. Drinking from the sacred well at the Abbey of Cunee, blessed by the blood of Darupet, keeps them from getting diseases for tearing up the undead in service. When not on The Autumn Wall, the druids of the Greenwood Knot order range the low hills of the Tolkisson Mountain Range on the eastern boundary of the The Grand Duchy of Rhyl. Their their keen noses sniff out Darkling infiltrators, Ghoul spies of the Lich Lords, and the monstrosities that come out of the Valley of Sighs. The Greenwood Knot order works close with the elves of Haivelaugh Weald, the dwarves of Sun Stone Top, normal patrols of Barony of Kopriane and even the Greykin Hill People.
Uncommon Knowledge / Average Difficulty
Initial Origins & Service
The Abbey was founded by the Westbrook Baronial family, for the prestige of patronage, around CY 3800. The order somewhere within a few years of this.
The order has always been a loose one, originally it was a place for misfits that were willing to keep up the abbey’s grounds in exchange for a home. They were never very good, though it kept the sanctity of the beastwood up and was a safe haven for other druids outside the order.
The original druids were known to run with the wolves of the north, sometimes helping the locals, sometimes raiding their stocks. They were considered practically feral and were in danger of being exterminated by their own faith as too dangerous and unpredictable.
Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty
Wolf Form: The Greenwood Knot order are one of the few druid sects outside the Order of Davros known to be able to shape change. Their compact was made when the Kingdoms of old Rhylan ruled in the north, and their common symbol was the great northern wolf. They developed an ability for their senior members, when they absolutely needed it, to call on the full Wylden dire form of the wolf – beyond simple dire wolf – within the bounds of Rhyl.
Rare Knowledge / Very Hard Difficulty
The Moonrise Tradition
This takes place every few years with those aging druids who have been “put out to pasture” so to speak, and based on the Moonrise of the Greenwood Knot. Decades in service to the order result in a peaceful old age. But, because their elite warriors have tasted the blood of the enemy beyond the Autumn Wall, those who wish are allowed one last act of service – sacrifice. In a ceremony called down by the highest rank female druid in the Abbey of Cunee, those who wish are granted lycanthropy – the ‘curse’ of the werewolf. Envigored with the vitality of the ultimate beast, they lope to the Autumn Wall and descend upon the undead in a frenzy. This tradition only operates during a full moon. The undead beyond the wall fear every full moon for this reason, and count the full moons between the last attack.
Orgins Tower (North Gate Garrison)
Posted on August 11, 2025 in Steel-Realms
Orgins Tower is one of the fortifications along The Autumn Wall at North Gate Garrison. The tower itself, on the inside facing outer wall, is covered in vines maintained by the driuids and followers of the Wylde. They entangle any undead that try to use them to climb down and can catch living creatures that fall near them. The Summer Queen’s Tower about 120 feet behind The Autumn Wall, between Orgins Tower and the fortification of Bellring Gatehouse.
The Wylden Presence
The Green Church has a strong presence here, there is an elite cult of Rastur barracked in this location. These cat warrior-monks are experts at preventing the undead from getting down the wall, and tracking those that do so before they can get to civilized lands.
The Band of the Bloody Tusk are terrible warriors from Spring of Pristos that serve time on the wall near this tower.Resources When Serving Here
The various faiths and the Rhylander Green Conjurists organize most of the Recovery Operations at North Gate Garrison to evacuate wounded, remove corpses, and ensure evil auras, curses, taints and corruptions don’t enter the ranks of those serving or the lands behind the wall.
This place has a standard Shrine for The Fire Within sect of Merkaine in her role as burner of the undead and defender of life.
Autumn Armories: Within each of the main fortifications on the wall is a smithy that can repair almost anything. All along The Autumn Wall, armories are proficient at making the basics of the Redbrand Armory of Redmark‘s Redbrand Doublet – though the crafting mark and specific refinements the source armory makes are not handled by the Autumn Armories.
Perils of Serving Here
The unrelenting pressure of the undead armies attacking the wall coming over from Rhylian Gap/Autumn’s End.
The Hoarblight is a terrifying death effect that targets places near and along The Autumn Wall and The Red March; Those in this place are warded from its worst effects and the power of the wall generally reduces or negates it when it does happen.
Chronicle/Facts of the Locale
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability & Meticulous Record Keeping may improve usability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these. Specific Lores may increase the chance of knowing specific elements.
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
Rhyl General Events
CY 2330’s Fall of East / Rise of the Dark Lands (Orrishai Abandoned); Refugees flee – some cross the Tolkisson Mountain Range into the ‘Lands of Rhylan’ that would become the Kingdoms of old Rhylan and finally The Grand Duchy of Rhyl.
CY 5580 Fall of Dundaria in the North – Frostfang spreads, the Lich Lord power rises. Horses of the undead, fortunately disorganized (at first), sweep south and west from the heart of old Dundaria.
CY 5980 The Kingdoms of old Rhylan united settled as a single Kingdom of Rhyl to fight the Lich Lords drive south. After centuries of warfare between territories and races, the common cause of the threat to the north secures a lasting peace.
CY 6514 The Grand Duchy of Rhyl is created by the High King. In exchange for the resources and organization that can be brought to bear against the now organized undead armies, the lands become part of the High King’s domain.
CY 7007 The area of North Gate Garrison freed & The Red March created; Money, supplies, and manpower flow into the north to fight the Lich Lords.
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
Harriman’s Gap (major trade crossing, Rhyl)
Posted on August 3, 2025
Harriman’s Gap is the largest trade Settlement crossing over the river in the Barony of Welshan that connects the northern heartlands with the central heartlands. Most of the trade over the river uses Harriman’s Gap, with the Uplands Kemethian Bridge handling smaller levels of trade. This location bears the Frost-Melded mark an ancient encounter with the Dragon of Rhyl.
Initial Description:
This is…
Greater Sovereignty: {part of larger territory?}
Type: {type} (see Settlement Planning and Design in The Realms)
Governance: {model} (see Titles and Honors of The Realms)
Population: {total perm} / Transient:
Demographics:
Groups/Factions:
Primary Hospitality/Accommodations:
- {place} > Housing (long or short)/Entertainment (type)
Commerce: {commerce} (see Trade Organizations/Institutions of the Realms)
Institutions: (see institutions of The Realms)
- {inst-name} > Primary Services Secondary Services
Founding: {approximate year/age and culture of origin}
Primary Surrounding Habitat and Weather:
Roads, Streets, & Thoroughfares:
- Waste: Runs/Bins > Collection | Minor Sewers or Major Sewers
Defenses: {defensive works, fortifications, garrisons, holdouts}
- Police/Watch: | Officers:
- Constables & Detectives:
- Elite Tactical Forces: | Officers:
- Militia/Volunteers: | Officers: > War Time Only?
- Military:
Encounters & Dangers in the Area
See Encounters in the Grand Duchy of Rhyl for common potential scenarios of notable events and creatures.
- Normal Settlement Encounters > Patrols | Recruiting | Sellers | Begging | Crime
The “Gap” is a passage that goes through a rock outcrop that the river flows over the top of. It is big enough for a wagon to pass each other in different directions. The passage is damp and has water on the ground constantly, but channels have been cut for drainage. It is a marvel to behold. The river itself was changed in CY 7211 by priests of the Green Church to use a cut out channel in the exposed bedrock so the tunnel could go under it.
- Midland Rush – The main portion of the river flows through a shallow and wide channel.
- Tellman Spur – A small spur was cut out in CY 7845 to provide a flow for a water wheel next to Tellmans Shelf and a settlement that could be controlled.
Harriman’s Road This road runs through the gap, going north – south.
Tellmans Shelf
The hard rock shelf and cut that goes over Harriman’s Gap on Harriman’s Road. In the summer, adults and youth slide over the smooth rocks of the shelf and drop through the short falls to cool off for fun.
The Tunnelrider Inn
A massive inn and caravanserai for merchants. They have harnessed the flow from the Tellman Spur and run a water wheel and a grinding wheel for grains. It stands watch over the unique underground passage under the river on the north (Rhyl) side.
The Hal-Dereg Mill
Tellman’s Shrine (Green Church)
The spring celebration draws many folk around the wetlands to Tellman’s Shrine.
Chronicle of the Locale
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability & Meticulous Record Keeping may improve usability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these. Specific Lores may increase the chance of knowing specific elements.
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
City of Rhylan (capital of the Grand Duchy of Rhyl)
Posted on August 1, 2025 in Steel-Realms
City of Rhylan is a massive, spread out capital city that is the central hub of The Grand Duchy of Rhyl.
Initial Description:
Rhylan is a sprawling, bustling unwalled city, with a main district on an uplift topped with the Ducal Keep, two other hills (Reethedyn and Hoarthedyn) and four suburbs with obvious vineyards and orchards at its edges. Several towers can be seen from a far distance, and most of the buildings are made from white limestone, making it a dazzling sight. Lush green trees grow throughout the city, making the white limestone even more striking. There are 5 roads leading into it, each marked with a statue of a white dragon as the city’s formal boundary.
Initial Description:
Crime: Though this place may have a couple local gangs, the predominant Rhylian Criminal Presence is The Dead Hand.
Encounters & Dangers in the Area
See Encounters in the Grand Duchy of Rhyl for common potential scenarios of notable events and creatures.
- Normal Settlement Encounters > Patrols | Recruiting | Sellers | Begging | Crime
Heraldry/Symbol:
Greater Sovereignty: Grand Duchy of Rhyl
Type: (see Settlement Planning and Design in The Realms)
Governance: “{title}” (see Titles and Honors of The Realms)
Population: / Transient:
Demographics:
Laws and Protocols of Note: + standard Laws and Codes of the Realms
Groups/Factions:
Primary Hospitality/Accommodations:
- Visitors Quarters > Housing (long or short)/Entertainment (arts & crafts, intimacy)
Commerce: (see Trade Organizations/Institutions of the Realms)
Institutions: (see institutions of The Realms)
- This locale has a Chapter House of the Narcosan Order of Necromancers in Saltmarch. They keep a low profile and are unappreciated by the Lightbringers of the High Temple of Aerna here.
- This location as a Autumnleaf Ale Houses.
- > Primary Services Secondary Services
- > Primary Services Secondary Services
+ Hartwood Presence: This location leans heavily to the Wyld Faith, and has the presence of both Rhylian Briarwood and Rhylian Beastwood.
Founding: {approximate year/age and culture of origin}
Primary Surrounding Habitat and Weather:
Roads, Streets, & Thoroughfares:
- Waste: Runs/Bins > Collection | Minor Sewers or Major Sewers
Defenses: {defensive works, fortifications, garrisons, holdouts}
- Police/Watch: | Officers:
- Constables & Detectives:
- Elite Tactical Forces: | Officers:
- Militia/Volunteers: | Officers: > War Time Only?
- Military:
This Locale has a Office of the Herald representing the local Lord/Lady; Rhylan heralds all follow the Heraldic Boreal Tradition.
- Heraldsmein:
Chronicle of the Locale
Historical Chronicle Information
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability & Meticulous Record Keeping may improve usability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these. Specific Lores may increase the chance of knowing specific elements.
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
Many arches along The Red March and at many places in North Gate Garrison are equipped with the keystone of Aerna’s Rhylan Reveal to detect undead are made here in the temple of Aerna.
Naighvelaugh (Elven Weald; Rhyl – North Pines)
Posted on July 30, 2025
The Naighvelaugh Weald is an Elven Weald of the Steel Realms – typical Elven Weald with a normal Schan-Karr. The elves of this deep forest Naighvelaugh Wealdare the most primal and savage in The Grand Duchy of Rhyl. Their position deep in the Great Forest of Rhyl in the Klaurian controlled area of North Pines on the edge of the Giant’s Steps keeps them isolated, amplified by the ‘separatist’ Kalurians around them. They are not xenophobic, but the natural defense of terrain, boundaries, alliance, and militancy has given them a fierce edge and kept their Weald vital and powerful. When sending their representatives as part of the Realms Levy each year, they typically send about 100 of their warriors, and about 20% are the infamous Tree Vipers.
Governance of the Weald
Rulership/Governance: “Green Sleeves“: Inifri Greenspeaker is the office for the Weald who represents it to outsiders. {Integrity ***} – uses Elven Wealden Titles.
- Administrative Center/Seat of Power: The sacred Grove of Amalafha is home to the council of elders. The Grove of Needlewind is home of the Green Sleeves and considered a ‘capital’ to outsiders on the east edge of the Weald – one of the only safe places for outsiders to sojourn to.
Population: Approx. 22,000 Wyld Elves
> Note: There is no official census provided.
Protector Spirit: Epona the HORSE – the senior followers are involved in both Defense and Faith of the community; The horse-mother ties them to the Klaurian folk they live next to.
+ Hartwood Presence: This location leans heavily to the Wyld Faith, and has the presence of both Rhylian Briarwood and Rhylian Beastwood.
Perspectives on Other Wealds
Other Wealds are too civilized and have lost their way – except the Har Cunathea! The Gaur Dinae elves near North Gate Garrison are corrupt and given to a melancholy similar to that of the forest elves of Ynth. They are not trusted. Half elves are accepted, but only as warriors – any other association is considered tainted by the ways of civilized humans.
- Typical of Elven Wealds of the Steel Realms, this faerie home is lit using Elven Lake Lamps including the annual festival; This eerie glow sometimes seen by outsiders and centennial festival add to the typical mystery and wariness of the Elvish home.
- This locale produces Sap of Wound Closure and trades with other Wealds in Rhyl.
Characters from the Weald
List of Elven Wealds of Rhyl
The Har’ahdu Cunaigh – Aelfpath of Helca twines through the Great Forest of Rhyl, also connecting all the Elven Wealds within the Grand Duchy of Rhyl.