Tag: loc-rhyl
Millhaven Heath (Rhyl)
Posted on November 6, 2025 in Steel-Realms
Millhaven Heath is a large village in a large open area in the South Reedland Stretch territory with a pair of creeks forming a giant meadow to its north. The village is somewhat split by a small ridge that runs almost 80′ long and is 10′ high and 25′ wide at its widest point.
There is a stone base watch tower on the ridge that can keep watch in all directions – it rises 2 stories with a roof post for a watchman and a horn to warn locals if any force approaches.
Rulership/Governance: {Integrity ***} Hetman and a council that represents surrounding areas and steadings when large representation is needed.
- Recognized Administrative Center/Seat of Power: Millhaven Hall
- Crier Platform (announcements) – near civic hall, jail, and/or mayoral (equiv.) office; usually near market & gathering areas; Chartered policy, procedure, and laws posted here.
- Primary Settlement Upbringing Experience: Rural
Population: Approx. 665 humans + 50 in immediate surrounding subsistence farms.
Cultural Overview & References for the Grand Duchy of Rhyl
Grain Mills: There are three streams that move through the area, and a small mill is on two of them – giving the area its name. All the grain in the local area that is ground on a large scale is done here. A mason also lives in the area, handling mill stones and foundations. The three streams all flow south, where they eventually slope down to the Beyne River far in the distance.
Under Tunnels: There is said to be a stone walled room under the mound on which the watch tower stands – a place of refuge for non combatants and children in times of crisis. Rumors persist of tunnels that lead off to points outside the village for escape.
Professional Rauket Team: Nearly every year, the locals field the Raukhaven Millers that plays in Rhyl and the Merchant Cities – Rauket Culture is important to the area. The team usually brings in slightly more than it costs, and its a tradition that makes the local proud. Some years, the tough rural team way out performs and brings money for improvements and maintenance in. Its a huge boost and complication when they host local games.
Structures & Places
Corthia’s Hedgerow’s End (Green Church)
Tiche’s Smithy
This is a basic blackmith; no armaments are forged here.
Millhaven Hall
This is a central place for community gatherings. It is also the only place where local records are stored safely.
Kelloway’s Tavern
The tavern is a local gathering place that serves mostly local beers and ciders made by locals.
Kelloway’s Gulley
The back overlooks a small gulley that they have races down, comedically disastrously, in winter.
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
- This location has an amateur and vibrant set of Rauket games.
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.
Trivial Outcome / Very Easy Difficulty & Pervasive Knowledge
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.
This settlement was terrorized and sacked as part of the War of Rundleman’s Revenge in CY 9041.
Rumors About the Locale
Rhyl Formative Events
See the Herald's Quarterly for world updates.
Rhyl Formative Events
CY 7007 The area of North Gate Garrison freed & The Red March created; Money, supplies, armaments, and manpower flow into the north to fight the Lich Lords.
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 6909 The Fall of the Grand Barony of Altair from a curse by the Lich Lords. The main passage of troops and supplies from the hinterlands and nfar north to the The Grand Duchy of Rhyl is sacked by an undead army led by a ghoul king.
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.
> For 3000 years, the Kingdoms of old Rhylan was the primary form of Rulership in the territory of the current Grand Duchy.
CY 5580 Fall of Dundaria in the North - Frostfang spreads, the Lich Lord power rises. Hordes of the undead, fortunately disorganized (at first), sweep south and west from the heart of old Dundaria.
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.
CY 1000 (Approximately) The Dragon of Rhyl is killed and its influence ends in the area around the Great Forest of Rhyl and the surrounding territories.
Simple Outcome / Easy Difficulty & Common Knowledge
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
Minor Outcome / Average Difficulty & Uncommon Knowledge
Old Resentment: When the Southern Edgelands of the Forest of Rhyl were mystically reinvigorated hundreds of years ago, it pushed out many settlements that had formed after it had been heavily logged and settled for thousands of years. Resentment is still harbored by the inhabitants of South Reedland Stretch who are their descendants.
Amstred’s Wish (Rhyl)
Posted on November 6, 2025 in Steel-Realms
Amstred’s Wish is a village in the South Reedland Stretch. It has sheep grazing, a few local subsistence farmers, and grain crops for export. There is also a small cooperage and mule farm in addition to local support for goods and services for the Shrine of the Graefstone Owl.
Harrelman Freehold: There is a large freehold of the Harrelman family of about 280 acres (accumulated over the last 250 years) that the village of Amstred’s Wish is on the eastern edge of. The family is an ally of Hartbaten House. They also own the current contract to operate the logging at the Ferrywood Logging Camp.
Although it is just a village, it is also the location of the holdout fortress of “Highpoint Garrison” – a Ducal enclave that was built to stand watch over the approach to the South Reedland Stretch and against the aggression of the North Merchant Cities after the War of Rundleman’s Revenge in CY 9041.
Rulership/Governance: {Integrity ***} Hetman (always friendly to the Harrelman family)
- Recognized Administrative Center/Seat of Power: Village Hall
- Crier Platform (announcements) – near civic hall, jail, and/or mayoral (equiv.) office; usually near market & gathering areas; Chartered policy, procedure, and laws posted here.
- Primary Settlement Upbringing Experience: Rural
Population: Approx. 490 humans + 180 in surrounding farms.
> Due to the shrine’s presence, there is a village watch force of 12 to handle visitors and travelers and a half dozen Ducal Guards in training are usually stationed here.
Cultural Overview & References for the Grand Duchy of Rhyl
Structures & Places
Owl’s Home Stopover
This is a small Inn and boarding house. It gets many visitors because of the history of the region. It once held the Shrine of the Owl before the full shrine was built specifically to house the sacred statue.
Shrine of the Graefstone Owl
This once held a talisman of The Moonstone Owl and a shrine to Gorlyth – the great owl spirit of the Wyld Faith. During the War of Rundleman’s Revenge (CY 9041), it was sacked and the talisman lost. Some say it was eventually re-captured and moved, but it it never returned. Though the Shrine itself was desecrated, the family of northern Owl’s that once lived here did return. They continue to stay to this day, it is unknown for how long this has happened but at least a thousand years. The Owl’s that live and breed here mostly fly away, but the largest always returns and continues the line.
Shrine Origins: The Shrine was built using the styles of Kaaldian lands to reflect the marriage of the original Duke of the Graefstone bloodline to his Duchess from the nobility of Kaald. It has since been a pilgrimage site (for Green Church/Wyld Faith) that cements and reinforces the shared commitment to peace and support between the two lands – however small it may be it is of great symbolic importance. Each year feathers are collected for the Ducal Bloodline and one of their number comes here to pledge safekeeping of the sacred Owl’s – a symbol of the Ducal family and Rhyl.
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
- This location has an amateur and vibrant set of Rauket games.
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.
Trivial Outcome / Very Easy Difficulty & Pervasive Knowledge
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.
Rumors About the Locale
Rhyl Formative Events
See the Herald's Quarterly for world updates.
Rhyl Formative Events
CY 7007 The area of North Gate Garrison freed & The Red March created; Money, supplies, armaments, and manpower flow into the north to fight the Lich Lords.
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 6909 The Fall of the Grand Barony of Altair from a curse by the Lich Lords. The main passage of troops and supplies from the hinterlands and nfar north to the The Grand Duchy of Rhyl is sacked by an undead army led by a ghoul king.
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.
> For 3000 years, the Kingdoms of old Rhylan was the primary form of Rulership in the territory of the current Grand Duchy.
CY 5580 Fall of Dundaria in the North - Frostfang spreads, the Lich Lord power rises. Hordes of the undead, fortunately disorganized (at first), sweep south and west from the heart of old Dundaria.
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.
CY 1000 (Approximately) The Dragon of Rhyl is killed and its influence ends in the area around the Great Forest of Rhyl and the surrounding territories.
Simple Outcome / Easy Difficulty & Common Knowledge
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
This settlement was terrorized and sacked as part of the War of Rundleman’s Revenge in CY 9041. It was used as a rally point to try and stop the advance of the Northern Merchant Cities. It succeeded in stopping the advance of Rundleman’s ‘army’. The delay caused a larger host to be brought up by the Duke of Rhyl, and the army turned back northwest and sacked the Monastery of Ablocris on the edge of the forest.
- The Freehold was abandoned during this war, and there were conflicts over the re-settlement. The Harrelman family hired mercenaries to deal with this ultimately, and reclaimed it by force.
Minor Outcome / Average Difficulty & Uncommon Knowledge
Although the tower was stacked as part of Rundleman’s War, the Moonstone Owl was saved and hidden. The shrine was later restored after the war and operates to this day, its fame only increased after the success of the Ducal Guard’s last stand.
Old Resentment: When the Southern Edgelands of the Forest of Rhyl were mystically reinvigorated hundreds of years ago, it pushed out many settlements that had formed after it had been heavily logged and settled for thousands of years. Resentment is still harbored by the inhabitants of South Reedland Stretch who are their descendants.
Tillran Village & The Boot Break Inn
Posted on November 6, 2025 in Steel-Realms
Tillran Village sits at the edge of the South Reedland Stretch territory claimed by the Grand Duchy of Rhyl against those claimed by the North Merchant Cities. Subsistence farming and traveler supplies are the main economy of the area. The area consists mostly of rolling plains before the canyon of the Beyne River to the south. It is predominantly agricultural land. It sits astride the North Prinz’s Road, which runs east-west through it.
Rulership/Governance: {Integrity ***} Hetman
- Recognized Administrative Center/Seat of Power: Grange Hall
- Crier Platform (announcements) – near civic hall, jail, and/or mayoral (equiv.) office; usually near market & gathering areas; Chartered policy, procedure, and laws posted here.
- Primary Settlement Upbringing Experience: Rural
Population: Approx. 380 humans + 140 in surrounding farms.
> The Inn has a working population of about 30 that manages a stable and small caravanserai.
Cultural Overview & References for the Grand Duchy of Rhyl
The Boot Break Inn
The Boot Break Inn is a large older building that was somehow spared the worst fires of the War of Rundleman’s Revenge. It was rebuilt on a site that once had a blacksmith and full stable. How it mainly serves as a tavern for locales, and a few overland travelers on the North Prinz’s Road that parallels the Beyne River path as it flows west. It is commonly used as a meeting place for traders and travelers.
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
- This location has an amateur and vibrant set of Rauket games.
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.
Trivial Outcome / Very Easy Difficulty & Pervasive Knowledge
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.
This settlement was terrorized and sacked as part of the War of Rundleman’s Revenge in CY 9041. It has never bounced back in terms of population.
Rhyl Formative Events
See the Herald's Quarterly for world updates.
Rhyl Formative Events
CY 7007 The area of North Gate Garrison freed & The Red March created; Money, supplies, armaments, and manpower flow into the north to fight the Lich Lords.
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 6909 The Fall of the Grand Barony of Altair from a curse by the Lich Lords. The main passage of troops and supplies from the hinterlands and nfar north to the The Grand Duchy of Rhyl is sacked by an undead army led by a ghoul king.
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.
> For 3000 years, the Kingdoms of old Rhylan was the primary form of Rulership in the territory of the current Grand Duchy.
CY 5580 Fall of Dundaria in the North - Frostfang spreads, the Lich Lord power rises. Hordes of the undead, fortunately disorganized (at first), sweep south and west from the heart of old Dundaria.
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.
CY 1000 (Approximately) The Dragon of Rhyl is killed and its influence ends in the area around the Great Forest of Rhyl and the surrounding territories.
Simple Outcome / Easy Difficulty & Common Knowledge
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
Minor Outcome / Average Difficulty & Uncommon Knowledge
Prior to the War of Rundleman’s Revenge, the population was about 1000 and more in scattered farms.
Old Resentment: When the Southern Edgelands of the Forest of Rhyl were mystically reinvigorated hundreds of years ago, it pushed out many settlements that had formed after it had been heavily logged and settled for thousands of years. Resentment is still harbored by the inhabitants of South Reedland Stretch who are their descendants.
Ferrywood Logging Camp (Rhyl)
Posted on November 6, 2025 in Steel-Realms
Ferrywood Logging Camp in the South Reedland Stretch is the primary camp for harvesting wood from the Great Forest of Rhyl for the Ducal naval ship yard at Arbenants Port and the surrounding territory. Despite its name, it is hardly a camp – it is a major operation sanctioned and regulated by multiple authorities. It’s been a permanent fixture in its current location for a long, long time.
These materials contain minor details that may not be pervasive knowledge or known to outsiders.
The area of the Great Forest of Rhyl that the logging camp has been centered on is known as “Ferrywood” (named due to it providing the long wood beams for the ferries on the west end of Lake Caolite) and is also part of the Southern Edgelands of the Forest of Rhyl. It is about 15km+ away from the ruins of the Monastery of Ablocris. There is a constant stream of material coming from this camp going east to supply local areas and the navy portage. Because of the navy connection, banditry is minimal.
Family Influence: Although they do not “own” the site, the ‘camp’ is mostly overseen by the Harrelman family of Amstred’s Wish. The family manages the logging rights and really the continued processing of existing deliveries is fulfilled and not expanded on – though small one-time orders can be processed.
Rulership/Governance: {Integrity ***} Foreman (always an ally of the Harrelman family) and a Lt. of the Navy of Rhyl from Arbenants Port.
- Recognized Administrative Center/Seat of Power: Administrative Hall where the Foreman lives
- A volunteer watch of half a dozen patrols the camp town most of the time; 1 is stationed at the administrative hall at all times.
- Crier Platform (announcements) – near civic hall, jail, and/or mayoral (equiv.) office; usually near market & gathering areas; Chartered policy, procedure, and laws posted here.
Population: Approx. 410 loggers, cutters, and teamsters; about another 100 transient population during warmer months.
- Primary Settlement Upbringing Experience: Rural
Cultural Overview & References for the Grand Duchy of Rhyl
Basic Experience
The settlement of Himmeldin Farm of the area known as Ferrywood Leg is the closest to the Ferrywood Logging Camp – just southeast of the Ferrywood Road when entering the forest to the camp.
This has been detailed in-depth in ENC > Approach & Scout @ Ferrywood Logging Camp.
Ferrywood Logging Pattern/Plan
Kept Clear: The Ferrywood Road and the camp is kept from being overgrown by the Green Church followers at the briarwood of Corthia’s Hedgerow’s End in Millhaven Heath; Its lack of (controlled) growth in the perimeter of the camp and road are managed similar to a Briarwood, though there is no Briarwood Ring. The road leads a few kilometers through the Southern Edgelands of the Forest of Rhyl to the camp.
Work Zones: The area actively logged is divided into 7 sectors of roughly 3km each, divided into short and long growth fields. The sectors are a ring around the camp, and the harvest moves from one sector to another. The rejuvenation effect causes them to grow faster from seeds and when cut down. They are harvested at the equivalent of 100 years’ growth. The forest growth is accelerated at a rate of 10x normal. So it only takes 10 years to see a tree grow to its hundred year old size.
The accelerated growth of the Southern Edgelands of the Forest of Rhyl are oddly amplified during the Time of the Cold Moon; No one knows why, but the normal madness and violence associated with that time is largely absent within the territory.
Site Aspects/Features
Local Culture/Society: Most of the loggers that work here don’t have family. They are paid for a year long commitment, then monthly wages. Within the camp are several teams and shifts and the dormitories associated with them. These often play Rauket, and the best players are selected for a sponsored team from the camp. The logging camp operators try to employ individuals for no more than 7 years and if they make it that for, there is a one-time payout at the end if they leave.
- There is a cemetery on the east edge of town where loggers and locals are buried or have their ashes scattered.
- The records are managed by the Harrelman family and the foreman they employ.
Edgeland Regrowth: With the mystical re-invigoration of the forest beginning around CY 8500, the logging camp was pushed far to the SE to its current location and has been there for hundreds of years, logging new growth in the area as fast as it grows to heights of 20m or more. The Harrelman family running the camp has accelerated the pace of logging in the last 50 years.
A Dragons Mark: Icen Churnidz, the strange area of persistent ancient dragon breath impact, is only about 8km NW from Ferrywood Logging Camp at the forest’s edge. The area nearby the effect has a great deal of mist that comes from it, and it seems to enhance the regrowth effect.
Broad Place Descriptors (Buildings & Services)
Initially this had a scattered camp/town as part of its processes. The “camp” has gotten bigger over time. Most of the families and operators now in place came after the War of Rundleman’s Revenge in CY 9041. The leavings and tailings of the wood harvested go to the various local supporting businesses for construction and fire fuel (they have to haul it away themselves though).
Administrative Hall
This is a stone base and wooden roof hall that seats 40 at a time. There is a kitchen attached to it. There is an ‘office’ and a secure room where records are kept, and a safe where pay is kept. The logging camp has records that go back several hundred years – including the original charter. They were all hid when the locale was sacked during the War of Rundleman’s Revenge in CY 9041.
Roads’s End Pasture
This pasture is on the north side of the camp entrance, next to a covered guard shack that is always manned. It is the pasture where visitors can keep their mounts – there is a couple of open front sheds for cover and storage, but the visitors themselves are expected to feed and care for their own mounts. This is a common self-service feature of camps and steadings that have little accommodations for outsiders.
Boralts Hog Farm: There is a large hog farm at the west end that keeps the camp supplied.
Harrelman’s Camp Services
Harrelman’s Contract: The contract for running the camp and performing the logging is owned by the Harrelman family out of Amstred’s Wish.
- Barkload Cartwright
> Terleigh family: Owners & Operators; A stable business is done in service to the logging efforts. - Logger Barracks
> There are 8 barracks buildings, each holding 12 loggers and led by an experienced worker that heads the crew, called a “chief cutter”. - Sawmill and Stripping Compound
> This consist of various stations (covered) that cut the wood that is logged. Raw wood goes out to the military (navy) and cut wood for locals and special jobs. There are operator barracks, hauler barracks, and a loading yard with cranes for loading carts and wagons. - Teamster Barracks
> There are 4 barracks buildings holding 12 teamsters each, each crew led by a “chief hauler”. - The Blue Branch Tavern (more of a roadhouse)
> The tavern is a place of heavy drinking, gambling, and general rabble-rousing. Traveling musicians are encouraged! - Wandering Maureen’s – A Whorehouse
> Run by a Madam; They also have private rooms to let for the few overnight visitors the site gets. While its not ideal, as there is ‘business’ going on during 2/3 of the day and night (reflecting the logging shifts), the walls have been padded with multiple layers of tapestry to reduce the noise. - Mule Trader and Stable
> Karlston family: Owners & Operators; Breed and trains mules. Has a donkey and horse stable for breeding stock only – not for sale. - Ferrywood General store
> This is run by the Harrelman family; There are a married couple and children always here – at least 2 generations representing the family. The family always has at least a pair of guards (mercenaries) to ensure safety and stability of the business (and the site in general – stability is the key to profit). - Ferrywood Cemetery
> This is sacrificed by druids and Lightbringers alike to prevent the Lich Lord’s magics from animating any corpses.
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
- Patrols: Volunteer Watch is marching perimiter at any given point.
- This location has an amateur and vibrant set of Rauket games; The locals have 4 teams they have made that play in the camp and a few times a year with local dwellers in the greater area.
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.
Trivial Outcome / Very Easy Difficulty & Pervasive Knowledge
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.
The truth is no logger has ever been genuinely hurt from the antics of the Smallfolks. The Lightbringers just used it as an excuse for the monastery’s creation.
After the War of Rundleman’s Revenge, and the burning of the monastery and a portion of the forest by the marauders, the extended camp was rebuilt.
Rumors About the Locale
- The older families of Rhyl believe this camp should be one of the shared resources they manage.
- The magically enriched soil nearby is not good for burial – those buried will be magically risen as zombies!
- The loggers here live longer than normal by making bark stew from the trees.
Rhyl Formative Events
See the Herald's Quarterly for world updates.
Rhyl Formative Events
CY 7007 The area of North Gate Garrison freed & The Red March created; Money, supplies, armaments, and manpower flow into the north to fight the Lich Lords.
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 6909 The Fall of the Grand Barony of Altair from a curse by the Lich Lords. The main passage of troops and supplies from the hinterlands and nfar north to the The Grand Duchy of Rhyl is sacked by an undead army led by a ghoul king.
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.
> For 3000 years, the Kingdoms of old Rhylan was the primary form of Rulership in the territory of the current Grand Duchy.
CY 5580 Fall of Dundaria in the North - Frostfang spreads, the Lich Lord power rises. Hordes of the undead, fortunately disorganized (at first), sweep south and west from the heart of old Dundaria.
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.
CY 1000 (Approximately) The Dragon of Rhyl is killed and its influence ends in the area around the Great Forest of Rhyl and the surrounding territories.
Simple Outcome / Easy Difficulty & Common Knowledge
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
This settlement was terrorized and sacked as part of the War of Rundleman’s Revenge in CY 9041. The vast majority of the anger of Rundleman’s ‘army’ was taken out on this logging camp (that supplied a lot of the wood for the naval ship building at Arbenants Port, and the Monastery of Ablocris on the edge of the forest nearby.
The edges and heavily logged interior of this forest have grown at an accelerated rate in different areas since around CY 8500 – believed to be part of the effects of The Odyssey of Elancil’s Wound. This has caused logging and conflicts over it to accelerate as well.
The Faerie Smallfolk of the great forest of Rhyl were prone to many of what they perceived as pranks and inhabitants found to be lethal attacks in a few cases. This has (mostly) subsided since about CY 9155.
Minor Outcome / Average Difficulty & Uncommon Knowledge
The logging rights were bought by the Harrelman family of Amstred’s Wish in CY 9000.
Old Resentment: When the Southern Edgelands of the Forest of Rhyl were mystically reinvigorated hundreds of years ago, it pushed out many settlements that had formed after it had been heavily logged and settled for thousands of years. Resentment is still harbored by the inhabitants of South Reedland Stretch who are their descendants. This was made worse by the Harrelman family getting ownership/charter of the area.
History of Attempts to Incorporate
Recent: After the War of Rundleman’s Revenge in CY 9041, another attempt was made by outside forces to incorporate it into a village or town under various authorities. The Harrelman family resisted this, as it would alter contracts and deals made a s a logging camp, and potentially upset a balance of power and resources. There were several armed conflicts over this. The locales were driven off completely by CY 9010, after the Harrelman family took control.
Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty
The Monastery of Ablocris was eventually set up to provide a refuge against the minor magics of the Faerie Smallfolk of the forest of Rhyl. The rumors of a faerie curse persisting there have always worried the
South Reedland Stretch (Rhyl)
Posted on November 6, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The South Reedland Stretch is a length of shoreline and land in the Reedbed Principality on the south side of the Sabarmati River that consists of a trade road leading to the ancient city of Saltmarch, a few villages and steadings, and a logging camp on the edge of the Great Forest of Rhyl that supplies the naval yard at Arbenants Port.
The area is mostly a pastoral landscape with rolling hills part of and bordering the Southern Edgelands of the Forest of Rhyl and slope down to the Beyne River to the south. Icen Churnidz is often claimed as part of this domain when there is money to be made from it.
The roads in the area are mostly secondary roads, though an older primary road exists it is not well maintained. There are no ports in the area along the Beyne River, so travel and trade is overland through the area. A small but steady flow of goods and travelers ensures most settlements have at least a bed-and-breakfast or boarding house, though few large Inns to speak of.
Rulership/Governance: {Integrity ***} There is no absolute formal rulership of South Reedland Stretch; Sir Cecil of Hartbaten House is a knight and the highest individual ranking of the area, wielding power loosely in times of turmoil.
- Recognized Administrative Center/Seat of Power: Hartbaten House when needed
- Primary Settlement Upbringing Experience: All
Population: Thousands of almost all humans scattered over multiple locales + a few hundred isolated human subsistence farmers.
Cultural Overview & References for the Grand Duchy of Rhyl
Site Aspects/Features
Old Resentment: When the Southern Edgelands of the Forest of Rhyl were mystically reinvigorated hundreds of years ago, it pushed out many settlements that had formed after it had been heavily logged and settled for thousands of years. Resentment is still harbored by the inhabitants of South Reedland Stretch who are their descendants.
Cultural Mix: Culturally the area belongs to the The Grand Duchy of Rhyl, but it mingles with a little of the Merchant Cities of the North due to constant struggles over thousands of years displacing and moving people – such as the recent War of Rundleman’s Revenge. The more remote places have a strong independent streak in them.
Rauket Culture: Because the South Reedland Stretch region has been subject to fluctuating borders, raids, and contests the cultures of the the Merchant Cities of the North and the The Grand Duchy of Rhyl mingled and the game of Rauket holds more significance – despite the small population and sense of remoteness for the ducal citizens. Teams in the smaller settlements play to visiting teams and in winter they travel west to warmer areas. The best team in the region is almost always Raukhaven Millers from Millhaven Heath.
Orrish a Distant Threat: Most of the settlements here are small and remote, and lack any of the mountainous or covered terrain necessary for the Orrish of Helca to make a base in to target the area. Historically, there have only ever been a few dozen raids in thousands of years, and nothing in a few generations.
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.
Trivial Outcome / Very Easy Difficulty & Pervasive Knowledge
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.
Rumors About the Locale
Rhyl Formative Events
See the Herald's Quarterly for world updates.
Rhyl Formative Events
CY 7007 The area of North Gate Garrison freed & The Red March created; Money, supplies, armaments, and manpower flow into the north to fight the Lich Lords.
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 6909 The Fall of the Grand Barony of Altair from a curse by the Lich Lords. The main passage of troops and supplies from the hinterlands and nfar north to the The Grand Duchy of Rhyl is sacked by an undead army led by a ghoul king.
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.
> For 3000 years, the Kingdoms of old Rhylan was the primary form of Rulership in the territory of the current Grand Duchy.
CY 5580 Fall of Dundaria in the North - Frostfang spreads, the Lich Lord power rises. Hordes of the undead, fortunately disorganized (at first), sweep south and west from the heart of old Dundaria.
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.
CY 1000 (Approximately) The Dragon of Rhyl is killed and its influence ends in the area around the Great Forest of Rhyl and the surrounding territories.
Simple Outcome / Easy Difficulty & Common Knowledge
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.