Tag: loc-rhyl
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
North Gate Garrison Locations and Areas
Posted on August 1, 2025 in Steel-Realms
North Gate Garrison Locations and Areas are many. It is a large area consisting of the length of the The Autumn Wall and everything on the west side of it. Territorially, the entire area is under the administration of The Grand Duchy of Rhyl in The Fortified city of Alstaad. The military presence is all managed by agents of the High King of the Steel Realms. It is not unusual to see some of Order of the Black Gorgon agents here. The Hoarblight is a terrifying death effect that targets places near and along The Autumn Wall and The Red March.
Most fortifications of the area have the Anvil of Mizras treatment.
The Red March
Posted on August 1, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The Red March is the pathway that leads through Grand Duchy of Rhyl to North Gate Garrison to fight the Lich Lords. A constant train of supplies and man power are coming and going. Martial law and necessary changes are obvious along The Red March and North Gate Garrison. All Must Serve Against the Undead – Those who take the Oath of the Day Watch and Rhylan the Living are part of a system in their region that determines who is sent to represent their home on The Autumn Wall.
Lich Lord’s Wrath: As one of the Encounters in the Grand Duchy of Rhyl here, the Lich Lord’s Anger Manifest attempt to summon the terrifying death effect of the Hoarblight along and near the The Autumn Wall and The Red March.
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.
Travel upon The Red March is grim, and few speak in raised voices. Far from silent, there is a constant bustle of groups no less than 30 moving to and fro, of shifting equipment & the rumbling of carts and wagons, orders being shouted, and… the groans of the wounded on the return. A haunted look on those returning, and trepidation and bravado on those headed north. Merchants, soldiers, patrols, knights & hopefuls seeking entry to a martial order, volunteers, and pilgrims fill the road. The most devout pilgrims all wear color coded bright head bands for quick identification by priests in dire need of the power to which they have dedicated themselves to. On the outside edges are the legendary “Red Rails” – if you are lucky, their swift movement can be witnessed… though it is a harbinger of dire need or dire consequences – depending on the direction of travel.
Prevailing Weather in Rhyl: The Lich Lords send cold blasts of hoarwind and frost.
The only area the Merchant City trading interests step lightly in is the Grand Duchy of Rhyl – the stability of the flow of goods and soldiers along The Red March is paramount.
The Red Rail
The “Red Rail” is a set of rail lines that runs the entire length the marching road that leads to North Gate Garrison to supply the existential war against the Lich Lords. A set of rails leads to it, and one away – both connect at the ends of the march. The Automata Brigade of Virtue and Reason in Umbak built the original Red Rail system along The Red March using a form of Magitech/Technomancy.
In the intervening ages, damage done to the rail track has been repaired by skilled dwarven and human masons and smiths. The druids have bound elementals to the newer sleds on the rail, less efficient and stable than the Umbakian technology it was initially built with.
You are not sure what they are exactly, but paralleling the road is a set of large rails. You’ve seen rails for things to slide on, even short rails for transport between buildings or rooms, but these look like you could set a wagon on top of them. They are metal, embedded in stone slots and seem immovable. They appear to be well used, clear of all debris and corrosion on the top. You look into the distance. The rails follow the land, in as much a straight line as possible, rising with the elevation as they go north, and dropping south. There are signs in multiple languages warning of patrols, “constant watching from a distance”, and the danger of being ‘obstructive’ in any way.
CART
A cart races past you, making a strange whining sound as it goes. The cart is massive, with a metal base and sturdy wooden rails and frame sitting on top. You could easily fit 5 to 6 wagon loads on the platform. On the front is an odd small ‘cabin’ for lack of a better word, size enough for two to three humanoids. The platform seems balanced on something you cannot see, that seems to creak and shift slightly as it moves – reducing the worst of the rough ride as it moves.
Halfling Rail Riders: Halflings work the mechanisms in the cabin. Long ago, it was revealed that the sizes of the loads meant one or two humans could not do much in the event of repair or attention needed to the cargo or interior of the railwagon. It was more efficient to have 3-5 halflings as crew with full tools and equipment. Plus the speeds seemed to frighten them far less that other humanoids – to these “rail riders” it almost seems like a game.
Chronicle/Facts of the Locale
Item Powers (common and Attuned) can be found under Common Knowledge tab.
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.
CY 5980 The Kingdoms of old Rhylan united settled as a single Kingdom of Rhyl to fight the Lich Lords drive south.
CY 6514 The Grand Duchy of Rhyl[/su_permalink is created by the High King.
CY 7007 The area of North Gate GarrisonNorth 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.
Uncommon Knowledge / Average Difficulty
It began as a series of forts.
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.
The Glimmerglen
Posted on August 1, 2025 in Steel-Realms
The Glimmerglen is a legendary place where the power of nature is at its peak. About 40 miles into the great Forest of Rhyl, on the east edge of The Barony of Meargensdale Vale is a set of progressively higher hills running west to east known as The Giants Steps running about 4km. The Glen sits midway on the south side. It is about 1.5km long and half that wide. Vegas Deep was abandoned when activities here affected The Glimmerglen not far away. This location bears the Frost-Melded mark an ancient battle with the Dragon of Rhyl.
A stream coalesces into a series of beaver meadows and runs south to a small, tall falls that almost turns completely to mist before it hits the bottom. The sun seems to reflect ten times more than it should, creating a diffused, glittering effect.
The Har’ahdu Cunaigh – Aelpath of Helca twines through the Great Forest of Rhyl.
Hostile to Outsiders: Getting to The Glimmerglen is often fraught with accidents. The insects grow large and swarm, the birds harass climbers, game roams freely and is abundant (and sometimes huge), but there are no large predators. There are moments when phantasmal visions of strange beasts appear and fade out. In the winter, it snows an unusual amount on the nearby peaks and in the glen. It is inhospitable to humanoids,with a reputation of folk vanishing that were there moments before. Sightings of elves nearby have stoked many rumors, but they certainly do not live there – no permanent residence of any kind has ever been seen.
A Seat of Power: Long has it been whispered that a great spirit of the land lives there. Druids of the Wylde are known to seek it as a place of refuge – but only in the short term. The Rhylan Conjurors hold it as a sacred place and each make a pilgrimage to it at least once. The Great Spirit of Rhylande (spirit of Rhyl) manifests its presence here. It is sometimes referred to as “The Rhylan Tabernacle”. It is a place where The Rimbus were once strong and intersects with The Aelfpaths of Helca.
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
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.
Establishment of the Grand Duchy of Rhyl, fiefdom of the Kingdom of Gladnor > CY 6514
Common Knowledge / Easy Difficulty
For those native to or long-dwelling in the region, ALL Common Knowledge may be Pervasive.