Map of Cold Lands

This message was last edited by the GM at 03:01, Sat 24 Feb 2007.

Overview of the Bloodstone Lands
The phrase "Bloodstone Lands" refers to the region between the Great Glacier and Impiltur, particularly the two states of Vaasa and Damara. The whole area encompasses roughly 150,000 square miles in a roughly triangular shape, using the southern line of the Great Glacier as its northernmost boundary.

To the west, beyond the Earthspur Mountains, is the wicked land of Thar, the Moonsea, and the independent citystate of Mulmaster. To the south is Impiltur and beyond that, the Sea of Fallen Stars. To the east looms Narfell and the Great Dale.



One might assume that the nickname of this rugged region comes from the quantity of blood spilled in the area, especially in and around the Galena Mountains. There have been numerous battles with goblinkin and giantkind. The sturdy inhabitants have also faced the relentless forces of the climate, and even fought among themselves over the years. In truth, this would make "bloodstone" an apt label.

However, the phrase refers to the uncountable mineral wealth found in the area, a deep-green chalcedony flecked with red jasper. Bloodstones were once mined throughout the Galenas and the Earthspurs, luring men here in droves. Bloodstones established Damara as a major power in the Forgotten Realms.

Geography and Ecology
The Bloodstone Lands are a cold region. Freezing winds roll down from the Great Glacier and swirl through the mountain peaks, making the long winters of Vaasa and Damara longer still. Yet though their temperature ranges are similar, the geography of these two states is vastly different.

Vaasa
The northernmost of the two states, Vaasa is also the smaller. The kingdom lies in a triangular region bounded by the Earthspur Mountains, the Great Glacier, and the forbidding Galena Mountains. For centuries untold, Vaasa remained an unclaimed wasteland of frozen moors and broken clumps of tundra, a captured pocket of deep winter.

Summer does come here, if only for a few short weeks. Even then, Vaasa feels the edge of its climate.s wickedness. When the moorwaters melt and the top layers of tundra soften, the entire region becomes one vast bog of sludge and mud where "the tallest horse would wet its belly," as the saying goes in Damara.

Even more insidious, many bottomless bogs open up, particularly in the central region, above the Beaumaris River. These deadly moors would do much more than "wet a horse's belly!"

Where small farms have been scratched in Vaasa.s rocky soil, harvests show a somewhat fertile land. However, nowhere in all the kingdom has a large enough stretch of arable land been found capable of supporting a large-scale community.

Few people live in Vaasa. Even they probably wonder why.

Damara
More hospitable is the land of Damara. The hardy people of Damara get along fairly well overall, but even so, deadly winter takes its toll among the folk who live here. Summer brings a short but fruitful farming season. Game is plentiful and the rivers tame enough to be useful. Generally speaking, the lands south and east of the Galenas provide a tolerable life, if not a comfortable one.

Damara's northern border runs along the Great Glacier, while the Earthspurs demark most of Damara's western and southern border. Impiltur is an important neighbor around the southern tip of this mighty mountain range.

Natural boundaries separate Damara from Narfell to the east. Huge Rawlinswood, the Giantspire Mountains, and Icelace Lake have kept the two nations further apart than their literal proximity would seem to indicate.

History of the Bloodstone Lands
For centuries, the story of the Bloodstone Lands was simply the story of Damara. The cold wastes of Vaasa attracted little attention from scholars (or anyone else!) outside the mountainous barricades of the region. The people of Vaasa gathered in scattered communities of hunters, trappers, and farmers, all pitifully poor and eking out a squalid, uninteresting existence.

Damara, though, had a different tale to tell. This kingdom traces its noble lines back almost three centuries, to the time when Heliogabalus was founded by Feldrin Bloodfeathers, the first king of Damara. Thereafter, his long, unbroken line of kindly heirs ruled Damara well, only ending with King Virdin's death. Until the most recent generation, the kingdom was a force on par with Impiltur.

Damara maintained strong trade relations with the city-states along the Moonsea and along all the reaches of the Sea of Fallen Stars. The narrow gap between Rawlinswood and the southern expanse of the Earthspurs is still known as Merchants Run, though few merchants use it today.

At the height of Damara's glory, long caravans of merchants transported chalcedony down this pass to the fortress of Ilmwatch along the Easting Reach. They were welcomed and even protected by the legions of Impiltur. Fortified by brigades of Impilturian soldiers, the Damaran merchants then crossed through the Traders Bay region and into the great port of Sarshel. Ships from Thesk and all the nations floating vessels on the the Sea of Fallen Stars met the merchants with open arms and open purses.

A second trade route, shorter but more difficult, carried the precious stone through Bloodstone Pass, the only sensible trail through the mighty Galenas. From there, the stone went to points north and west. Because it crossed through the wilds of Vaasa and through the Earthspur Mountains along Garumn's Climb, this route was not preferred. But Garumn's Climb has proven invaluable to Sembia and the city-states on the Moonsea, especially in times of heavy pirate activity, or on such occasions as when the Moonsea was cut off from the main waterway by a particularly nasty dragon turtle, as happened a few decades ago.

The bloodstone was traded in bars, each measured at 25 gold pieces in value. The crest of a Damaran noble house marked every bar, and on the opposite side was the year in Damaran reckoning. Nearly 1,000,000 gold pieces worth of the stone was taken annually from the mines in the Galenas alone. Particularly rich was the small region surrounding Bloodstone Pass, aptly named the Barony of Bloodstone. This annual yield of raw wealth more than kept the interest of merchants and speculators, and therefore the craftsmen, farmers, and ordinary folk of Damara lived quite well.

Furthermore, Damara had little to fear from its neighbors. Protected by imposing natural boundaries, with the noble houses united under the rule of a single well-accepted king, there was little cause for unrest. The king maintained an army only to protect the caravans, and to defend the outlying rural communities from bands of raiding goblins or other wretched creatures. Certainly, the scattered tribes of Vaasa could never unite or pose more than a marginal threat. Peace was the norm, and the expectation of future prosperity, obvious.

Or so the Damarans thought. The merchants could never have guessed that the bloodstone bars would in time be called "cursed money". shunned by all outside the region for fear that it would bring to the user the same disastrous fate that befell Damara!

The Rise of the Witch-King
Barely twelve years ago, in FR1337, a calamitous event in the wastes of Vaasa rocked the stability of the entire region. In a single night, the evil fortress Castle Perilous arose on a lonely crag only 60 miles north of the Galenas and the Damaran border.

Out from this bastion of wickedness stepped Zhengyi the Witch-King, a lich of unspeakable powers. The Witch- King claimed the sovereign powers of the kingdom of Vaasa. Winning the cold hearts of the countless goblins, orcs, and giants living in the mountains, the Witch-King pulled them all into his fold.  Zhengyi enlisted the aid of powerful denizens of the lower planes and surrounded himself with the foul priests of Orcus, who could raise and command legions of undead. With this vast army swiftly assembled, and further aided by the infamous Grandfather of Assassins and his foul guild, the Witch-King prepared for war.

Damara's eyes were blind to the sudden rise of Zhengyi. At the time of the Witch-King.s rise, the kingdom was suffering a series of catastrophies.events which, in hindsight, seem suspiciously connected with the Witch-King.

First, a nameless evil awakened in the Mines of Bloodstone, a force that drove the men and dwarves from the place in terror. These mines had been the primary source of wealth for the northern barony. Indeed, up to that time, the wealth rolling out of them - more than 400,000 gold pieces annually - represented nearly half of all the bloodstone flowing out of Damara. Hundreds of brave men tried to reclaim the mines in the next few months, but none returned.

Wolf Winter fell that same year. Early frosts destroyed the harvest and the winter that ensued was therefore doubly terrible. Starvation was common among man and beast alike. Packs of dire wolves swept into northern Damara from the Galenas, leaving little but bloodied snow in their wake. Even worse, many of the wolves were infected with lycanthropy.

The Witch-King's armies roared down to the Galenas the very next year, cutting off Bloodstone Pass and effectively shutting down all the mines on the Vaasan side of the mountains. The  into Damara and committing one massacre after another.

But the people of Damara were a tough people. After they recovered from the initial shock of Zhengyi's lightning attacks, they fought back bravely. For ten brutal years, Vaasa and Damara fought. Neighboring nations, notably Impiltur and Narfell, looked on with more than passing interest, fearing the shape of their own future if Zhengyi proved victorious. Yet though they sided with Damara in principle and for practical reasons, the nearby kingdoms of the region had problems of their own. In turn, they had too many opportunistic neighbors just waiting to gain their own advantage. Neither Impiltur nor Narfell offered Damara any substantial assistance. Their paralysis almost cost them dearly.
<cont.>
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:41, Fri 02 Mar 2007.

<cont.> In the summer of FR1347, Zhengyi's forces faced off against King Virdin at the Ford of Goliad. Neither side could gain any advantage through the month of June and many thought that the war would hold in stalemate until the next winter, when the river would freeze.

Then came the day that Damarans will ever despise. No one can say for certain what occurred that foul day, but it seems obvious that treachery led the way for Zhengyi. Most scholars agree that the scoundrel was Felix, King Virdin's chief lieutenant. Long afterward Felix was discovered to be a member of the Assassins Guild of the Galenas, Zhengyi's cohorts. Nothing was suspected at the time.

Felix - if it was him - tricked young King Virdin into believing that a magical wand he had acquired would allow the Damaran army secret passage across the river. Actually the "wand" was a cheap stick stacked with twelve Nystul's magic aura spells. Virdin desperately grasped at the chance to end the long and costly conflict. Already aware of the deception, Zhengyi held his forces in check for several tense minutes, coaxing in the Damarans. Then the lichking struck hard, trapping the bulk of the Damaran army in the river and shattering Virdin's forces. On a hillock a short distance away, the young king watched his kingdom fall. His grief ended when a dagger (wielded by Felix?) found its way into his back.

Zhengyi had spent ten years preparing for this day, and he didn't hesitate. Calling on the forces of the Grandfather of Assassins, the Witch-King instituted the second phase of the destruction of Damara. It took only one bloody night for the most loyal and powerful nobles of Damara to be slain.

The "peace" that ensued was not favorable to the conquered. The Witch-King granted a veneer of independence to the feeble remnants of the Damaran houses, dividing the southern reaches of the old kingdom into six poor baronies - poorer still after paying tribute to their conqueror, the Witch-King.

Zhengyi gave control of the Galenas to the Grandfather of Assassins, then tightened his own evil clutch on the north. A stream of refugees trekked south as best they could.

With Damara spiraling into economic ruin and Zhengyi's power growing every day, the neighboring states could only sit tight and hope that the Witch-King would be content with his new domain.

That was only two years ago. How swiftly things can change!
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:40, Fri 02 Mar 2007.

Two Tumultuous Years
"Pray tell, fellow bard, where will thy horse fly?" asked the first. "To Damara to busy my pen. 'Tis said that more has happened in the last two years than in the last two centuries!" The second bard twirled his lute in excitement at the mere thought of entering the Bloodstone Lands.

"Then surely you have missed your time, good fellow," said the first, "for the Witch-King is dead and his armies scattered."

"Not so, not so," argued the second. "The issue is far from settled. And although the new heroes have lived more adventures in two years than most will see in a lifetime, they have many more before them." He spurred his horse and galloped away. The call, "Many more!" echoed back as he went.

This may be a typical scene among the bards of the Forgotten Realms these days, for indeed the bloodstone region has undergone tremendous changes since the victory of the Witch-King. Still more lie ahead before the situation stabilizes.

After the Witch-King secured his hold on northern Damara, he disappeared for a time, presumably to reevaluate the remaining strength of his forces and to plan out his next moves. Deliberately, he left a nation in disarray.

Zhengyi's decision to divide southern Damara into separate, independent baronies was shrewd indeed. In spite of the hardships descending on the conquered land, the puppet rulers of these baronies squabbled, conspiring against each other. Each one would gladly fight another over whatever might add to his own power and meager wealth.

Combined with the terrible tribute to the Witch-King, this disarray crushed the pride of the people of Damara. Under such ineffective rule, the entire southern region was quickly thrown into chaos, both political and economic. As he had planned, Zhengyi was left in peace to concentrate on his next moves.

In the security of his arrogance, Zhengyi took no notice of the actions of his cohorts, the bandit army of the Galena Mountains. Led by the Grandfather of Assassins, a High Priest of Orcus, and an Arch-mage who had once been Zhengyi's own personal advisor, a tribute of gold and even slaves was demanded from the poor people of the Barony of Bloodstone.

This proved to be the proverbial last straw. The bandit army's depredations bred an angry resolve in Baron Tranth and in all the people of Bloodstone. Perhaps because arrogance and evil so often go hand-in-hand, Zhengyi did not imagine mighty heroes might arise, but proud people can only be pushed so far. When a group of heroes emerged to lead them, the people of Bloodstone rose up and fought for their homes.

The heroic leaders were Gareth Dragonsbane and his company of six: Emelyn the Gray Friar Dugald, Celedon Kearney, Riordan Parnell, Olwen Forest-friend, and Kane, monk of the Monastery of the Yellow Rose. Men, women, and even children of Bloodstone Village followed them, and boldly faced the bandits, even standing proud against the horrible undead brigades of the evil priest, Banak. The sheer courage of the villagers rallied support, and groups of dwarves, halflings, and centaurs rolled up from the woodland clusters just south of Bloodstone Village. The Grandfather of Assassins was slain by the monk, Kane, and the bandit army was soundly defeated.

The most important result of the battle was that the races of the region had come together and mighty new leaders had been found. Quiet whispers spoke of hope when rumors circulated that Gareth Dragonsbane had fallen in love with the Lady Christine, Baron Tranth's daughter.

But just when Gareth and his friends seemed to have the region turned back toward the right course, bad luck and an unspeakable evil once again came crashing down.

<cont.>
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:01, Thu 15 Mar 2007.

<cont.>
First, torrential rains swept through Bloodstone for a full week in September, and after the storm came a sudden freeze. Unharvested wheat and hay rotted and died in the fields and the town feared another Wolf's Winter of hardship and starvation.

Second, a scream in the night came from the Abbey of St. Sollars, rousing the village. What looked like a simple worg attack was soon found to be something much more insidious when the symbol of Orcus, a horned goat.s head, was discovered painted in blood on one of the Abbey's walls.

Everything pointed to the long-closed bloodstone mines as the source of the horror, prompting talks of a heroic adventure. Furthermore, all the people of the barony could see the possibilities of wealth if the mines could somehow be reopened. Although the monk Kane had been called back to the Monastery of the Yellow Rose, Gareth and his five remaining friends went boldly into the mines. With the help of a community of svirfneblin gnomes, they routed the minions of Orcus, a tribe of duergar dwarves.

The mines were promptly reopened and King Ruggedo, head of the svirfneblin, swore eternal friendship to the barony. Baron Tranth, confident of Bloodstone's bright future, gave to Gareth the hand of his daughter in marriage. As a dowry, he turned over rulership of the barony itself.

The people of Bloodstone dug in and fought through the savage winter. Under the leadership of the new baron, they were confident that the spring would bring new growth and hopeful about the wealth to be dug anew from the mines. The very next spring, the dwarves of Clan Orothiar and the svirfneblin brought out a million gold pieces worth of the fabled bloodstones.

With new wealth came new trouble. The promise of riches attracted thousands of new citizens to the barony. Perceptively, Gareth understood what was to come next. He promptly put the newcomers to work building new towns and new fortifications. Then the baron commissioned his friends as generals and bid them to build a great army. He recognized that Bloodstone was surrounded by the jealous lords of the other baronies and, of course, there was still the Witch-King.

William the Lazy, eighth Duke of Arcata, was first to strike. In league with the Grandfather of Assassins, his move began the Bloodstone Wars.

But William and the other leaders had no concept of the resolve of the barony, nor of the strength of its new-found leaders. Arcata fell, then Carmathan,  and finally, the minor baronies of Ostel, Morov, and Polten. In a few short weeks, the southern provinces of the old Kingdom of Damara were united once again.

With so much in flux, the Witch-King finally turned his eyes back to Damara. Assessing the problem, Zhengyi sent his vast army south. He pulled the bandit army back into his fold, and attacked across the Galenas. But the swelling army of Bloodstone fought fiercely and drove back the Witch-King's soldiers. The forces reached a stalemate at the Ford of Goliad - ironically, the very site of the Witch-King's first victory over Damara. With each army in firm control of one bank of the river, there seemed no end in sight.

The stalemate was shattered by Gareth, Emelyn the Gray, Dugald, Celedon Kierney, Riordan Parnell, and Olwen Forest-friend. The six brave friends struck out at the heart of the Witch-King's power: at Orcus himself, ruler of the lower planes. The friends traveled to the Abyss and stole the demon-lord's wand, taking the vile instrument to the Seven Heavens where it was ultimately destroyed.

The adventure did not end there. Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, gave Gareth the Tree-Gem, and sent the victorious heroes back to Bloodstone. Once planted, the gem grew into a beautiful white tree, a symbol of hope with the power to forever banish Orcus and the other monsters of the Abyss from the Bloodstone Lands.

With the defeat of the demon-lord, the Witch-King lost the source of his dark power. Castle Perilous crumbled into ruins, the priests of the goat's head religion lost their strength, and the undead of the Vaasan army fell to dust. Gareth drove the confused remnants of the wretched forces of Vaasa back through Bloodstone Pass and into their dark holes in the north kingdom. Peace seemed, at last, to be at hand.

Where the Region Stands Now

Editor's Note: This Guide is written as of 1359, 16 years ago (Currently we are in 1375).  Therefore, whereever in this guise says 'Now', it is actually 16 years ago...I will discuss the missing 16 years after I'm done with this 16 year old information.

Peace in Damara is far from secure, although the prospects for it seem much more promising. Still, difficult problems face the people of the land.

First of all, although it united under Gareth for the strike against the forces of Vaasa, Damara remains divided, in spirit at least. The petty barons and dukes who tasted power in their pseudo-autonomy under the Witch-King are reluctant to relinquish control of their lands to a single king leading a reunited Damara. Several of them have a claim to the throne left empty when King Virdin was slain, particularly Tranth of Bloodstone and Dimian Ree of Morov. None are of direct descent, however, and the ascension of any claimant would be fraught with uprisings and covert coups.

Perhaps the most popular plan has been outlined by Tranth, the former Baron of Bloodstone. Rather than returning to the old kingdom, Tranth would like to see a new state formed that encompasses both Vaasa and Damara. The new kingdom would be called Bloodstone, and its first king, Gareth Dragonsbane.

At this time, this plan is only a topic of discussion. While retaining full control of the army, Gareth will not even hear of any permanent plans for the region until the business at hand is finished. Still, it seems obvious that the heroes are taken with Tranth's plan. At the very least, they are determined to prevent one of the petty barons from grabbing control.

The northern provinces remain in the clutches of the Vaasan scum. Although twice defeated, the bandit army has yet to be destroyed. Furthermore,  Vaasa itself remains unconquered by any, and that forsaken land holds many holes filled with goblins, giants and other reminders of the Witch-King's reign.

Furthermore, two strange events have Gareth and all of his friends worried about the future. First, three flights of dragons - reds, blues, and blacks - have flown high through Damara and over the Galena Mountains, heading generally in the direction of the ruins of Castle Perilous. It is rumored that a flight of green dragons will soon follow, and thereafter they will all be joined from a huge group of whites from the Great Glacier.

The second disquieting situation is that a strange cloud has engulfed the top of Suncatcher Mountain, a tall peak found where the Galenas join the Earthspur range. This cloud seems to defy the winds, for it does not move. Witnesses have said that if the mountain is viewed at the proper angle when the sun is low, the shining spires of an immense castle are clearly visible.

Undeniably, the people of Damara still have much to do before the area settles back down. Gareth and his friends are working to enact a four-part plan designed to stabilize the region.

1. At home:
Gareth and Friar Dugald remain in Bloodstone Village, securing their home base. Gareth is determined to provide the people of Damara with strong centralized power. To do this, he strengthens the ties to his closest allies. Baroness Christine, a druid, has links with the centaurs and halflings of the woodland south of the village. Gareth visits the dwarves and gnomes of the mines every week. On Kane's advice, Gareth has spent some effort soliciting the goodwill of the Monastery of the Yellow Rose. He has invited Cantoule, the new Grandmaster of Flowers, to visit Bloodstone Village. If the Monastery throws its support behind the new baron, as expected, Gareth's power will be greatly increased.

Perhaps the most notable event in Bloodstone is the construction of "the Gates". These two massive fortresses will secure the entrances to Bloodstone Pass and protect the mines. Whatever the future of Damara holds, when the Gates are complete, the valley around Bloodstone Pass will be secured as the mightiest region of the Bloodstone Lands, with a guaranteed source of wealth.

2. The northern provinces:
A large contingent of the Bloodstone army under the command of Olwen Forest-friend has been working to secure the northern provinces of Damara.  Never free of the Witch-King, the people of this region have no selfproclaimed leaders and should readily swear allegiance to their rescuers. Gareth is determined to get there before one of the other dukes or barons takes it upon himself to invade. In particular, he seeks to head off the designs of Dimian Ree of Morov.

Olwen's mission is described as the "five S's": squash the remaining Vaasan scum; supply the poor people of the region; secure the region and give it over to the people; seed them with hints of what is to come and with news of Bloodstone;  and scout out the happenings over the borders in Vaasa and Narfell.

The first reports from the region indicate Olwen is having great success. He is rallying support for the instigation of the Kingdom of Bloodstone. Cries of "King Gareth!" resound through the streets of every rescued hamlet.

3. Preparations for Vaasa:
Certainly Gareth intends to strike hard into Vaasa after the situation in Damara settles down. ("But not until the region has been reunited-in the old kingdom or the new," Gareth has been heard to say with a sly wink.) The baron and the people he rules do not desire a return to the skirmish-filled days of the past. Formerly, Bloodstone Village and indeed all of northern Damara had to constantly seek out and destroy individual tribes of goblins or giants that had descended upon one of the farm communities, thinking them fair game. The Damarans want Vaasa put down, once and for all, and they envision a line of fortress-cities along the northern edge of the Galenas, each pulling its share of gemstones from new mines and patrolling the border.

For the present, Gareth keeps a wary eye on the scattered forces of his northern neighbor. He wants to make sure that no army can organize against Damara. Moveover, he recognizes the importance of having a full understanding of what he will be up against when he commits his troops to a campaign in the hostile land. He seeks news of the gathering dragons, the bandit army, and that mysterious cloud over Suncatcher Mountain.

To these ends, Gareth has commissioned Spysong, a network of scouts led by Kane, Celedon Kearney, and Riordan Parnell. Spysong has infiltrated the Galenas and traveled far into Vaasa itself. The network relays information back to Gareth and his allies in the form of coded, bard-spun ditties understandable only by the right ears.

4. The baronies:
Arguably, the biggest threat to Damara is the splintered spirit of Damara itself. The people of southern Damara generally aren't so supportive of the goings-on in the Barony of Bloodstone. This is particularly true in Heliogabalus and the other cities of Morov. They see Gareth Dragonsbane mainly as a conqueror, although so far a kindly one. The southern nobles have been capitalizing on their wounded pride to keep them from falling into the "King Gareth frenzy".

Here is where the "Twilight Riders" come in. Led by Emelyn the Gray and his fellow mage, Myrddin Viligoth, this mighty group races through the southern provinces after the sun has set. Astride magically-conjured steeds of light, they aid those in need and spread the truth about the happenings in the north. They take no payment from those they help, and ask for no oaths of allegiance. But their message is clear to the people. Cries of "King Gareth!" Do not echo through the village streets in southern Damara, but those words are whispered door to door after the Twilight Riders have passed.



Whatever their official words might say, Gareth and his friends are determined to make Damara, hopefully Bloodstone, their home. Most agree that Gareth desires the kingship of a united nation. But even above that wish, scholars agree that the kindly Baron desires what is best for the people of Damara. He wants no further bloodshed, certainly no repeat of the Bloodstone Wars, and seeks an ascent to the throne on a wave of popular outcry so overwhelming that the other nobles won't dare oppose him. The powerhungry dukes and barons can see what is happening, and they aren.t happy with the way the wind is blowing. In truth, though, there is little they can do to turn the tide.

It must be firmly stated that those who know Gareth Dragonsbane best are fully confident that it is not overweening ambition motivating the paladin. If the tide of opinion flowed another way; if the people opposed the formation of a Kingdom of Bloodstone; if they desired the return of the old Kingdom of Damara with one of the blooded heirs sitting on the royal throne, then Gareth would step down. The Baron of Bloodstone and his mighty friends will put their personal desires aside and willingly, faithfully serve the new king in the establishment of his realm.

Ironically, the people's faith only adds to his support. Few are those who think that Gareth and his companions act from self-serving ambition.

Politics of the Bloodstone Lands
The BARONIES
To understand the Bloodstone Lands, a we must have a grasp of where Damara stands among its neighbors, and the dynamics at work within the kingdom itself. Present-day politics in Damara have their roots in the past.

Although the Bloodstone Wars brought the armies of the land together, the people remain divided. Each barony fared a little differently during the recent wars, and therefore everyone has their own opinion about goings-on in the north, and of the rise of the new heroes. The selfish and deceitful rulers Zhengyi put in place have only served to aggravate the already-volatile situation.

Before the Witch-King, and from the days of its earliest origins, Damara was a single harmonious nation. An acknowledged, accepted king ruled all from Heliogabalus. The provinces existed as counties, all solidly behind the trusted decisions that issued from the throne. Each county was ruled by a noble house of long standing.

The counties were of two types: the city provinces and the supply provinces. The city provinces of Morov, Ostel, and Polten serve primarily as trade markets and launching sites for merchant caravans, and here dwell Damara.s finest craftsmen. Farming is only on a small scale, and there is no raw mineral wealth here. These provinces are wholly dependent on the other regions to keep them from being more than simple trading communities suffering stoically in a cold frontier.

The supply provinces of Arcata, Bloodstone, Brandiar, Carmathan, and Soravia are less densely populated than the city provinces. These provinces support Damara.s large-scale farmers and miners, the backbone supporting the cities. economies.

Zhengyi could not change economics, but he shattered the ruling class that kept everything working. After the bloody night when the flower of Damaran nobility was slaughtered, Zhengyi began replacing the nobles, hand-picking his puppets, and he got some doozies indeed!

The Duchy of Arcata

Ruling House: Horgath
Present Duke: William, 8th Duke of Arcata
Family Crest: Diving Dagger and Mountains Three
Province Population: 15,000
Capital: Valls (1,300)

Most of the people of Arcata are either farmers or miners. The farms are predominantly in the south, around Valls. Bloodstone is not common along the Arcatan stretch of the Galenas and the Earthspurs, but several silver and iron mines have been opened.

True to St. Sollars and the ethics of endurance and perseverance, the proud Arcatans work on in the face of any hardship. Tomrav, a mining and farming community deep within the Earthspurs, is a testament to this determination. This tight-knit city is entirely self-sufficient, often cut off from the rest of the land by deep snows for eight full months.

Arcata's House of Horgath had been in decline even before the rise of the Witch-King. The common Arcatans recognized this fact, but they were concerned mainly with day-to-day survival. Little attention was paid to the failings of House Horgath, which seemed harmless enough. William sent House Horgath to the very nadir of disrespect and indecency.

The opening salvo of the Bloodstone Wars was the conflict between Arcata and Bloodstone. In league with the Grandfather of Assassins, Duke William tried to take the wealth of the bloodstone mines by force. More than 1,600 strong, William's army forged straight in toward Bloodstone Village, marching through the foothills between Sleepy Wood and the Galenas. On their first night encamped on the outlying hills, Gareth sent a simple note to the Arcatan generals: "We are of common heritage, common suffering, and common goals. Why, then, do we fight?"

The Arcatan generals did not know of the massive fortifications that had been built in Bloodstone, and they could not appreciate Gareth's magnaminity. They thought the note was a desperate plea for mercy. The next day taught them a bitter lesson.

When the sun rose on the forces of Bloodstone, they were 1,200 strong, fully arrayed, and entrenched in cunning fortifications. There was worse news yet for the Arcatans. Centaurs, halflings, and dwarves had crept out of the tunnels of the Warren to encircle the Arcatan army from behind. Still loyal to the wishes of their duke, the Arcatans attacked the walls of Bloodstone anyway and battle was joined. - but only briefly.

In a matter of minutes, 300 Arcatans lay dead or wounded, and the remainder of the army was pinned down in the little vale against the outer wall of Bloodstone Village. Now Gareth and the people of the new Bloodstone showed their true strength of character. The paladin and his friends raised a white flag and rode through the Arcatan lines, unarmed and unescorted, and sued for peace.

The terms were simple. The Arcatan army would collect its casualties and return home, swearing not to renew the attack. Duke William could remain on his throne, and no penalties would be imposed, no reparations demanded. Gareth only asked that the Arcatans allow him to move his forces along the border of Arcata and Brandiar to meet Carmathan, a new threat growing in the south.

The peace was quickly accepted. The new land of Bloodstone based its own hopes on the precept of selfdetermination. The Baron of Bloodstone gambled that Arcata would realize that its best hopes lay on the same path. The terms of the peace, which have come to be known as "Gareth.s Gamble," apparently worked their magic. Nearly half of the Arcatan army fell in behind the marching army of Bloodstone. Three hundred more troops joined in along the trek to meet Carmathan.

William's power has decreased in proportion to the increasing popularity of Gareth Dragonsbane and the proposed Kingdom of Bloodstone. The majority of Arcatans fully support the idea of a new kingdom with Gareth as king of a united, self-directing people. Not too stupid to understand the tide of opinion around him, William does not oppose the populace, covertly or overtly.

It is believed that the Ducal Guard in Valls regularly runs a secret emissary to Bloodstone Village. Although the Guard traditionally bears a fierce loyalty to the Horgaths, they express the Arcatans. desire to preclude even the smallest possibility of renewed conflict.

The Barony of Bloodstone
Ruling House: Tranth
Present Baron: Gareth Dragonsbane, 6th Baron of Bloodstone
Family Crest: Crossed Pick and Sword
Province Population: 12,000
Capital: Bloodstone Village (7,500)

For many centuries, this area in the Galenas was considered merely an extension of the Sunderland of southern Vaasa, unwanted by all but a handful of brave frontiersmen and miners. But the miners had a secret: knowledge of a verdant valley nestled in the sheltering walls of Bloodstone Pass. When the mines' vast potential was finally understood, this valley became the site of Bloodstone Village, and the seat of the House of Tranth.

Bloodstone is the smallest of the Damaran provinces, and the most recently founded. When Gareth Dragonsbane married Lady Christine of the House of
Tranth, he became only the sixth baron of this land. Although the people of Bloodstone have always had a high regard for the Tranth bloodline, they were certainly not disappointed when Gareth was granted the barony.

Historically, Bloodstone has experienced dramatic population swings. People flock here in good times, seeking the obvious wealth to be garnered from the mines. Then some disastrous event sends them running southward. The Wolf Winter and the coming of the Witch-King are only two recent examples of a long series of afflictions. However, with the rise of Gareth and his friends, and with the construction of the Gates, the folk of Bloodstone believe their days of running away may be over forever.

Bloodstone will soon surpass its previous glories. In the year and a half since the mines reopened, the population of Bloodstone Village has exploded from less than a thousand to 7,500, making it the fourth largest city in all Damara. It is long overdue for a name change - "village" just doesn't seem to fit any more - and more people arrive daily!

If the new kingdom comes to pass, Bloodstone Village will obviously be the seat of power. With its swelling population and growing prosperity, its gateway controlling access to Vaasa, and its virtual annex of Arcata, the Barony of Bloodstone will certainly play a major role in whatever the future brings.

In addition, two new towns have sprung up. Windless lies in the sheltered valley south of Bloodstone Village. Virdin, named after the last king of Damara, prospers in the foothills near the mines.

The Duchy of Brandiar
Ruling House: Brandebury
Present Duke: None, currently represented by Dormythyrr, Steward of the Duchy
Family Crest: Spear-tipped Windmill
Province Population: 8,000
Capital: Goliad (900)

Brandiar is a land of scattered villages, and farming is the primary occupation of the people. Once loosely ruled by the Duke of Brandebury in Goliad, that position is now empty. Ebelard, last of the Brandebury line, died of a broken heart soon after Zhengyi’s ascent, for Ebelard was the first to concede defeat and surrender to the evil forces of Vaasa.

The people of Brandiar had no successor at hand, and the Witch-King never bothered to appoint one. Brandiar remained neutral during the Bloodstone Wars. Armies from Bloodstone crossed Brandiar’s borders as freely as those from Morov, Ostel, and Polten. The unorganized farmers could have done nothing to stop either side, even had they tried!

After the Bloodstone Wars, when Vaasa reared its ugly head again, Brandiar did join in the Damaran rebellion. A common farmer from Goliad, Dormythyrr by name, assumed stewardship of the duchy. He gathered an army, then turned his forces over to Gareth, serving thereafter as an able commander in the Bloodstone army.

Today Brandiar is a divided land. More than any other province, Brandiar suffered under the Witch-King. “Eight of the ten” is a saying in the province: eight of the ten long years of the first war were fought almost exclusively within Brandiar’s borders. The people won’t soon forget what Gareth and the army of Bloodstone accomplished. Moreover, the security promised by the new Kingdom of Bloodstone is deeply appealing.

However, the southern villages of the province retain old ties to Morov and Ostel, who do not favor the new Bloodstone kingdom. Dimian Ree, the Baron of Morov, takes it for granted that Brandiar will support him, but the province is actually leaning strongly toward Gareth.

The Duchy of Carmathan
Ruling House: Devlin
Present Duke: Helmont the 15th, 22nd
Duke of Carmathan
Family Crest: Bloodied Scythe
Province Population: 20,000
Capital: Ravensburg (3,500)

Carmathan is one of the southernmost Damaran provinces. Like Polten and Ostel, it shares a long border with Impiltur to the south. Although several mines along the rim of the Earthspurs in the west have shown promise, Carmathan is Damara’s chief farming province. In years of good harvests, Carmathan alone can feed all the peoples of the entire kingdom, making it an important province indeed.

The ruling house of Carmathan has been in turmoil the last two years. When the Witch-King set his assassins loose in the night, the first victim was Helmont the 13th, 20th Duke of Carmathan. The assassins killed more than 50 members of the family, leaving only Zhengyi’s chosen puppet in line for the succession. He was swiftly appointed.

Thus did Dashard Devlin, an incompetent coward, ascend to the seat in Ravensrock. Dashard was Helmont’s fourth cousin, and he took the title Helmont the 14th. The puppet played his role as head of an “independent state” well enough to keep the loyalty of the people of Carmathan. Guided by his overlord, Dashard set up a very successful propaganda network throughout the duchy. He also planned to move against Bloodstone.

When the Bloodstone army learned of Dashard’s plans for an invasion, they marched south to meet the evil duke head on. Dashard’s propaganda network whipped Carmathan’s people into a patriotic frenzy of defense against the invaders.

The armies met 20 miles east of Valls, on the edge of the Brandiar Moor, in a battle that came to be known as the Fight of Three Borders. From the outset it was apparent to the generals of Bloodstone that this battle was going to be much different than the diplomatically-engineered victory over Arcata. Believing Gareth to be the invader and usurper, the Carmathans advanced with fire in their eyes and a song on their lips. Fortunately, the Bloodstone army was equally well-motivated. Battle-hardened, and supported by the remnants of the Arcatan army, the forces from Bloodstone battled the Carmathans for almost three full days.

Finally Gareth achieved a hard-fought victory after the bloodiest battle of the Bloodstone Wars. Five hundred of the Bloodstone forces were cut down. More than two-thirds of the 1,800 Carmathans died on the field. Dashard himself was slain when he got in the way of a lightning bolt conjured by Emelyn the Gray.

Gareth would have continued south to put things right in Carmathan, but the alliance of Morov, Ostel, and Polten had united and was marching to cut off the Bloodstone army’s return home.

Thus, Dashard’s propaganda network remained intact, as did the internal structure of the court. Then unheralded came Theodorus, the heretofore unknown brother of Dashard. Theodorus took the ducal seat as Helmont the 15th, and quickly rallied the duchy behind him.

The new duke in Ravensrock has used the misinformation network well. Many Carmathans are quite convinced that Gareth was and is a power-hungry dog seeking conquest, not cooperation. Carmathan may prove be Gareth’s toughest nut to crack in his quest for a united kingdom.

Also, Carmathan has deep roots in the old kingdom of Damara. Carmathans were, by tradition, deeply loyal to the throne in Heliogabalus. Ravensrock was actually Damara’s first settlement, the original home of Feldrin and the founders of the kingdom. Fiercely independent, the Carmathans consider themselves the true Damarans, founders of the kingdom.

And yet, in the chamber of Quillan the Sage, the standard of Carmathan is placed squarely in the middle of the Measures of Power Scale as an undecided province. There are several reasons to believe that Gareth will yet win over this southern region, detailed below.

Helmont the 15th sees an alliance with Morov as preferable to competing with Gareth’s rising tide of favor, but the people of Carmathan have displayed no love for Dimian Ree. The Carmathans do not like the rumors they hear, particularly Ree’s apparent ties to the thieves’ guild and to the Grandfather of Assassins.

Second, the twilight Riders recently passed through the area, and Emelyn’s company helped many. They even rescued the farming region of Halfling Downs from a ravaging bulette without a single life lost. Their aid has been noted and remarked on by all who encountered them.

A third boost lies in Carmathan’s close ties with Impiltur. Once Gareth opens relations with Impiltur, he can work on Carmathan from the back door.

But a rumor may have supplied Gareth’s strongest potential wedge. When the Twilight Riders were in Halfling Downs, they heard a tale from an old woman claiming to be a midwife to the House of Devlin. This midwife remembered no Theodorus, nor any brother of Dashard ever being born. She doubted the authenticity of the new duke’s claim.

Gareth would not allow the Twilight Riders to foster this unsubstantiated rumor. Instead, he brought in the well-respected Monastery of the Yellow Rose. The Monastery’s genealogical archives are quite complete but, in fairness, they sent an expedition to Carmathan to investigate on the spot. Early reports seem to lend credence to the midwife’s tale. Woe to Helmont the 15th if the proud people of Carmathan learn he is an imposter!