Revolt in the Reaches

Revolt in the Reaches

In 920 TA, the invasion of mounds and vines from the sea caught the Reaches by surprise. Ill-prepared and with many of their troops committed to the final invasion of the Old Kingdom, the Eastern and Western Reaches suffered tremendous losses. Confidence was shaky for both King Vince and King Ernie, but a rebuilding program for the nine lost towns, castles and cities and an aggressive castle-building program by the dwarves gave the citizenry some hope for the coming year.

While some thought the kelp invasion ended with the death of the vines in the cold days of October 920 TA, others were skeptical and the defensive preparations continued throughout the winter. The skeptics were proven right with the return of the vines the following year.

In March 921 TA, the attacks returned with the arrival of six infestations. While Haggelthorn in the Eastern Reaches fell quickly, the mobilization of men, dwarves, elves, gnomes and orcs were able to keep the damage contained. U-Gene activated the Great Wall to form a barrier along the River White extending west from Teufeldorf. One infestation north of the river was isolated, and the elves were able to destroy the vines at Riversgate Castle.

April was a good month for the Reaches. While vines overgrew Portsmouth and Timberway, the other races matched the efficiency of the elves and won open field battles across the Reaches. In May, Timberway was lost to the infestation that isolated the remote, northern city. In contrast, the orcish forces, long removed from their homeland, cleared a second infestation from the Crystal Castle far to the south. There was celebration in the castles of the Three Kings.

It was in June that the unthinkable happened. Against all odds, Dragonsford was lost, smothered by an infestation of vines and crawlers that covered the town and castle. The townsfolk and militia fled into Haggelthorn Forest and the relative safety of the elves, ents, and fey. The castle and town were lost, however. Attempts to retake Dragonsford failed. Morale plummeted. It was the beginning of a very dark summer.

July saw the acceleration of the defeat as the orcs were routed in the open field just north of Freeport. Less than a week later, the gnomes faced the same ignominious fate less than 100 miles south of the orc battlefield. Even the stalwart dwarves, rarely the losers in a large battle, were defeated in an open field battle. Three losses in a month – a feat never accomplished in modern Reaches warfare. Finally, the forces of evil took the city of Portsmouth. In the Reaches, calls for revolt were heard in the cities – both east and west.

Their armies broken, the Reaches were left, for the most part, undefended. Only the slowing movement of the mounds kept the kingdoms from being overrun. Five more evil victories marked the final months until the vines began to die in late October. The 921 TA campaign against the monsters from the sea had been an unmitigated disaster. Revolt was imminent.

Dragons for Dragonsford

February 922 TA.

The large white dragon lowered its head to King Ernie almost touching the floor.

I am Tanwen. My companions and I have traveled across the world, from the Wyrmwyld, to find you. We have dreamt, as dragons often do, of future events. We foresaw the invasion from the sea, although its source and purpose are still unclear to us. From our dreams, we believe that pledging our services to the Reaches may help stem the progress of our enemies.

While the vines along the Wilderlands died in the cold months, we noticed a disturbing new phenomenon. The vines in southern Sandal, lands south of the city of Bridgeborough, did not die during the winter. The cities and towns in that kingdom are now completely buried in lush, green vegetation – while the vines seem to have avoided the forests and swamps, for now. Bridgeborough appears to be deserted as are all of the villages and towns in Sandal. It is a ghost land. We fear this might be the fate of all the lands of the Realm.

So, we pledge to provide our services to the Reaches, to go where we are needed, and die, if that be our fate, in service to the king.

The Great Migration

Even in his wildest imagination, Hylax could not have imagined the great migration of folk fleeing from Sandal. Not only humans, fleeing from the villages, towns and cities, but also ogres and giants from the northern hills and swamps of Sandal.

At first, the refugees fled to Whitehall Castle, the Castle of Mirrors, and Harrowport. Once safely under Western Reaches control, the migration continued north, to lands now perceived safer and further from the sea. The large folk, having heard of the largess of Hodor, streamed into Hodor’s Hall in numbers. The humans swarmed the south, creating temporary camps where possible, overrunning villages when allowed, and, in all cases, stressing the local economies.

From the high towers of Teufeldorf Castle, the bonfires seemed to stretch forever in all directions. The vines, dead and dried, were burning systematically across the Reaches. Under less sinister circumstances, the fires would be a celebration. But, the grey smoke billowing into the skies just darkened the moods of the occupants of the room.

General Alyssa Cole, a newly promoted commander from the Old Kingdom campaign, stood erect, eyes forward, and delivered her report to the assembled kings. There was no hint of fear in her voice. It was clear and concise.

Sir, I fear that the knights will not heed our summons for war next March unless we act now. Local matters are beginning to override the needs of the Reaches. In some remote places, the mayors of the small villages of the Reaches are renouncing their fealty to the Crown. While these incidents are isolated, for now, you must take action to make sure the revolt doesn’t spread.

Rebuilding the destroyed towns, castles and cities is a good start. Doing that will help. But I’m not sure it is enough. Short of abdicating your thrones – a disaster without parallel – you will need to come up with some other action to raise tranquility and avoid a revolution. One possibility is building villages and towns for our displaced neighbors to the south. While it won’t increase the army for next campaign season, it would help to relieve the stress on resources and make protection easier. I’m sure there are other possibilities, but that is a decision for the Crown.

With her report delivered, Alyssa Cole bowed her head, replaced her battle-beaten helm, and left the room.

The town of New Stillgar is built in the shadows of the ruins of Stillgar Keep, destroyed by the dwarves in the First War of the Reaches (887 TA) and now reputedly haunted by the ghosts of the orc warband slaughtered there. Shunned, the keep ruins stand on a low bluff overlooking both the Loftwood to the west and the vast swamps of Dourmoor to the east. The new town is built below the bluff, along the northern edge of a river where the road turns east onto the plains. New Stillgar is located near a large forested lake that provides fish and wild game. Farming is just beginning in the rich soil. While a northern town, the conditions are perfect for corn, wheat, barley, and potatoes. The town was built during the great migration from Sandal in 921-922 TA when fleeing citizens sought refuge from invading plants from the Great Sea. The citizens of New Stillgar predominantly come from the settlements of Bridgeborough, Highshield, Northyard and Frontline in Sandal. As the town has grown, orcs from the nearby plains have begun to settle peacefully in the area as well. New Stillgar is oathbound to King Vince of the Western Reaches.

When a council of Western Reaches nobles was held in the winter of 921 TA to determine the location for a new settlement for a large immigration of southern folk from the ruined capital of Sandal, the Barons of Rockingham, Middlewich, and Guildford all petitioned for the building project to upgrade their small capital towns. A gleaming new city on the rich plains of the middle Reaches would provide both a trading center and safety for nearby farmers and ranchers. In the end, the decision was made to build a new city roughly equidistant from the three capitals. While technically located in the Barony of Middlewich, the Crown was careful to choose builders and artisans from all three baronies. The city of Fleetstorm is named for both King Vince and the almost daily storms that sweep down from the Iron Hills to the northwest and the Shadowyarn Mountains to the east. Fleetstorm is built on a rise in the plains providing some defense from invaders but making it more vulnerable to attacks by the weather. The city is made from stone quarried from the Iron Hills and boasts the largest open-air market in the middle Reaches. Fleetstorm is oathbound to King Vince of the Western Reaches.

Like Fleestorm in the Western Reaches, the decision to build a second city in the Eastern Reaches for the great migration of 921-922 TA, prompted a competition between the barons of Greenvale, Highfolk and Middlefield. And, again, the decision was the establishment of a new city along the Lesser Farthing Road between Dwarrowdelf and Dragonsford. The choice of the final building site was decided by the dwarves who argued that the underground tunnels from Moradin’s Keep warranted a more major trading center in the region. The Sandalese from Tanglewood Castle, Shimmerwood, and Wildspire relocated to the city along with many of the artisans and traders of the capital city. Unlike the dwarven garrisons more common in this area, Tanglewood North, is an open city with free trade between the elves of the forests north of town is mixed with dwarven goods coming down from the mountain from the west and the farm produce coming from the south. More than any other city in the region, Tanglewood North is a melting pot of many cultures and races. The city is oathbound to King Ernie of the Eastern Reaches.

The Barony of Highfolk, in an apparent bid for power in the Eastern Reaches, founded the village of Goodsword in 921 TA. Some say the name is a nod to King Ernie. Others claim that the name is in keeping with the knightly fascination of the Third Baron Richard Highfolk. In any case, the village was founded with a unique promise. The Third Baron has proclaimed that he will marry the daughter of a Sandalese family that moves to the town and remains there in good standing for three years. Unexpectedly, the ploy seems to have worked as the population of the new village has swelled. In particular, Goodsword is now known for its plentiful pubs and eligible young women. It also provides a welcome outpost for those travelling through the strict paladin-held Dutchy of Middlefield to the east.