Earldom of Lichfield
 | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 825 TA |
| Size | Minor Kingdom |
| Fealty | Eastern Reaches |
| Ruler | xxx |
| Hex | 3217 |
| Witenagemot |
1 x Guaradian Knights  |
| Warmaster |
1 X Grail Knights  |
History of Lichfield
Dreadfield was established as a trading post south of Haggelthorn Forest during the early 8th century TA.
As it flourished, a local warlord built a small keep on the hills above the village called the Red Keep which had sprung up around the trading center, extracting taxes from the trade and occasionally raiding caravans. This petty noble soon became quite rich and powerful and assumed the title of "Overking". Lichfield and the power of the new Overking grew rapidly thereafter, and his son and heir, Ganz, was wed to the daughter of North Province, a sorceress of no small repute.
Their descendants ruled a growing domain which rose to considerable heights under the rule of the Mad Archmage. The was the Mad Archmage who built the sprawling Tattershall (now a ruin) and poured funds into the city of Dreadfield in order to make it into the Gem of the Reaches. His reign was bizarre in many other ways, and it came as no surprise when it was reported that the Mad Archmage had mysteriously vanished after some years of rule when no change in aging could be detected. The castle was abandoned, supposedly due to a terrible curse upon the place, but the city proper continued to flourish.
In 825 TA, it was proclaimed a free and independent city. In 830 TA, it was granted an Earldom from the Crown.
Over the intervening decades, a decline in trade seemed to turn the place into a backwater, save for recent events. Several years ago a series of treasure troves were discovered in or near Tattershall. Immense wealth began flowing into the city, and artisans and mercenaries began flocking to Dreadfield due to this boom. Local lords used this influx of gold to revitalize the city, and it again rules a considerable portion of the area.
Nearby Places of Interest
Bandon River
The Bandon River comes down from the Wolfshaunt Mountains running east through the fertile plains and farmlands of the Eastern Reaches. A number of villages and towns line the river which eventually empties into the Long Lake. The river is known for its deep, swift current and abundant fish.
Crimson Creek
This river bubbles out of the high valleys of the Wolfshaunt Mountains crossing the plains as the southern edge of Lichfield before ending its journey at Long Lake. The Crimson Creek is the lifeblood of the southern Eastern Reaches, and is settled with a large number of farms and homesteads. The creek's name comes from a strange phenomenon that happens late each Fall when the normally crystal clear waters turn a dark crimson for several days. The locals say that the creek is filled with the blood of the harvest sacrifices of the Counts that live high in the Wolfshaunts, however officials are quick to rebuke this theory. They contend that the falling of the red leaves of a certain type of high mountain aspen into the waters cause the discoloration. Neither theory has been proven.