Barony of Tenbury
 | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 780 TA |
| Size | Minor Kingdom |
| Fealty | Western Reaches |
| Ruler | Jenson Tenbury, 6th Baron of Tenbury |
| Hex | 6620 |
Originally part of the vast, unsettled Shield Lands that separated the western "civilized" coastal baronies from the "wild" lands to the east, the Barony of Tenbury was founded to protect the southern end of the Shield Road and its most valuable asset - grapes. The lands between the Whispering Hills and Bearwood are fed by the Loudwater River, along whose banks are found some of the finest orchards and vineyards in the Reaches. The sandy soil from the Sands of Time mixed with the temperate climates creates the perfect ecosystem for growing grapes.
In the mid-eighth century TA, the land was constantly raided by brigands and bandits, so the Crown built Lechlade Keep as a garrison tasked with keeping the malcontents pushed against the Shadowyarn Mountains. In 780 TA, the Baron of Tenbury was founded to formalize the need for protection. Within a decade, the Tenbury soldiers had brought the Bandit Kingdom raids in the south to a stop. In 790 TA, the Baron Tenbury petitioned the Crown to grant title for the remaining Shield Lands to the barony. The same petition has been repeated several times over the last century, but the Crown has not been swayed.
Despite its proximity to both the Bandit Kingdoms and the Sands of Time, the Barony of Tenbury is wealthy and prospering. The flow of wine and fruit north along the Shield Road to Teufeldorf and southwest along the same road to Freeport is, for the most part, uninterrupted. The recent construction of the great dwarven tunnels between the Desertgate Tower and Moradin's Tower provides a south passage from Tenbury into the Eastern Reaches. While currently under complete military control, the prospects of opening commercial routes to a new market in the east is a constant topic of conversation with the Tenbury nobles. Rumors of black market trading and smuggling between Tenbury and the brigands has never been proven.
The current leader is Jenson Tenbury, the 6th Baron of Tenbury. A young man with an exquisite nose for winemaking, he came to the throne in 907 TA when his father was killed while serving the Crown in the Second War of the Reaches. The family keeps a house in the Royal Quarter of Teufeldorf.