Eastern Reaches
History
Before the Eastern Reaches saw the first signs of man, gnomes populated the low hills and bogs of the northeast peninsula of the Reaches. The Land of Bogs and the Little People is still one of the largest gnome communities in the known world. For the most part, the gnomes keep to themselves and rarely journey outside of their protective caves and burrows. On occasion, a gnome trader journeys to Dragonsford or Dwarrowdelf to buy or trade supplies.
The first human explorers into the area arrived in the late first century TA. These were the Rangers of the Wilderlands. Bound by a secret brotherhood, the rangers trekked deep into Haggelthorn Forest and into the vast grasslands to the north and south. Stories of a great family of tree ents living in Haggelthorn Forest raised the curiosity of many adventurers in Teufeldorf. Also, the Rangers brought back many strange and wondrous artifacts from their journeys.
Over the next century, the first human settlers arrived from the west and settled in the fertile valley of Markinghamshire. Not daring the tales of the Ents of the forest, these pilgrims settled into the valley building a great stone castle overlooking their kingdom. In 241 TA, Markinghamshire was unsuccessfully sieged by barbarian tribesmen from the south (see the Invasion of the Barbarians). For the next hundred years, the people of Markinghamshire lived in relative peace trading with the dwarves of Dwarrowdelf. This period of peace finally ended in 346 TA, when an army of four thousand orcs invaded Markinghamshire during the First Orcish War (see First Orcish War). Victory over the orcs secured the Eastern Reaches south of the River White as a relatively safe haven for settlers, and it marked the beginning of large-scale settlements in the area.
The first human settlement outside of Markinghamshire was the town of Haggelthorn, after which the current-day forest is named. Before this time, this vast tangled forest was known as Ravenswood. Founded on the coast of the Inner Sea by the legendary merchant, Ichabod Haggelthorn, in the mid-sixth century, the Town of Haggelthorn remains the principal trading center for the Eastern Reaches today.
Shortly thereafter, small towns began to spring up along the road between Haggelthorn and Dwarrowdelf. Supported by the trading route, rich farmlands and vast grazing plains of the region, the Eastern Reaches prospered. By the early ninth century TA, the rulers of the city-state of Teufeldorf decided to build garrisons in the Eastern Reaches both as protection from the orcs to the north and to establish a military presence in the area. In 833 TA, a garrison castle was built at Dragonsford, a northern outpost along the Inner Sea. With strong natural defenses, King Gregory the Even-handed declared the site the capital of the Eastern Reaches and appointed Sir Ernest Goodfellow as its first commander.
Shortly thereafter, the Eastern Reaches was conquered by Harek Bloodaxe, son of Hastur. Dragonsford Castle was stormed, Sir Ernest Goodfellow disappeared, and the Eastern Reaches were broken into a number of small barons and duchies. These feudal kingdoms were kept in a constant state of chaos by Harek who encouraged treachery, assassination and general discord (see the Feudal Reaches). During the next fifty years, the wealth and stability of the Eastern Reaches declined significantly.
In 883 TA, Sir Ernest Goodfellow returned to Dragonsford. Using a newly-discovered magical sword, Harek Bloodaxe was killed and the puppet King Trafford was deposed. During the next several years, Dragonsford Castle became the center for the Hastur Rebellions, finally gaining independence in 885 TA. The Eastern Reaches is still comprised of a number of minor kingdoms, although stability has been partially restored by the garrison at Dragonsford Castle. Trade is beginning to increase both west through Dwarrowdelf and east across the Inner Sea. The primary exports are horses and cattle from Markinghamshire, grains from the central duchies, and fish and coral from the coastal regions.
The minor kingdoms and free cities of the Eastern Reaches are a recent phenomenon, although they are generally based on pre-existing family ties. With the exception of Markinghamshire, these kingdoms were created in 833-838 TA when Harek Bloodaxe seized Dragonsford Castle and subjugated the population during the Five Years War. With the return of King Goodfellow in 883 TA and the subsequent liberating wars (see the Hastur Rebellions), the strength of these independent states has been challenged. Currently, most of the Eastern Reaches nobles support King Goodfellow's rule from Dragonsford.
Minor Kingdoms
1 Dutchy of Dragonsford
2 The Gran March
3 March of Greenvale
4 Hamlet of Haggelthorn
5 Barony of Highfolk
6 Free City of Irongate
7 Earldom of Lichfield
8 Markinghamshire
9 Dutchy of Middlefield
10 North Province
11 Ravenshaven
12 Sea Barons
13 South Province
14 Steppes of Ryan
15 The Wild Coast
Geography
The Eastern Reaches encompasses the lands east of the Shadowyarn Mountains and north of the Sands of Time. The Eastern Reaches are dominated by the vast expanse of Haggelthorn Forest in the center and the Steppes of Ryan to the south. The current capital of the Eastern Reaches is Dragonsford, a military outpost which consists of a recently-built castle and a small surrounding town.
1 Axewood
2 Bandon River
3 Blackwater
4 Boiling Brook
5 Crimson Creek
6 Haggelthorn Forest
7 High River
8 Hornwood
9 Inner Sea
10 Land of Bogs and the Little People
11 Long Lake
12 River White
13 Silver Wood
14 Steppes of Ryan
15 Whispering Woods
16 Wolfshaunt Mountains