Author: Taras Guarhoth

Fief of Dwurmarkt

by Taras Guarhoth (montand@canonfire.com)
Used with Permission. Do not repost without obtaining prior permission from the author.

Note: Small villages and hamlets dot the Sud Graufult. Many of these are quite small (40 people or less), and thus won't recieve any detail unless there's something significant there. Only those settlements with over 100 people, or some kind of fortification or adventuring area will be detailed. Also, unless otherwise noted, each of the following towns and villages (providing they're not a ruin) are assumed to have at least chapel dedicated to Pholtus, most being of the Orthodox Church of the South.

Dwurmarkt

This town serves as the primary location for trade between the Sud Graufult and Sunndi. It sits within the Teshan Gap (a strip of plains between the Rieuwood and the Glorioles), straddling the Teshan River, with a sturdy stone bridge connecting the halves of the town together. The town was originally a small and relatively insignificant village during the days of the Aerdi expansion into the area, and only grew to prominence when the Oerids built a large keep here to keep the Suel from easily raiding into the Sud Graufult. Over the years, that keep, in the eastern half of the town, has grown and now serves as the seat of power for House Valshar, with Waldgraf Malachi Valshar ruling the fief.

Within this town of roughly 1750 people can be found few pureblooded Harashim, with their "quarter" housing only around 50 people. The bulk of the inhabitants are of mixed Oerid, Flan, and Suel stock. Although close to the elven Rieuwood, there are relatively few residents of elvish or half-elvish stock, due to the number of dwarves within the walls of this town, roughly 300, who dwell in their own quarter in the eastern half of the community.

A small chapel to the Harashim gods can be found on the outskirts of their tiny quarter, and a temple to Moradin can be found within the dwarven section of the town (with smaller chapels to a few other dwarven gods around it). A large cathedral of the Orthodox Church of the South sits near the western bank of the Teshan, just opposite the keep. Other small chapels are scattered about the town.

A number of inns, taverns, and shops can be found within the walls of this town. Many of the inns and taverns (but certainly not all) are of good quality, and often serve strong drink to cater to the tastes of the dwarven residents. The shops tend to carry good produced in areas around the town (the Rieuwood, Sunndi, and the Glorioles). As such, despite the town's size, a variety of goods can easily be obtained here.

The guards patrol this town well, and lawlessness and thievery are very greatly frowned upon. Still, even this town has it's criminal elements. The most famous of these was the elvish thief Shashi, who managed to relieve both the temple of Moradin and one of the Aerdi chapels of their treasures, as well as part House Valshar with a few of it's more expensive heirlooms, before he was caught. The authorities promptly hung him, but the treasures he'd stolen were never recovered, and are believed to be hidden somewhere within the town itself.

Eibelstaadt

This village, located on the eastern bank of the Selinasha River just south of where it enters the Teshan, serves the trade road from Dwurmarkt to the rest of the Sud Graufult. A fortified tower with 20 soldiers stands within the settlement, and aids Lansgraf Ibhar Valshar in ruling the village. A couple of decent quality inns, as well as a basic general store, can be found within.

A number of woodcarvers work within the village, although their quality is not as good as that of the carvers from Darstaadt-am-Teshan. The local chapel, however, is remarkable for it's altar, which is considered to be the finest and most exquisite within the entire Sud Graufult, and was the work of the master carver Celiphar ben Rashan, who disappeared into the Rieuwood over 50 years ago.

Theilheim

Located on the north bank of the Teshan, a wooden bridge connects this town to the road to Dwurmarkt. This village used to serve the mines in the nearby Lashier Gorge, although these have long since been abandoned. Now, the residents survive mainly by serving those who travel the road to the south, and supporting those hamlets still to be found north of the Teshan.

A fortified tower stands in the center of the village, with 15 soldiers stationed there, under the command of Lansgraf Havilah Valshar. A single inn and a store dealing in basic goods can be found near the tower.

Rumors have recently been circulating in the town that bandits or humanoids (or worse, depending on how superstitious the person telling the rumor is) have taken up residence in the Lashier Gorge and the old mines there, but, so far, they haven't made themselves known.

Lindflur

Situated on the Selinasha River, this village is protected by a wooden stockade and a fortified tower, housing 30 soldiers under the command of Lansgraf Heliz du Bourne. Rough roads lead to Eibelstaadt and Seinnasistaadt, transporting the goods of the village, which mainly consist of wood, herbs, fruits, and other goods from the surrounding forests. A single general store exists within the village, selling just basic goods to the locals, and no inns can be found here.

Many of the inhabitants of this village have been organized into a makeshift militia, and help defend the settlement against the occasional incursion of the native hobgoblin tribes and renegade Aerdi orcish troops that have long since gone wild. Few such attacks have threatened the village, although smaller hamlets around Lindflur are often targets of such raids.

Seinnasistaadt

This village sits within the Rieuwood, and is ruled by Lansgraf Lassarin Elishean (an elf), and is guarded by a fortified tower housing 15 soldiers. A single inn and a general store can be found in the village, which is linked to Lindflur, Dwurmarkt, and Sud Seinnasistaadt by secondary roads, as well as a rough trail leading deeper into the Rieuwood. A number of half-elves live here, and the village serves to transport goods between the elven communities deeper in the forest and the markets of the Sud Graufult.

The hobgoblin tribes of the forest, although usually small, have always been a problem for this village, with it's small garrison. The Lansgraf has asked (repeatedly) for more soldiers, but Waldgraf Malachi of Dwurmarkt seems unable or unwilling to reinforce this village. Several times, a rough stockade, similar to the one in Lindflur, has been started, but it's always been destroyed by humanoid raiders. Some have begun to whisper that the Waldgraf is in league with the humanoids, and that's why he's so unwilling to help out the villagers.

Tuckelhausen

Situated on the west bank of the Teshan, this village is the last settlement of any size on the road south before hitting Sunndi. A fortified tower with 30 soldiers, under the command of Lansgraf Sethar Valshar, stands in the southern margins of the village. Two inns can be found within the village, although only one shop selling only basic goods can be found. A well maintained road runs north to Dwurmarkt and south into Sunndi, a secondary road leads west to Sud Seinnasistaadt, and a series of trails on the eastern side of the Teshan lead up into the hills and peaks of the Glorioles.

In addition to the chapel of the Orthodox Church of the South to be found within the village, a chapel to Moradin can be found here, catering to the handful of dwarves who come to the village and trade their goods here rather than make the trek north into Dwurmarkt. Recently, a dwarven miner who turned up dead on the outskirts of the village, with a couple of arrows of elvish make stuck in him. The inhabitants of the settlement are have been whispering fearfully about hostility between the elves and dwarves flaring up...with them caught in the middle.

Sud Seinnasistaadt

This village, located within the Rieuwood, is the southernmost settlement of the Sud Graufult, and has a handful of elvish and half-elvish inhabitants. A fortified tower stands within the village, and houses 20 soldiers and Lansgraf Hashub Valshar. Humanoid incursions have been relatively rare in this part of the Rieuwood, although they aren't completely absent, so many in the village belong to the militia.

A single inn graces this small village, which also contains a general store. In addition, Shalar Eisselanen, a half-elven craftsman, can be found within this village, where he makes quality bows that fetch high prices throughout the Sud Graufult and in Sunndi. He rarely has much to stock, as most of his goods are custom made, and must be ordered at very high prices.

Overview of the Sud Graufult