Pendelholm
It should be enough to stand against the wild chaos in the north. It will have strong walls, strong people, and strong wills to protect it. The four of us are but a beginning, a beacon of light to bring others together. With their efforts, all of us will build a place to call our own. Pendelholm.Situated on a rise overlooking the Arichala Valley, Pendelholm stands as one of the few bastions of order in the Highlands Province. It was founded by adventurers, and only narrowly avoided the fate of being snuffed out as so many other settlements are. This is due to connections the band formed during their early months, which have given the settlement a great deal of resources unique to the commonly recurring situation. With a variety of industries in the area helping keep the settlement supplied, and strong protectors well-trained in combat, Pendelholm is one of the few places in the region people can not just feel safe - but be safe.
Demographics
Primarily, Pendelholm is inhabited by humans born in the Rhyliss Empire. However, there are also significant amounts of dragonborn, elves, and dwarves who call the settlement home for most of the year. The elves are refugees from when a red dragon terrorized the elven homes in the Sanguine Province, hoping to find a place suitable in the Arichala Valley to settle in and make their home. The dwarves are part of the group responsible for the Goldfire Forge to the north, a foundry which is one of the few places in the world known to produce adamantine to order - for a very steep price. The dragonborn are here because of a temple to Pelaris being constructed in the area over a former dragon lair, seeing it as their duty and an honor to undertake this effort to bring order to the wilderness.
Most of the residents here fall into lower-income levels, according to Imperial standards. However, their living standard is a bit better than elsewhere due to the rulers of the settlement investing heavily into the settlement. With those rulers being active adventurers, they usually return with considerable amounts of treasure to use as funding. As the founders and rulers are adventurers, the settlement attracts many newer groups attempting to make a name for themselves and attract attention.
Most of the residents here fall into lower-income levels, according to Imperial standards. However, their living standard is a bit better than elsewhere due to the rulers of the settlement investing heavily into the settlement. With those rulers being active adventurers, they usually return with considerable amounts of treasure to use as funding. As the founders and rulers are adventurers, the settlement attracts many newer groups attempting to make a name for themselves and attract attention.
Government
It is our duty to ensure those who come here to seek our protection are cared for, not just protected. The people will look to us for guidance, whether we like it or not. So we will own that responsibility...Pendelholm is mostly ruled by the four adventurers in the keep, with each one tending to specific aspects of the town. Additional members of a "lesser council" attend to other issues within the town outside the expertise of the four adventurers. When the four are out of the area, there is a seneschal left in charge who is explicitly empowered to make decisions in their absence. Currently, Master Daratan has been in charge for a long period of time, but has the good sense to defer many matters to the lesser council unless it is a vital issue.
- Restun Gloomwing. The dragonborn warrior assumed overall command of the militia and other guard, and handles most matters related to them. This includes, but is not limited to: training, deployment patterns, patrol routes, securing equipment and funding. As well, he tends to take an interest (though not charge) in most matters the Imperial magistrate handles concerning crime and sentencing.
- Thalamar Stonefist. This dwarf priest of the Sunfather is responsible for the chapel inside the keep, as well as a small shrine inside the town. With an acolyte working under him, Thalamar handles issues regarding the houses of worship and any petitions to build new ones. As of yet, nobody has sufficiently brought a case for another shine to be founded, as well as funding to build it, so the Sunfather has the only shrine inside the town. He has given permission for some followers of the Father of Dragons to build a shrine in the mountains, however, and was instrumental in removing a demonic presence from a new farming community along the river.
- Thelun Arkady. An elven arcanist, Sage Thelun Arkady is one of the few sages who dwell outside of Myrisic to continue his studies. He handles any matter which concerns magic, while also tending to wards and protections laid into the town to hinder attackers. Beyond this, Thelun keeps his attention focused on his studies and assisting his kindred who are in the region looking for a new site to settle in.
- "Shadow". The halfling known only as 'Shadow' is an enigmatic man, and tends to keep himself busy with a great many of his responsibilities. This mostly includes handling any merchants who want to set up a shop in town, or arranging for traveling caravans to pass through and peddle whatever wares they wish to. Unofficially, he also keeps an eye on troublemakers in the region and tends to ensure they either leave or pass through without causing too much disruption to the town or the surrounding area.
Defences
Pendelholm is protected by a large keep near the central point of the town, staffed by two organizations. The Pendelholm Militia is a volunteer force, about a hundred strong and equipped with simple spears and mail armor. Primarily their job is to keep the peace in the region within one day's travel of the town, but they have been mobilized to protect villages in the past. Despite their role as a volunteer force, the members are usually no stranger to combat and are equipped with decent-quality gear.
The Pendeli Elite Guard, however, are a different matter. Handpicked from members of the militia or hired from other organizations, they are given extensive training under Lord Restun Gloomwing and Captain Ashera Graves. Due to various alliances and trade agreements, the Elite Guard are equipped with high-quality dwarven mithril mail and adamantine weapons. Despite numbering only two dozen, their record in battle against invaders is spotless as of the current year.
Last, and certainly not least, there are a number of magical defenses layered around the keep itself which prevents magic from properly functioning without the caster possessing a keystone. Sage Thelun Arkady is responsible for these wards, and he has alluded to "many other surprises if they manage to actually get inside". The walls have similarly been reinforced with magic, making it difficult to damage them through conventional means as well as resistant to siege magic.
The Pendeli Elite Guard, however, are a different matter. Handpicked from members of the militia or hired from other organizations, they are given extensive training under Lord Restun Gloomwing and Captain Ashera Graves. Due to various alliances and trade agreements, the Elite Guard are equipped with high-quality dwarven mithril mail and adamantine weapons. Despite numbering only two dozen, their record in battle against invaders is spotless as of the current year.
Last, and certainly not least, there are a number of magical defenses layered around the keep itself which prevents magic from properly functioning without the caster possessing a keystone. Sage Thelun Arkady is responsible for these wards, and he has alluded to "many other surprises if they manage to actually get inside". The walls have similarly been reinforced with magic, making it difficult to damage them through conventional means as well as resistant to siege magic.
Industry & Trade
I love coming down Old Falcon Road. No goblins, no gnolls, and the locals trade good timber and stone for silk and cloth from the south. Now if only they'd tear down that damn dragon statue.Pendelholm has a number of industries local to it, though most of it is limited to simply exchanging money or other services for goods to keep it supplied with materials. The Goldfire Forge is about a day's journey to the northeast along the ridge road, while there are two farming communities providing various types of crops and livestock along the river. Itinerant treecutters work to provide timber and firewood for Pendelholm as well as the associated communities, while assisting the elven refugees with their efforts to find a suitable location for themselves. The small town of Falcut resides along the major road leading from the capital to Gilvonnaie, and trades any excess building materials or crops for whatever trade caravans happen to be carrying at the time.
The trade caravans are a semi-regular event, usually more numerous before the first snowfall and after the winter thaw, and enjoy significant attention from militia patrols in the valley. Among one of the various things these caravans have become useful for is allowing the adventurers ruling Pendelholm to liquidate curiosities from their adventures much easier. This in turn brings caravans who specifically handle such things, and allows the residents of the valley to acquire some unusual items on occasion.
History
Recent years has seen a resurgence in the number of adventuring groups active across Erisdaire, and one of them led by Restun Gloomwing set itself apart from others in service to the Empire. As a reward, they were given the deed to an old abandoned stronghold formerly known as 'Arichala's Roost; after arriving they quickly began gathering skilled craftsfolk to repair the walls and buildings. It took half a year to get the keep closer to restored, while it took all year to restore the town itself to a point where more could live in it. During this period, several events happened together, leading to several resources local to the valley being made safer to handle. Though by no means has life been perfectly safe in the Highlands. Over the next few years the town rapidly developed and grew with people seeking shelter from the wild, or seeking to exploit the resources now made easier to reach.
The region has seen a good deal of issues rise over the time Pendelholm has grown, but most of them have been worked out through the sheer determination of the founders. Trade caravans now use the Old Falcon Road to travel from the Heartlands through to the Gilvonnaie border (or the reverse) and bring with them the occasional new faces to settle in the Arichala Valley. Two farming communities have sprung up along the river and begun providing food for many of the folk here, the Goldfire Forge has allowed the people to have a steady and stable supply of metal, and several itinerant logging communities keep timber available for growing villages. Despite the founders still being active adventurers, the valley is rarely unable to protect itself from lasting threats; raiders and bandits may be an occasional danger, but far more likely are dangerous beasts seeking prey coming down out of the mountains.
The region has seen a good deal of issues rise over the time Pendelholm has grown, but most of them have been worked out through the sheer determination of the founders. Trade caravans now use the Old Falcon Road to travel from the Heartlands through to the Gilvonnaie border (or the reverse) and bring with them the occasional new faces to settle in the Arichala Valley. Two farming communities have sprung up along the river and begun providing food for many of the folk here, the Goldfire Forge has allowed the people to have a steady and stable supply of metal, and several itinerant logging communities keep timber available for growing villages. Despite the founders still being active adventurers, the valley is rarely unable to protect itself from lasting threats; raiders and bandits may be an occasional danger, but far more likely are dangerous beasts seeking prey coming down out of the mountains.
Geography
Pendelholm sits on one end of a ridge overlooking the Arichala Valley, while it itself is in the occasional shadow of the mountains. Below the ridge is a heavily forested valley through which the Old Falcon Road runs parallel (though not near) to the river. At the northern end of the valley the terrain grows less heavily forested, resembling a rocky barren in places, while to the south the forest spreads out before becoming the unofficial northern border of the Heartlands Province. The western side of the valley has much gentler slopes than the eastern side, which is why many of the permanent settlements have sprung up along the road or river on the west side, making it easier for the militia to patrol the area. One of the newer landmarks is a statue built by the Order of Auricama, of a dragon overlooking the northern expanse of the road; while the intent has been to show their patron, it has unnerved more than a few travelers.
Natural Resources
Aye, there's good stone here. Nice marble, and if you know where to look I bet there's fine granite too. It almost pains me to see how the humans treat it, but what can you do?The valley, being rather heavily forested, has a great deal to offer as far as natural resources go. There are a fair number of oak trees in the lower parts of the valley which provide hardwood, while the slopes tend to be home more to conifers of various types. The stone taken from the hills and mountains is primarily granite with some marble in the northern area, and amidst those quarries are mines made to dig out coal or iron ore. Farming communities provide many types of crops and livestock to the residents of the valley, with any excess being turned into preserved food or being traded to caravans moving through the region. Some of the grain leftover is fermented and distilled into a type of alcoholic beverage which the locals favor, but it is a decidedly acquired taste according to folk from other regions.
Table of Contents
Founding Date
Eighth Moon, 1520 AF
Alternative Name(s)
Arichala's Roost
Type
Large town
Population
Approx 1,200
Inhabitant Demonym
Pendeli
Included Locations
Characters in Location
Comments