Hendrenn Halgood

Hendrenn Halgood is located on the trade route, between Mowbrenn and Borneven. This walled city of 13,250 people looks relatively impoverished, but this is an illusion. Most city folk, and indeed the farmers for some 30 miles around, manage to get by fairly well. They do, however, hide this very carefully from outsiders and the prying eyes of the bailiff, on the orders of their beloved duke.

Duke Arnon Orberend is a paladin of Pelor, a kind and merciful man. He comes from a very wealthy family, and has the great boon of family and social ties with especially well-informed members of the Sagacious Society. With information from them, he has financed two very successful expeditions into the Yatils in the preceding six months. One recovered a red dragon hoard, another looted a long abandoned temple of Abatthor, dwarven god of greed. The recovery of loot was spectacular, and his adventurers returned via the Pale, the Phostwood and the County of Urnst, so that the largesse was not so easily spotted by the bailiffs eyes.

Using this money, and some of his own, the duke has been able to return to heavily taxed farmers and other, poorer folk much of what the bailiff has taken from them. Using the bailiffs own lists, Orberend's well-equipped and loyal militias travel the lands returning monies and goods to deserving people, saving them from penury while extracting promises that they would not speak of their good fortune. Small wonder Orberend is popular with his people.

The bailiff senses that something isn't quite right with all this, but he’s getting nearly 80% of what the king has ordered, so he keeps quiet. The garrison of 150 king's soldiers has been feasted and courted by Orberend, so they are also well-disposed towards the duke.

Hendrenn Halgood is also of note because the Royal Archmage Ghiselinn, has relocated here, living in his complex of towers and dungeons. Ghiselinn advises Orberend now, while making apologies to his king and excuses for his absence from the capital (see details for Ghiselinn in the "Characters of Nyrond" chapter).

Save for all this, the city itself is unexceptional. Only the intelligent and inquisitive might wonder why it is so much more peaceful than many Nyrond cities, and devoid of beggars and vagrants. If such people spoke their thoughts aloud, Orberend might well feel that such intelligence could be put to service in one of his financed expeditions!