Kodar Maradyne

Hutop Keep was built in 430 by Aidrik IV as a stronghold against the Pagaelin. It is the seat of the Sheriff of Osel but the office has been vacant since the death of Sir Merik Elendsa, brother of the king, in 719. The king has yet to determine a successor. The Earl of Neph, who has no holdings in the south, has let it be known he would undertake responsibility for this office. The Earl of Balim, who holds nearby Jedes, and the Earl of Osel, whose seat is at Qualdris, are unlikely to support this appointment. Hutop is especially valuable because it controls one of the kingdom’s few silver mines in the hills to the north. Sir Kodar Maradyne, Bailiff of Daynora Hundred, is deputy sheriff but is not really up to the task. His laxness has made Hutop a haven for roustabouts, ne’er-do-wells, and a rough crowd of miners and mercenaries. The Mercantylers’ Guild holds a trading post at Oselbridge from the crown. The current franchisee is Grunda of Tyune, who trades metal tools and weapons with the Pagaelin. He is aided by two journeymen, one apprentice, and a garrison of five mercenaries. Deputy Sheriff Kodar has granted Grunda permission to construct a wooden palisade, which is partially complete. The Baron of Kobing, who has ambitions to build a keep at Oselbridge, is furious with Grunda the “traitor” and the “interloping” deputy sheriff. Nearby Alenda Manor was destroyed by the Pagaelin in 712. It had been the first of a series of planned outposts along the Osel. The massacre took the lives of the knight-bailiff, his family, and 14 peasants. The sheriff intended to rebuild Alenda before he died and this plan now awaits the appointment of a new sheriff