Frest

Frest is unique among the baronies, in that it is ruled not by a hereditary noble, but by a first-generation baroness. Some decades ago, Baroness Harriet the Willful was a simple carpenter. When the baroness of that time abruptly abdicated, though, Frest was thrown into chaos that affected the peasantry most of all. Harriet ended this by uniting her fellow peasants against the bickering nobles and assuming leadership.

Since her appointment as baroness by the will of the people, Harriet has ruled magnanimously from Aerendor Keep. The farmers keep what they like and profit from the rest, and Frest has the lowest taxes in all Terrinoth. The people till the fields and hunt and gather from the serene Applewood Forest. All know to avoid the Bloodwood on the eastern edge of the barony, and very few people have fallen victim to the vengeful Elves of that forest in recent years.

The other barons did not take Harriet's rise to power well, and went to war with Frest. The war raged for years until she was finally accepted as a member of the Council of Thirteen—mostly due to the fact the war wasn't going well for the other barons. Even today, the barons fear that their own people might follow in the footsteps of Frest. As Harriet ages and there is talk of succession, the other barons discuss the matter once more. Some fear that should Harriet’s daughter succeed her and establishes a line, legitimizing her rule and nobility, other commoners may follow this precedent and seek to ennoble themselves, or even remove the barons from power. Still, the barons know that to move openly against Harriet risks another war, or worse—inciting revolt among the peasants of other baronies. Instead, they seek other ways to remove the “interloper” and her family from power. Baroness Magrit of Dhernas and Baron Gillian of Cailn have begun to quietly seek out any information that might turn the people of Frest against their ruler.