Iron Kingdoms
In the second age, a warrior of great renown carved out a kingdom of impressive size. He slew clans of orcs, gnolls and bugbears by the thousands, leading his army that began to grow with every victory. His people, grateful for their freedom from threats in their land, named their savior ‘The Great Knight.’ He founded a kingdom capitol in the center of the nation and ruled is people with a gentle hand, while fighting off the monsters from the wild lands. From father to son to son to daughter the kingdom was ruled by the Great Knight’s solo offspring. This kingdom flourished through the Ages.
At some point, one of the kings of the Iron Kingdom taxes his people too harshly and began to arrest people who could not pay, turning them into indentured servants. On the birthday celebration of the king, an old crone came into the grand hall and interrupted the king. She cursed the king’s line and swore one day his future offspring would tear the kingdom apart, as the king had done to his people.
In the 25th season of the Recent Age, the King of the Iron Kingdom’s wife gave a difficult birth of twelve children. The king lost his wife but soon celebrated his luck. Sages of the Iron Kingdom warned the king of his descendant’s curse, but the King refused to believe old myths and legends.
As the princes and princesses grew, the king’s joy dissolved. Arguing and back room deception soon became death threats and assassination attempts. The king died during a nasty winter of the 51st year, the King died under a cloud of suspicious accidents. Within hours, the castle was under attack from within as the twelve children fought over the throne. Soon, the kingdom was torn apart, as the curse foretold. Each child laid claim to a section of the Iron Kingdom and all laid claim to the throne the oldest son sat upon.
Today, the Iron Kingdoms is a region of Thaaed that is not one solid kingdom. Instead it is a shattered and splintered land, broken into twelve separate Baronies and Fiefs. The royal rulers of each kingdom are related and often can be found together, “visiting” each other under a façade of common civility.
1. Koughton – Highest and most northern of the twelve, Koughton is a rich sheep land. Rolling hills and lowland watering make it prime for Baron Koughton Holstern to gather his riches. Koughton makes sure his merchant guilds get his product out to his brothers and sisters kingdoms and makes sure he receives their coin. The barony of Koughton is tough and wild. Its people are stoic and defiant against everything but their ruler. There is a saying among the others kingdoms when someone is being obstinate, “Acting like a Koughton.” This sentiment about the people reverberates throughout most of the other kingdoms and even beyond to other nations. The capitol is known as Koughton’s Keep.
Koughton is a shrewd king and boast he keeps the kingdoms of his sibling’s safe, by guarding the wild lands and the northeast border. Koughton is on his third wife and his second wife gave him two sons and a daughter. The Baron is a big man with a long black beard with wisps of silver. He is fourth in line to the throne chronologically. He tends to think and react like a dwarf would, but his stature contrasts against his emotions. The baron pushes his sons hard, and dotes on his daughter without end.
2.Glenmarrow – Barony of shields. Some of the richest and most profitable iron and silver mines in the Iron Kingdoms. Superb metal and also weaponry. The barony has a massive mountain range on the northeast border and most of its land is hillsides and ridgelines. The land is rich with minable ores and thick veins of rare metals as well. Rainfall in Glenmarrow is not as heavy as other baronies, but that is because the barony is ringed by multiple mountain ranges. The capitol city is known as Holsterns Rest.
Glenmarrow is ruled by Baron Sedrick Holstern, master smith and mining magnate. Sedrick is a tall muscular man, who if saw in a tavern with a weapon on his back, no one would think twice to see him as an adventurer. His big frame and knotted muscles match his rugged unshaven face and thick brow above his brown eyes. Sedrick speaks quietly and often acts without speaking, making his attendants have to catch up to their ruler’s actions. He walks with a slight limp from an injury to his leg during a mine cave-in. Sedrick is second oldest to the throne but defies the orders from his older sister, Ishra.
3.Redglade – The region of Redglade is a forested and wooded barony. Beautiful forests and impeccable vistas of rolling hills and wooded glades fill the entire region. Small towns and even lone homes are nestled within the forests of Redglade. The lands of Redglade get their region’s name from autumn, as the red leaves of the trees colorize the usually green countryside. The capitol city is called Redton.
There is a large High elven populace, with master archers unsurpassed in all the Iron Kingdoms within Redglade. The people of Redglade seem to have a respect and reverence with the elves of the barony and even the dwarves within the barony give the elves more respect than elsewhere in Thaaed. Wood is the chief commodity of Redglade along with bows and arrows. It is not unheard of to hear massive caravans carry thousands of arrows to the neighboring baronies of the Iron Kingdoms.
Baroness Keliross is a tall and statuesque brunette who seems to know what men think before they speak. She is a ruthless negotiator and staunch defender of her borders. She was sent away at birth and grew up in one of Gothmoor’s best schools and diplomatic training halls. She returned the day her father died for his birthday and soon found herself using the teachings she was given in Gothmoor. The land she rules is lucrative, and her people seem to love their leader. The elven ambassadors who speak for her elven citizens live within the keep and help Keliross maintain peace within the populace.
4. Hedgemont – The barony of Hedgemont is a rocky and hilly grassland barony. The land is mostly barren but peaceful. Ruins and other remnants of previous Ages also pepper the countryside. Small groups of orcs and bugbears live within the forests and woods and the caves in the southern hills.
The region is known for its steeds. Horses of many breeds are sought after even all the way into Gothmoor. The quality of the steeds also comes from the bloodlines that originated them. The steed’s ability to learn their owner’s voice and learn simple commands faster than other steeds elsewhere.
Hedgemont is the original capitol region of the once whole Iron Kingdom. The capitol city within the Barony is now the seat of the throne. The capitol city is known as Ravenswall and is ruled by Lord Commander Varrik. As eldest of the twelve siblings of the former king, Varrik took control of the throne and had most of the city’s guards under his command. Varrik is a kind but forceful man and is a military man before a noble in silks. Varrik plays the political ‘game of thrones’ with his siblings without err and enjoys watching the younger siblings twist and run in circles at his actions.
Hedgemont also has a tower within its barony; The Hand of Rasfor. The Hand is an ancient tower of unknown origin. The tower stands over sixty feet tall and overlooks the capitol city from the Southwest. A small town of Toweston has grown up near the tower. The tower is sealed but there have been stories of adventurers finding a way inside. The tower has been the site of many battles and there are rumors the tower itself is haunted.
5. Bridgemantle - The land is full of tall grasslands with dozens of herds of cattle and water buffalo. Bridgemantle is a beef barony. It supplies all of the other regions with meat, beef, sausage and cattle. Most of the towns are all wide and expansive. Low single-story rancher homes and long low rock walls fill the countryside. The land is old, and the grasslands are filled with ruins of ancient cities and other abandoned buildings.
Baroness Ishra O’Connell rules the massive barony and has help with her new husband and Baron, Lord Rutherford O’Connell III. Lord Rutherford is a noble from Hepulchor and is not approved of by the other barons and baronesses of the iron Kingdoms. Baroness Ishra is pregnant and expecting twins (as the oracles and sages foresee) but some whisper in the keep that the children are pure blooded of the Kingdoms. Her entire attendant staff is male, and hand-picked by the Baroness herself.
The Barony of Bridgemantle is visited by many adventurers seeking work guarding cattle drives or even clearing the path of the drives of gnolls and bugbears. Coin can be had in Bridgemantle if you are willing to work. The capitol city is the coastal city of Thornwall.
6. Blackwater – Being one of the larger baronies within the Iron Kingdoms, Blackwater is a barony that has been named for the region’s chief export; oil. Large veins of crude oil have pushed to the surface in the mountainous areas to the Southwest. Many of the iron mines have begun to be transformed into oil collection camps. The region is filling all orders for lantern oil, machine grease and other products used throughout the kingdoms. The coastal villages and cities still bring in tons of fish and seaweed to be salted and shipped inland.
Blackwater people seem cheerful and pleasant to visitors to the realm, but are fierce defenders of their way of life and culture. One thing the people of Blackwater are not too pleased with is their leaders.
The rulers of Blackwater rule from the capitol city of Dubh Bui, and do so with little regard to their peoples. The citizens of the barony are seen as little more than indentured servants to the nobles of Dubh Bui. Baron Ruthar and Baroness Felisha Abanwa Koughton sit in luxury and often spend their riches instead on their kingdom to pursue stupid and faddish goals.
7. Copperfall – Bordered on two sides by mountain ranges, and another side by a steep cliff ridgeline, the barony of Cliffside is one of the more unique regions of the Iron Kingdoms. The mountains and cliffs are mined for copper and also for tin. Hundreds of veins of copper and a few dozen of tin make up many of the towns exports within the barony. The great forest that covers almost half of the barony is named Wooden Tear Forest.
The Capitol city of Copperfall is called Copper Arch. The people of Copper Arch are tough and pleasant for the most part. Their way of life is simple, but they work hard to keep themselves happy. Copper Arch has its own brewery and produces mead and ale for a lot the baronies in the kingdom. The barony of Copperfall supports and defends Hedgemont and gives high amounts of tithes to keep the military of the iron Kingdoms full and armored.
Baron Inton ‘Kegwrecker’ Koughton is the Baron and owner of the brewery. Inton is second to youngest prince to the throne and supports his eldest brother. Inton is a short and fat baron that prefers to eat and lounge than fight on horseback or go falconing. Baron Inton has three wives and two other women he seeks company with from time to time, two of his wives have been pregnant but have lost both children. Some whisper the pregnancies were “removed” due to the wives and their jealousy. Inton’s first wife, Abagail, runs the keep and the other wives stay in line under her scrutiny.
8. Stergil – One of the smaller baronies with the Iron Kingdoms, “the Imperial Kingdom” of Stergil lies on the west coast of the Kingdom. Stergil borders Pennimair to the west and holds the border fiercely from the banner of the Falcon. Stergil is a massive barony and exports exotic leather and peat moss. The region is mixed and the barony is almost cut in half. The upper half of the barony is rocky, rough and forested. The lower half is nothing but a wide, almost endless fetid swamp. Creatures of all sizes and demeanors live throughout the region and inhabit the swamp without human interference.
There is small towns and villages throughout the entire region, but most of the safer ones are in the northern end of the region. The people here are dour, superstitious and very brooding. They move throughout their lives with purpose, but little enthusiasm. The entire barony can be described as moody and creepy, and the people are not much different. They see visitors as nothing more than a nuisance that needs dealt with, like a lazy store owner who grumbles when people enter his shop.
The capitol city of Stergil is Arcanis. The ruler is currently the youngest child of the twelve children and named High King Gregory Koughton. He is merely a puppet who is not much more than a face and a crown. The true power behind the Stergil throne is the High King’s council. Five wizards control most decisions that the king thinks are good ideas. Taxes from Stergil have almost doubled in five years, and the money is being funneled for something other than the barony. A large school for magical teaching is being built within the capitol city of Arcanis, along with a fighting arena for entertainment. Currently, three of the other baronies are planning a forced intervention on their youngest brother’s barony to excise the mages council.
9. Meritain – By far the largest barony of the twelve, Meritain is known as the Halfling’s Barony. Meritain has the largest concentration of halflings in all the Iron kingdoms. A massive forest named Thicketbrush Forest dominates the Northern section of this southern barony. The rest of the region is made up of rolling foothills and flat grasslands. A small section of the northwest is swampland intermingled with small hills and dry land islands. The barony specializes in textiles and specifically hemp and silk rope. Some of the strongest rope used around Thaaed comes from Meritain.
Baron Reginald Stringfellow Doughton is the ruler of Meritain. Reginald is a short lanky noble with little muscle tone who prefers parties and satins to actual work or armor. Reginald prefers to host parties and masquerade balls for the over-abundance of nobles and clinger-ons within the castle. Reginald is not known to entertain ladies or females at all, but he is rather known for his close council of three men and his attendants consisting of thirteen men.
The capitol city of DunDougal is mainly filled with human and dwarves, but there is a 20% Halfling populace within the walls of the city. DunDougal is a coastal city and boast a large naval fleet, mostly used to hunt pirates or guard merchant ships.
10. Stagmount – A mountainous and hilly barony to the Southeast end of the Iron Kingdoms. The barony of Stagmount is wide and the villages and towns are not much more than hunting cabins or groups of families in the tanning business. The land is filled with small groups of forests and wooded glens, perfect for game to nest or hide. Large tracks of high grass make small game hunting another viable way of life for the people of the region. Leather and lumber make up most of the exports from Stagmount, as does a small portion of meat and provisions.
The capitol city is not more than a fortified town with a small keep with only one tower. The town is almost completely wooden with only a few buildings having stone foundations. The capitol is Carlysle and its people are rugged and self-sufficient. It is not unheard of to see a woman cutting entire cords of wood or stripping deer corpses to tan their hide. The ruler of Carlysle and the entire region is Baron Wallace and is always overseeing production of the tanning guild’s exports.
Stagmount is known by the other regions and baronies by a large stag’s head; over eighty feet wide and sixty feet high. It is made from stones into the form of a resting stag. Many children and younger hunters climb on the statue and often make their mark on its hind quarters. The symbols never stay for more than one week as the symbol carved into the stone is mysteriously worn away. Older and veteran hunters will leave the stag horns and hooves of kills, honoring the gift of the forest to feed their families.
11. Oakshadow – Oakshadow is one of the largest baronies and one of the most lucrative. Once, the region was completely covered in woods and large forests. Oakshadow also has a large mountain range on the southern border. Iron and steel is one of the main exports from the borders of Oakshadow, but it has another more profitable commodity. That commodity is gold. A large collection of mines, mining towns and river panning towns line most of the mountainous areas to the south. The remainder of the lands in Oakshadow is covered in lucrative towns and villages that specialize in smithing and gold craftsmanship.
The Baroness Keiann Oakenbow Koughton is fouth from youngest within the Koughton line, but two years ago was polymorphed into an elf. She still stands her five foot three inches, but her long ears and elven features are displayed prominently. She has a one year old daughter who was born as a half elf. The polymorph seems to have become permanent but she speaks of her change as something she requested. Her people do not care about her change, and still follow her leadership without question. The capitol city is Sessario.
Oakshadow is full of ruins. Overgrown piled of archways and half-destroyed walls litter the lands of Oakshadow. Many towns and villages are founded around these ruins, and their foundations of their simple cottages are made from the remaining rocks of ancient castles.
12. Pinekeep- Massive fields of wheat, acres upon acres of barley and forests of thin graypines hundreds of square miles wide make up the lands of Pinekeep. The soft yellow grass and the thick and tough pine trees contrast against the three coasts of blue. Fishing cities and villages completely run by fishing families. The lands are composed of halflings, humans and even gnome villages show the populace prefers segregation yet equality. The people prefer their own, but never offend a visitor of another race.
The capitol city is Graypines and is run by Baron-king Edward. Edward is the sixth eldest son and is one of the most vocal about not sitting in the capitol city throne of the Iron kingdoms. Edward is named Edward the Bloody by his people and for rightful reasons. Anyone breaking any of the multitudes of laws and redundant regulations loses anything from fingers to full impalement. It seems that all humans get jail time or manual labor, while other races seem to garner beheading or limb removal.
One thing of note within the capitol of Pinekeep is a massive graveyard and temple to N’Asu. The temple is almost the same size as Edward’s keep and he has recently put regulations barring the expansion of any building the size of the temple. The high cleric of the temple has grown weary of Edward’s ego and has often spoken in private with the other clerics of inciting a civil war to right the barony.