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Regions: Swan Bore, Hammensend, Woodwych, Adreans Landing, Star Haunt.

Prior to Lynwerds crowning, this land was managed by the Baron Bastrayne. While Bastrayne feigned support for the king, he and Bailiff Radnen Gryppe managed to skim of some 30-40% of the taxes for themselves. Bastrayne himself was a very charasmatic ruler, and knew well how to manipulate his population, and his king. He denounced the "terrorists" of the Celadon Forest and gave glowing accounts of how his troops are imposing order and protecting the vital trade of the kingdom. As time progressed he imposed martial law on Woodwych and had his elite Baronial Guard harass and arrest anyone threatening to bring the truth to the king. The militia were very loyal to the Baron, as the king had not paid them for several months until the Baron himself started paying them. In fact, Bastrayne had intercepted the wages. He had then convinced the militia that the people of the lands could afford to pay the taxes, and would wax eloquent on Nyrond's need for a strong army, so that the militia would believe what they were doing was right. Opposition to Bastrayne had sparked anger and violence in the lands around the walled city, especially within the Celadon. Lynwerd wasn't as bamboozled as his father, and quickly uncovered the truth.

Lynwerd appointed Verin Talnith, a powerful southern noble, the Baroness of Woodwych, giving her unprecedented autonomy in running the province. She immediately ordered a handful of lesser nobles exiled for their role in the Bastrayne Affair, and sacked most of the former Baronial Guard, a body that had become unacceptably corrupt. Bastrayne and Gryppe however, managed to flee. It is rumored that he managed to get away with wagonloads of gold, and speculation on where he, and that gold, can be found run hot.

So far, the Baroness's rule has not been too successful. Woodwych's biggest resource is the Celadon Forest, and that remains in a state of near-revolt where no Nyrond soldiers dare go. Things are slowly returning to normal, but it takes time for injuries on both sides to be forgotten and in the meantime, the provinces economy, and tax collections, suffer.

Talnith has tried to assure the forest folk that she is no threat to the forest, but she has been only moderately successful at this. The new regime may be considered a great improvement, but all know that Nyrond needs gold, and that means pressure to consider the short term uses of the forest. Further, her new and lofty construction projects require a great deal of wood. So, for now, any entering the forest had best have permission in advance, and is likely to face a few sudden and none too pleasant conversations with elves who seem eager to give the visitor a final home.

Swan Bore

The same situation on a smaller scale is taking place at the market town of Swan Bore. The former baron's imposing a "tax" that amounted to confiscation, just before he vanished with everything he could carry, frightened off many of the merchants that the town depends on. It didn't help that the Valorous League of Blindness started a campaign blaming the foreign merchants for the town's troubles, and causing a riot that killed 4 of them. Here too, it may be years before things return to normal. Also, the creation of the new town of Adrean's Landing by the Baroness has many worried about the future of the town.

Swan Bore is administered by merchant families of considerable influence and power, and had managed to stave off most taxes by deferring payments. Lynwerd has had enough of that and the payments now are taking a strong toll on these merchants. Also, there has been great resentment against the wealthy rulers here, a fact the rabble rousing Valorous League takes advantage of. In the last year this simmering resentment has reduced somewhat as the local people simply got up and moved to Adreans Landing. The last census showed the population at about 2800 permanent residents, but this number has probably dropped significantly.

The towns name comes from an extraordinary event that occurs regular as clockwork on the first day of Growfest each year, on a stretch of the Duntide some three mile north and ten miles downriver. A standing wave some eight feet high moves downriver, and on its crest ride great black-breasted swans, honking and whooping. Traditionally this was the first day of a great martket festival and week of feasting, with markets strewn across the whole of the town where merchants, traders and charlatans from all over the Flanaes would come. Unfortuneately, with the troubles of the last several years, many foreign merchants have sworn never to return.

Hammensend

Things are better in Hammensend, a town of 9000 at the juncture of the Nesser and Franz Rivers. Kryallen Fardashen the city governor underdeclared the population for tax purposes. Since more population means the noble must send more tax money to the king, few report the full population. But Fardashen underreports on a very large scale. This meant that former Baron Bastrayne thought he was already getting about as much as he could, and he didn't try to loot the city nor order as extensive lumbering as elsewhere. Not that things are great here either. While the lesser lumbering means the forest still trades with the city, to a limited amount, it still caused considerable hostility and government forces dare not enter the forest, a fact that has greatly benefited a band of bandits who use the forest as a refugee when they are not robbing travelers. Within the city there is also a robbery problem, especially on the South side where the lower element lives. However the trade with the County and Duchy of Urnst remains active and the ferries to each run frequently, so times are far from desperate.

Woodwych

Woodwych is a grim and hard walled city of 24,800, ruled by the militia. While the new Baroness has stopped the practices of robbing and spying on the population, she is not the sort to encourage any festive conduct and so the atmosphere remains severe. However, even this little improvement was enough to cause a population boom, or rather the return of many of those who had fled the tax robberies of her predecessor. Nevertheless, the town has a long way to go in overcoming the troubles Bastrayne saddled on the city over which he had the most control.

Adreans Landing

Adrean's Landing is a new town on the Duntide between Swan's Bore and Arnford. It serves primarily as a trade city- a convenient gathering place for farmers, traders and visiting travelers. It will serve secondary duty by becoming a sort of amusement park. Specialty shops and services will grant any that wish distraction exactly what they want. In fact, a new coliseum is being built that will house racing events, simple gladitorial contests, and serve as an outdoor gathering area for such things as swap meets, concerts, or speeches.

The town is a pet project of the Baroness, named after her late son. Adrean was killed in 589 under mysterious circumstances. The chief suspects, and nearly the only ones the Baroness will hear of, are members of the Brotherhood of the Bronze. They deny any involvement, though admit to having members who will shoot first and then demand identification. This suspicion very much complicates peace talks as the Baroness has trouble sacrificing her personal desire for revenge, fatal to as many of those involved as possible no matter how loosely involved, for the needs of the province and kingdom, both of whom would greatly benefit from peace and a resumption of normal trade.

There are other suspects. A merchant of Swan's Bore or Arnford may have panicked and caused the hit on the hope that killing the originator of the idea would prevent this competition. A very misplaced idea if so, as the mother has thrown everything she can into making her son's idea a tremendous monument to him. Suggesting the project is wildly extravagant and should be kept within reason, or worse saying it should be abandoned, is the fastest way to leave her court, and likely city and province as well.

So far the site is a mass of construction and reports vary widely about whether it is turning into a future city that may rival Woodwych, or an overblown village.

Star Haunt

The Celadon Forest has its share of ruins and mysterious places, but none as strange as the star-shaped castle ruin named Star Haunt. The castle is said to have been built by an ancient Oeridian tribe overwhelmed by an inner madness. Its walls glow in the dark due to a phosphorescent moss. Monsters lurk within and have a natural defense, for creatures inside the keep become affected by a displacement magic after some weeks of dwelling there. Eventually, it is said, they fade and become spectral undead. Wraiths and specters are seen here, and the wails of ghosts and banshees can be heard. The doom that befell the original occupants is as unknown as the magic and treasures the castle ruins may hold. Celadon folk give this mysterious place a wide berth. The shooting stars that rain down around it from time to time are the least of the hazards here.

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