by Quenton Br'in, Royal Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences
February 594 ER
The expanse of land between Lake Hollym and the Grey Hills was inhabited almost exclusively by trolls and barbarians before the explorations began. The trolls were concentrated near the Tower Hills while the barbarians occupied the Nordenn Vale. Between the two is the Ash Forest, home of the Amani elves (commonly referred to as wild elves).
Through a series of fierce wars, the Kingdom of Evendarr annexed the area. King Ulson Endarr III started the First Northern Campaign in 272 Y. R., and after only two years, his forces were able to secure the area north of the Red River and south of a range of steep hills. The people who occupied these lands offered little resistance, and eventually surrendered to the King's huge army.
After the last few revolts were suppressed, Ulson pushed northward through the hills to the arid plains beyond. The barbarians that lived beyond the hills were divided into several warring tribes. Of these, the Tiger and Coni tribes were the largest. Ulson gave them an ultimatum to surrender or withdraw from the area. The barbarians were not impressed by Ulson's forces, and rallied to war. The tribes which had been fighting each other for years became allies against him.
The barbarian alliance took Ulson by surprise as did the ferocity with which they fought. His forces were quickly driven back into the hills. Luckily the hills were very defensible, so Ulson was able to make a stand.
A great war ensued which lasted for nine bloody years. The hills were later named the Battle Downs for this reason.
Finally the barbarians began to lose ground and after one more year the conflict was over. The Coni tribe surrendered, but refused to live under the rule of another.
Instead, the tribe was allowed to settle a group of islands off the coast of Warwyck. The Tiger Tribe agreed to join the Kingdom with the provision that they would be allowed autonomous rule within their own borders. Within a hundred years they were completely assimilated.
In 285 Y. R., these newly conquered lands were divided into two baronies (Nevis and Blythedale), and granted to Anne Rotari, Duchess of Rotaria. The heavy casualties and high taxes caused by the war produced considerable unrest among the commoners, so Ulson ended his crusade. However, he was revered as a hero, and from then on he was called Ulson the Conqueror.
Anne Rotari extended a great deal of financial and military aid to the new lands. Blythedale was in the greatest need, as the barbarians living there had been hardest hit during the war. Further, they were plagued by attacks from a powerful undead creature. The local people called the monster "Mistress of the Dead," and said that the creature had been tormenting them for years. Preliminary reports indicated that it might have been a vampyre but it was later determined to be a liche.
The liche was named Mourna and she had eluded all attempts of capture for several years. Finally, in a heroic battle deep within the pits of an ancient tomb, it was killed by a group of knights led by Sir Kabar Fenwyck. The estate of Fenwyck was named in his honor and he became the first Baron of Blythedale. (Forty years later, at Baron Fenwyck's death, the capital was moved to its present location, the large trading city of Greenstone.)
Kabar also retrieved a tome of ancient magic from Mourna's catacombs. The collection of spells from the tome was later named the Talon Scrolls.
For many years, no further exploration of the lands north of Lake Hollym was perused. It was not until 409 Y. R. that settlers began to travel into the territory. Moving north along the west coast of the lake, they quickly discovered the Ash Forest and the wild elves. Peaceful negotiations with the elves went well, and the Wold (the hidden city of the elves) was granted ancestral homeland status by the Kingdom of Evendarr.
The town of Ashbury was founded at the mouth of the Ash River in the year 420. Ashbury originally started as a small farming and trading community but grew quickly. A college for bards was established and soon became the center of musical expression in Evendarr. People traveled from every part of the Kingdom to study under the learned men and women who taught at the school.
During the same year, the village of Wellspring was founded at the headwaters of the Ash River. Wellspring had the misfortune of continuous attacks by hill trolls. After several such raids, the King decided to send troops to secure the area. The trolls struggled for a few months, but eventually the King's forces were victorious.
Simultaneously, settlers from Rotaria began to move west into the dalelands beyond the Green River. The plains were lush and fertile, so farming efforts were very successful. After only five years, the settlers were able to establish several fiefs and begin to pay taxes to the King. Of these, Immervale, Bloodstone and Crystal Falls were the largest.
As the population of new settlers grew, difficulties with the barbarians grew as well. The Northmen were a large tribe of barbarians originating in the Northern Marches. They used horses in in combat and proved to be a formidable enemy to the King. The Northmen War lasted over four years and finally ended when the last of the Northmen were forced to retreat north of the Ardynn River in 440.
Rotarian settlers continued to pour into the dalelands and in 452 they met with dwarves living in the Grey Hills in a town they called Dwarvenholm. The dwarves had been mining valuable ores in the Hills for generations, primary among these being iron. After brief negotiations, a trade agreement was established. In exchange for grains, the dwarves provided iron, weapons, and armor.
The following years were peaceful and prosperous. Construction of a wall surrounding the rapidly growing city of Ashbury was completed in 460. Commercial fishing of Lake Hollym from the northern shores had grown to a large business by this time and minor trading with the Amani elves strengthened relations with the Kingdom.
The elves warned the settlers to avoid the lake, claiming that an "ancient and fould beast" lived in the waters. Their caution was ignored. The Royal Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences had been established on an island in the lake's center over three hundred years earlier and they had never reported any difficulties. Many assumed the elves were merely superstitious.
One of the smaller islands on Lake Hollym was settled as a fishing colony in 466 by merchant Patrick Frey and a group of a dozen or so families. For ten years the colony flourished and established itself as a profitable township. However, in 457 it was discovered that the entire population had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. The island was named Frey to honor the brave men and women lost to the lake, and the area was deemed unsafe.
The trolls began massing in the years that followed. They were lead by a powerful creature named Fangthorn. Early reports determined that he had mastered the arts of necromancy, and had used them to create an army of mutant trolls (later called war trolls). Many believed that he was the offspring of a troll and a giant, while others pointed out that no giants had been seen in the area for ages.
Under Fangthorn's command, the war trolls launched a massive assault on the settlers. Several villages were completely overrun by the army while many more had to be evacuated. Some sightings of attacks against the wild elves were also reported. Thus started the Great Troll Wars.
The humans were suffering great losses in the War when the King hired a mercenary battalion called the Company of the Storm to aid Ashbury. The mercenaries were lead by Captain Connor Arawyn and moved at a forced march up to the Ash River just in time to meet the trolls. Connor's forces eventually crossed the river in an epic battle which lasted almost a year before resolution.
Fortunately, the elves had been having better luck against the trolls. Ash Forest, home of the wild elves, is a magical place. Many trolls that entered there became lost, and wandered aimlessly to their deaths. Still others were rumored to become victims of the forest itself.
One major battle, later named the Capture of Ash Ford, firmly established Connor's heroism. Connor had been captured and turned into a zombie by Fangthorn, who displayed the undead Connor to the Company of the Storm and taunted them with it. Rather than discouraging the troops as Fangthorn expected, it energized them into a viscous attack. During the attack, Connor was reached by one of his healers and was given a Life spell in time. Connor then ordered his troops to fall back as he headed towards Fangthorn slowly, pretending to still be a zombie. By the time Fangthorn realized that Connor was no longer undead, it was too late, and Connor slew Fangthorn. This freed many of the other undead in battle who then wandered aimlessly, ripe for a renewed attack from the Company of the Storm. The battle did not last much longer after that, and although Fangthorn's body disappeared (indicating he had been resurrected), it still was a major turning point in the War.
Fangthorn suddenly found himself fighting a two front war as the humans proved to be as formidable an enemy as the elves. The trolls withdrew into the mountains, but less than two months later they had been pushed back to the foothills.
The trolls were finally defeated in 480 Y. R. by the combined armies of Evendarr and the Wold. The victory was purchased by the magic of a bard named Oliver Songbringer. Using powerful rituals found in the Talon Scrolls, he was able to battle Fangthorn in a wizard war which lasted two days.
During this time, Fangthorn's control over the undead was lost, and they began attacking the war trolls. The troll army was forced to retreat deep into the mountains to hide in the caverns.
After Oliver defeated Fangthorn, he turned his attention to the trolls themselves. Using another ritual, he weaved a mighty spell to confine the trolls under the Tower Mountains. The Talon Scrolls were consumed by the terrible release of energy.
After this victory, Ashbury was granted the status of a Barony under the control of Evendarr. Oliver was named as the first Baron, and given the honorary title Lord of the Four Peoples (these being Dwarves, Elves, Humans and Hoblings). He declared the troll lands as the Military District of Trellheim. Oliver also opened up new trade ventures with the elves.
Connor was granted an estate in his name for his heroic deeds during the war. He was knighted, and later became Oliver's champion. The district of Trellheim was put in his charge, and he was instructed to develop the lands. Several garrisons were built under his direction, the most notable being the Tower Mountain Citadel.
Further negotiations with the elves were fruitful, and in 485, the Ash Forest became a barony. Oliver was given the status of Count, and charged with the administration of Ashbury and Ash Forest. He appointed an Amani elf named Lorin Alfenwen the first Baron of the Ash Forest. Lorin was a war hero in his own right. During The Capture of Ash Ford, Lorin had led an offensive of archers in an attack which had turned the tide of the battle.
Two years later, the estates east and north of Ash Forest became the barony of Nordenn. The King selected Sir Gunther Darnok, a close friend from the court of Endarr, to become the first Baron. Gunther eventually took the name Nordenn for his own.
Trade with the dwarves and elves flourished. Many roads were constructed to unite the scattered settlements. New settlers continued to flood the area. The population of the region grew quickly.
Taking all of this into account, the King declared Ashbury a Dukedom in the year 496 Y. R.. Its borders would include Trellheim, Ash Forest, Nordenn and Blythedale. He selected Oliver to be the first Duke of Ashbury.
Oliver decided to make the capital city Ashbury. The Trellheim Military District became a Barony, and Oliver selected Connor Arawyn to rule the area.
The King's decisions did not sit well with all of the nobility. Duke Drennin Rotari of Rotaria was furious that one of his baronies was being taken. He swore that some day his family would reclaim the land. Further, Gunther Nordenn was angered that he was not chosen as the Duke of Ashbury. Most believe that the King would have rather appointed him, but Oliver's popularity with the commoners allowed no other choice. As it turned out, Gunther died his final death in a battle with a group of trolls a few years later and his daughter Serina became Baroness of Nordenn.
The Duchy grew and prospered through Duke Oliver's reign. His death of old age in 514 produced a year of mourning for the young Duchy. Even today, many children are named in his honor.
His only son Henry became the Duke. Like his father, Henry was also a bard spellcaster of renown talent. The honorary title of Lord of the Four Peoples was transferred to him, and has become synonymous with the Duke of Ashbury thereafter.
Baron Thomas Hopewell of Blythesdale died in a hunting accident in 517. His wife Anastasia had been named heir and for the next seven years she served well the people.
The Northmen once again began attacking Blythedale and Nordenn in the early '20s. Striking quickly and then retreating into the Grey Hills proved to be a successful strategy for them. In one such attack, Baroness Anastasia and her entire family died at the hands of the barbarians. Strangely, they apparently all suffered their final deaths.
Serina Nordenn, an accomplished fighter, was also wounded in the conflict. Healers from the surrounding lands tried everything, but her wounds were so great that her recuperation took months. The Royal Academy of Arcane Arts and Sciences were instructed to investigate the happenings but they were unable to uncover any new information about the wounds.
The garrison at Two Towers almost fell to the barbarian onslaught. Luckily, the leadership of Lieutenant Mangar Grimsby saved the day. He was able to secure the keep in a heroic struggle which cost him his own life. He was named as Baron of Blythedale by new Duke after he resurrected.
Evendarr sent additional troops north to dispatch the Northmen. The melee was fierce, but in 522 the barbarians were forced to retreat into the plains beyond the Grey Hills.
King Hendrick's army continued north and battled hordes of goblins and the Northmen for control of the area known as the Northern Marches. This was to become known as the Second Northern Campaign.
Serina Nordenn died the next year. She had never completely recovered from the wounds inflicted by the barbarians. It was rumored that some evil magic had taken control of her spirit near the end, and so she had committed suicide to protect her family. Her eldest son Wellington had been named the new Baron, but a slight controversy over his regent's unfortunate death escalated into a battle over who would actually be Baron. However, all ended well when Wellington was named Baron on his 16th birthday.
Connor Arawyn died of old age in 527 Y. R.. The Tower Mountain Citadel erected a statue in his honor, and the entire barony of Trellheim mourned the loss of a great hero. Since Connor had no family of his own, he had named a knight of his court as his heir. The new Baron's name was Bretton Darkwood.
During the years which followed, a group of bandits called the Black Mask began murdering citizens of Ashbury. The name was attributed to the black hoods that the bandits wore to conceal their faces. They began to harass travelers around the Duchy, but most of their crimes were perpetrated near the capital city of Ashbury.
Baron Wellington Nordenn suffered a death in one such attack. He was attending the baronial council in Ashbury at the time. The council was debating the additional levy to be placed on Mangar Grimsby as his lands had recently founded two new estates. He suspected that the bandits were actually employed by the Baron of Blythedale, and had been instructed to kill him for voting to increase his taxes. Baron Wellington challenged Baron Magnar to a duel of honor, which Baron Magnar accepted. Baron Wellington took another death as a result of that duel, and never spoke another word of his accusations.
The attacks of the Black Mask stopped after eight years but no one was ever connected to the crimes.
In 544, Baron Magnar Grimsby died his final death of old age. He had named his niece Enid Grimsby as his heir, and she became Baroness of Blythedale over the objections of Magnar's eldest son Terance.
King Hendrick died in 545 Y. R., and his son Roderick became the new King. Roderick was a stern but just man. In the years that followed, his popularity became widespread.
Baron Wellington and a small group of his knights died in 547 while on a quest to rid the town of Swindon of a necromancer and his foul undead. Although the knights were resurrected and later were able to capture the necromancer, the Baron unfortunately suffered his final death. His wife Trina became the Baroness of Nordenn.
Duke Henry died in the year 549, and his daughter Gwendolyn became the new Duchess. Gwendolyn's real passion was astrology, and so she founded a Guild of Astrologers in the city of Ashbury. In a few short years, the guild had established a healthy business of counseling nobles from all over Evendarr.
In the year 555, Baroness Enid Grimsby died her final death. She was assassinated in her manor in Blythedale. Evidence uncovered at the scene indicated that the assassin was an elf, and many suspected The Wold of treachery. Her eldest son Orson became the new Baron.
Two years later, dwarves from the Grey Hills began mining operations in Trellheim. The Duchess had predicted that the dwarves would find valuable metals in the hills, and she charged Baron Bretton with the protection of the miners. Initial progress was slow, but several new veins of ore were eventually discovered--mostly iron and copper, with some small deposits of silver.
Baron Bretton requested a reprieve in taxes due to the high cost of starting the mining operations and protecting the dwarves from troll attacks, but the Duchess denied his request. After several years of arguing, Bretton was finally convicted of insulting a noble. Duchess Gwendolyn stripped Bretton of his title and lands in 560 Y. R.. Bretton's heir was denied, and the Duchess appointed her son Powell to be the new Baron. This action did not sit well with many of the citizens of Trellheim.
The next year both Lorin Alfenwen and his wife Laurieanne Teragram mysteriously died their final deaths. Apparently, they died of natural causes at the same time in their home in the Wold. Their daughter and only child Alicia Hollymsong became the Baroness of Ash Forest.
In 563 Baroness Trina died of old age, and her son Victor became the new Baron of Nordenn. To honor the memory of his father, he renamed the estate of Greenfield to Wellington.
Duke Tomas Rotari of Rotaria died in 564 Y. R.. His eldest son Martin became the new Duke. Martin was a foul tempered man, and quickly established a group of black knights to act as enforcers of his will. The knights were called the Jaded Cabinet and went about arresting any who spoke out against their Duke. Several people were executed after what could only be called a mockery of a trial. After a year in office, he demanded that Duchess Gwendolyn return the Barony of Blythedale to his Duchy. Heated negotiations between the two did not go well. For a time it seemed that civil war was enviable. However, Martin backed down when King Roderick made it known that he would support Ashbury in a conflict.
In 566, King Roderick's army was waging a new war against the Northmen. Ashbury was called on to aid his forces and provide supplies. Later that year, Roderick himself traveled north to personally command his forces. Baron Cecil Eastwyck of the lands above Ashbury and his family were slain in a surprise attack three years later. None of them ever resurrected, and many pointed out that the same thing had happened to the Hopewell family years earlier.
The King was captured in a raid only weeks later but was saved by a brave captain of a cavalry unit named the White Raven Company. His name was Basil Ravenhurst, and the King adopted him as his son in appreciation for his deeds. Basil was named heir to the court of Eastwyck, and in the following year, became the Duke of the new lands. The Duchy was named Ravenholt, and trade agreements with Ashbury were established on good terms.
The same year, Duchess Gwendolyn died her final death. She was assassinated while visiting Blythedale to assess the damage created by the winter storms. Many believed that the Jaded Cabinet was responsible for her death. However, others pointed out that the evidence was too obvious, and was probably contrived to frame Martin Rotari for the crime.
Gwendolyn's son Powell became the Duke of Ashbury in 569 Y. R.. Powell was a more generous ruler than his mother and recognized some of the injustice in his mother's deeds. He restored Bretton Darkwood's title as Baron of Trellheim, and lowered the taxes collected from all of the baronies.
Unfortunately, Bretton died of old age a few years later. Bretton's Seneschal, Sir Justin Medecia, was named as the new Baron of Trellheim in 572 Y. R..
A year later, undead sightings increased throughout Nordenn and Blythedale. The creature's attacks were too well organized not be part of some greater plan. In the spring of 575, it was learned that the undead were controlled by Mourna. Somehow the liche had found a way to cheat death and return to Tyrra.
The following years were grim for Ashbury. Many estates were beaten down by nightly attacks of undead. The estates of Denthor and Easton in Blythedale as well as Dabrak in Nordenn were completely abandoned. In another raid, the entire family of Baron Orson Grimsby disappeared, and was never seen again.
The Duke declared a state of emergency, and assembled an huge of militia to fight the undead. Lead by Captain Dinayr A'Vaughn, the militia was able to secure the estates in Blythedale. For his heroic command in the face of death, Dinayr was appointed Baron of Blythedale.
Finally, the attacks ended in the year 579. A group of soldiers led by Dinayr was able to locate Mourna's secret lair. It was a foul place guarded by many twisted necromantic monstrosities. Dinayr reported that the liche was killed in its inner sanctum and its lair was destroyed.
The Barony of Blythedale flourished under Dinayr's rule. Undead sightings became fewer and fewer as did the attacks of other humanoids in the area. For years lizardmen had been attacking the shores of Lake Hollym, yet Dinayr was able to crush the lizardmen with the aid of some unknown power.
Baron Victor passed on three years later. He had named his son Bryan to be the next Baron, but Bryan still had two years before he reached his majority. Baron Victor's Seneschal Lord Douglas Nordenn assumed the position as regent while Bryan received his training in the Royal Army. Lord Douglas reportedly refused to surrender his seat when Bryan came of age so Bryan stayed in the Army. Eventually, Lord Douglas was assassinated and suffered his final death. The assassin was never caught, and Bryan became the new Baron of Nordenn.
Baron Bryan had served in the militia led by Dinayr, and the two had become fast friends. Their alliance became strong, and trade between the baronies increased.
King Roderick died his final death in 584 Y. R.. A great period of mourning filled the Kingdom and lasted for a year. His only son Richard ascended the throne and became known as a tireless campaigner against evil and necromancy.
In the summer of 587, Justin Medecia died of old age. His eldest son Stewart became the Baron of Trellheim shortly thereafter. Stewart became known as a just and fair Baron and was popular with the commoners.
Trolls were sighted moving through the Tower Hills soon thereafter. Somehow they had found a way to escape the confinement set upon them by Oliver more than one hundred years earlier. Once freed from their prison, they began attacking the surrounding villages. Duke Powell ordered the Mages' Guild to investigate the cause of their release, and set about the task of waging war with the trolls.
In a brief but grievous attack in December of 589, the trolls managed to breach the gates of the Tower Mountain Citadel. Once inside, they killed Duke Powell, Baron Medecia, and many others. The Duke had been there to review scouting reports and battle plans with the Baron. Unfortunately, the Duke suffered his final death, but Stewart was successfully resurrected in Ashbury.
The entire garrison would have been lost if not for the leadership of one man. Sergeant Alaric Dragonheart of the Ducal forces rallied the soldiers and set fire to sections of the keep which had already fallen to the trolls. Later, he led a charge into a group of war trolls which were commanding the attack. The trolls retreated, and the hundred or so survivors were able to return to Ashbury and recount the tale.
Duke Powell had been very impressed with Alaric during the attacks, and before his death, revised his will to name Alaric as his heir. (Powell had no family.) Alaric became the new Duke of Ashbury in the winter of 590. His first action as Duke was to order the reconstruction of the Tower Mountain Citadel.
Duke Alaric appointed another brave sergeant to the position of General of the Ashbury army. His name was Morgan Blackbourne. Morgan had served with Alaric at the Tower Mountain Citadel, and had also been a key to the victory against the trolls. Under his command, the army moved swiftly. They were able to contain the trolls in the hills. Further, Morgan oversaw the reconstruction of the garrison personally.
In the spring of 590, the Mages' Guild reported their findings to the new Duke. They insisted that the confinement should have lasted 576 years (the length of a Cycle of Ages). They went on to say that the trolls must have been released by some other powerful magic. The source of these energies could not be determined. Furthermore, since the Talon Scrolls were lost in the ritual which created the prison, a second confinement could not be made unless another copy of the ritual could be found.
For several years, the trolls continued to plague Trellheim. General Morgan was usually able to keep a few steps ahead of them. The trolls were disorganized and often fought among each other for control, and Morgan was able counter their actions using intelligence information gathered by a group of expert scouts. It was discovered that human mercenaries were helping the trolls in their attacks.
The General declared the Tower Hills as a war zone in the winter of 591. No citizens would be allowed to enter the area. Anyone found in the hills would be assumed guilty of treason and immediately put to death.
Martin Rotari died in the summer of 591. His wife Lillian became the Duchess and extended new friendship to Ashbury. She disbanded the Jaded Cabinet and provided some financial aid to support Ashbury's war against the trolls.
During the autumn of 591, Alicia Hollymsong publicly reported that undead were moving west through Nordenn in large groups. Baron Bryan Nordenn stepped forward to report additional findings. He claimed that no attacks against his people had occurred. Further, he stated that the size of the groups had been greatly exaggerated, and did not merit reporting.
Days later, Alicia stopped all trade between Ash Forest and Nordenn. Duke Alaric questioned her action, but she remained elusive. Knowing that the Amani elves are a strange people when it comes to trading, the Duke decided to drop the issue.
Bryan became critically ill only three weeks later. He had no comment as to the cause of his illness, but rumors that an elf had tried to poison him were whispered throughout the Duchy. He was transported to Evendarr for medical supervision, and remained there until the spring of 592.
In March of 592, Beloved King Richard passed away in his sleep, leaving a bereaved kingdom and a minor controversy. King Richard's original will had named four heirs--Kevyn Blackfox, Andrea Huntington, Basil Ravenhurst, and Joseph Saxony. The provisions of this will stated that the four would compete in a Tournament to determine who would be the next King (or Queen). Just prior to his death, he had changed his will to name only his boyhood friend Prince Joseph Saxony.
Many questioned the will, and as required by Evendarrian law, the Royal Council met to validate the will. The Royal Council consists of representatives from all of the duchies and the county of Blackstone, the heads of the Royal Healers' Guild, the Royal Mages' Guild, the General of the Royal Army, and the King himself. The will was approved by a bare majority of the council. In the King's Absence, his Seneschal, Lady Iloni Reichart-Saxony, sister-in-law to Joseph Saxony, voted on his behalf.
Joseph Saxony thus became the first King of Evendarr that was not an Endarr. Duke Basil of Ravenholt contested the appointment as he was not present at the regency council. Later, he refused to acknowledge Joseph as the King, and declared Ravenholt a Principality. Rumors from Ravenholt filtered out which implied that King Richard had been murdered, and tension between Ravenholt and the throne grew. Although no actual battles have taken place, armies on both sides have been increased and are wary.
In June of 592, Duke Alaric announced that due to the current troll war, he would be unable to provide the King with any militia to wage civil war at this time. To protect his lands and people, he firmly stated that he would not allow troops from either side to travel in his Duchy. Otherwise, he argued, Ashbury might become the battleground and many civilians would suffer.
In September of the same year, Baroness Alicia Hollymsong recalled all of her knights to the Wold. The Barony of Ash Forest closed its borders completely, and all trade stopped. Wild rumors that Alicia was dying began to spread.
During the winter of 592-3, citizens from the northern estates of Blythedale and Nordenn started to report new sightings of undead. Rumors that Ravenholt was mounting an attack against Ashbury began to spread. Duke Alaric pointed out that the undead were also attacking Ravenholt, which was currently having problems with a liche named Sakalid and a vampyre named Urich. He ordered a curfew that affects all commoners living within five leagues of the Grey Hills. Anyone found outside in these areas between sunset and sunrise would be fined five silver and imprisoned for a week.
In Blythedale, the battles were headed by Sir Thomas Grey. Sir Thomas had been an officer in the Royal Army. He had only been assigned to Ashbury for a few years before impressing the Baron who took him as his Squire and later had him knighted.
In May of 593, the Duke called a meeting of the Baronial Council. They were summoned to discuss the unexplained actions of the Wold. Baron Stewart Medecia was furious at the elves. He had sent numerous unanswered messages to the Baroness pleading for an explanation. Duke Alaric pointed out that Ash Forest had not paid any taxes for almost a year.
Baroness Alicia did not attend the meeting, nor did any representative from her Barony. At the conclusion of the Council meeting, Duke Alaric announced that the Baroness had been stripped of her title and holdings. Furthermore, the entire court of Ash Forest was wanted for questioning.
Two weeks later, on June 6, the mystery of the Wold was revealed. King Joseph himself traveled to Ashbury to conduct the largest trial in Evendarr history. Over a score of nobles were charged with various crimes including assault, conspiracy, necromancy and treason.
Of the accused, Baron Medecia, Baron Dinayr and Duke Alaric were the most notable. The evidence was supplied by Baroness Alicia and the court of Ash Forest. Apparently, Baron Dinayr had found some means to control undead. He was marching them through the Barony of Nordenn to the hills of Trellheim. Once there, they were being used to fight the trolls. Several reports of the undead movements were uncovered which proved that many knights of Nordenn were keeping the information of the sightings hidden. Further, a correspondence between Baron Medecia and Duke Alaric was intercepted by Alicia's court which proved that they were conspirators to the crime.
Duke Alaric, Baron Medecia and Baron Dinayr were stripped of their titles. Many other nobles of Trellheim, Nordenn and Blythedale also lost their lands and titles. However, King Joseph was lenient, as he understood the reason that the crimes were committed. In all, over twenty nobles were sentenced to death, and those that resurrected would never again hold a noble title in the Kingdom of Evendarr.
Alicia was reinstated as the Baroness of Ash Forest. Her entire court was commended for their actions by the King. General Morgan, who had been knighted by Alaric, was promoted to be Baron of Trellheim, and Sir Thomas Grey became the new Baron of Blythedale.
Since Baron Alaric's title had been removed because of the crimes he had committed, his will was ruled invalid. King Joseph then announced that the new Duchess would be Dame Mara.
Dame Mara had been a loyal knight in King Joseph's entourage for many years and had proven to be a shrewd caster and fighter. She accepted the position and vowed to serve King Joseph loyally.
She replaced the town of Ashbury's Magistrate and Sheriff with those she felt would be loyal to her, and set about insuring that no one would question her authority. Although she has proven to be strict with the law and impatient with those who do not follow her orders, she has also provided many services to the commoners who seem at first glance to trust her.
March 595 - The Duchy of Ashbury is now at its greatest upheaval since its inception--A new Duchess and two new Barons must convince the people of Ashbury that they will serve their interests, while attempting to fill the now empty ranks of knights. It is possible that this could be either the start of the downfall of this great Duchy or the beginning of a stronger new Duchy.