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Glenoth 1lenoth is an island located midway between the islands of Ikom and Melderyn. The island’s only major settlement lies on the east coast of the island. Glenoth was granted to Cresca Halwyn in 235, and the keep has been the seat of Clan Halwyn since that time. The island was once heavily wooded, but centuries of ship building have reduced forest

cover to the rugged northeast and to baronial reserves.

historyGlenoth has many Henge Culture structures, dating from around

BT2500. These are made from the lustrous local basalt, a bluish rock whose extreme hardness partly explains why they have survived the weather.

Jarin settlers reached Glenoth Island around BT 1300, but their first attempts at colonization failed. Legends tell of a virulent plague that swept through the small island villages, killing most of the population. The few survivors abandoned the island, cursing the “plague stones.” Although the legends have been scoured by sages and physicians, the symptoms are unlike any known today, and the cause of the plague remains a mystery. The credulous hold that the “curse” is still active, and the Henge stones are viewed with deep suspicion by many, especially those from other islands.

Jarin returned to stay within a century or two, establishing holdings across the island and fishing the southern reaches of the Sea of Ivae. They mastered the treacherous tidal currents that ebb and flow through the strait separating Hârn from mainland Lythia. A local species of goat, probably abandoned on the island by the previous settlers, was found roaming the stony hills north of Lake Kanir and was domesticated. Within 50 years, the island was trading smoked fish and Kanir goat cheese with settlements on nearby Ikom and Melderyn for goods such as iron and cloth.

CreditsWriters: Peter Leitch, Kerry Mould

(Jmorvi Chantry)Contributor: Patrick NilssonMaps: Patrick Nilsson, Bill BeaneArtist: Richard Luschekeditors: Tom Dalgliesh, Grant Dalgliesh,

John Sgammato, Brent Baileylayout: Thomas Shook, Brent Bailey

Location: Kanir Hundred, Ikoshire, Kingdom of Melderyn [N9]

Holder: Baron of Glenoth, Clan Halwyn

Liege: Earl of Nurisel Population: 305

tAxes Property: 10% per year (residential) Property: 7% per year (business) Hawking: 10% of goods’ value Bonding: 1% of goods’ value per month Pilotage: 40d flat fee Wharfage: 2d per foot per day Registry: 40d per foot per year

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Glenoth 2

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By BT 750, a lively market town was established on the shore of Polef Bay, where the fishing boats were anchored in the mouth of a small river and trading vessels anchored to exchange goods. The economic activity inevitably attracted raiders, and a wooden fortification was built on a rocky headland at the northern end of Polef Bay to provide protection.

Around BT 700, a Jmorvi chantry was established on the island by scholars from Emelrene who wished to study the structures of the enigmatic Henge Culture. Some Earthmaster artifacts were found, suggesting that Glenoth was inhabited by the Ancients. Another interpretation, put forward by the Jmorvi Shek-Pvar Ferris the Ruddy in BT 143, claims the artifacts were used by the Henge Culture.

During the time of the Five Kingdoms, Glenoth was part of the Kingdom of Chaig, centered on Chyrefal on the island of Ikom. This was a relatively peaceful period but Glenoth provided the kingdom with sturdy ships, skilled crews, and preserved foods when needed.

The present keep was constructed in 489 after a viking raid destroyed the previous wooden structure. During construction, the baronial tombs were moved to the present site of the Peonian temple. All other traces of the previous building were erased.

The hard rock walls of Glenoth Keep have withstood numerous raids by Orbaalese and Ivinian raiders. The last such raid in 703, comprising three dragonboats and five warboats, was bloodily repulsed. Three of the warboats were fired on the beach and two more were pursued and captured by vengeful sailors from Glenoth’s fishing fleet. The Glenoth sailors used their knowledge of the local currents and winds to trap the raiders’ warboats on submerged reefs. Only the superior seamanship of the dragonboats allowed any to escape.

GovernMentSoren Halwyn, the current Baron of Glenoth,

owes fealty to the Earl of Nurisel. Earl Sunoril Thabel visits the island once a year in late spring, spending about half a month riding the windy coastline, hunting in the forest, visiting the Jmorvi chantry, and studying the Henge Culture structures, especially the one known as The Rekene, a maze carved on a flat stone, 30 foot square. It is located about a league northeast of the keep. The pattern of the maze is similar to those found on Kuboran barrow graves in Peran. It has been said that walking the maze activates a Barasi Point.

The town of Glenoth is governed directly by Baron Halwyn. The local guildmasters have formed an advisory body, to which the baron added a spokesman, Berrot of Deka, for the fisherfolk. He consults this body on economic matters, although he is not bound by their advice.

The baron maintains a cordial but distant relationship with the Sheriff of Ikoshire, who is based at Chyrefal. The policy of the Melderyni throne to govern with a light touch extends through its sheriffs.

Baron soren halwynSoren Halwyn, 38, is a scholarly man who succeeded to the title in 718. He studied at the Jmorvi chantry in Glenoth and later at the major Arcane Lore chantry in Berema. His wife, Lysistra, is the daughter of the Baron of Quethren in Emelrene.

The baron’s sister, Fralise, is married to King Chunel’s younger brother, Prince Erebir Toron. The baron has an excellent relationship with the Melderyni crown. Prince Erebir and Lady Fralise spend about four months a year on Glenoth Island.

HALWYN

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Glenoth 3

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Glenoth 3

eConoMiCsThe main fishing village is off-map to the east of

the Peonian temple [4], where several hundred yards of beach allows vessels to be dragged above the high-tide mark and maintained. An outcrop of rock on the seaward side protects the village from the worst of the weather.

With the major port at Cherafir to the south and another substantial port at Chyrefal on the island of Ikom to the north, Glenoth is little more than a fishing port. However, the island does boast several unique commodities that warranted building the large wharf jutting into Polef Bay.

The main export is Glenoth basalt from the island’s extensive quarries. Very hard and extremely difficult to work, the basalt can be polished, with time and effort, to a high luster. In buildings, it is used as a decorative facing for both internal and external walls. Skilled sculptors fashion the rock into elaborate shapes and figures for decorative works in castles and churches throughout Hârn. A few tons of Glenoth basalt have been exported to Lythia through Cherafir, primarily to Berema, where the Jmorvi chantry is the primary purchaser.

Glenoth Island has two other exports of note: Kanir goat cheese and blue hillberry ink. The Kanir goat produces high-grade milk that is made into a delicious unveined soft cheese. Throughout the year, the cheese is made in crofts and hill dwellings in the interior of the island and brought to Glenoth for sale. However, the best cheeses are produced in late spring following the hillberry harvest. Kanir goats eat the hillberries, which flavors and colors the milk with a faint blush of purple. Kanir

Blue Cheese is a delicacy that commands high prices throughout Melderyn; only wealthy nobles can afford the cheese as a regular menu item. The cheese does not travel well and is rarely found beyond Melderyn.

The same properties of hillberries that produce the coloration in the cheese also produce a striking blue dye used by the local lexigrapher, Kirlin of Vileb, in the making of ink. Lexigraphers throughout Hârn and western Lythia use this ink to illuminate their works, especially on maps, where it is used to denote royal towns and cities. About 10 pounds of hillberries are required to produce one vial of the blue ink and the total amount of ink exported is even smaller than that of the Kanir Blue Cheese. However, like the cheese, it commands a high price and Kirlin has become a wealthy man.

MilitAry ForCesGlenoth has a garrison of 20 men-at-arms under the

command of Sir Napryn Rymis. The garrison is equipped as medium foot but have some training as bowmen.

The settlement’s fishing fleet doubles as an impromptu navy. During times of trouble, all villagers except fishermen are evacuated to the keep, where the men form a small militia force under Sir Napryn’s command. Led by Berrot of Deka, the fishermen put to sea and harass raiders. The fishermen’s knowledge of local tides and currents gives them an advantage over foreign sailors. Berrot has become quite expert at utilizing the skills of the fishermen and is one of Melderyn’s premier naval warriors, although few are aware of it.

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Glenoth 4

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Glenoth 4 GM MAp

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Glenoth 5GLENOTH KEEP1 The keep is one of the sturdiest buildings in

Melderyn and one of its most eccentric fortifications. It is reached by traveling through the sturdy gatehouse and down the length of the wide wall. Because this is the only entrance, it is also used to transport goods to the keep. On clear days, the keep can be seen almost two leagues away by approaching vessels, due to its height (160+ feet) above sea level. From a distance, the keep is often hidden behind a veil of sea mist. The baron is considering adding another tower to the keep as a lookout platform with a burning brazier to guide ships to Glenoth harbor at night.

The keep’s impressive walls are built from the local basalt and decorated with various carvings and statues.The main gates have had thick slabs of Glenoth basalt skillfully inlaid into their outside face. The massive gates are so heavy, the iron hinges become twisted and need to be replaced every three or four years. Carved basalt statues, gargoyles, and floor slabs ornament the keep.

Stables:[a] The baron’s bonded ostler, Juled of Melikos, is a sullen man. His dour personality is tolerated because he has a knack for picking the best steeds for his master. The stable currently houses nine magnificent stallions, all cared for by Juled’s two apprentices.Kennels:[b] The baron has several Ivinian wolfhounds, which are used during the occasional hunting expedition but mostly to help the garrison guard the keep and its surroundings. The wild, filthy, dishevelled appearance and smell of the kennel boy, Wente, along with his insistence in sleeping in the kennels with his charges, has earned him the derisive appellation “Dogboy.” He is scorned by all except the baron and his garrison commander, who see through the dirt and odor to the tortured individual underneath. They recognize that the wolfhounds view Wente as their pack leader and are loyal to him.

GUILLE ROCK2 This is a rocky islet that protects the northern section of Polef Bay. Clan Halwyn built a watchtower on Guille Rock after a particularly vicious Ivinian raid in 643. The tower is 30 feet high, and rises to about 55 feet above sea level. The top has a tocsin bell and a warning brazier that is lit every night. The Jmorvi Chantry has supplied a number of chemicals that, when thrown into the fire, turn the flames

different colors, including red for imminent attack and blue for shipwreck.

TEMPLE OF LARANI3 Completed in 659, the temple took four years to build, as masons employed on other Laranian projects came to the island to study techniques of using the local basalt. Much of the work they produced was taken away with them when they left and the remainder was low-quality workmanship. The temple’s basalt pulpit is rumored to glow very faintly during sermons. It is said that this is only visible on the darkest of days, when the clouds are thick and low overhead and the temple is very dark, and that the glow is a divine gift from Larani to lighten the gloom.

PEONIAN TEMPLE ANd GRAVEYARd4 Established in 421, the Peonian temple began as a simple shrine to the goddess on the clifftop. Over time, it has become a more substantial temple, with much of the stone donated from the local basalt quarries. Many of the blocks contain flaws that make the stone unsaleable, and for many years these were left lying around the quarries or dumped nearby. In 583, a devout Peonian mason began carting one useless stone to Glenoth with each trip from the quarry. In 610, the waste stones numbered enough to build a proper temple. With help from Glenoth locals, the construction was completed in less than two months. The Sulaplyn (bishop) of Cherafir blessed and consecrated the temple that same year. In 688, a mortuary was added from left-over blocks and additional stones carried to the site by worshipers.

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