Northwind - River Jarl Steading (8)

The furthest south of all the River Jarl Steadings, Northwind is further south than the King's Highway, almost half the distance between the King's Highway and the Great River.  Some way south along the river, is the great ferry crossing of the Greywater, marking the point where the road between the baronies of Huygen and Na Kram cross the Greywater river.

The great ferry (there are actually two vessels, the service back and forth across the river is simply referred to as "the great ferry" although the individual boats are called "Azano Runner" and "Byloo Swift") is operated from a great walled keep, and watch tower, high up on a rocky cliff of the western bank of the river.  This keep and tower are named the Lisman Keep after the builder.  It is manned by a group of mostly Westeroner men at arms, drawn from Huygen, Na Kram, and further baronies.

Lisman Keep

The far side of the river, across from Lisman Keep, is the Storm King village of Eidelthorpe.  It is a small town, and only serves to house the guards for the slave rowers of the ferries (see below), and as a source of horses, and sleeping quarters, for travelers.

Eidelthorpe

The two vessels, the Azano Runner and the Byloo Swift, are propelled by slave rowers, taken from the prisons at Huygen.  The vessels themselves are considered off-grounds (a point of honor for the captains and huscarls of Northwind, and elsewhere) for viking raids, and other attacks.

Westroner image of the ferries, from the Book of Huygen

Northwind is a steading that boasts a very large, and powerful, fleet of dragon ships.  It is in a position to challenge attack from any small group of other Steadings, not to mention the single freebooters on the river, or even the large turtle ships and battle barges to be found along the Great river, somewhat more to the south.

The current Jarl of Northwind, Finndar Hatholsson, has turned over the organization of the Huscarls and dragon ships for the annual raids to his son, Rolfar Finndarsson.  Finndar himself has selected a hand picked band of his twenty favored huscarls, some skalds and a wizard (Amsil Uropp), and has traveled west to the lands of the Furlingga Tribes.  There he wages war against the strongest chiefs among the Furlingga, and is attempting to make a great name for himself and his men, all the while attempting to break up the Furlingga.  His original band has grown, attracting a number of other warriors, both from Northwind and also from Mead Hall (heroes from Mead Hall are never reluctant to join such a venture).  The war they are waging against the Furlingga gnolls has met with some success, but the complete difference in numbers is daunting to an outsider.

Finndar Hatholsson and his men, searching for Furlingga gnolls

The write up of the Flooded Keep of the Astromancer was originally part of this article, but it has been removed and made into its own blog entry.  It was originally part of the Week of Adventure Locations.

Posting update and Schedule

The eight Steadings of the River Jarls are still being posted.  The first five have been done, only three remain:  Clearwater, Mead Hall, and Northwind.  All three of these offer interesting setting descriptions, I think, and they each have an associated Adventure Location (which continues, and will finish, the Week of Adventure Locations).


In generating the Adventure Locations, references were made to locales, encounters, monsters and other elements.  These are planned to be detailed in the next week or two, so more content is on the way.

Further out, the three cities of Khomaes (home of the Diamond Villas, and the Glamor Hall for Bewitchment and Entrancement, and near the Purple Marsh), Werms (location of the Demesne of Planar Knowledge and Magical Petitioning), and Huygen (site of the wretched Black Prison of Volvedma) will need to be detailed with their own postings, and a little bit more about the other features of the Darkearth Plains (aside from what has already been done).  Then it is on to the next in the inter-river regions, between the Greywater and Fa'Ars River.  That area, the Sildur Reaches, includes the two cities of Botts (including the Bardic College of Brandismore, and the Grand Lyceum of Abjurative Sorcery) and Na Kram.  Also the Shadow Woods, Craggy Hills, Fire Mountain, and the curious Tears of Heaven (which is also Giant country).

Still working on the ValleyWiki idea...