The Archbarony of Blackmoor

8/10/2019 The Archbarony of Blackmoor

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The Archbarony of

Blackmoor

by Frederick Weining

([email protected])

Far to the North !nder the

looming threat of the Black

"ce abides a co!ntry of

legend. Bet#een the stark e$panse of the "cy %ea and the silent to#ering

e&ergreens of the B!rneal Forest this land o&erlooks and finally 'oins the old

arshes in a confl!ence of clinging mist and s!perstition. *ere on the &ery edge

of the #orld lies Blackmoor.

+nce the f!rthest pro&ince of the ,reat -ingdom this distant Archbarony

someho# end!red the cent!ries that sa# Aerdys rise and fall. No# the

Archbarony of Blackmoor stands alone.

Tho!gh the Wars that recently ra&aged the rest of the ci&ili/ed #orld ne&er

reached Blackmoor it has felt after effects from those conflicts. "ts modest trade

#ith the lands to the so!th has been nearly abolished0 a fe# straggling ref!gees

from those same lands ha&e been rel!ctantly accommodated by the s!spicio!s

nati&es0 and a po#er that had a&oided the Archbarony has finally fo!nd its

malicio!s attention dra#n to the north.

"!/ the +ld has remembered the moors and their #eird magic that reb!kes his

po#er. *e keeps #atch !pon the borders of Blackmoor b!t does not mo&eagainst it nor #ill he allo# his priests to enter the land. For no# the Archbarony

is sec!re in its isolation b!t the time may soon come #hen Blackmoor m!st

confront the #orld beyond its borders.

*istory of the 1and

At the time of the great igrations the moors north of the old arshes #ere

inhabited by the T!octs a Flannish people #ho d#elt in stockaded &illages and

b!ilt hill2forts on the rocky o!tcroppings protr!ding from the marshland. *ere

they led a simple e$istence3 raiding trading feasting and fe!ding amongst

themsel&es !nder the #atchf!l eye of their dr!ids and bards. At establishedinter&als they #o!ld band together to make #ar #ith their prime&al enemy the

4gg of oot or to campaign for a season against their distant kin from the

5!agheath.

The steady cycle of their li&es #as first dist!rbed #hen %!el raiders s#ept across

the "cy %ea to pillage along the coasts before ret!rning home to 6hi/ia in late

s!mmer. Within a fe# years these %ea Barbarians calling themsel&es 7eai had

made permanent settlements north of Blackmoor on the Brink "slands and along

the T!sking %trand. 4&en #ith the addition of these immigrants little changed in

the north !ntil the first +eridian e$plorers and ad&ent!rers arri&ed in the

Northlands a generation later. For the most part these ne#comers #ere ethnic


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Aerdi 22 indi&id!alists rebels or o!tcasts #ho so!ght to escape the increasingly

rigid society that #o!ld emerge in only a fe# years as the -ingdom of Aerdy.

These Aerdi pioneers began the tradition of castle b!ilding in the lands of

Blackmoor. The first called astle Blackmoor #as b!ilt on a lo# hill

o&erlooking Blackmoor Bay. The location had been !sed since time immemorialby the northern clans as their hill of testing the site of their *igh2seat of

8!dgement. 9!els #hether m!sical magical or martial #ere cond!cted here

!nder the a!thority of the %halmist dr!ids and bards. ontests #ere most often

held #ithin the ancient ring of standing2stones b!t at times they might e$tend to

the ca&erns beneath the hill #here legend said the :r2Flan sorcerers had

ensla&ed fiends and po#erf!l elementals. The first astle Blackmoor #as b!ilt

o&er these r!ins and +eridian lords r!led here e&en as the -ingdom of Aerdy

sa# fo!ndation in the so!th. A &illage ;!ickly gre# !p aro!nd this first castle

and soon other fortifications and settlements #ere b!ilt in the region.

Th!s began an era of prosperity !nlike any pre&io!sly kno#n in the North. Ne#immigrants d#ar&es halflings and a fe# high2el&es among them bolstered the

e$isting pop!lace adding their infl!ence to the emerging c!lt!re of Blackmoor.

Tho!gh they arri&ed on the trail of the +erid settlers the immigrants soon

established their o#n comm!nities. At some point an encla&e of Wastrian c!ltists

also appeared taking !p residence in the old arshes #here they obser&ed

#ith disg!st the racial cooperation fostered by the leaders of the ne# settlements

and labored secretly to fr!strate it. Nonetheless the many different peoples of

Blackmoor managed to #ork together o&er the ne$t cent!ry to form a r!gged

b!t &ital society.

This contin!ed !ntil in the decades immediately preceding the instit!tion of the

+&erking a po#erf!l ne# fig!re rose to prominence in Blackmoor3 6anial the

,a!nt 1ord of 9antred!n %cion of Tenh and enemy of ,reat -ingdom. *e

!nified the Blackmoor territory in opposition to the Aerdi aggressors from the

so!th and thro!gh magic he created the ro#n of Blackmoor and claimed

so&ereignty o&er the land and its people. *e defied the might of Aerdy for se&eral

years !ntil his e&ent!al defeat at the Battle of Toad#ash. As his #ithered form

sank into the marsh the ,reat -ingdom


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already prepared. Blackmoor after Perrenland F!ryondy and Tenh had seceded from

the ,reat -ingdom. Tho!gh no formal declaration #as made the Archbarony

ceased to pro&ide its symbolic trib!te to the +&erking. The matter #as scarcely

ackno#ledged in 6a!$es. The final element completing separation from the,reat -ingdom arri&ed on horseback in the early fo!rth cent!ry > #hen

Nomad bands from central +erik in&aded the Flanaess and established

themsel&es in the steppe2lands so!th of the B!rneal Forest. For the ne$t

generation the trade ro!tes to the Northern 6eaches of F!ryondy #ere

effecti&ely c!t off by the !nsettled hordes.

9!ring this t!m!lt!o!s period the ro#n of Blackmoor #as reclaimed by the

e&il sorcerer 4ngren 4rris #ho became kno#n as the 1ich of ,lendo!r. The

h!manoid inhabitants of Blackmoor flo!rished d!ring his reign and the h!man

pop!lation t!rned markedly e&il. *e soon made #ar against the legitimate

so&ereign and #hile his forces besieged astle Blackmoor Wastrian c!ltistsemerged from the marshes dri&ing their 5!aggoth sla&es to a killing fren/y

against the demi2h!mans of Blackmoor. These bands massacred d#ar&es el&es

and halflings in the &illages and h!nted them thro!gh the co!ntryside.

>et a fe# bra&e so!ls resisted and fo!ght against the m!ltit!de of e&ils that

assailed Blackmoor from #ithin. Among these rebels #as fo!nd a leader #ho

!nified the resistance. %he #as 6!a orgaiste the last li&ing heir to the

Archbaron of Blackmoor. %he collected allies from the neighboring territories to

aid in her fight0 she made tr!ce #ith the Wolf Nomads and e&en added some of

their #arrior bands to her army0 she gathered free companies from thro!gho!t

the North0 and led them all to &ictory o&er the #i/ard2!s!rper.

orgaiste th!s became the first r!ling Archbaroness and led Blackmoor for

another si$ and a half decades. 9!ring her long reign the Archbarony became

one of the greatest co!ntries in the North #ith m!ch infl!ence in the

s!rro!nding lands. To#ard the end of her regime she e&en helped the peoples of

the 5!agheath and the >atils form the nation of Perrenland.

Tho!gh she had r!led long and #isely she left no heir !pon her death and the

s!ccession #as again open to challenge. According to her #ishes her co!ncil #as

to decide the matter and r!le the land in the interim. any claimants presented

themsel&es to the Baronial o!ncil as candidates for the high office incl!dingone sponsored by the 4gg of oot b!t the o!ncil chose Fadden of 9antrefaer.

*e #as confirmed as Archbaron after first being named 1ord onciliator of

Blackmoor astle for the go&erning a!thority #as retained by the Baronial

o!ncil. The Archbaron #as to ser&e as a fig!rehead tho!gh in ret!rn he

recei&ed a genero!s stipend and a &oice in the o!ncil.

The reigns of fo!r Archbarons passed in this #ay before the fifth and last 1ord

onciliator of Blackmoor astle Pernold lost his life in battle defending

Blackmoor To#n from the 4gg of oot


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inside. Tho!gh the magical defenses of the "nn co!ld not be breached by the 4gg

neither co!ld the o!ncil escape their confinement. "t is possible that they still

#ait for resc!e from #itho!t.

The Archbaron


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T!sking %trand. They also ha&e one permanent &illage of their o#n #ithin the

Archbarony called Tonnsborg. The land of the Brinks is ;!ite poor so most

s!stenance is garnered by h!nting fishing or #haling. The 7eai seldom raid as

they did in pre&io!s cent!ries and many of them speak ommon as a second

lang!age. A$e and s#ord are their fa&ored arms and those #ho can afford it

#ear chain2mail in battle along #ith the ro!nd shield common to all theBarbarian %!el.

The other race of h!mans in Blackmoor is a gro!p of primiti&es fo!nd in the

region of the Black "ce. "t is !nkno#n if they ha&e any name for themsel&es b!t

their fe# neighbors call them %k!rtha a #ord in the old Tong!e meaning

back#ards. Wearing only skins they d#ell in r!de tents or ca&erns at the edge of

the "ce. They make no !se of fire or of metal and greatly fear those #ho bear

either. "t is remarkable that they can s!r&i&e in this fro/en land yet they ha&e

li&ed here for !ntold cent!ries #hile other inhabitants ha&e either fled or died.

1egends say that their shamans ha&e a special relationship to the Black "ce and

find pro&ision there for the tribe. Whate&er their secrets the &ery fact that theystill end!re is a testament to h!man resilience.

The h!manoids of Blackmoor are tolerated by most of the other inhabitants of

the land. They ser&e as mercenaries for most of the !nderbaronies and ha&e

scattered settlements of their o#n as #ell. The #ild bog2gnolls are an e$ception to

this tolerance for they are the enemy of all other races. Their sa&agery is #itho!t

peer among the h!manoids of Blackmoor b!t since they are seldom enco!ntered

o!tside the fens fe# b!t the nati&e tribesmen or !nfort!nate tra&elers are forced

to confront them.

ost feared of all ho#e&er are the Tr!e Trolls. These nearly mythical creat!res

are a magical race created by 6anial the ,a!nt as his personal ser&ants0 tho!gh

less than t#o do/en of these creat!res ha&e e&er e$isted they may be

enco!ntered any#here. They are linked to his other e&il legacy the ro#n of

Blackmoor and no# e$ist only to find that heirloom #hich has been lost for

cent!ries.

9emi2h!mans are so rare in Blackmoor as to be &irt!ally !nkno#n. Tho!gh they

did ha&e their o#n comm!nities at one time these #ere destroyed by the

Wastrian pogroms of the fo!rth cent!ry. Those fe# indi&id!als that remain to

represent the demih!man races are looked on #ith little fa&or partic!larly at theco!rt of Archbaron Bestmo.

The "cy %ea is home to a &ariety of creat!res. Fish are ab!ndant in the cold

#aters. Whales are common here and #alr!ses are plentif!l in the area of the

Brinks and T!sking %trand. +ther less m!ndane creat!res make their homes

here as #ell. %ea2#ol&es are a r!mor among the 7eai and other maritime

tra&elers. %ea serpents ha&e been enco!ntered in the open #aters and an ancient

one is nati&e to Blackmoor Bay. This beast is a ser&ant of the giant %tormlord

Aren =osendar #ho is said to still d#ell in his castle beneath the frigid #aters

grie&ing o&er the folly of men.


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The marshes of the north are inhabited by h!mans and h!manoids of differing

kinds. The h!man Fen2folk are mostly of Flannish heritage descendants of the

first immigrants to eastern +erik. Fre;!ently enco!ntered h!manoids incl!de

#ild gnolls ice trolls and ;!aggoth. +ther h!manoid races are fo!nd here

intermittently incl!ding a notorio!s co&ey of greenhags b!t one deser&es special

mention. *e is called the Frost an and he has been reported by many different#itnesses o&er the past fi&e cent!ries. Whether there is b!t one Frost an or a

#hole race of the creat!res is !nkno#n.

*e is ensla&ed to the enigmatic race of ice toads that secrete themsel&es in the

marshes. Perhaps this bondage is the so!rce of his e&il nat!re for he lo&es

neither men nor his alien masters. Aro!nd him is an a!ra of !nnat!ral cold and

this force can be foc!ssed and pro'ected by the glance of his blind eye. *e alone

possesses the ability to comm!nicate #ith both mankind and the ice toads. Nati&e

marsh d#ellers consider him either a fiend or an acc!rsed h!man or perhaps

both and greet his presence as a sign of e&il.

The moorlands are home to the ma'ority of Blackmoor


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god


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partic!lar concern. The demi2god "!/ is po#erf!l on +erth b!t that po#er is

fragile compared to the ancient +erth magic and the !ni;!e e$pression of that

magic #hich per&ades the northern moors. "!/ fo!nd his o#n po#ers t!rned

against him by the land itself #hen he &ent!red there in the days preceding his

imprisonment as had Wastri before him and this #eakening assisted in his

confinement. :ntil he gains eno!gh kno#ledge and po#er to o&ercome the +erthmagic he m!st contin!e to sh!n Blackmoor. B!t "!/ #ill not forget in the day of

his tri!mph the land that shamed him.

1ocations and %ettlements

The =illage of 9antred!n

This &illage ser&es as the capital of the Archbarony as it has thro!gho!t the

reign of Archbaron Bestmo. *e presides o&er a strange sort of co!rt in e$ile

nominally claiming Blackmoor To#n as his official seat of go&ernment #hile

making no clear effort to reclaim it from the 4gg of oot. Among his retin!e are

fo!nd &ery fe# of Blackmoor


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arshes !ntil they reach 4r!2To&ar and from there they 'o!rney across the

steppes #ith Wolf Nomad g!ards !ntil they make their arri&al in Perrenland.

Their most &al!able commodities are the rare and pec!liar Blackmoorish

anti;!ities incl!ding the highly pri/ed 9eath 4ggs.

The &illage has s!ffered more than its share of diffic!lties d!e to its location. "t the legitimate master of the 6hymer


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remained the chief &illage of the fen2folk it has ne&er again risen to the le&el of

prominence that it held !nder the 1ich of ,lendo!r.

9earthkettle -eep

This age#orn to#er is home to a co&ey of greenhags. Their e&il presence isstrangely tolerated by the local T!octish tribes #ith #hom they ha&e a cent!ries

old relationship. Tho!gh the fen2folk keep themsel&es at a distance from the

Wido#s of 9earthkettle they are not seen as enemies. The hags play the role of

#ise #omen and seers e&en acting as healers at times tho!gh their skills are

more often !tili/ed in the ser&ice of personal and clan &endettas. >et it is

ackno#ledged that the more often one deals #ith these #itches the higher the

price they demand. %till they generally seem benign or nearly so b!t #oe betide

any #ho transgress the obsc!re r!les of their hospitality 22 especially !nkno#ing

strangers #ho fall into their cl!tches or healthy men #hen the ladies go a2

h!sbanding.

The -eep itself is b!ilt o&er a nat!ral geyser and is al#ays s!rro!nded by hea&y

fogs. The legendary magic of Blackmoor


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The only interaction most o!tsiders ha&e #ith the abbey is d!ring the Festi&al of

Fore&er #hen the clergy make themsel&es a&ailable as sages and seers. At these

assemblies those #ho dare may entreat the priests for kno#ledge of their

f!t!res. any still make the diffic!lt pilgrimage to Blackmoor for this

opport!nity or for other kno#ledge that the priests may hold. ertain

participants are seen to lose all interest in their pre&io!s li&es and thereafter 'ointhe ranks of yndorian #orshipers #orking at the abbey.

6amshorn astle

This r!ined fortification has recently been claimed by a mi$ed gro!p of

immigrants e$iles from the Bandit -ingdoms #ho 'oined #ith a fe# escaping

Tehnas to cross the Northern Barrens. These old enemies fo!nd common ca!se in

the desperate days follo#ing the con;!est of Tenh and s!bmission of the Bandit

-ingdoms. Together they fled the chaos and destr!ction they enco!ntered on

both sides of the 7!mker ri&er. 1ead by the #ily ill!sionist Te!od Fent

e$patriate Tenha and onetime Plar of 6ookroost nearly IDD men and #omen

managed to reach Blackmoor beneath Fent


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Tonnsborg sits across the #aters from osshold on the northern shore of

Blackmoor Bay. This settlement of appro$imately GDD citi/ens #as fo!nded by

the 7eai #arlord 1ert!r 9rakanskald #ho led his kin from the T!sking %trand

to Blackmoor in the mid second cent!ry >. These %!el Barbarians ;!ickly

adapted to pre&ailing c!lt!re and #orked to foster trade bet#een 7eai and

Blackmoorish. "nitially this trade dealt mostly in the reco&ery of riches stolen bythe 7eai in the pre&io!s season


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:nfort!nately the destr!ction of the to#n #as other#ise so complete that there

#ere none left #ho co!ld assist those inside the "nn. %o the Archbarony is bereft

of both it


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sanct!ary for they are !nnat!ral beings #ho ha&e earned the #rath of Beory.

Their crime #as to commit an !npardonable blasphemy3 the creation of

synthetic life. They ha&e retained the semblance of life #itho!t the cycles of life

#itho!t gro#th or decay and #itho!t hope of rebirth. These self2appointed ,ods

no# find themsel&es imprisoned by their &ery e$istence and the paradise of their

home cannot be shared #ith others. The ity of the ,ods brings madnessdisease and !ltimately death to li&ing things that linger there too long.

The Temple of the Toad

1ost in the old arshes some#here bet#een Blackmoor and the lands of "!/

this holy place of the demi2god Wastri has fallen into r!in. The comple$ #as b!ilt

long ago to encompass the so2called Pinnacle of the Toad #hich Wastri had

raised from the mire #ith po#ers stolen from the ity of the ,ods. "t is said that

the Pinnacle has again s!nk beneath the marsh and is lost to Wastri !nless he

sho!ld risk yet another e$c!rsion to the ity and sei/e the po#er to restore it. >et

r!mors persist that the temple2comple$ itself still e$ists holding other secrets of

the *opping Prophet. "t is also said to ser&e as the gathering place many of the

ice2toads fo!nd in the marshes b!t it is other#ise a&oided d!e to the inordinate

n!mber of #raiths that congregate there.

The Wi/ard

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The Archbarony of Blackmoor