02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

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the royaL hiGh Guard
FormerLy based out oF merywyn, the LLaeLese royaL hiGh
Guard Formed in 274 ar aFter a LonG strinG oF royaL
assassinations. LLaeLese tradition reQuired each monarch
to choose one-hundred and one PersonaL Protectors From
the Varied schooLs—From trained swordsmen to wanderinG
PistoLeers, Gun maGe academies to aLchemist dens—Found
throuGhout LLaeL. these seLect Guardians Formed the Last
Line oF deFense For the royaL FamiLy. no matter the FieLd
From which they haiLed, members oF the royaL hiGh Guard
were eXPected to be skiLLed in Varied maGicaL aPPLications
and the twin-edGed saber—the order’s symboL. renowned as
eXPert dueLists, the hiGh royaL Guard insPired Great awe
in their day.
aFter the death oF the Last LLaeLese kinG in 595 ar, the
royaL hiGh Guard Lost its PurPose and was LeFt to watch
oVer the abandoned royaL PaLace whiLe others took to
sword whorinG with LLaeL’s Various mercenary comPanies.
Lord GLabryn eVen emPLoyed seVeraL amonG his bodyGuards,
occasionaLLy dePLoyinG them to remoVe riVaLs.
since the khadoran inVasion, a number oF Former hiGh
Guards haVe banded toGether once more to serVe their
kinGdom. takinG uP residence in an oLd estate south oF
rhydden, they are LayinG the Groundwork For a renewed
resistance to the khadoran occuPation. these LoyaLists
communicate with eXiLed nobLes and members oF the
Free crucibLe in corVis, and they intend to coordinate
counterattacks with their aid. they now boast Fewer than 30
men and women but make uP For numbers with their skiLL and
eXPertise. the Patriots oF the royaL hiGh Guard FoLLow the
notorious trio oF Fynch d’Lamsyn (maLe ryn GmG15), akina
barakoVna (FemaLe umbrean wiZ11/Ftr3), and bain di La
GLaeys (maLe ryn Ftr5/Ptr9).
Locales of Merywyn
Great Cathedral of Ascendant Rowan: Towering
against the sky, decorated by hundreds of painstakingly
detailed frescos and statues of the Ascendants,
and supported by flying buttresses, this beautiful
building is the greatest cathedral in Llael. Only the
Archcourt Cathedral in the Sancteum surpasses it
as a triumph of sacred architecture. The Merywyn
Vicarate Council sees no irony in naming this lavish
cathedral after the patron of the poor. To their credit,
they hold a yearly festival in the name of Asc. Rowan
to encourage donations of food and clothing for the
city’s less fortunate. The Vicars holding council in
offices connected to the cathedral are responsible for
the entire Church of Morrow in Llael. The Vicarate
Council was the only group in the city brave enough
to criticize the prime minister publicly. The cathedral
received absolutely no damage during the long siege
of Merywyn even though several fierce battles raged
nearby. This is taken as a minor miracle and has
reinvigorated prayers to Asc. Rowan.
Dozens of impressive churches are located
throughout Merywyn including two lesser cathedrals
famous in their own right. The Sacred Heart Cathedral
and the Cathedral of the Shining Twin are popular
sites of pilgrimage although both sustained some
minor damage during the siege.
Guild of Masons and Builders: A lease mishap forced
the Masons and Builders Guild to erect their hall in the
Porbyle district, widely agreed the worst slum of Merywyn
where even shadows carry knives. This combined with a
recent barrage of laws giving each city district different
regulations for allowed building styles and materials
almost had the organization in open revolt before the
Khadoran invasion. The situation got so bad the guild
members refused to repair city government buildings
or the estates of nobles responsible for this legislation.
However, things have come full circle since the Siege of
Merywyn. Tremendous damage to outlying buildings and
the city wall encircling the capital have put the services of
this guild in high demand, and they now receive respect
and deference from citizens and nobles alike.
Merywyn Fraternal Lodge: Of all the events of the
Siege of Merywyn, the most chilling was the Greylords
Covenant assault on the Merywyn Fraternal Lodge.
Though exact details of the attack remain scarce, it was
among the most brutally effective Greylord operations
in recent memory. The night before Khadoran troops
arrived at the walls of Merywyn, a Greylord strike force
somehow gained entrance to the lodge undetected
and slew every one of its members. Though no sound
escaped the lodge that night, the internal walls of the
now crumbling structure bear the scars of a horrific
battle. The contents of some rooms have been reduced
to ash and whole floors are blasted and cracked.
Despite the extent of damages to the building, not a
single body was recovered the next day. By order of the
Greylords Covenant the lodge now stands empty as a
reminder to the enemies of the Motherland.
Windfall: Gobber acceptance in Llael has been
difficult and slow, but the capital has been quicker
to give them a chance with its need for cheap, skilled
labor. A couple miles south of Merywyn down the Black
River sits the impressive village of Windfall, counted
World Guide 257