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

258 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
as part of the capital for taxation. Several thousand
industrious gobbers live here in a terraced village
with fine houses, waterwheels, and cranked elevator
platforms. Fearing annihilation during the siege, their
mayor surrendered to the Khadorans before Merywyn
even fell. Although watched by a company of Winter
Guard soldiers who patrol the region, the invaders
have otherwise left the gobbers in peace. Many of
these gobbers work in the capital and make the long
hike twice each day.
Rhydden
In Power: Duke Gregore Delryv IV
Population: 70,000 (human, a few hundred
gobbers, ogrun and dwarves, a few dozen exiled
Iosan elves). This population has doubled in the last
year. Half come from refugees from the war-torn west
including thousands from Riversmet.
Military: Before the invasion, Rhydden had only a
small garrison of less than a hundred soldiers assigned
to protect the logging industry from saboteurs.
Since becoming a place of refuge, several thousand
soldiers of mixed units are stationed here, most
still in a state of disorganized chaos. This includes
some Cygnaran soldiers although most were recalled
south. Lord Delryv’s household guard numbers 50
armed liegemen and has attracted officers among the
regrouping military.
Imports: Iron, textiles
Exports: Fine wine, rare woods, furniture, wheat, fruit
Since the invasion Rhydden has dramatically
transformed into the last major free city in Llael. In a
few short months it has changed from a pastoral town to
a refugee shelter and the last hope of Llaelese loyalists.
Although the city remains free, it exists under a cloud
of impending doom, for its inhabitants know they live
on borrowed time and lack the soldiers, weapons, and
fortifications to defend themselves against Khador’s
might. Their primary hope is to remain unnoticed while
the occupation army focuses on the Cygnaran border.
Well away from the regular trade routes, Rhydden
has a reputation as a secluded and peaceful town noted
for its vineyards and logging. Even before the flood of
refugees, things were not quite as idyllic here as believed;
residents have had to struggle to make a decent living
on the fringes of Llael. Situated on the border of Ios,
the town has historically had a difficult relationship
with its elven neighbors to the east. All contact with Ios
has been wary at best, for loggers in Rhydden have a
history of violating the border to poach trees marked as
off-limits. The sudden activity in the region has put the
elven border guard on high alert and ready to attack
anyone who wanders too close.
The soil here is not quite as fertile as it looks. Each
crop of grapes was hard won from the earth and at the
price of much sweat and toil. Nonetheless the wines
of Rhydden are esteemed as far away as Ceryl and
Ohk, fetching high prices by those with refined tastes.
Many of these fields have been changed recently to
food production. The refugees and their need for
housing have stretched all local resources thin. Duke
Gregore Delryv has raised taxes and has been rallying
locals into working on defenses, most notably the
construction of massive stone block battlements and
gun emplacements. While some have embraced these
efforts, others are in denial that war will come to this
peaceful valley.
Noted Persons
Lord Gregore Delryv IV, Duke of Rhydden (male
Ryn Ari3/Ftr4/Ptr1): An unlikely hero and leader if
ever there was one, Lord Delryv has impressed even
members of his family with how he has risen to meet
recent challenges. The Delryv family has long held power
in Rhydden and managed the most lucrative vineyards in
the region. Lord Delryv is but twenty-four years old, and
he recently inherited the estates from his father. He is one
of the few living (distant) relatives of King di la Martyn
and is thus one of the possible claimants to the Llaelese
throne. For this reason his family kept a very low profile
during the years of Glabryn’s “rule.” Were it not for the
invasion, Gregore probably would have lived a sedate life
as a pampered vintner lord noted only for his rash temper
and tendency to provoke duels of honor. However,
since the execution of his liege, the Archduke Balen di
Voxsauny, he has come into his own as a protector of
the refugees and a patriot of Llael. He opened Voxsauny
to those seeking shelter from the occupiers and put
the entire populace to work constructing defenses and
housing for the displaced. Gregore has been training with
grizzled veterans of the local soldiery.