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

108.1.141.197
Locales of Rhydden
East Forest Lumber: Although most famous for its
wines, Rhydden is also important for its lumber. East
Forest, the most successful of the three major logging
companies and also the most troubled, employs many
hard working, honest people, most of them from old
families that have worked the forest for generations.
Unfortunately maintaining their quotas has been
increasingly difficult particularly with the need for
refugee housing. Filling orders has occasionally required
loggers to venture east and south into forbidden territory.
Recently a group ventured beyond the borders of Ios and
returned half a dozen men short. Now a state of tension,
anger, and fear pervades Rhydden’s community.
Protected by ios?
tensions with the border PatroLs oF ios haVe neVer been
hiGher, and the LocaLs oF rhydden Fear and detest the
eLVes; LateLy, they haVe eVen been ViewinG the handFuL oF
eLVen eXiLes LiVinG amonG them wariLy. most residents do
not reaLiZe that the ProXimity oF the iosan border has
Protected them From the dePriVations oF cryXian raiders
and Protectorate oPPortunists For centuries; eVen khador
hesitates to ProVoke the eLVes.
diViners and scouts From the Gate oF mists watch the
conFLicts oF men cLoseLy. aside From the LeGitimate deFenders
oF ios, the retribution oF scyrah has a major outPost near
rhydden and has careFuLLy watched the eVents unFoLd. the
eLVes are esPeciaLLy Guarded aGainst warjacks moVinG into
their reGion, and iF khador or any other kinGdom sends its
Forces too cLose to the area rhydden occuPies, Very LikeLy
they wiLL encounter armed eLVes ready For a FiGht. the eLVes
care not For ProtectinG the LocaL humans, but they wiLL
stand aGainst intruders to warn aLL humans to stay away
From their homeLand.
Rhydden Chapel of Ascendant Gordenn: The
portly but hard-working Prelate Giusef Escovar (male
Ryn Clr7) oversees this modest church. His pastoral
chapel is located outside the town proper in a former
farmstead converted for religious services. He and
his subordinates keep busy helping ailing refugees,
clearing land, and tending crops to help feed the
overburdened town.
Riversmet
In Power: Kovnik Corinna Yurikevna
Population: Formerly 58,000 (mostly humans,
several hundred dwarves, a few ogrun), now a few
hundred scattered among nearby villages.
Military: A moderate regional occupation force of
Winter Guard resides at a captured estate ten miles
south of the burned ruins of Riversmet.
Imports: None
Exports: None
The razing of Riversmet, sometimes referred to as
the “Massacre at Three Rivers Town,” is arguably the
worst depravity of the Khadoran invasion. Certainly
the story has fired the imaginations of Khador’s
enemies. The tale is told frequently by traveling
merchants, war-bards, and soldiers. Each telling is
different, and many of the details are exaggerated,
but the fundamental facts remain true: where once
Riversmet stood a thriving city of 60,000, now lies a
blasted ruin of charred remains. A few of the city’s
survivors have returned to sift through the rubble, but
most of them left Riversmet behind and either moved
to nearby villages or fled to Rhydden, Corvis, or points
beyond.
Riversmet’s destruction was more complicated than
the stories convey. The town was actually the location
of numerous difficult battles in the early months of
the invasion. Both sides considered it crucial ground
because of its location at the convergence of the
Oldwick River and Rangercliffe Run, where these
two rivers joined together to form the mighty Black
River. The river and the roads crossing its bridges
were a major trade hub for supplies from both Rhul
and Leryn and made it a location Khador could not
ignore. The first battle at Riversmet happened in
the early weeks of the war on the 16th of Glaceus in
605 AR and inflicted relatively few civilian casualties.
The Khadorans sought to control the bridges and lay
the groundwork for further military efforts in Llael’s
interior. Later hostilities were more entrenched and
destructive and turned the town into a battleground.
For these reasons far fewer civilians actually lived
in the city than the tales commonly relate. Indeed,
by the time of the full-scale invasion, large sections
of Riversmet had already burnt to ruins and most of
the inhabitants had already pulled up roots and fled.
This does not excuse the burning of the entire city to
the ground or the associated slaughter of thousands of
men, women, and children.
The Khadorans had a cold, rational reason for this
act of obliteration: to break the morale and heart of the
World Guide 259