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

298 Iron Kingdoms
108.1.141.197
over to dry. The dried peat is used as fuel and, while
it does not burn as efficiently as coal, there is a ready
local supply.
Mere Tagao: Located southwest of Corbhen, this
freshwater lake is fed by hot springs and is relatively
warm all year. In the winters ice only forms along the
shoreline. At all times a warm moist breeze blows over
it toward Corbhen, and the cool air flowing down from
the northern hills causes thick fog to collect south of
the mountains on all but the warmest summer days.
The warm shores of Mere Tagao also provide fertile
ground for thick forests of cork oak, the bark of which
is a primary source of cork.
Mere Tagao provides Corbhen with a bounty of
fresh fish. When hauls become light, Corbhenite
fishermen can reach the larger of the Windwater
Lakes, Mere Dorou to the west, by a short road
between them. Fishermen from Corbhen must rent a
boat from a village on Mere Dorou if they want to fish
there, but normally they simply buy fish from villagers
and take it back to Corbhen for resale.
Swords of Faith Cathedral: Corbhen’s Morrowan
cathedral, like her castle, has suffered over the
centuries. Historians believe this was originally a
basilica devoted to Asc. Katrena later expanded to
a cathedral that included a sizable shrine to Asc.
Solovin. In 355 AR a popular chantry chapel was
added in the name of Asc. Markus and completed the
so-called “martial trinity” of ascendants. The central
vaulted tower has been slowly repaired over the last
four centuries and its defaced statuary and icons
have been replaced. On a day when the fog is light,
one can look down from the top of the tower and
see the foundation lines of former walls in the open
squares and courts surrounding the center tower.
Some of the more scholarly junior priests have begun
excavating these foundations in an attempt to discern
the extent of the original cathedral’s walls. Thus far
they have uncovered a set of cellars and a garderobe
along with a variety of minor archaeological artifacts.
This project has garnered the interest of the
Vicarate Council in Merin. The Council has paid
for excavations to continue with the hope of finding
lost relics of Solovin, which some old texts hint could
have been in this region.
Voda Bethado Distillery: Corbhen’s swampy
surroundings do not make for good farmland, but
narrow terraces of arable land can be found north of
the city in the foothills of the mountains. Corbhen’s
few farmers use these terraces to grow barley, which they
roast, mash with water, and distill into a heady drink
called uiske. The largest and most reputable distiller
of uiske in Corbhen is the Voda Bethado Distillery.
Voda Bethado uiske is distributed throughout western
Ord and Cygnar, as well as southern Khador, and is
considered a distinctive and very potent liquor.
Five Fingers
In power: Officially, Lord Governor Eilish Doyle
under the authority of Moorgrave Lochlan, but the
so-called Four High Captains are the true power in
Five Fingers.
Population: 160,000 humans (mostly Thurian, with
a minority of Tordorans and other human cultures),
6,000 gobbers, 2,000 trollkin, 2,000 bogrin
Military: The members of the small garrison at
Five Fingers are supposed to search all suspicious
vessels coming into port, but bribery is part and
parcel with the position. The watch is likewise corrupt
and overworked. The city is additionally “protected”
by vicious mercenaries employed by the High
Captains as well as ruthless gangs controlling various
neighborhoods. In recent months naval patrols of the
Shearwater Narrows have been tracking boats sailing
in and out of the Bay of Stone.
Imports: Timber, ore, grain, livestock
Exports: Drugs, fish, ale, liquor, cloth, rope,
smuggled Cryxian goods
Five Fingers is nearly as notorious as the black cities
of Cryx, hence its appellation as the Port of Deceit. It
is commonly known as a smuggler’s haven and pirates’
den. In Five Fingers one can purchase nearly anything
imaginable from illegal goods to the most privileged
information. Those wandering its streets can expect to
rub elbows with an eclectic collection of folk: pirates,
smugglers, thieves, and even the occasional castellan
in search of either business or pleasure.
Five Fingers is so named because it is built on a
river delta formed by five tributaries (the “Fingers”)
of the Dragon’s Tongue that dump into the sea. The