Ilbarych

The Kingdom of Ilbarych is a monarchy ruled by a royal house and a group of noble houses. Its capital is Crownhold.

History

• Founded by refugees from a collapsing imperial power to the west of Ilbarych over 500 years ago.
  • These refugees were the Wolfen Lance, an imperial war unit (mostly made up of heavy cavalry) and the various family, hangers-on, and others the Wolfen Lance picked up along the way.
  • The refugees fled east over the Steel Road, ending up in the so-called Steel Lands, home of a culture of smiths whose steel was highly coveted in the west. These smiths were the wrightfolk, and they could not stand against the military might of the Wolfen Lance.
• Ilbarych was a general of the force that formed the core of retreating group, and was its first king.
  • The other Houses were made up of Ilbarych's sub-commanders and important retainers within the military structure of the force.
  • All Houses hold their power by military force to this day.
• House Ilbarych did not provide more than three monarchs before it was destroyed by internecine strife among its powerful nobles.

The Land

The Kingdom of Ilbarych is made up of the following regions and landmarks.

• The Steel Road: Winding westward out of Crownhold, the Steel Road is an ancient imperial road. The keep Steelgate stands at the point where the Steel Road enters Ilbarych, defended by the Knights of Steelgate.
• Crownhold: Once a large trading hub of the wrightfolk, Crownhold has been turned into a city. Notable for the river that runs through it, which harbors a spur of rock upon which stands the Wolfenspire, the keep of the Ilbarych kings. It is surrounded by a double-wall which hosts small estate-keeps alloted to the various Ilbarychan noble houses, ostensibly to force them to contribute to the defense of the city.
• The Wildweald: A massive primeval forest that forms the eastern and part of the southern borders of Ilbarych, the Wildweald is home to wealdfolk, nomadic people who are related to the wrightfolk (though culturally at odds with them).
• The Barrowhills: A dry, cold swathe of hills and canyons along the northern reaches of the kingdom, the Barrowhills are home to small clan-groups of wrightfolk who live the way their people did before the coming of the imperials, mining iron ore and tending to flocks of goats. The noble houses that claim these lands are quite wealthy as a result of the valuable ores mined by these folk.