Rimwald

Rimwald:Old-Growth Basin

Rimwald is a small principality which lies in a great, well-watered, high altitude basin between the Stone Mountains of Alpheus on the East and the Shear Ravenspires to the west. The Crown largely escaped the devestation of the Great War, partially owing to its remote location, its avowed neutrality in most conflicts, and careful politicking of its ruling house, House Antigonese. This Crown lies surrounded by mountains, so, even though it is well-watered, the waters flow down through the rolling foothills and form rivulets which eventually converge into a large, crystalline glacial lake, known as Lake Halbrasia. The slopes of the basis are covered by thick old-growth pine. Some of the best quality in the Empire. Logging is one of the primary industries within this impoverished crown, providing timber for the great shipbuilding port of Ides across the Ravenspires. Smalltime mining, especially for lead, tin, copper, and iron also sustain many of the minor houses of the land. Surprisingly, Rimwald is densly populated for it size and remote location, mainly owing to centuries of peace and the easily navigable waterways which flow through its heartland. These waterways and the shores of the great lake Halbrasia are dotted with large villages and small towns knit together in a close commercial community. Built as a commanding presence, perched on a rocky isle some distance from shore in Lake Halbrasia is Caer Farnorth, an ancient citadel from before the ascendancy of House Antigonese. This serves as the backbone of the Crowns defense. The Atingonese no longer use it as their primary residency, but have a strong, permanent garrison of former Valiant Templar stationed there. This regiment, which grew to over 1,200 Templar strong at its peak, began when Zealus hired a mercenary band of former Valiant Templar to protect his Crown during the tumult of the Great War. Other refugees of the disbanded order followed in their wake and sought employment. Zealus continued to hire, stretching his silver mines the max. Other refugee warriors aligned with the disbanded order continued to throw themselves on his mercy, asking him to remember his former brothers as a Valiant Templar Conclaveon. House Antigonese granted a special charter to the regiment incorporating them into a new order of Zealots, endowing them with revenues and binding them to his House as their feudal lord. House Antigonese had long abandoned the fortress as their primary residence, instead retreating to a regal countryside chateau in the foothills of Rimwald, far from Lake Hilbrasia and the heartland of the Crown.

Its ruler, Lord Antigonese, known as Lord Antigonese Zealus, for secretly fomenting the Zealot Insurrection against House Mair with the goal of restoring Starcrest rule to the High Throne, was formerly a high ranking Conclaveon within the Valiant Templar Order before its violent disbanding by the new High King. The Conclaveons were outlawed for their staunch support of the House Starcrest, although most did not directly intervene in the interregnal conflict. Lord Zealus fled back to his estates in Rimwald and bought of the wrath of the new High King with massive cash infusions into his war chest. He finally received an invitation to Eishen, whereon he sued for the High King's pardon, which was granted. The High King summoned him to arms, but Lord Zealus protested the ancient custom of his land for strict neutrality in matter of empire. The High King honored his request and ordered Rimwaldi troops to muster for the coastal defense at the great Ithsmus fortification in the far south. Zealus fought bravely against the Legions of Balray to protect the Heartland of the empire from their attack. After the war, Lord Zealus retired to Rimwald and was sorely heard from until the present time, not even attending the yearly Council of Kings and Lords and required by his status as a Tenant-in-Chief of the High Throne. He was largely forgotten, until the Zealot Insurrection began a reign of terror through targeted, high level political assassinations within the House of Mair. By the time Imperial Regulars were dispatched to Rimwald to summon Lord Zealus, the Zealots had already invaded the south with the revitalized Valiant Templar forming the backbone of their rebellion.

Several major trade arteries pass through the heartland of Rimwald. The Warrift and Tefra Passes transect the north and south borders of Rimwald respectively. The Warrift Valley leading through the mountain plateaus between Rivenwar and Alpheus and descending directly into the foothills of Rimwald from the northern. The Tefra Pass skits Rimwald to the south. Rimwald, being isolated from it by a shear curtain of mountains, and offshoot of the Ghaltri Range. The Warrift Pass is carefully guarded by a series of fortresses that follow this trade route as it descends into the Rimwald heartland. These fortresses each levy a tax on travelers to discourage the use of this route, as it has served as a footpath for the hellswan or Rivenwar in ages past. It has largely turned into a smuggling route through which the Zealot Insurrection secretly supplies itself from its allies in Transcymoria across the mountains plateaus to the north. To the south the Rimwaldi banded together in a pact of mutual protection and economic association with the independent Dwarven kingdom of Ghaltri. The Gahalri Dwarves carved a path through the mountains linking Rimwald to the lucrative trade which travels from east to west across the empire via the Tefra Pass. Furthermore, in exchange for allowing the Ghaltri Dwarves to coming into Rimwald and assist in developing its mining industry, the Ghaltri Dwarves have granted the Rimwaldi access to the Golden Way, an underground trading complex which interconnects many Dwarven Nations below the earth. This has lead to an explosion in Rimwaldi wealth and commerce. Many independent merchants have grown rich of this trade in raw goods, for which the Dwarves are so starved. Early proto-banks have also begun to form, on the model of the economic associations of Ides, across the Ravenspires to the far west.