Loric Fells

Loric Fells

(Region)

Nation

River Kingdoms

Capital

None

Ruler

None

Government

None

Source: Guide to the River Kingdoms, pg(s). 27

The Loric Fells, originally called the Rookwarden Fells, is a wild, untamed region in the River Kingdoms characterized by dense forests, icy mists, rocky canyons, monstrous humanoids, and a great variety of magical beasts.

History

The dwarves were the first to attempt to settle the rough wilderness of Loric Fells. Led by a dwarven miner named Deigal and his clan, they built a sturdy fortress known as Rookwarden along a granite bluff close to the headwaters of the Wyvernkill River. The marble mined by Deigal was exceptional, and sold for huge profits in the markets of nearby Galt.

Unfortunately, the Red Revolution in Galt ended this favorable trading situation, and so the dwarven miners abandoned the settlement. Hordes of goblin tribes immediately moved into the vacated fortress, and it was from this fortified locale in 4669 AR that the goblins, joined by bugbears and a goblin warlord self styled as "the Worg Queen", proceeded to wage unconditional war on nearby human settlements. In the regions around the Fells, the human lords engaged in brutal campaigns of squabbling and infighting, and the monstrous population of the Loric Fells was able to grow and flourish unencumbered.

This idyllic situation was not to last. In 4693 AR, a Taldan prospector named Loric led an expedition into the Wyvernkill, in search of the rich mineral veins there. It ended in disaster: a third of his men were killed in goblin raids, and Loric was forced to retreat in shame. He returned again (much poorer) with a larger and better equipped army of mercenaries, and spent six years scouring the Fells of its monstrous humanoid population. At first the lords of the River Kingdom did not take Loric seriously, but his dogged determination (and the great quantity of goblin standards he brought to the Outlaw Council every year) was enough to earn their respect. In 4700 AR, the Outlaw Council named Loric lord of the region and renamed it the Loric Fells.

The suppression of the goblin population had an unplanned side effect: the troll tribes, led by a coven of green hags, led a successful campaign against the Worg Queen, driving her out of the Rookwarden Fortress. In 4701 AR, Loric and his mercenaries were ambushed by a group of scrags. No-one escaped, and when Loric failed to show up at the Outlaw Council the next year, he was presumed by all to be slain. His disappearance spurred many lords to muster raids into the Fells and, at present, chaos has settled over the region.

Resources

Loric Fells is rich in granite, marble, and precious quartz. This makes the Fells an attractive, if dangerous, resource for the inhabitants of the River Kingdoms.

Sites

• Leydis
• Rookwarden