Kaembryge Geography
Contents
The Geography of Kaembryge
The lands that formerly encompassed the High Principality of the Borderlands have remained in the possession of the inhabitants of Kaembryge despite the desolation of 17AR. During the bloody Interregnum, Scouts from the Emerald Hills and Celestial Kingdom both played a fitful cat-and-mouse game through these woods and high cliffs, the side effect of that effort being that in trying to get to their opposite number they carved their way through many monsters and other threats. As recorded in the Scrolls of Tul, the land grant extended by the Emerald Hills to the first Borderlands settlers reads as follows:
“Unto those who bear witness to these patents, greetings and well met.
“Be it known that in High Spring of the year Eleven in Amtgardian Reckoning (A.R.), the bearers of this land grant have, by Our Will, been granted leave to establish a holdfast and border keep in the following lands, with sub-parcels to be determined in the manner seen fit by the provincial monarch.
“The Borderlands grant shall be bound on the West by the Tar Hills, in order to honor the treaty at Lover’s Hill in High Winter of 10AR between the Kings of the Emerald Hills and the Stonelord Clan of Dwarves. To the East shall the Borderlands be bound by the great river Brazos. To the North shall the Borderlands be bound by the river Bosque. A great Keep shall be placed atop Emmon’s Cliff which overlooks the river Bosque as it joins with the Brazos. To ease travel into and out of the province, the first act of the province will be the construction of a bridge leading from the Pecan grove known as Pecan Bottoms connecting the great Kingsroad that travels from the Emerald Hills to the Celestial Kingdom.
“So that the commons and heroes of this new land will have a place of respite away from the keep, the community shall erect their shoppes and homes in the valley south of Emmon’s Cliff, in the Mouth of the Bosque. It is Our Hope that this will facilitate trade along the great river.”
The Two Hills - Lover’s Hill and Emmon’s Cliff
Much of the fortifications of the old Borderlands relied on the strategy of the day, when many of the deeper magics had not yet been discovered. As the Tar Hills to the West and North were too high and perilous to bring an army across, to take the city an invasion force had to either deal with the Southern approach of the Ladder between Pecan Bottoms and the city or else take the river from the North or South. The fortifications atop Lover’s Hill and Emmon’s Cliff were therefore built to be easily rotated within their emplacements to be able to shell all three waterways, forming a “no man’s land” for maritime travel in the event of a serious naval presence. While much of this is supplanted in favor of a small detachment of spellcasters in more modern armies, Kaembryge has also instructed its own guild of wizards and its druid’s circle to place anti-magic zones up around the city and to ice the rivers in time of war.
In the last few years, the arcane abominations that periodically appear from dimensions unknown had driven the residents of the province to take shelter in the holdfast atop Lover’s Hill, but as I pen these words brave and hearty adventurers have retaken the city in the valley and so re-habitation will begin in earnest after the crowning of Lord Blackwolf Wyngarde I as the new Orc King.
In modern times, the chief concern atop the Two Hills is the unrest of the commoners who have no way to ply their trades and so have taken to brigandry and poaching within the forests of the province, a crime punishable by six months before the mast aboard any of the half dozen pirate, privateer, or Viking vessels that operate out of the region. Those who are not caught by the province either end up crossing into the Stonelord Clan’s holds or else are hunted in the woods by Wood Elves or other beasts of the forest.
More terrifying than that is the vortex of arcane energies that swirl about Lover’s Hill, a testament to the magics used in the defense of Borderlands Keep more than a decade ago. Indeed, while most of our magics last scant minutes, that this spell was powerful enough to persist for 15 years with no sign of decreased potency speaks volumes about those who wove it into being.
The Province Proper: Kaembryge, City between Water and Stone
Due to its population losses in times gone by and the infrequent nature of large military engagements in modern times, there is little need to maintain a fortified keep in Kaembryge as was necessary during the less civilized times of the High Principality. As such, the province now centers fairly exclusively around the more civil aspects of provincial life, that being the arts, sciences, mercantile trade (primarily waterborne), and government.
Of note is the manor house of the monarch, where the current seated monarch holds court on a weekly basis. Known by the commons as “Five Pillars” in honor of the five mighty columns holding the roof of the hall in place, a key architectural feature of the manor house’s great hall is its excellent acoustics. This gives rise to the great hall’s other name, “The Echoing Dome.”
As mentioned before, Kaembryge is a heavy trading city. As such, many shipments come and go from the port. While most of the trade goods come from local businesses and warehouses, the Stonelord Dwarves in the Tar Hills sometimes send cargo down and the occasional Wood Elf envoy will appear seeking this or that rare plant or material transported to the city. For every crate of cargo worth paying for, its security must be considered. Because the province lacks the funding to have its guards escort EVERY shipment, many private mercenary concerns have found a more permanent place among the citizens.
Once the pomp and pageantry of the city fades and gives way to the sylvan hinterlands of Southern Kaembryge, the wild places begin to take back the areas once civilized by the High Principality. As you travel the deer paths and huntsman’s trails of Kaembryge, you quickly see ancient road signs denoting former streets. The reasons for their names are lost to the ages, but their signs still speak of the “Rio Perdido,” the “Act of Faith,” and perhaps most important, the “Tar Hill” road which winds up into the strongholds of its namesake.
Of curious note are two obelisks of great power, whose point and purpose I have yet to uncover. They are gigantic metal structures built well before even the High Principality, and they radiate a terrible power the likes of which could spell great doom and misfortune for those who mishandle the powers contained within. Until their mystery is fully explored, I caution anyone to not travel too closely, as bird-like creatures the size of a man have been seen moving about them.
By another note of caution, I advise against travelling into the deep woods, home to the Fae and their Wood Elf allies. While this is generally wise council anywhere you go, the Elves here seem more feral and much more xenophobic and mistrusting than others I have dealt with, and so cutting them a wide berth would be not be a bad thing for you.
The Southlands – The Redwood Lodge, the Ladder, and the Pecan Bottoms
Along the South edge of the province rests a large stand of pecan trees. Per the original land grant, this is the Southernmost border of the province. As of High Spring of 32AR, the province is currently the size of a Barony and so does not stretch so far, but Lord Sir Gekko organizes periodic patrols every week as the province’s baron to keep a presence at the border in case someone decides to start the daunting process of invading the province.
Once a force gets passed the Pecan Bottoms and the Redwood Hunting Lodge, the true difficulty of the assault begins, as an invading army faces the Ladder. Built in ancient times, the Ladder is a stairway just over two abreast with a near-vertical slope, making shields effectively useless as you ascend. If you manage the ascent with acceptable losses, you now begin the trek through dense forests and overgrown woodlands - woodlands the natives know entirely too well. For this reason the Celestial Kingdom was turned away from the High Principality time and time again, and such is the fate of any besieging force from the South. The Wetlands province of Mordengaard is not far away via several of the trade roads, yet they have launched no successful raids into the land, either.
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