Steelcroft

The Steelcroft Highlands

Steelcroft is located on Burtuke Bay and is due west of Dawic, and Floating Rocks of Erigold. North-west of Star Caldera. North of Rutheduk Zuznudal. North-east of Gamastead, and Gunnarstead.

### Inhabitants

Mostly Halflings, with some Humans and Elves

The **Steelcroft** Highlands is a massive area of arable land in western Erigold. Encapsulated within the surrounding mountainous region is **Steelcroft** village at the centre of these mountains.

## Description

**Steelcroft** village is overlooked by ancient castle ruins and is known for its fertile soils producing bounteous bumper harvests that the villagers export excess food to all of the major cities in Erigold.

The village does not reflect the wealth one would expect to see from these trades of food supplies to an entire kingdom. The villagers all live in a crofting community, looking after the land and providing themselves everything they need in a sustainable way. They are so successful they do not need to rely on the other cities for anything.

North, near the village of **Steelcroft**, dolphins swim in Burtuke Bay. Southwest, in the Western Highlands, trails wind up to the dwarven strongholds of Gamastead and Gunnarstead.

## Society

Crofting is a form of land tenure and small-scale food production particular to the Erigold Highlands. Within the townships, individual crofts are established on the better land, and a large area of poorer-quality hill ground is shared by all the crofters of the township for grazing of their livestock. Croft work was hard, back-breaking work which yielded a subsistence living.

Individual crofts are typically established on 2–5 hectares (5–12 1⁄2 acres) of in-bye for better quality forage, arable and vegetable production. Each township manages poorer-quality hill ground as common grazing for cattle and sheep. Some crofters have the tenancy of more than one croft, and in-croft absenteeism means that tenancies are held but crofts are not farmed.

## Economy

**Steelcroft** operates under the open-field system, each manor or village has two or three large fields, usually several hundred acres each, which are divided into many narrow strips of land. The strips or selions are cultivated by individuals or peasant families. The holdings of a manor also include woodland and pasture areas for common usage and fields belonging to the lord of the manor and the church.

The farmers customarily lived in individual houses in a nucleated village with a much larger manor house and church nearby. The open-field system necessitated co-operation among the inhabitants of the manor. The Lord of the Manor, his officials, and a Manorial court administered the manor and exercised jurisdiction over the peasantry. The Lord levied rents and required the peasantry to work on his personal lands, called a demesne.

## Religion

The average farmer might use a combination of magical tools, soil additives, maybe the labour of sprites and pixies, or the blessings of some Fertility god or spirit, and thereby produce a fantastic amount of food.

Churches are major landowners throughout the region and play an important part in the development of agriculture and rural trade. The religious orders have established around eight monastic houses over the last few years; the wealthy Dawicians have also established themselves and expanded to occupy around 15 houses, all supported by agricultural estates.

## Notable Inhabitants

* **Wine**: *Male Halfling Commoner (peasant)*, LN. Str 9, Dex 10, Con 9, Int 9, Wis 15, Cha 6. Wine has curly black hair and bright green eyes, and large ears. He wears modest garments and a wooden holy symbol. Wine seeks to atone for past sins.
* **Odthryth**: *Female* Human *Commoner (peasant)*, LN. Str 10, Dex 9, Con 9, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 8. Odthryth has an angular face, with auburn hair and brown eyes. She wears worn clothing and carries a birch staff.
* **Weone**: *Male Human Warrior (mercenary)*, NG. Str 9, Dex 9, Con 9, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 14. Weone has copper hair and light brown eyes. He wears chainmail and wields a flail and handaxe. Wenna is honest and aggressive.
* **Enhild**: *Female Human Adept (priestess)*, LN. Str 7, Dex 9, Con 9, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 12. Enhild has a narrow face, with copper hair and dark hazel eyes. She wears expensive clothing and a mink fur cape with a sling of vials and potions. Enhild is practical and secretive.
* **Cyne**: *Male* Halfling *Expert (entertainer)*, CN. Str 12, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 9. Cyne has a narrow face, with matted silver hair and dark brown eyes. He wears modest garments and silk gloves. Cyne was petrified for a hundred years.
* **Aenhild**: *Female* Halfling *Commoner (merchant)*, NG. Str 10, Dex 8, Con 7, Int 11, Wis 7, Cha 13. Aenhild is pleasant in appearance, with matted blonde hair and soft brown eyes. She wears worn clothing and a wide-brimmed hat. Aenhild compulsively organizes things.