March of Prestatyn

**Ruler**
 **Ruling House**
 **Resident Houses**
* House Griffith
* House Owain
* House Morgan
* House Davies
 **Seat**
 **Settlements**
* Dafydd
* Bevan
* Gwennlian
* Ifor
* Silures
* Hanford
* Gwales
* Ynys
* Amatheon
 **Beliefs**
 **Founded**

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The **March of Prestatyn** is a territory in the southern reaches of the Burning Steppes, the blasted northern portion of what was once a part of the Redridge Mountains, ruled over by House Bedyrant and their vassals. Prestatyn is proud of its immovable nature as well as its hyper-militaristic ways, as endless threats have forced it to adopt a near constant awareness of war.

Once settled by humans fleeing the religious authority of the Church of the Holy Light as well as Stormwind's monarchy, it proved necessary for an iron fist to take hold of this land, 'lest it became a nation of apostates enslaved to the Dark Iron.

Torn by war, the March of Prestatyn is currently in a period of rebuilding. Still, the people hold their heads high, as they serve Stormwind with pride befitting of the most valorous of knights.

## Culture

The people of the March are far from warm and inviting. A harsh breed raised by a harsher environ, they know what prices are to be paid for treachery and flippancy. To survive in a land shrouded by the Mists of the Burning Lakes requires a firm faith in one's own duty. Conservatism and orthodoxy reign supreme in most settlements, with the most lenient of the cities being Bevan on the road to Redridge Proper. Outsiders are thoroughly shunned, and arguably unsafe in much of the territory.

Intense to the extreme, there is no warm welcoming awaiting one that seeks Prestatyn. It is a cruel land, and its people's hearts are hardened due to it.

### Religious Beliefs

Almost all of the denizens of Prestatyn have an orthodox view of the Church of the Holy Light. As the land was once ruled by heathens, it is the duty of each Prestaty to ensure their fellows do not stray far from the path of the Light. Led by Bishop Griffith and the Marquess himself, the people strongly disdain outside influence, seeing outsiders as shadows that seek to diminish the Light.

Stormwind is the crown of the Light, and to believe in anything beyond the primacy of the Church within is folly. Indeed, it could even result in one's expulsion or **death**.

### Local Holidays

Though much of the holidays of Prestatyn are diminished compared to the festivities of the Kingdom, it does see to it to celebrate a few notable days.

Each September, a vigil is held in remembrance of Hafgan Bedyrant. A man of unflinching duty and devotion, he saw Prestatyn through much of its height, and led where his father could not. He died as he lived, for his people and for his Kingdom. Each house puts candles on their windowsills, and the larger settlements engage in feasting. Kyffin sees priests and the Marquess, Sir Gwyn, honor the memorial of Hafgan.

Each Spring sees the celebration of **Draenen Wen**, also known as "White-Thorn", in celebration of Beli Bedyrant's victory over Gor'rok almost forty years ago. Many travel to Kyffin to participate in a grand tournament, with the most important fight being the **Caladcholg**, the Hard Blade, where the men are given a single blade to fight with and are disallowed the use of their dominant arm. The winner of this bout is given a blade forged from the Marquess's personal smithy, as he has honored Beli Bedyrant's legacy.

## Economy & Resources

The economy of Prestatyn is fairly lacking. As it is a borderland on the fringes of incredibly hostile territory, trade is rare to pass so far north. Still, it produces enough to survive, and some to trade south for resources it otherwise does not possess. Mines in the western mountains produce iron and rarely gold, while a mine in the southeast is a producer of copper. It is not uncommon to sift through the volcanic ash that falls upon Prestatyn and find rare veins of minerals that only pass through the supernatural soil of the Steppes.

As volcanic sand dominates most of Prestatyn's walkable land, the land seems perfect for farming. Alas, the Burning Lakes of Prestatyn make farming all but impossible outside of a few places. Great willows provide weak quality wood, with a handful of groves of hardier trees used mostly for Prestatyn's infrastructure. Still, enough farming is done to sustain the populace, and rare flora may be found where the ash mixes with the Mist that sells for a great value in certain circles.

Prestatyn's primary exports are copper and stone, and its primary imports are food and medicine.

## History

### Before Beli Bedyrant

Not much is known of Prestatyn's ancient history, only that men have lived here as long as men have lived in the Eastern Kingdoms. Perhaps they were prisoners or religious exiles, but it seems even before the Stormwind War for Independence from the Empire of Arathor, tribes of men have called this land their home.

Silures is ancient, thousands of years old. Dafydd and Ifor were settled around the same time as each other, just shy of a hundred and thirty years before the opening of the Dark Portal, and knew independence for that long, though they knew little peace. Between conflicts with one another over the land's scarce resources and the attacks from other more nomadic tribal groups, most longstanding settlements in what would become Prestatyn have seen near constant attrition since their settlement.

The men who settled Dafydd had been expelled from the Kingdom for their schismatic doctrines, while the settlers of Ifor left to pursue ambitions that had otherwise been quashed by the monarchy. Dafydd saw itself become the greatest settlement in the one-day March, though its loose stance on governance and inability to safeguard its own borders slowly began to upset those that had pledged some amount of fealty to the city-state.

### Beli Bedyrant's Arrival

A year prior to Beli Bedyrant's march into the Burning Steppes, a massive assault from the Dark Iron Dwarves saw the three city-states of the Burning Lakes greatly tested. Silures fell, though its people kept fighting, and Dafydd was put beneath great duress. Many of the scarce villages dotted between the city-states were put to the torch, their people slaughtered or enslaved.

Refugees fleeing from Dafydd came into the protection of the Bedyrant Parish in northern Redridge, and the Parish Priest heard their woes. Beli Bedyrant learned their heretical ways and also learned of the surprising number of people in the north, and the Priest immediately knew what he had to do. Mustering soldiers from his own Parish and men-at-arms from Lakeshire, Beli set his ambition to claim the north. So in 561 K.Y, just ten years prior to the Gurubashi War, did Beli Bedyrant wage war against the Dark Iron Dwarves. Unprepared for an assault from a sizable and trained fighting force, the Dark Iron were quickly and thoroughly routed, pushed from Dafydd in mere days, and purged from Silures within months.

That said, Lord Cadwaladr resented the concept of Stormwind gaining authority over his land, and soon waged war against Beli Bedyrant and his army. Quickly beaten at the Mag Mell Floodplains in the south of the one-day March, Lord Cadwaladr attempted to flee to Ifor to outlast the armies of Bedyrant. Yet, Silures did not sally forth to his aid. Nor did the villagers throughout the territory - as Beli had saved them, freed them. Indeed, he was the firm hand that this harsh and unforgiving land desperately needed. Lord Cadwaladr surrendered before the siege lasted any longer than two months. By the dawn of 562 K.Y, Beli Bedyrant had earned the fealty of all of the men of his future territory, and thus did he sent word back to the Kingdom that more of Redridge had been reclaimed by a man loyal to Stormwind, the Light, and the King above all.

Glad to hear the primacy of the Church of the Holy Light upheld and the authority of the Crown expanded, King Barathen Wrynn ennobled Beli Bedyrant and named this new territory the "March of Prestatyn", the March of the Priest's Farm.

For the next 3 decades, Beli Bedyrant ennobled six barons to serve at his beck and call, constructed Gwennlian and Bevan, and transformed a shoreline war-camp into his capital - Kyffin. A network of bridges were then built to connect eastern and western Prestatyn, and much of the damage of the Dark Iron Invasion was then repaired.

Beli sired only one son, Hafgan, and his wife has gone unnamed by the annals of history. Some arguments exist in that Hafgan is not truly Beli's son, but nothing concrete will ever come of this.

### The First War

By 592 K.Y, the March of Prestatyn had grown into a fairly populous and, at least militarily, powerful territory. This Golden Period would not last, for the Orcish Horde shattered a gateway between Draenor and Azeroth and stormed through it, making it the first and most infamous opening of the Dark Portal. As countless orcs streamed across Stormwind's lands, it became readily apparent to Beli that this conflict was not going to end easily. Shoring his defenses and sending as many men as he could provide to help combat the Horde, it took three years for the Horde to reach Prestatyn.

The news of Llane's passing came at the same time as the fall of Stormwind and the Great Exodus of 595 K.Y, each thing shocking the people of Prestatyn to their cores. But they could not mourn for long, for as they housed refugees, they knew what was following the survivors of Stormwind's fall. Black smoke blew in from the south instead of the west, and with it came the Horde. They sacked Bevan, raged across Prestatyn, and laid each and every city low - all but Kyffin and Gwennlian. At the Argent Maiden, the orcish warleader named Gor'rok the Butcher found himself tested, and as he fled - he was assailed by Beli's guerillas. Seeing this as a great offense, the orc decided to muster all he could into a great assault, to burn Kyffin to the ground. He fell for Beli's gambit. Kyffin's gates were willfully left open, as the orcs would surge into a theatre of death.

Each and every orc that stepped through the gates would not survive the day. Gor'rok himself was killed at the highest point of Kyffin. Despite the orc's immense size and Beli's broken sword-arm, the aged Lord of Bedyrant had taken a dagger and driven it into the orc's jaw, killing Gor'rok in a single decisive blow. Over the orc's body was Caledfwich Castle, the seat of Bedyrant, built. He had the bodies of the Horde dragged to the southwest, thrown into the Burning Lake that had yet to be named. It was named 'Gor'rok's Tears', as it was rumored the orc shed a single tear as he fell, knowing that he had been bested by an old man divested of his strength.

Due to his sustained injuries and advancing age, Beli abdicated and Hafgan Bedyrant was named Marquess of the March of Prestatyn.

### Age of Rebuilding

The March of Prestatyn did not fall during the First War, so it was one of the many launching points used by the returning rulers of Stormwind to begin the reclamation and reformation of the Kingdom of Stormwind. The new Baron Cadwaladr proved to be quite amicable towards Hafgan, much to the surprise of many and the upset of much of the people of Dafydd, and for a rare period of time - Prestatyn acted almost entirely in unison. Greater investment was made in building docks, raising mines, and expanding farmland. Though trade was not expected to be great, it was valuable enough to be a heavy focus for much of this time.

By the time of Gwyn Bedyrant's birth, Caledfwich Castle had finished construction, and so did Prestatyn reach its highest point since the destruction wrought by the orcs. Some civil revolt came about in the same year of the Alliance of Lordaeron's disbanding, 608 K.Y, for the instability and weakness perceived by the people of Dafydd saw the murder of the then Lord Cadwaladr and the installment of a new Lord Cadwaladr. Hafgan was able to quell this revolt soon after it began, making sure that the new Baron Cadwaladr understood what happens to traitors in Prestatyn.

It took until the Great Cataclysm in 621 K.Y for Prestatyn to see much action beyond their standard conflict with tribal men, the Dark Iron, and the Dark Horde who had settled the Steppes and beyond. In truth, this action was not much of a change, as it only saw a heightened increase in conflict with the same groups, just now organized by the Twilight's Hammer Cult and involving elementals. Gwyn Bedyrant's renown grew during this period, and it would grow even greater in the coming years.

### The Ironmarch and the Dafydd Revolt

Another uptick in orcish activity startled the March of Prestatyn, as it became readily apparent that a new Horde had invaded through the Dark Portal. A warlord had taken hold of Blackrock Mountain, and her soldiers bolstered the ranks of the orcs of the Steppes, emboldening them and forcing Hafgan to march to war. Unbeknownst to him, Baron Cadwaladr plotted his revolution, even directly working with the Dark Horde. He would have Prestatyn, he would be free.

The Dark Horde thusly knew when Hafgan's army crossed the pass towards the greater Burning Steppes and were capable of surprising his army, splitting much of his forces from the main host. This included his son, Gwyn, who was trapped in the March of Prestatyn. Baron Cadwaladr proclaimed the death of Hafgan, jailed Beli, and declared any of those still loyal to Bedyrant as traitors - and all those of Prestatyn know the cost of being a traitor.

Despite his lack of supporters and dire lack of soldiers, Gwyn would not be cowed. He marched through the land, rallying villagers still loyal to the strength of Bedyrant, spoke to the rebels persuaded and oftentimes forced to Cadwaladr's side, and even worked to quell the attacks of the Dark Horde and the almost criminal deeds of the Lord of Dafydd. Before long, Gwyn made a risky play for Kyffin, wagering that the arrival of the heir of Bedyrant would bring Griffith to his side - a gambit that saw Baron Cadwaladr executed in the same night.

In 625 K.Y, Hafgan returned to a unified Prestatyn. Gwyn became Sir Gwyn, and a proper marshal of the Stormwind Army. With Hafgan focusing his rule on administration, his son handled the defense of their land, and the March of Prestatyn quickly recovered from the Dafydd Revolt.

### Sacking

Little changed for the March of Prestatyn during the coming years. Though the Legion threatened them as much as it threatened the rest of the world, they were hardly an important target for an army that did not require land routes to plan an invasion.

It was actually shortly after the the onset of the Fourth War that the March of Prestatyn faced its greatest crisis since the First War. December of 628 K.Y saw a massive onslaught led by a Warchief Vox'nar Doomwalker, the leader of a group of Dark Horde, which had been preceded by months of increased activity by the very same orcish raiders. Silures, Gwennlian, and Dafydd fell within months. Eventually, even Gwales was crushed to the north, leaving Kyffin vulnerable on two sides. No reinforcements were coming, as the Fourth War raged on.

Gwyn stepped up. He boldly suggested a stratagem similar to Beli's, forty years prior. Bait the Horde into Kyffin and destroy them. The plan, of course, diverged from Beli's in that Gwyn suggested retreating to Ifor and use the bridges of the island as a meatgrinder. From there, they'd also use their ships to bombard the Dark Horde's encampments - that included Kyffin. Hestitantly, Hafgan deferred to his son's leadership, and they then spent the next five years fighting a grueling war of attrition against Vox'nar and her Horde.

### The Five Years War

When Gwyn managed to liberate Silures by slaying a Warlord in single combat, earning his nickname of 'Orcbane', he was able to rally the Silurians and his own militia to retake Gwennlian. Hafgan used his son's advancements to finally make a daring attack against the armies assailing Ifor, thwarting them and repelling the Horde into the Western portion of Prestatyn. As Bevan had yet to fall, the Horde was caught between the Bedyrants in the East and Baron Owain in the South. Attacked via sea and land, the orcs still fought relentlessly against Kyffin's liberators. So fiercely indeed that as Hafgan attempted to slay Vox'nar as his father had slain Gor'rok decades prior, Hafgan was butchered. By birthright, Gwyn Bedyrant was Marquess of Prestatyn.

By birthright, he retook Prestatyn. Vox'nar fled with her life, but the Dark Horde had been sent running, leaving a wartorn land to be rebuilt by a man honoring his Lord. The war ended in year 633 K.Y.

### Present Day

Prestatyn did not contribute to the Civil War in 634 K.Y. It spent much of this period licking its wounds sustained via the Dark Horde, though Gwyn personally saw combat as he marched in the name of the King.

Today, Gwyn oversees the rebuilding of Prestatyn and the continued war against the Dark Horde. He is well respected by his people, though Dafydd still enjoys a rebellious streak. Even still, they are not unwise enough to raise arms against the man who oversees the rebuilding of their city, and the current Baron Cadwaladr is amicable enough to keep up a good face with all matters Prestatyn. Let none say Marquess Bedyrant is a lax man.

The March of Prestatyn still licks its wounds, but it is as stalwart as ever - ever unflinching in its duty to defend the border of Stormwind.

## Settlements

### Kyffin

Kyffin is the capital of the March, built on the Arawn Plateau, as the terrain is advantageous to fend off any assaults. It grants an unmatched view over Ifor and Dafydd, both cities with a history of raising arms against Bedyrant. Caledfwich Castle stands tall at the southern edge of the Plateau, a memorial in itself of the day that Beli Bedyrant slew Gor'rok the Butcher, a dangerous orcish warleader that had threatened to destroy Prestatyn as the Horde had destroyed Stormwind. It boasts the wealthiest population in the territory, though perhaps to other more affluent lands, this wealth may appear meager. Much of the northern and southeastern sections of the city are heavily damaged and currently being repaired, as cannons and orcish invaders tore apart the walls and housing that otherwise would have stood tall. The only farms in eastern Prestatyn are protected by Kyffin's overwatch. Kyffin's harbor and church are also the largest in the March.

### Dafydd

Dafydd was once the capital of what would become the March, built on a peninsula bearing the same name. For a hundred years did the Lords of Dafydd know independence away from Stormwind, free to act and rule as if no King existed, and free to speak heresy without any repercussion, only for the assault of the Dark Iron and the subsequent arrival of Beli Bedyrant to take that all away. Still fiercely independent and desirous of their old standing, Dafydd has attempted to overthrow the Bedyrants on a few occasions, and boast the second largest populace in the March. The majority of Prestatyn's farmland lies in the shadow of this city.

### Bevan

Granted a noble seat by Beli Bedyrant, House Owain was quick to desire its own city to rule, and was quick to head south from Kyffin to uplift a war camp into a fully fledged city. Between Kyffin and Bevan is the safest land in Prestatyn, as the two cities provide ample defense against attackers, and the only sure entrance to the land is by river. Still, Bevan guards the passage to Redridge, and oversees a copper mine. One of the only stretches of oak forestland in Prestatyn also stretches to its north, and a garrison rests to the west where reinforcements from Stormwind tend to be geared for the landscape of the Burning Lakes.

### Gwennlian

Granted a noble seat by Beli Bedryant, House Morgan was quick to be tasked to defend the southern mountain passage of Prestatyn. A valley stood, a gaping maw in the defenses of the territory, where the hostile elements of the Steppes beyond could easily invade through. If not orcs, then raiders, or beasts. Gwennlian's fortress is impressive, even compared to most forts throughout the land, as House Morgan's stonesmiths are legendary. Gwennlian, like Ifor, has never fallen to the enemy.

### Ifor

Settled not long after Dafydd, the isle of Ifor rests in the midst of the Llaw Eriant, and is not far from neither Dafydd nor where Kyffin would eventually stand. A group only truly interested in self-preservation, Ifor is not loyal to anything but victory. It has sided with Dafydd on many occasions, and has sided with Kyffin on many more. Great bridges connect Ifor to each river bank, constructed during Hafgan's reign so that both sides of Prestatyn were connected by more than the river. Today, Ifor sees the majority of Prestatyn's trade, as it is the last truly safe portion of the Llaw Eriant. Since the water around Ifor is deep, the water is cooler than much of the river, thus also leading to the region's strongest fisheries.

### Silures

Settled in unknown times, long before Dafydd, Silures is a properly ancient territory. The people once prayed to elementals and great gods, beings that have no place in the House of the Light, and never knew the rule of the King of Stormwind. Thus, even today, Silures is one of the only places in Prestatyn that is allowed some amount of unorthodox worship. They are granted their great gods as saints of the Light, and their elements as aspects of the land through the Light, so that their loyalty may remain steadfast. The people of Silures are great warriors, having known war for countless years, constantly in combat with other men, the Dark Iron, and the treacherous Horde.

### Hanford

Unlike the other villages of Prestatyn, Hanford is new. Many of the Redridge men-at-arms settled between Silures, Dafydd, and Gwennlian and chose a rather tame clearing near the mountains. Unbeknownst to them, the mountains were rich with metal. After a few decades, the once militant settlement became a miner's town, booming with those willing to divest the land of its bounty, for iron and gold to fill their pockets. Hanford's metal is sent to Gwennlian or Ifor, as either it is forged into arms for the Prestatyn Army, or sent south as Prestatyn's most valued export.

### Gwales

A tribal settlement founded before Dafydd, Gwales is militant, similarly to Silures, but focuses much of its attention on a handful of stone quarries. The stone of Gwales was greatly influential in the building of Kyffin, and is currently highly valued in the rebuilding of Prestatyn.

### Ynys

Sat upon a peninsula in the midst of the largest of the Burning Lakes, Ynys is home to a cautious people that know wisdom in strength. Once tribal, they were brought beneath Bedyrant's Ashen Star without much hassle, and have been a great provider of lumber due to the size of the willows they live beneath. Many rare plants may be found in Ynys, possibly endemic to the land, and found nowhere else in Azeroth.

### Mathowy

The largest farming community of Prestatyn, Mathowy is a collection of farmhouses and guard posts connected by roads. It rests in the Mag Mell Floodplain, the most viable portion of farmland in all of the March, and sees to the vast majority of Prestatyn's livestock and grain production.

### Amatheon

A fishing hamlet of little repute, the people are poor and superstitious, and very unlikely to view visitation in a positive light. They sell rare fish, only found in the Llaw Eriant, to Kyffin where they are either consumed by the elite, or sent south for a greater value.

## Houses

House Bedyrant rules over the March of Prestatyn, holding the noble position of "Marquess". They rule from Castle Caledfwich in Kyffin.

House Cadwaladr rules the Barony of Dafydd. A rebellious house with a fierce desire for independence, they will forever be unwilling to bow down to Bedyrant.

House Griffith oversees Prestatyn's religious activities as Lords Spiritual, and are considered the right hand of Bedyrant. Their manor is within Kyffin.

House Owain rules the Barony of Bevan, a strongly loyal and firm adherent of Bedyrant. They guard the road to Redridge and are less tense than much of their peers. The safety afforded to their land sees to a rather welcoming House.

House Morgan rules the Barony of Gwennlian, the Argent Maiden. Prideful of their skill in battle and defensive mastery, these are a sturdy and dauntless lot, as impenetrable as the walls of their Argent Maiden. They guard the southern valley pass into Prestatyn, a treacherous environment filled with tribal assailants and orcish raiders.

House Davies rules the Barony of Ifor, a neutral people of little ambition. Only interested in their own survival, they are known to be fickle in their loyalty, choosing only to support the side they believe most capable of victory. Ifor's position between Dafydd and Kyffin almost symbolically represents this. They are the most commercial of all of Prestatyn's houses.

House Llwelyn rules the Barony of Silures, a militant people of great superstition. They pray to Saints that are unseen in the rest of the Kingdom and will fight to the very end in their names. An ancient settlement, Silures has been populated for centuries, and has never truly fallen. Every person old enough to fight will fight, and they will never cease to fight.