Heartsgrove

The Barony of Heartsgrove was formerly part of the larger Barony of Sarcelfen. As part of an effort to heal the Withering Wood, Duke Maxen Montclair and Baroness Cassandra Lyon agreed to carve off the section of the Withering Wood known as the ‘Heartsgrove’ and hand it over to the Rangers of Mirwood for study and treatment. Located just north of the tower of Sarceline, the new barony is the largest continuous area of the Withering Wood itself. Like the rest of the Withering Wood, the area is filled with trees bearing thorns instead of leaves. Wild brambles grow in excess, the grass is sharp and serrated, and the animals of the forest display rabid aggression. The area hosts only two ruined towns, long since completely abandoned and collapsed. At the center of Heartsgrove is a single healthy tree - for which the area gets its name.

This tree, the Heartsgrove, is a large weeping oak estimated to be around 500-750 years old. Great roots break the ground in a massive sprawl stretching nearly 50 meters from the single massive trunk. Twisted and bulged, the tree itself has grown thick and powerful over the many ages, though not much more so than the many others of Sarcelfen. The key and stark difference here is that the tree remains fully alive and in perfect health. Bearing broad green leaves every month of the year, the Heartsgrove has stood out as singularly immune to whatever cursed the rest of the Withered Wood - and indeed the seasons themselves. Despite its health, however, the tree hosts neither animal nor insect.There are no birds nesting in its canopy, and no critters dare collect its acorns. Whatever has affected this tree may not be entirely natural.

The old villages of Caister and Piscator’s Rest only exist in ruin and memory. Once each a thriving goldsmithing town and ferry port, the two villages were evacuated following the Sarceline Accident. For decades, they have remained abandoned, slowly collapsing and falling into rubble as the many storms, seasons, and years passed them by. They are now both silent and empty.

## House Reignsford

House Reignsford is a young house only recently brought into noble status. Through the grace of Duke Maxen Montclair and Baroness Cassandra Lyons, House Reignsford was given the task of restoring life to a tainted land known as the Heartsgrove within The Withering Wood. House Reignsford plans to take a conservative approach to the use of natural resources once it’s fully established. Due to its abandoned state, the Baron of Heartsgrove’s first course of action is to re-establish a settlement at Piscator’s Rest, selling plots of land at a modest price and reinvesting those funds into rebuilding the area’s infrastructure. House Reignsford will utilize Piscator’s Rest as a staging point to reinvigorate the land, reopening the ferry landing and offering guides to create trade routes for caravans through the Withering Wood.

House Reignsford’s feudal force currently consists of himself and a contingent of volunteer Rangers who have opted to aid their comrade with bringing balance to this sickened land. Course of actions are being drafted to, as per Mirwood tradition, provide for a small cavalry force, two companies of Men-at-Arms, and one company of scouts/missile troops.

## Thomas Reignsford

Baron Thomas Reignsford, Baron of Heartsgrove, is a man of simplicity and “down to earth” charm. A Commoner raised to the ranks of noble peerage, Thomas is known to be fair and just in all of his dealings regardless of the individual’s station. As a Ranger and a Knight of Mirwood, Thomas has earned tremendous respect both from the people of Mirwood as well as the nobility. His upbringing as a hunter and his Ranger training shaped him to be a man of few words, but constantly listening and observing his surroundings. When Thomas feels the need to speak, it’s usually of import and to the point. However, his does enjoy moments of gaiety and good humor when the situation allows.