Harkenwold

The Barony of Harkenwold

**The Stewardship of Harkenwold** (also occasionally referred to as the **Barony of Harkenwold**) is a small barony and one of the Four Stewardships of the Nentir Vale. It is centered around the capital town of Harken, which gives the region it's name, and is notable for the large Harken Forest which makes up the Stewardship's borders. Like its neighbors Harkenwold is ethnically diverse but still has a large human majority. It has one of the largest Dwarven, Halfling, and Elven minority populations in the Nentir Vale. The region is ruled by the Barons of Harkenwold, which by the 1400s was House Stockmer.

## Population

Harkenwold is divided between a number of different ethnicities. The central plains of Harkenwold are the most populous and primarily composed of humans. The ruling human House Stockmer has their seat at the Harken Armory in the regional capital of Harken here. A strong dwarven presence exists throughout Harkenwold, but is primarily centered in Tor's Hold, which is seat to the Tor Clan. Although the Tor Clan has no real authority over Harkenwold (nor do they seem to want it), they are quite influential. The western side of Harkenwold, particularly along the White River, has a large minority of Halflings. The Elves known as the Woodsingers make their home in the southern Harken Forest. Elves also have a sizable presence at the Druid Grove, a sacred site of Melora. Goblins live throughout Harken in various caves, a pest which is abided as Harkenwold lacks the manpower to thoroughly eradicate the minor raiders.

All of the disparate regions of Harkenwold (save the Goblinoid ones) are nominally subserviently to the Baron-Stewards of Harken. The Baron has little power to levy significant laws over the population, although said population is small enough that significant issues rarely arise. One power vested in the Baron is to call the formation of the Harkenwold Militia, in which all groups are expected to donate some able-bodied soldiers for the defense of Harkenwold as a whole.

## History

Earliest records of Harkenwold date back to the time of the ancient Dvergr and Eladrin Empires. Known under a number of different names, the Harken Forest was much more expansive and dominated the entirety of Harkenwold in this time. The woods were maintained as border province by the eladrin, who had little population presence there outside their fortress of Dal Nystiere. Instead the primary population was elves, ostracized from the heartland of Sarthel but allowed to dwell in the border forests. An elven Druidic Cult eventually developed around the Tree of Almaiker. Even in this time Goblins dwelt in the woods as well, likely having migrated there to escape the Dwarven Wars of Reclamation.

Following the collapse of the Eladrin Empire, their forces abandoned Dal Nystiere and returned to Sarthel. The elves, however, remained. With the region now unclaimed, enterprising groups of humans moved into the region. These early humans deforested the lighter central parts of the woods to develop agriculture and form a number of small villages. The first and largest of these was Harken, which gave the region its common name.

Over the next millennia the humans slowly expanded and forced the elves from Harken Forest, until only the Woodsingers and Druids of the Grove remained independent. Other elves integrated themselves into the human villages and led to the rise of a small half-elf population. Still the humans never developed a strong government, due to the influence of the nearby Hammer League which nominally oversaw the affairs of Eastern Nentir from Hammerfast. The Harkenwold economy and defense became dependent on the dwarves and the region even used their currency.

Despite this, over the next centuries human traders from Therund would slowly make their mark on Harkenwold. They would bring the customs of the human pseudo-nations of the Baronies of Therund and slowly end the reliance on the dwarves. Marking this change was that the people of Harken adopted the Therund method of governance. Thus emerged the Harken Barons who ruled over the villages inside the wood. With Therund Traders also gradually immigrated halflings, who took to settling on the White River. Although imitating their human neighbors, Harken remained politically tied to the Hammer League until the 300s BA.

Harkenwold did remain somewhat independent regardless to influence of its surroundings. The Hammer League maintained the region as all but an official protectorate for millennia but did little in the way of direct governance. Clanless Dwarves occasionally make their home in Harkenwold due to it's proximity to the Dawnforge Mountains, but their influence was far from enough to build lasting ties. This independent, albeit near-governless state, would end during the invasion of Meched the Conquerer. Following their defeat at Knogon dwarves abandoned Harkenwold and allowed it to fall into the hands of the Sephari.

From this time Harkenwold was incorporated into the Territory of Nentir within the Sephariian Empire. As Harken had surrendered to Meched the ruling family of House Thein retained their lands in Harken and had a minor degree of political influence in the Council of Territories. During the Nerathian Revolution House Thein sided with Percival the Uniter after House Nermon of Nenlast did the same. Therefore when Percival emerged victorious and founded the Nerathian Empire the region of Harkenwold was not greatly changed.

Now incorporated into the Province of Nentir, Harkenwold slowly developed a voice in the Provincial Senate. Vying with House Clodese, House Winterhaven, and House Nermon for the governorship of Nentir, House Thein found themselves sidetracked and Harkenwold mostly ignored. Over the course of centuries the family built political connections until the third century of the Age of Nerath, when Baron Harold Thein married Empress Salanthal. This period brought renewed investment into Harkenwold, but was short lived as Salanthal divorced Thein when his political usefulness ran out.

A notable event during this time was the emergence of the Tor Clan in Harkenwold. Led by Tor Hammerhand, these dwarves were granted a plot of land in Harken for their heroic deeds. On this land they built the fortress of Tor's Hold and solidly ingrained themselves in Harken politics. While the Clan itself had no designs for the rulership of Harkenwold, their presence became highly influential on the region.

Then a century later Harkenwold would find itself again in the limelight. The Senate, seeking to deprive the power of the reigning House Winterhaven (which lacked a clear heir), elected Baron Vargas Thein as Emperor due to his blood linage to Salanthal by a single child of her and Harold Thein. This event nearly resulted in civil war, but Vargas was able to avoid it with the Concord of the Two Houses. Vargas took the lands of Vanacessia as his personal domain by imperial decree in order to build Vargianum, leaving Harkenwold under a junior branch of House Thein. Nonethless Harkenwold saw a great amount of development during this era and was even incorporated into the Baronies of Therund to separate it from the rest of Nentir (which were under the rulership of the Winterhaven Emperors).

This golden age ended when Harkenwold was ravaged in the civil wars of Aveon the Reuniter and Mecival the Bloody. It was under one of Mecival's purges that House Thein was made extinct and the region briefly ruled by a minor house of House Colir supporters. During the War of Three Emperors, Javis II ousted the Colir supporters and conquered Harkenwold. For a period the town of Harken served as the capital of Javis's Empire as he staked his claim for the throne. The Harken Armory was constructed during this time as Javis's main fortress. Once Javis expanded against the other Emperors to capture Gardmore and Vargianum, Harken was once again relegated to a minor settlement, but it's population boomed as a result of its brief status.

House Aud, a minor branch of House Winterhaven, ruled Harkenwold in Javis's stead. When Javis created the Nerathian Stewardships to succeed the death of the Empire, Harkenwold was raised to such a status under House Aud. Throughout the Century Without an Emperor, Harkenwold was independent and it's own internal policies began to take shape. The position of the Baron-Steward was solidified and the various subregions united under a single homogenous identity.

House Aud died out during The Everwinter, leaving a void in leadership which was eventually filled by Jonathan Seel in Harkenwold's first act self-assertation. This founded House Seel, which would rule as Baron-Stewards through the reintegration of Harkenwold with greater autonomy into Oakleigh Hemsplitter's new Nerathian Empire. Due to the simultaneous extinction of House Nermon during the Everwinter, and Jonathan Seel's personal friendship with Oakleigh, House Seel came to be Stewards of both Harkenwold and Nen.

Harkenwold continued to grow in this new period of prosperity under House Seel. Only after that house died out was Harken split from Nenlast again and the regions given over to separate families. Harkenwold found itself now under House Stockmer, a minor Barony House which had lost most of their lands in Therund. House Stockmer lacked the connections and prestige built by House Seel and Harkenwold once again fell into obscurity as the lesser Nentir Stewardship. Even before the collapse of the Nerathian Empire, the region of Harkenwold was depopulating. By the end of the first millennium AON it had lost almost all presence within the Council of Gardmore and operated mostly as it's own independent barony. Life in Harkenwold was slow and unbothered by the wider happening of Nerath, more focused on it's own minor problems.

With the final collapse of the Nerathian Empire the Nentir Stewardships withdrew into disparate city-states with little national unity, and Harken was no different. The decline and depopulation of Harkenwold continued until it became a patchwork of small towns and villages, held together by one town with a disproportionately large castle- a remnant of a bygone age when it had been a brief Imperial Capital. This was the state of Harkenwold until the 1400s, still led by House Stockmer as Stewards of the Harken Armory and Barons of Harkenwold.

Of the four Stewardships of Nentir, Harkenwold is the most secluded and the least powerful. It lacks a standing army, instead drawing upon a militia from the towns and volunteers from the Tor Clan and Druidic Clans which make their small homes there. Despite this Harkenwold successfully repelled the Bloodreaver Army of Chief Larkk during the Bloodreaver War- in part due to the intercession of a group of adventurers. Unfortunately the town of Harken was destroyed by the Dark Lord Rob Boss not long after, resulting in the death of incumbent Baron John Stockmer and leaving Harkenwold's future unclear.

## Major Locations in Harkenwold

### Towns and Villages

* Harken (Capital)
* Marl
* Albridge
* Darken/Dardun
* Easthill
* Toadwallow

### Other Populated Sites

* Tor's Hold
* Druid Grove
* Hyana's House
* Woodsinger Camp

### Ruins and Caves

* Marldowne Caves
* Harken Wood Cave
* Dal Nystiere

### Natural Features

* Harken Forest
* White River
* Briar Hills