King's Stead

**King's Stead** (Euluska: *Zixa Rekuke,* Larawiyaki: *Z'aał Léra'wa*) was a small yet lively and unique settler's town far into Central-North Lakay. Despite it being very small, it was tightly wrapped up in history.

## Geography

The town was situated between three characteristic biomes: the lush Central Lakayan woodlands to the south, the rolling picturesque Great Heartland Prairie to the east, and the inhospitable Cattleridge Desert to the north and west.

A large river called the **Hoyapí** ran through the town; its name possibly came from the South Larawiyaki compound word *hóyahobééh*, meaning "pink in summer", referring to the pretty pink and red algal blooms that the waters experienced during warm humid summers. Northwest of the town was a large system of ancient sandstone gorges and canyons, known as Dead Man's Gulch. The nearside was called Rattler's Bend, and sometimes visited by foragers. The Hoyapí was also fed by a smaller river called the **Sierai**, which in turn came from the South Larawiyaki name *séér'a áy*, meaning "end of the mountains".

## Origin

The town was settled by Luskan Lakayan settlers moving for the promise of a free and new life, in the 1400s. Three weeks' ride from Fort Helena (later Thunderlord), It remained a small town through to the 1500s.

## History: The Privateers Settle

At this time, many interesting things happened in and around the town. During this time, the notable folk of the town included (Clockwise from top):

* Barmaid Darrow
* Mama Menke the Herbalist
* Doughboy Hardfoot
* Jacqueline Hardfoot
* Sheriff Daisy Reed
* Rench and Jamison Feller
* Heckler Hardfoot
* Tomas Kato the Wholesaler
* as well as a Selim (not pictured)

Other interesting buildings in town included

* The Limping Mare Saloon
* Union Bank of Lakay
* And many more visible on the map.

In late 1511, some Privateers washed up north of the town and ended settling here, building a house at Peach Tree Hill. They were Inigo Disforza, Thallas, Vadduk, and Arthur, plus Anaïs Disforza.

## History: The Liberators Lead

Sometime in 1512, Jacqueline Hardfoot left home, later becoming the legendary outlaw Bullseye Jack.

In summer 1513, the Lakayan Liberators also washed up. They settled here for a short time, and passed through again a couple of times back and forth. They made good friends with the town smith, Heckler Hardfoot. Doughboy Hardfoot accompanied the Liberators as their driver for quite a while.

It was occupied for a few weeks in the late summer of 1513 as the Davisons tried to entrap the Liberators to little avail. Leona Adler fought Elna Carrinstoke and planted the seed of doubt in Elna's mind that would take root later. The group planned to attack and free the town, where their friends Ocker and Teller had been captured with Doughboy, but the Davisons took the initiative. The result was a bloody shootout just north of the town in the fields. After this shootout, Machavellio Disforza left east to rally the Larawaks whilst Alessandro Lucari and Elna Carrinstoke travelled back to Oryix.

A statue of the Liberators was erected in the town square; the town was the birthplace of the revolution of Lakay. It was pretty impressive and something of a tourist attraction. The inscription read as follows, followed by a list of the Liberators.

> *In the summer of 1513, the Livrettadóres freed us from our Lusken chains. They called this town their home for a time, and many of them still did in later life. Wit this, we honour their sacrifices and their deeds. Forevermore Lakay!*
>
>
>

## History: Into the Modern Age

In 1529, the Hanging Dog Gang captured the aging Heckler and took him down to the old bread mill at Dead Man's Gulch because they believed he knew the final resting place of Bullseye Jack's gold, but the Country Bumpkins managed to free him, forge an alliance with the Gang, and manage to make a Davison Detective Agency squad fight with the Gang in Main Street at noon. Most of the two detachments went down in a cavalcade of lead, including Agent Marshton.

A Heartland Railway Company train station was built in the year 1536, connecting the town to Fort Thunderlord. Its population boomed as a result!

## History: As Seen by Night Watch in the 1550s

The mayor by now was the shrewd mathsy gnome Teller, one of the Liberators. He had been elected in 1540 as Daisy Reed retired. The Liberator barbarian orc Ocker took over as barkeep from Darrow when the latter was getting old. Heckler passed away from old age in 1549, and Doughboy now chiefed the smiths, and visited his teacher's grave a lot. Mama Menke and Kato were still in business somehow, and the Feller Farriers were now run by John-boy Feller, son of the owners in 1510. The town still celebrated the Liberators' deeds every year at midsummer in the square, and had almost doubled in size.