Kodar Maradyne
Hutop Keep was built in 430 by
Aidrik IV as a stronghold against the
Pagaelin. It is the seat of the Sheriff
of Osel but the office has been vacant
since the death of Sir Merik Elendsa,
brother of the king, in 719. The king
has yet to determine a successor.
The Earl of Neph, who has no holdings in the south,
has let it be known he would undertake responsibility for
this office. The Earl of Balim, who holds nearby Jedes,
and the Earl of Osel, whose seat is at Qualdris, are
unlikely to support this appointment. Hutop is especially
valuable because it controls one of the kingdom’s few
silver mines in the hills to the north.
Sir Kodar Maradyne, Bailiff of Daynora Hundred, is
deputy sheriff but is not really up to the task. His laxness
has made Hutop a haven for roustabouts, ne’er-do-wells,
and a rough crowd of miners and mercenaries.
The Mercantylers’ Guild holds a trading post at
Oselbridge from the crown. The current franchisee is
Grunda of Tyune, who trades metal tools and weapons
with the Pagaelin. He is aided by two journeymen,
one apprentice, and a garrison of five mercenaries.
Deputy Sheriff Kodar has granted Grunda permission to
construct a wooden palisade, which is partially complete.
The Baron of Kobing, who has ambitions to build a keep
at Oselbridge, is furious with Grunda the “traitor” and the
“interloping” deputy sheriff.
Nearby Alenda Manor was destroyed by the Pagaelin
in 712. It had been the first of a series of planned
outposts along the Osel.
The massacre took
the lives of the
knight-bailiff, his
family, and 14
peasants. The
sheriff intended
to rebuild Alenda
before he died
and this plan
now awaits the
appointment
of a new
sheriff
Comments