Heldring’s Cross
The town of Heldring’s Cross lies at the crossroads where the Soldier’s Road from Endhome meets the Hollow Road from Old Burgundia and both turn east toward Oestre. The town is considered the westernmost part of the Matagost Peninsula and has historically been considered disputed territory between that province and Sunderland to the west. There is currently no organized government of Sunderland, so Matagost’s claim to the town has gone unchallenged for many years. Despite this, it remains virtually ignored by the government in Oestre and is generally fine with that.
The small burg’s one claim to fame dates back to the times of the Heldring invasions of a thousand years ago. One war band led by an unnamed jarl, who was among the first to convert to the gods of the Hyperboreans, made its way here through the Moon Fog Hills. The journey was harrowing, the dangers of the mystical hills taking a heavy toll on the warriors, and the end of their journey brought them into battle at this point with a host of local warriors gathered from Oestre in the east. The Heldring were victorious despite their many travails, and the grateful jarl built a church here to Thyr in thanks for his aid. The original church is long since gone, but the 12-foot-tall, rune-scribed stone cross that he erected next to the church still stands, time-worn and lichen-crusted. Its runic inscription of thanks and dedication is faded but still legible, and it has always been seen as an important shrine to the church. The leader of the town is always a priest of Thyr sent to tend the shrine, and the Oceander cleric currently serving in that role (Fray Compton D’Lac) is no exception. He preaches the will of Thyr weekly and calls on travelers to seek justice and leave donations at his small church.
Settlement
Heldring’s Cross, Town of
Type
Town
Owning Organization
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