Immersea

Immersea is a town of approximately 1100 inhabitants that is bout 60 leagues or 175 miles up the Tesser River as the crow files, and lies at the farthest most easily navigable location on the Tesser River and Northern Fultar. Immersea is known for cheap wine exported to Fultar, and prejudiced and simple minded peasants, although Lord Jared and his wife Lady Eva have attempted to bring culture to the backward town. Immersea is also the gateway to the northern Celtic nations of Galletica, with the Ordovocian being the closest and the Guar Steppe, which provide a modest amount of trade and an ever-present threat of violence. Castle Immersea protects the town and undergone major construction recently.

Government

Lord Crispin Jared and Lady Eva Lithia Jared are the rulers of the town, although there is an advisory city counsel. Lord Jared was given the town for his service to the Empire. Lord Jared’s wife, Lady Eva, is the daughter of Barony Lithan, who rules the Barony of Lithia, one the seven Fultonian baronies. Lady Eva is a “blooded” noble, the highest class of Fultonian Nobility who trace their lineage back to the creation of humanity by Tya Nehru. She has been ostracized by much of her family for marrying Lord Jared. Lady Eva is in charge of the domestic activities in Immersea castle and her role in the town is limited to supervision of the town priests. Town Seneschal: Tosha Pent, half-elf woman, and all financial and legal matters concerning the castle's estates outside of the castle itself which is the responsibility of Lady Eva and the Lorwick, the Castle Steward. She is in her mid-30s, five and half feet tall and 110 pounds. Known as the "paper witch" by the merchants, and presides over the town constables, scribes, guilds and town counsel and even representing the lord and lady when they were unavailable. Haywood: Sandor Arryn, Immersean male. Responsible for repairing fences, hedges, impounding stray cattle and purchasing supplies for the Lord's fields. Huge mountain of a man with long hair and a beard. Served for a short period in the Immersea Military. Loyal, but strong dislike of elves and Celts. A widower. Beadle: Mero Jorah, Immersean male. Supervises planting and collects rents. Short, skinny man, ugly face, late 30s. Not well liked, dishonest and smart, does not play favorites.

Defences

Immersea has new and well fortified walls, which are primarily defended by a small contingent of town guard and the town militia, which effectively includes most able bodied adults.

Industry & Trade

Immesea's is the gateway to the Celtic lands, with two main, ancient Fultonian roads going norht. Northeast lies the Nation of Galletica and the northwest is the town of Mawatt leading through Olbat, Harmarthen, Torg, and Alchlth or Mucmag to the twin towns of Bondar and Buntar at the border with Bevil.

History

Immersea was founded thousands of years ago during Fultar’s golden age of expansion. Unlike the northern city of Critlip, Immersea was sacked multiple times as well as being abandoned after the cataclysmic events of the Guar Conquest and Arrival of the Great Worms. In Year of Iron 895, Crispin Jared, a half-elven bard, inherited the title Lord of Immersea when his distant uncle Lord Lowrey Hogden was died after a falling from the castle walls after a drunken winter holiday feast. For decades Immersea had been beset by Guar attacks, banditry, conflict with the Celtic lands and Mawatt, and bad harvests under the negligent leadership of Lord Hogden. Lord Hogden had one brief moment of glory in YR 880, bravely servingin the Battle of Emridy Meadows to help destroy the Temple of Elemental Evil. After the pinnacle of his career, Lord Hogden failed to take his duties responsibly, which contributed to the decline of Immersea. However, even able leadership may not have been able to navigate the difficult decades in the late 800s. Immersea’s population dramatically increased from around 1000 in YR 895 to 1146 in YR 910, despite loss of life in inconstant and continual conflict with Guar, banditry, terror from a semi-divine ancient sorceress Animi, and other conflicts. Lord Jared lead an aggressive campaign of recruiting new merchants, fostering new cultural institutions, bringing in professional mercenaries, and embarking on aggressive building, including new city walls, castle halls and a “Bardic College” for training of bards from the various Fultonian and Celtic traditions.

Major events by Year the Era of Jared

YR 895, population 1002 Lord Jared arrives with his body guard Pomje, and his lover, Thistle, a wood elven priestess of Rillifane Rallathill. Lord Jared uses his lyre of building to construct the "Gloriette" in Castle Immersea, which is a new stone hall, repair the castle walls and other improvements, and uses his pipes of the sewers to rid Immersea of its rats. Before Lord Jared can use the lyre to construct and repair the town walls, it is stolen and the thief is not found. A potter and a rug maker and their families immigrate. YR 896, population 1017 Lazel, a quarter-elf child for Lord Jared and the priestess Thistle is born. Thistle spends most of the year adventuring, but consolidates the Immersean priests into a nature centric temple offending the local priests, including those of Tya Nehru. YR 897, population 1023 YR 898, population 1028 Lord Jared is conscripted the Empress to assemble a reconnaissance party to investigate the rumors of a minotaur army in the Fultar Forest. Lord Jared is joined by Pomje, Thistle, Zarathustra Bahadur from Critlip, Lord Santuario from Bevil, and an elven ranger Brook. The minotaur army is defeated and they return as heroes. The minotaur army was brought into Fultar, and returned back to its original plane of existence by a magic item created by the stolen lyre of building. Lord Jared, Thistle, Mr. Bahadur, Lord Santuario, and Brook attend the coronation of a Bevilian Baron. Following the coronation, Lord Jared and Thistle separate, with Thistle taking Lazel to her wood elven home. YR 899, population 1032 The River Rats, a bandit group, disrupt trade in the Tesser Valley and attempt to assassinate Lord Jared. The citadel town of Rakar assists the River Rats, and Harl Wartooth, the chief of Mawatt is also rumored to assist the River Rats. Mr. Bahadur and the ranger Brook assist Lord Jared. Mr. Bahadour tortures an Immersean castle guard, who is a Rakar spy, and earns the enmity and disgust of some of the guard. Mr. Badadour also corrupts a number of village girls. The semi-divine ancient sorceress Animi attempts to take control over Fultar. Lord Jared, accompanied by a charismatic Immsersea village girl and Mr. Bahadoour travel to Fulton, and defeat Animi, but the village girl is slain. Lord Jared is again a hero, although the unseemly and embarrassing event is covered up by the royal family. Animi gives Lord Jared a stone golem. Lord Jared and local merchant Melba Roth buy Thomas Lodge's land, and Lord Jared buys Thomas Lodge's inn, called the Lodge. Thomas Lodge was rumored to be assisting the River Rats. Lord Jared hires the castellan Ja, Tosha Pent, a half-elven woman as the Second Advisor, Steward of Immersea and Commander of the Guard, and Shantel Pent, a paladin and head of Lord Jared’s personal guard. YR 900, population 1033 Lord Jared marries a Guar princess and has a girl child. Animi returns, creating chaos, murdering, and kidnapping, including the child Lazel. Lord Jared, Thistle, Zarathustra Bahadour, Brook, Pomje and others defeat Amini, but Pomje and Lazel are all slain. Lazel is resurrected. The stone golem kills 17 town guards (out of total castle/town guard of about 90) and burns down a number of town buildings. YR 901, population 1032 Lord Jared leaves to the undead and vampire infested Barovia and returns with bonuses for his staff and military, books for Ja, livestock for the peasants, and gifts for the Guar princess and her retinue. After receiving her gifts, the Guar princess leaves Immersea with all of her retinue, except one warrior, who uses the Fultonian name Wind Through Mane. Lord Jared lays the foundation for the wall. Lord Jared, at the end of the year, begins wooing the daughter of a pro-Suan Hill Lord in Southern Fultar Lord Jared brings a glass blower and family to Immersea and a large number of new replacement soldiers. YR 902, population 1088 The Guar sack Olan in the Tesser River valley and assisnate a member of the royal family The wall is built, completed in the summer. An engineer is trained among the Immesean people. Lord Jared pays the Druids 10,000 gp for wine improvements. Lord Jared roots out spies working for Rakar. Lord Jared travels to Fulton and the Barony of Atlan in search of a new wife, is ambushed by the Whip of Rakar in Fulton, saves Sua Hill dwarves, and marries Lady Eva, the daughter of the Barony of Lithia, who is ostracized by her family. In YR 902, Lord Jared brings a group of Suan Hill dwarves from the Barony of Atlan to the Tesser River Valley and established them as miners. The dwarves had been part of an unsuccessful war against the Fultonian military. The dwarves considered joining many of their brethren who immigrated to dwarven towns in the Inner Reaches, like Hammerfast, Hammerholme and Thunderdelve. However, the desire to have a fresh start, their distrust of the Katheroi and Sentinel Fortress as overlords and Lord Jared's promises of being a free town, led them to traveling far to the north. In YR 902, the malefolk arrived and, with great difficulty, in YR 904, the womenfolk and children arrived. Lord Jared raids Mawatt in the fall, results in destroying Rakar soliders and increasing trade with Mawatt. Arrange for the Guar to guard and not sack Immersea. Lord Crispin Jared and Chief Harl Wartooth negotiate a long lasting peace treaty. Immigrants include a druid sent by Celtic druids for his service and new peasant families. YR 903, population 1107 Warlord Trant becomes the military commander, Grand Marshall of the Fultar Forest and makes peace with the elves and Celts. At Ascension of Chief Marshal Trant, Lord Jared acts as a liason between Grand Marshall Trant and the elven, thief and Celt alliance and is instrumental in obtaining peace treaties in the Fultar Forest, which are still operative. Immigrants include a Bevilian bard Pippen, and a glove maker. YR 904, population 1118 Lord Jared spends much of the year outside of Immersea. Spring: Crispin takes an extra long trip to Fulton, and returns with a dwarven clan of female refugees from the Suan Hills for the nearly all male dwarves that have established a new mine close to town. The Imperial Edict is pronounced with the Whip of Rakar gaining political control over the lands to the east of the Tesser River Valley. Lord Jared is granted legal title to the land the dwarven miners have settled in, providing the dwarves with Imperial protection, and some lands outside of the village of Ratchin alled Weedspur. Summer: Lord Jared is absent adventuring. Fall: Lord Jared returns and invests in making the annual Wine Festival into a major regional two week event with the first Head and Mallet coemption (a brutal form of polo), smaller competitions for archery, wrestling and horse racing, poetry, singing and music, with plays and other entertainment. Immigrants include an innkeeper who builds outside of Immersea, a wealthy trading merchant, a modest income trading merchant, a horse trader, a drunkard horseman, a furrier, a fish monger, and their families. New castle staff include a new capital of guard and two teachers for Lord Jared’s children and that of the wealthier and more gifted children in town. Three guards are slain by the Guar and the Bevilian bard Pippen dies. YR 905, population 1165 New guards arrive and are trained, including the Nubia warrior Labeta. Crispin negotiates with the Druids and Fultonian bards about building a bardic school one day northwest of Immersea. Surveyors begin to arrive in the fall to plan the building for the following year. It will an ornate building that will completed in five years, but schooling will start earlier. Conflict with the Guar heat up. The Guar initiate the conflict by raiding Immesea. They burn about a fifth of the vineyards, a number of homes and murder 31 peasants and 25 soldiers are killed. Crispin has a short visit to Fulton and Bortlan, hiring Bortlan professional soliders, 10 heavy footmen, 1 sergeant, and 3 light horsemen. Crispin retaliates against the Guar destroying a raiding part, taking prisoners and losing two horsemen. Guar retaliate by burning a bridge, and Crispin builds an expensive stone replacement bridge hiring the dwarves and using his newly trained engineer. YR 906, population 1148 Lady Eva has twins, two boys. War with the Guar. Under Grant Marsjhal Trant, Fultar launches a disastrous attack. Crispin hires and send Bevilian mercenaries rather than his own Immersean or Bortlan soldiers, few of whom return. A Guar army arrives at the gates of Immesea, and Lord Jared temporarily surrender the castle but keeps the town. The Fultonians and Guar negotiate a peace treaty where neither shall pass the stone obelisks. YR 907, population 1131 Spring. Animals are not being born, and Lord Jared leaves on a quest to remove the curse. Lord Jared returns from Fultoan, with three new bards to open the Bardic College as well as teach Lord Jared’s children, the wealthy villagers and gifted children, and some older children from the Tesser River Valley. YR 908, population 1136 Lord Jared sends ambassadors to Kingsmoot, when High Queen Tegwedd is Elected at the Great Kingsmoot. His ambassadors prove instrumental is electing High Queen Tegwedd and forge a powerful and lucrative new alliance with the Celts. Lady Eva has a new girl child. YR 909, population 1141 YR 910, population 1146