Thursday, December 1, 2011

Harrow Parrish, County Carr

Harrow Parish is a vibrant locality, located in County Carr in the heart of the Merchant's Republic. The fortified town of Carrnach sits high atop a hill, giving it's residents a vantage point to see for miles in all directions. The parish contains the Village of Harrow, as well as hamlets in the North Hundred, South Hundred, and East Hundred.


Harrow Parish, County Carr, Merchant's Republic, Calabri: 1" = 1 Mile



George Vicat Cole




The town of Carrnach boasts some 7000 residents, and can be seen from miles around. Carrnach is governed by a council of 7 Merchant Barons and Princes, and controls trade traffic on the western route of the Via Imperium through the Merchant's Republic. Together, both Carrnach and Carrdech control river trade down the Mern.





Jan Van Goyen





Village of Harrow is host to some 1,000 residents. Another  1,800  residents live throughout the parish. The Village of Harrow is accessible by the Harrow Ferry.








Harrow Keep lies across the Harrow Lake from the town of Carrnach.












Thomas Miles Richardson






The waters of Harrow Lake are deep and hold many secrets








The Parrish offers the best of idyllic life, and has seen many generations of peace. The Parrish is a flourishing fishing, farming and shepherding community. Other resources are the plentiful peat of the dire bogs, timber from the Greenwood, and iron from up the Red River.

Some of the finest spirits in Calabria are brewed in Harrow Parish.

Eduard von Grutzner

County Carr, Merchant's Republic

The Merchant's Republic, like the Confederacy of Traders, is divided into regions called counties. The name harkens back to Imperial times when actual "Counts" ruled over large regions of Imperial kingdoms.
Today, the term county signifies a coalition of parishes who choose to operate certain business transactions as a single entity, giving them more power than any single parish. The Merchant Barons and Princes of the individual parishes continually jockey for positions of greater power, but generally all conflicts within a parish are judged by a local parish Brehon. The name Brehon is an ancient term for "judge", which comes from the tradition of the Clans of the Men of Old.

County Carr, Merchant's Republic: 1" = 3 miles


Lying between the Greenwood and Woodbury Forest, County Carr contains the southern portion of the Dire Bogs, and controls trade passage on the Mern River. The county gets is name from Carr, a legendary Centaur who is said to have perished while leading his kinsmen to victory in a war between Man and the Monstrous Races in the days before The Shattering. Calabria's largest monument to the Centaur race sits atop Carr Peak, some twenty leagues north of Carr County.

Carrnach and Carrdech are the two most strategic towns of the county. Both towns are fortified, and are perched upon hilltops, allowing vantage points from which to surveil nearly the entire breadth of the county from the Greenwood to Woodbury.

There are some half dozen villages in the county, each situated a league or two off of the main trade route of the Via Imperium, allowing for a level of privacy to the villagers which is greatly valued. In addition to the villages, there are also smaller hamlets scattered about, with some farmers living in near isolation. Villages typically host a smith, a carpenter, and a chapel, with some providing masons, cobblers, coopers, butchers to nearby villages and hamlets. Villagers may travel up to three leagues to have their grain milled, an undertaking requiring an entire day's investment.

Hubert Robert


A fortified bridge spans the Mern between the sister towns of Carrnach and Carrdech, which lie less than two leagues to either side. The bridge was greatly damaged in The Shattering, and in times past the bridge's tower served many purposes, from home to prison. Today, the restored bridge and tower loom imposingly over the Mern, and control traffic up and down the river with support from the nearby towns.

Travel north on the Via Imperium is treacherous, as the paved roadway has sunk into the Dire Bogs in several places. The river is commonly used by traders to circumvent this portion of the Via Imperium.

Woodbury Forest and the Greenwood are rich sources of timber, and many a woodcutter makes his living on the edges of the county. However, tales of things best left undisturbed are common among the more isolated villages.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Spirits of Darkness

From beyond the Veil come spirits of darkness, ever seeking to tempt man and wrest from him the things he loves. Some offer power and wealth in exchange for a chance to walk the world in physical form, even if for the briefest of moments. Other prey on more primal impulses, coming to the unsuspecting in pleasing forms. Still others freely roam the wilds, drawing the hapless into their frenetic revelries.

Johann Henrich Fussli

Franz von Stuck

Frank C. Pape

Franz von Stuck