Lordship of the North Coast

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Note: This article's title is purely conjectural. Template:Relativelocation

File:Fenkenstrain Castle.png
Fenkenstrain's Castle, formerly occupied by the Lords of the North.

The Lordship of the North Coast was a small independent fief on Morytania's northern coastline founded by Misthalanian still-loyal humans after the downfall of Zaros' empire, presumably at some point in the Fourth Age. These founders may have been part of the settlers from Misthalin who arrived in Morytania in 1777, and decided to set up an independent kingdom where they could worship their chosen god in peace. It was ruled by a line of hereditary Lords, the last of which was Lord Rologarth, who was murdered by Dr. Fenkenstrain in c. year 150 of the Fifth Age.

History

Founding

It is unknown how large or populous the fief was, but graves of its residents are found as far apart as the Mausoleum (where its rulers were buried) and the Haunted Woods. However, it could not have been of great size or power, or it would surely have attracted the attention of Drakan far sooner than it actually did.

The ruling family of the fief had a habit of naming their children Rolo-, presumably for unknown cultural reasons. After the year 27 of the Fifth Age, they remained safe from the Werewolves in nearby Canifis through use of the Ring of Charos, an item originally owned by Drakan's human advisor Charos, which had the power of tricking Werewolves into recognising their own kin in ordinary humans.

Collapse

In the late Fifth Age, during the reign of Lord Rologarth, the Vampyres in the south of Morytania noticed the undesirable presence of politically free humans dwelling in their territory, and began threatening the lord. They soon subjugated the area surrounding the castle and trapped the surviving citizens within. Acting on the manipulative advice of castle physician Doctor Fenkenstrain, Rologarth began sending residents to the Vampyres as tributes, in the hope that they might be satisfactorily appeased and leave the castle alone. This plan was a failure, and Rologarth realised that Fenkenstrain was in league with Lord Drakan.

Desperate, Rologarth penned a letter to his brother Rologarric, who had left the castle some ten years previously due to a mistrust of Fenkenstrain, but received no response. Fenkenstrain, in a failed attempt to steal the Ring of Charos from Rologarth and then flee the castle, was forced to kill him to remain undercover. He was discovered doing this by other family members, whom he also murdered. Drakan enslaved what humans still dwelt in the castle, and he was rewarded for his services with permission to remain in the now empty building without having to pay Blood Tithes. He renamed the castle Castle Fenkenstrain, and practiced necromantic research there.

Events of Creature of Fenkenstrain

Lord Rologarth, 15th Lord of the North Coast, after being accidentally reanimated by Fenkenstrain.

In the year 169 of the Fifth Age, an adventurer, applying for the post of "Braindead Butler" at Fenkenstrain's Castle, entered into his employment, and was ordered to assist him in his project of making a living being out of the body parts of dead humans.

However, the brain acquired for this task turned out, by remarkable coincidence, to be the brain of Lord Rologarth, which had been sold to the Hair of the Dog tavern in Canifis for unknown reasons. When the creature was animated, Rologarth attempted to murder Fenkenstrain, and informed the player of his history; the player then returned the Ring of Charos to Rologarth, who refused it on grounds of not needing protection from Werewolves since they only enjoy eating live flesh. Rologarth still rules his empty castle today.

Known Citizens

The Lords of the North Coast were buried on an islet off the nation's coast.

See also