The oldest of the human kingdoms, Fortide is the heart of the western continent and the human race.

It is from Fortide that humans draw their military strength in the west. It is also the center of learning for aspiring and seasoned academics, due to the many libraries and academies that flourish in Fortide’s settlements.

Briarhelm, also known as “The Human Capital”, is a bustling port city located on Briarhelm Bay, known for its vast libraries and colleges.

Government

Type: Absolute Monarchy
Ruler: Queen (Charlotte Lucidia) Dimarria
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Age: 51

Queen Dimarria rules over Fortide with a kind and generous heart, from within her palace in Briarhelm. She is loved by most of her subjects, and is known to be honest, fair, and just. A very capable tactician, she is skilled at leading her kingdom both in times of peace and during war.

She is not married, and has no children. There are rumors that she may be barren.

Geography

Forest, Mountains

Primary Race

Humans

Cities

• Briarhelm, also described as “The Human Capital”, is a bustling port city located on Briarhelm Bay in Fortide, well known for its vast libraries and colleges.

Towns & Villages

• Timberfall

Crime

The Syndicate is a criminal organization in Briarhelm, the capital city of Fortide.

They are a threefold group comprised of the the Hand, the Hammer, and the House. Each wing has responsibility for controlling one sector of Briarhelm’s population:

The House

The House controls the aristocrats and the court. It bribed and wheedled its way into the halls of power, influencing the way the laws are made and enforced.

The Hammer

The Hammer, the most lucrative arm of the Syndicate, controls the craftsmen. It tells them what to make, how much to make, and takes a large percentage of the revenue. Much of the city’s wealth ended up in their hands that way. The Hammer often works in tandem with the House. If the city wants public works completed, it would have to meet the House’s demands in order to have access to the Hammer’s skilled craftsmen.

The Hand

The Hand is the street arm of the Syndicate. They are the brutes forcing people into paying protection money, beating all of those who stand up to them into the ground. When most people see a group of Hand, they cross to the other side of the street and hope the thugs don’t notice.

There are rumors that there is something else controlling the Syndicate. Some foreign spies, perhaps. Some of the more superstitious tale-bearers claim it involves dark, powerful magic-users or inter-dimensional beings – but no one really knows for sure.

Other Places of Note

Houndswood Forest

The vast Houndswood Forest stretches for hundreds of miles, east of the city of Briarhelm in Fortide, finally surrendering at the base of the eastern mountains.

The forest is known for it’s thorny Houndswood trees, which are used to produce the finest arrows in the world. The 2-3 inch thorns are so hard that they are often used as natural arrowheads. Houndswood only accounts for about 20% of the tree population, with the rest being typical woodland trees such as pine, hickory, various oaks, maple, ash, birch, etc.

Several major roads have been plowed through the forest, and it’s often the wiser choice to stay on them, especially at night.

The Houndswood tree has become a local icon, and in smaller settlements is often used in folk art, depicted in crafts such as leatherworking, tavern logos, etc.

Verlani Isle

Verlani Isle lies off the western coast of Fortide, and is known for two primary exports: the world’s best beer, and barrels.

Geography

Forest, Small Mountains, Beaches

Primary Races

Humans, Elves, Halflings, Dwarves

Towns & Villages

• Bergen
• Drewsbir
• Gyre
• Kort
• Wilburshire

Other Places of Note on Verlani Isle

• Liln Tor – a large, mysterious, seemingly solid stone structure that rises up out of the forest.