Stonewood

Vassal of Bisland

Words: "Steadfast as Stone."
Sigil: A purple mountain with three dark green trees in front of it
Nickname: Stonehearthers

The first Stonewood was the warrior daughter of a county that had long fought beside the Bislands, elevated to Marquis to replace a void left during the start of the Crownbreaker Wars. A political marriage to a successful mason lead to the development of a port fortress that offered safe anchor to vessels sworn to House Bisland and her vassals. Generations of such political pairings kept House Stonewood a strong partner to their liege lords the Bislands. Never terribly popular at court thanks to their tradition of blunt manners and tight fisted dealings, the newest Marquis and Marquessa Consort represent something of a deviation. Wed for love rather than politics and neither one a warrior, Malesh continues at least the tradition of economic prowess while Ariel represents the first courtly savvy leader House Stonewood has seen since being founded nearly three centuries ago.

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Ruler: Ariel

Land Holdings

Stonehearth

Description: Blessed with stone to quarry, forest to fell, and flood plains to harvest, the Stonewood March is bountiful enough that families living on it have wanted for little going back to before The Reckoning. A river port added by the then-new House Stonewood for military purposes during the Crownbreaker Wars has proven a popular trading stop along the Gray River during times of peace. Rather than facilitating the movements of soldiers, the well-garrisoned port offers safe harbor to traders and travelers. Those same souls in turn make good customers for the apples, berries, beans, gords, meats, dairy, and other agricultural products that make up the bulk of daily trade at Stonehearth. The building materials such as stone, lumber, and clay the land is rich in tend to offer greater returns but are more often ordered in advance rather than picked up on a whim. The addition of a roadway through the edge of the forest to Pridehall within the last century has only helped grow Stonehearth's size and status as a hub for trade along the river.

Landmarks: As the great road developed across the compact in 1010 AR, a large span was planned to cross a narrower point of The Gray River on Stonewood land. Utilizing an impressive amount of stone, as well as the local terrain, a single arch bridge rises perhaps a hundred feet or more over the water. While the top is graded to allow easy travel by foot or cart from the hills that help support the structure, the arch joins it's reflection on the water to create a circular portal for ships to sail through.

The Black Temple of Stonewood rises over the horizon in all its terrible beauty, a reminder of what the Oathlands rather forget. Spires that remind a traveler of the beautiful temples of Nilanza, the marvelous structure soon becomes a hotly debated point of dispute in the region, and a point of pilgrimage to many mirrormasks. A massive structure of mirrors and made with obsidian, jet and onyx, with its one great spire that looms large and tall in the horizon, the temple was designed to be the largest place of worship to the Thirteenth in Arvum.

More recently, a university dedicated to Dominus Marach, a hospital for research into countering disease and abyssal influence, and expansive living arrangements for the Reflections, Priests, Priestesses, Acolytes, Silent Reflections and foreign dignitaries of the faith were completed. Gardens of blood orchids and other exotic fauna that please Tehom are also planted throughout the holy site, with the entire Black Temple complex being declared officially complete during the Blood Moon of 1012 AR

Trends: Most of Grayson isn't sure how to feel about the temple. Of course, the Thirteenth is worshiped, but the Black Temple at Stonehearth seems... a bit much. The Lyceum loves it, of course, but many Grayson vassals are distinctly uneasy over it, but are willing to see how it plays out.

Founding member of the Empyrean Trade Route.

The Great Road was built on their lands in 1010 AR.