Town of CrestGrath est. 1002

The town of CrestGrath was established around the Realms Year 1002 by two people, Dagger Arkenstone (then of WhiteCoast) and his foreign friend, SLIM. The town is located in one of the remaining wooded patches in the deep Southern Wastes. CrestGrath has survived the fall of the Nation of WhiteCoast and Dagger Arkenstone, the town's mayor and now of Blackwood, still lives there. SLIM also maintains an establishment, SLIM'S PLACE, which he had built by Balinor of WhitCoast in the first years of the town's existence.

Dagger of Blackwood, Founder and Former Mayor of CrestGrath

Dagger founded the Town of CrestGrath as a village with his friend SLIM.  As the then village was part of the Nation of WhiteCoast, Dagger became the town's member as the village's most prominent resident.  Although he has since left the town almost completely to carry out the King of Blackwood’s wishes in Mythodea, Dagger still maintained the position of Mayor until Realms Common Year 1022 where he abducated the position of mayor to District Administrator SLIM of the Market District.

Slim Co. Founder of CrestGrath and Mayor

SLIM just woke up one day in the Realms and started wondering. He has no memory of who he was or where he came from. The first person he met in the Realms was a kid who claimed to be a dragon named Dagger. The two became friends and set out traveling together. Dagger was part of a group called WhiteCoast that were settling the lands around where SLIM woke. Not interested in joining the nation, Slim decided to work for them on occasion and use them to build a home and start a business.

SLIM's first friend in the Realms Dagger was given permission to settle a town by his Lord Galleos Seaelf. Slim, showing an aptitude for business, decided to co. found the town which Dagger named CrestGrath. Once at their new location in the heart of WhiteCoast, Slim and Dagger began to settle their new town. The two hashed out the general layout and started construction on the town. Slim brought in help, a dwarf named Balinor, from one of the more established regions of WhiteCoast to help with some masonry.

SLIM's first main project in the city was the construction of "an actual building made of stone" his business and home, SLIM's Place. The rest of the town started out as either earthen huts or tents including Dagger's home which is not much better today. Later, as SLIM's business started to flourish, Slim funded the construction on the existing wall that surrounds 1/3 of the town. Slim has since left his mercenary work and retired to a life of light merchanting, until now.

SLIM was named Mayor of CrestGrath when Sir Dagger of Blackwod, the town's founder and prior mayor, adbucated the position to him in the summer of Realms Common Year 1022.

Varn of CrestGrath

Varn was found by Dagger of Blackwood in the Southern Wastes of the Realms. The mayor of CrestGrath, Dagger, took Varn when he was still a boy to the only nearby civilized settlement, CrestGrath. There, the librarian of the Library of CrestGrath adopted Varn teaching him to read and write. Varn spent much of his time either working in the library or performing his civic duty on in the town guard. Recently, after Dagger's long absence from the town, Varn chose to travel to Mythodea to serve Dagger in hopes of seeing something more than the small town he grew up in.

Currently, Varn has been made temporary Master of Blackwood House in Drachenbrück, Zweiwasser within the Realm of Roses.

Charles of CrestGrath

Charles was born to a carpenter and a camp follower of The Army of Dragon's Breath. When that army disbanded, Charles's family went with those who followed Galleos Seaelf south to the Southern Wastes. There, Charles's father practiced his trade in the new town of CrestGrath helping to build and later maintain its structures. His mother, however, did not come with as she disappeared with a knight when Dragon's Breath disbanded.

Charles's father raised him and taught him his trade. His father still lives and works in CrestGrath today only now Charles is a fully grown adult with a child of his own. To help maintain his growing family, Charles ventured out into the Realms as an Embassy Guard when the mayor returned asking for support. Currently, Charles is working as an Embassy Guard on Saphire Isle

The Town of CrestGrath is broken up into two quarters and two districts.

The districts are as follows:

Blackwood District and Market District.

The Quarters are as follows:

Arkendrose Quarter and Dwarven Quarter.

The Mayor of CrestGrath:

The Mayor position and title was taken by the town's founder, Dagger Arkenstone. The position serves primarily to form town projects and its regulations as well as to collect taxes. The Mayor of CrestGrath is marked by their chain of office.

The Mayor of CrestGrath reserves the right to veto any action put forth by the council with the exclusion of a vote for the position and title of Mayor of CrestGrath.

The Vice Mayor of CrestGrath:

The Vice Mayor position is given by the mayor to a person of their choosing to fulfill the duties of Mayor when the Mayor is not present. The position is a staff position of the town hall. Currently acting as Vice Mayor is Slim however, he may not be aware of it. He is simply the most respected CrestGrath resident so, much of the town goes to him during the long periods when its mayor is not present.

Quarter Elders:

Both the Arkendrose and Dwarven Quarters have Quarter Elders which represent their respective quarters in the town council. The Quarter Elders are the eldest permanent residents of their respective quarter.

Arkendrose Quarter Elder: Vacant

Dwarven Quarter Elder: Balimbor, Elder brother of Balanor

District Administrators:

District Administrators represent their respective district in the town council. District administrators are voted in by the Watch Serving Age residents of their respective districts.

Market District Administrator: Slim, Proprietor of Slim's Place

Blackwood District Administrator: Altalkus, Librarian of CrestGrath, Known as Papa

CrestGrath Town Council:

The CrestGrath Town Council is formed of the two Quarter Elders and two District Administrators as well as the serving Mayor of CrestGath. The Council meets to vote on important matters concerning the town such as defenses, food stores, logistics, diplomacy, taxes and town projects.

The Mayor does not have to vote on town ordnance but reserves the right to vote and or veto most actions put forth by the Council with the exception of a vote for the position and title of Mayor of CrestGrath.

CrestGrath Town Watch:

All residents of CrestGrath are required to train in basic combat with whatever weapons are available starting at the age of 8. All residents of CrestGrath are required to serve in the Town Watch on a rotational basis at the age of 12 until old or infirm. The Town Council elects a Watch Captain who is responsible for training the Watch and setting the watch rotations from among the available residents. Paying higher than required taxes may allow residents to wave their watch duty provided there are enough residents to maintain the watch.

Key Structures of CrestGrath:

The Library of CrestGrath:

The Library of CrestGrath was commissioned by Dagger of Blackwood, the town's mayor at the time, as a place to collect books, scrolls and knowledge as well as to serve as a place of education. Construction was halted on the renovation of the CrestGrath Town Hall in order to divert resources and tax revenue to the Library project. The Library is made up of two stone towers connected by a causeway and a small central building. The Library stand's as the town's tallest building and is situated on the Eastern Edge of town.

CrestGrath Town Hall:

The town hall was a wattle and dob-two room building originally but construction began to increase its height and function around R.C.Y. 1007. That construction was halted leaving the building vulnerable to the elements. Since then the Town hall's new second floor has been blocked off and the first floor is only used sparingly. The Town Council has met at either Slim's Place or the Library of CrestGrath in recent years.

Slim's Place:

Slim's Place is both one of the oldest buildings in the town and its first stone structure. When the town was founded it was mainly earthen huts and tents. Slim built Slim's Place which had a few rooms for rent on its half-second floor and a bar in its main room on the ground floor. The local is the town's main place of entertainment if one cannot read and often even if you can.

The CrestGrath Inn:

As the town grew and Slim seemed to have no plans to expand his rooms for rent, the need for an Inn arose. A small-tax founded inn was built just behind the town's main gate. The Inn is simple sturdy and located at the other end of the Market District from Slim's Place.

The Guard House and Main Gate:

Part of the original wall constructed partially around CrestGrath included a main gate and a Guard House located on the Western end of the town. The Guard House has one small room at ground floor and one large room above the gate which has simple beds built into it for those who have Watch Duty. Those on watch are permitted to sleep there during their long watch rotations.

The Mill:

The town has one mill on the Southern side of town in the Blackwood District. The Mill has been continuously improved as the town grew. Currently the mill is made in the Hemenshire style and stands as the second tallest structure in the town.

The Star Alliance Embassy:

When the Maetsyn Onedae first came through the Arkendrose Gate, one of his primary tasks was to establish a Star Alliance Embassy on that side of the portal. Progress in its construction was slow due to the difficulty in getting resources of worth through the Gate but it was finally completed some two years after it's construction began. The Embassy is a wide one floor building with a handful of rooms making it likely the one story building with the most room in CrestGrath.

The Syconian Embassy:

A smaller but taller structure, the Syconian Embassy, in contrast to the Star Alliance Embassy, was built rather quickly as Syconia had little to no issues bringing resources through the Gate. The Embassy was permitted by Mayor Dagger Arkenstone but some in the town are weary of its presence especially in recent years as its standing guard has increased considerably in number.

Balimbor's Mine:

With the flow of resources into CrestGrath drying up, Balimbor and the remainder of his clan of dwarfs began to mine the ground underneath the town. The size and depth of these mines are only known to Balimbor and those of the Dwarven Quarter.

People of Note of CrestGrath:

Sir Dagger of Blackwood:

Sir Dagger of Blackwood founded the Town of CrestGrath long before becoming the Kingdom of Blackwood's ambassador to the East and then being knighted for his work. In the days of the town's founding, he was a healer in the WhiteCoast Brigade. Dagger was afforded special rights, by WhiteCoast's leader Gallios, to settle the then Village of CrestGrath.

Slim:

Slim co-founded the Town of CrestGrath alongside Dagger Arkenstone. Slim built the town's first stone building which now serves as his primary residence and place of business, Slim's Place. Slim has since been elected District Administrator of the Market District and has been used as the Vice Mayor in Dagger's absence. Most recently, Slim has signed on with Ambassador Sir Dagger as an Embassy Guard.

Balimbor:

Brother to Balanor, Balimbor originally headed the wall construction project for the town of CrestGrath. The project was halted due to the ongoing wars in WhiteCoast. CrestGrath had a shortage of viable resources to construct the wall in its entirety which was further exacerbated by the disrupted supply and trade lines out of the town. Once WhiteCoast fell, most hope for a stable supply of resources into the town was lost. However, with steady mining and the slow import of lumber and quarried stone, Balimbor and the dwarfs of the Dwarven Quarter were able to build the Library of CrestGrath and other small projects, paid for by taxes collected from the town.

Altalkzus "Papa":

The man known to many as Papa is the librarian of CrestGrath. The librarian came, originally, from the City of Hemenshire in the Kingdom of Blackwood and has since served as a tutor and surrogate father figure to children who have lost their families.

Silzer:

Silzer was once an active traveler but has since settled down at the edge of town in his small tower house for a life of quiet reflection.

Balanor:

Balanor was brought to CrestGrath from the, now ruined, City of Tempest to aid in the construction of a stone wall and guard towers that was planned to have encircled the town. During construction, many dwarfs including Balanor's older brother Balimbor moved to the town to work on its construction. Balanor left the construction project in the hands of his brother and left the town to return to Tempest. Balanor has been missing and assumed dead ever since the fall of Tempest and WhiteCoast.

Charles:

Charles, the carpenter's son, learned the trade from his father and serves both in the Town Watch and under contract as an Embassy Guard.

Fennix Heighless:

Fennix Heighless is the son of Dame Celest Heighless the former Lady of Alonis and Knight of Blackwood. Fennix's Mother was stripped of her titles before she died. Upon her death, it was her wish that her old friend, Dagger Arkenstone be her son's Guardian. Fennix was raised, after his mother's death, by the town and tutored by the Librarian of CrestGrath. He has since ventured East to Mythodea to join with Sir Dagger as his ward.

People of Note from CrestGrath:

Maetsyn Onadae:

Maetsyn Onadae came through the Arkendrose Gate quickly settled in nearby CrestGrath. Through his presence, and that of those who came with him, the Arkendrose Quarter was formed. Maetsyn later began to journey with the Blackwood Province of Idaris, joining it a year later. Maetsyn was later named High Mage of Blackwood and even the Steward of Alonis after Dame Celest left for a time. His wareabouts today are not well known.

Rayne Sol:

Rayne was a wraith who entered the Realms from the Arkendrose Gate around the time Maetsyn did. He built a home in CrestGrath and later joined Dagger, Maetsyn and others on their journeys with Idaris. He was give Sworn Citizenship of Idaris and Blackwood by accident when he was mistaken for a man named Solvo. How this mistake could have been made, one had a face the other did not, is unknown.

Captain Varn:

Varn was found by Dagger Arkenstone in the wastes near CrestGrath when he was just a boy after the boy's family were killed in a battle between WhiteCoast and the Rebels. Varn was given to the Librarian to raise and thus Varn grew up a librarian's assistant, was well educated and also learned basic combat skills while serving in the Town Watch until his early adulthood. Since then, Varn has left CrestGrath to serve in the Embassy Guard alongside Sir Dagger of Blackwood East in Mythodea.

Varn is now both a Sworn Citizen of Blackwood and the Captain of the Embassy Guard.

Dame Celest Heighless:

Celest started from humble belongings. She moved to the Town of CrestGrath at a young age but later ventured out into the world to seek her fortune. Through effort, deed and merit she was knighted and made the Lady of Alonis within the Kingdom of Blackwood. She had her titles stripped form her, however, in a dispute at a gathering in Chimeron. She died shortly after of unknown causes.

Salvo:

Salvo was among those who left CrestGrath to join Idaris and the Kingdom of Blackwood. He served under Dame Celest and also was Steward of Alonis for a while. Salvo currently lives in the Blackwood Province of Alonis.

History of CrestGrath:

CrestGrath was established as a village first on the edge of a small desert oasis deep in the Southern Wastes in R.C.Y. 1003. Its original founders were Dagger Arkenstone and his friend Slim with the later addition of Balanor. A few years later, the village grew to become a small town.

War with the Dark Champion R.C.Y 1003-4:

CrestGrath was situated far from the fighting with the Dark Champion and his armies of the Southern Ocean but it still felt its impact. The war often disrupted supply and trade lines headed to and from the settlement until the war finally ended. However, when the war ended, so too did the Nation of WhiteCoast and CrestGrath was left as the sole surviving settlement of the once proud Nation of WhiteCoast.

Rebel Faction of the Southern Wastes R.C.Y 1003-5:

When CrestGrath was founded, it was mainly tents and earthen huts at the edge of a desert oasis and it was part of the Nation of WhiteCoast which had claimed dominion over a large swatch of land in the Southern Wastes. CrestGrath was then the smallest of WhiteCoast's settlements and it was also its weakest.

Tribal rebels from the WhiteCoast hinterlands attacked merchants, settlers, soldiers of WhiteCoast and their allies alike. It was through the heroic efforts of the Nation of Neden and the Nation of Mythgard that the town was initially liberated of its rebel attackers.

Damon Hosh and the Arkendrose Gate R.C.Y 1003:

A demon by the name of Damon Hosh was among the first to use the Arkendrose Gate to cross over from Arkendrose into the Realms. When he did, he attempted to attack CrestGrath but the reasons why were never known. The Nation of Neden defeated Damon and his undead horde sending them back to where they came.

The Empire of Coastaar R.C.Y 1003-5:

The Empire of Coastaar followed Damon Hosh into the Realms but were immediately confronted by the Nation of Mythgard who pushed them back through the Gate. Alias of Mythgard temporarily closed the Gate as well but it would later be opened from the other side only this time a united Realms Army was waiting for the Empire when they arrived. The Empire's soldiers were defeated and once again pushed back. Once again the Gate was closed.

The Arkendrose Gate and the Arkendrose District R.C.Y 1004-Present:

The Gate did not stay closed for long as, Maetsyn representingthe Star Alliance from beyond the Gate, came through it along with others to form a general staff for the Star Alliance Embassy. The trouble with the Empire and with Damon Hosh appeared to be at an end. Slowly representatives from the Star Alliance of Nations and the Empire of Sycon came through the Gate and settled in CrestGrath on its North end.

Town of CrestGrath R.C.Y 1005-Present:

With the slow influx of new settlers from beyond the Arkendrose Gate and with the relative peace enjoyed after the Empire of Coastaar's second failure to invade the Realms, CrestGrath grew into a full Town complete with a Mayor, the town's founder Dagger, and a Town Council.

Bedlam R.C.Y 1012-14:

Although times were peaceful, there was a darkness that encroached on the town from afar. The darkness was known as Bedlam. Though it has never been explained why, Mayor Dagger Arkenstone felt somehow responsible for its presence. He would often observe its grown on the horizon and feared it would one day consume the town. Luckily for the town, Bedlam was defeated and the darkness receded.

Period of Peace R.C.Y 1014-Present:

Since the fall of Bedlam, CrestGrath has known nothing but peace. The town continues on as before. Many of its buildings have also seen some improvements and the natural springs have not dried up. Food is not plentiful but its distribution is well managed. The last rebel sightings were years ago and there has been no traces of the Dark Champion or his armies. The road North to civilization has also been firmly established allowing the town to slowly grow once more.