Romant County:
Named for the order of St Romanus that is located here, the count is Count Sir Edward Dourdorn, a knight of the order, but not its head. Total population is 168,000.
Romant, Bearwoods and Fairvale Counties together form a region often referred to as Southwest Greenvale, or "the Karuun Mountain Valley", although this is a misnomer.
The town of Dourdorn is the county seat. Other towns of some size include Red Larch, located west of Dourdorn by some 50 miles (as the crow flies). South of Red Larch on a spur road is the ramshackle village of Womford, with the nearby Bargewright Inn. To the north is the village of Beliard. Halfway between Red Larch and Dourdorn is Westbridge, home to the Harvest Inn. Many other small villages, farmsteads and manors dot the rugged hills and forests of this County. Everyone in the County knows the names of all villages on the road, and has a general familiarity with landmarks such as the Stonebridge and Feathergale Spire.
Roads in the region: the road from Jerint to Red Larch is known as the "High Road", but segments of it are also called other things by locals. Generally, this means that Red Larchers call the road to Dourdorn the "Dourdorn High Road". The roads from Red Larch north and south are known as Womford Lane and Beliard Trail. The Greenvale Patrol (the interior "road watch" for Greenvale) has a major headquarters in Dourdorn, and they are commonly found on the High Road, though not so much on the lesser tracks. The road south from Dourdorn that goes by Summit Hall (The Temple-Keep of St Romanus) and ends just north of Riverguard Keep is called Silent Lake Road. Much of the traffic that goes down that road ends in the village of Hull. Distances: Red Larch is 50 miles as the crow flies from Dourdorn, but in actual physical distance, it is closer to 70 miles, as the road goes up and down, switching back and forth up the various hills and down into narrow valleys over the Karuun mountains. Westbridge is about 20 miles from Red Larch, and about 50 miles from Dourdorn; there are 3 lower ridges between Westbridge and Red Larch, while between Dourdorn and Westbridge is one steep, high ridgeline.
Amphail: a minor town on the road between Dourdorn and Crossroads (County Seat of Fairvale). Amphail was the first baron appointed by the first Count of Romant County.
Bargewright Inn: just outside/above the village of Womford, south of Red Larch. This small, fortified Inn serves as a secondary point of contact between the dwarves of Koruzd and Greenvale. Here they bring much of their finished iron goods to sell, and they also transship coal here to river barge. The dwarves buy charcoal that is made in Womford and the surrounding forests, as far north as Bearwoods County. Bargewright Inn is under the control of the Greenvale Miner's Guild. This is the same group that runs the Phandelin Miner's Exchange.
Beliard: The central business here is logging and charcoal-burning. The surrounding woods are rich with several unusual trees, such as the fireplum and feather wood trees. The town boasts many sawmills and a large number of charcoal burning huts, as well as lumber yards, woodworkers, suppliers of logging and camping gear, and several Inns and many boarding houses. It is a busy, noisy place. A small mercenary company known as the Greycoats also uses Beliard as a wintering-over town. They have been working for the past ten years for Count Sir Edward or his neighboring Counts in hunting bandits, goblins, and once in a while the Woodsfolk tribes who sometimes get too aggressive towards the local farmsteads. During the Dragonswar, they acquitted themselves very well indeed, and earned the privilege of a permanent facility here in Beliard.
Dourdorn: Dourdorn is the County Seat of Romant County, and Count Edward's keep is at the center of the city. He is a brisk, competent man in his thirties, but as yet unmarried. His younger sister Dara is his heir. She ably assists her brother, acting as leader of the Count's Guard and assisting both the Greenvale Patrol and the Knights of St. Romanus in protecting the city, guarding the highroads to Red Larch and Amphail, and bringing peace to the region.
Goldenfields: this large walled Abbey is dedicated to Elanora. On the shores of a small lake, and very close to Summit Hall, it supports itself with farming, fishing and a rich orchard of plums, pears, crabapples, cherries and mulberries. They make a good living selling both their harvests and wines made from their fruits, which they sell in Old Greenvale for considerable profit. The Abbess of Greenfields is Lady Ellardine. She is allied with the Greenwardens, who protect Greenvale's borders. The abbey sits high above the shores of Lake Bountiful, a small but deep and lovely body of water.
Halls of the Hunting Axe: no changes
Haunted Keeps of the Silver Horn Knights: These are four sets of ruins grouped not too far apart, along the road between Dourdorn and Westbridge. Three of these locations are easy to spot, and known to passers-by, who will warn newcomers to the area to avoid them - it is well known that they are all haunted, although careful inquiry will reveal that in the last six months, new groups have taken up residence in all three of these ruins. They are: Feathergale Spire, Sacred Stone Monastery, Scarlet Moon Hall, and Riverguard Keep.
Helvenblade House: east of Amphail and not far across the County border into Fairvale, this large country estate is the principal home of Count Sir Maxis Silverhelve of Fairvale County. It consists of a fortified manor, stables, a guest lodge, and two outlying hunting lodges, all framing a large garden area and lawns. The woods around the estate for several miles are well-tended and kept as a hunting preserve for the Count and his knights. Helvenblade House is visited by the Count and his family on a regular basis; the Countess dwells there perhaps half the year with her five children, and many knights come and go frequently. The House has never suffered troubles with bandits or other raiders in the nearly 200 years the family has dwelled here. Legend claims that the family home is haunted by the ghost of the first Lord Silverhelve , who settled here many decades before Greenvale spread this far west; the truth is a carefully guarded family secret.
High Forest: this vast and mysterious forest lies on the western edge of Greenvale, out to the Westron river. The Wolf, Deer, Hawk and Boar clan Woodsfolk can be found there, with the Deer and Boar in the largest numbers. The forest has a reputation for being extremely unchancy, and those who pass beyond the borders of Greenvale often vanish. Just on the border, almost in the spot where Bearwoods and Romant Counties meet, lies the most distinctive feature of the High Forest, at least in the eyes of the Greevalers; Shadowtop Cathedral is a large grove of enormous Shadowtop Trees, which tower over the surrounding woods and hills. This is the home base of the Greenwardens of Western Greenvale, who guard and protect the western flank of the kingdom, and also protect the forest from intrusion by overly aggressive or greedy humans. They are closely allied with Lady Ellardine of Greenfields Abbey.
Hull: this village is located at the southern border of Greenvale. It serves two purposes; it houses a Keep of the Greenvale Guard, which numbers about 300 men here, although more than half are always on patrol of the Kingdom's border and will be unavailable at less than a week's notice. It also serves as a major jumping off point for river traffic to Koruzd. The small village boasts a number of warehouses, wagon-yards, and other facilities that serve merchants who bring goods to trade with the dwarves. The dwarves maintain a small embassy and guard unit of their own. Note that while Womford is trading in charcoal, ore, and even some stone with the dwarves, Hull's trade is in much more finished goods and foodstuffs. Several small granaries and a mill also provide services to the locals. The village only has about 200 permanent residents, but sometimes boasts as many as 100 traders, merchants and travelers. Hull has a Baron, Sir Wybart, who keeps a close eye on all that goes on in his demesne.
Baronial Seats and Independent Homesteads: Count Sir Edward Dourdorn has fewer Barons than many of his eastern counterparts, preferring to allow each small town or village elect town elders, and then appoint a sherrif to work with them, but he does have several Barons scattered around the County. Some of them are: Anderil, Dellmon and Nettlebee. There are also a large number of small, fortified manors and estates scattered through the forests and valleys of Romant County. All owe fealty to the Count, but many are hardly known by those who do not live nearby, and it is possible to stumble across these Farmsteads unexpectedly at almost any time. They are sometimes set upon by bandits, raided by the Woodsfolk, or fall prey to local monstrous predators. Almost all will welcome adventurers and travelers with open arms, glad to see anyone who can share news, carry requests or messages to larger communities, or aid them in some problem too tough for them to deal with. All these farmsteads are stout-walled structures, with heavy shutters, barns built close to form defensible squares, and other appropriate features.
Kryptgarden Forest: This forest lies on the southern flank of Greenvale, stretching into the eastern Karuun Mountains. The forest hides many old dwarven ruins and the extensive underground city now known as SouthKrypt. It is also the home of an ancient female green dragon named Claugil, who will often raid traffic on the roads and rivers between Greenvale and Koruzd. She is known by the nickname of "Old Gnawbone" for her habit of gnawing on the corpses of her victims long after their bones are stripped bare. In recent months the Kryptgarden forest has become much more dangerous, and even the Knights of Romanus at Summit Hall, and the Greenwardens have begun avoiding these steep hills when possible. The Vale of Dancing Waters, a dwarven pilgrimage site, is located here, deep in the Kryptgarden, south of Silent Lake. Summit Hall is located on the northernmost end of Silent Lake, and the ancient Riverguard Keep is located on the southern end of the lake, just outside Greenvale's bounds.
Lance Rock: this prominent landmark just outside of Red Larch consists of a slender stone monolith that juts out of the earth beside the road to Wyrmford, just a few miles south of town. It is surrounded by fields and pastures, but few go too near it. No changes in history.
Rundreth Manor: located just south of Amphail, a few miles off the High Road, this manor has long been ruined and uninhabited. The large stone manor, now roofless and overgrown, is known far and wide as the home of the "Dark Lady", the ghost of a wizard who died during the fall of the 2nd Empire. Locals, including the Knights of St. Romanus, warn everyone to stay well away from the ruins. Truthfully, the legendary "Dark Lady" is a shadow dragon who has dwelled in the caverns beneath the ruined manor for more than seven hundred years. The manor and the surrounding region for about six miles are almost constantly cloaked in strange mists, and travelers who leave the road will find that their journey along the narrow track that is all that now leads to the ruins will take them twice as long as they expect.
Stone Bridge: this gigantic stone archway (almost half a mile long, and arching 400' above the river it crosses) lies between Westbridge and Red Larch. It crosses the Brant river gorge; this is the same river which, farther south, passes below Womford, and reaches eventually as far south as Koruzd.
Summit Hall: This fortified monastery is dedicated to Saint Romanus, and gives its name to the County. It has been here for more than 100 years, since before Greenvale expanded this far. The Romani knights patrol the highroads of the neighboring Counties, acting much as an arm of the Greenvale Patrol out here (the nearest Patrol headquarters is in Dourdorn). No major changes.
Factions:
Red Wizards Society - a "social organization" of wizards and adventurers. They are eager to expand their presence in Greenvale and recruit all good-aligned adventurers to join them. Their goal is to protect the good name of their membership, and to help Greenvale prosper. They respect and appreciate both the Greenwardens and the Knights of St. Romanus. Few actually believe the Black Wizards are a concrete organization, but will oppose their actions whenever they cross them.
Order of the Gauntlet: Knights of St. Romanus and their allies. They are active protectors of travelers and merchants, who despise theives, injustice and the depredations of evildoers. They see the Red Wizards Society as harmless but possibly misguided. The Wardens are sometime allies but friction over rights and responsibilities, and some conflict about the protection of the natural world versus human residents keeps them from complete agreement.
Emerald Enclave: the Greenwardens fill this role. They protect the exterior borders of Greenvale and discourage expansion of human presence in the wilderness.
Lord's Alliance: there is no comparable "faction" but those who would support it are instead good and loyal supporters of Greenvale's Counts and Barons. They lend their aid to the Greenvale Guard and Patrol in equal measure, and always support law and order. They can always be counted on to report wrongdoing to the proper legal authority.
Zhentarim: the "Black Wizards Society" is a secret cabal of evil and neutrally aligned wizards and their allies who seek to promote personal gain above peace and general prosperity. They are loosely allied but often find that working together brings them all profit and protection. They will directly oppose the Red Wizards whenever possible, as they see their "cousins" as foolish, weak and misguided.