Freehold of Trevalia
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Capital: Ansilay (population 4,000)
Population: 38,000 (92% Thann, 7% Adari, 1% other)
Demi-humans: 16,000 (70% dwarves, 15% elves, 15% halflings)
Humanoids: many
Government: Freehold
Current Leader: Viscount Galen Trevalio
Coat of Arms: a black fleur-di-lis on a violet field
Exports: Bloodstones, iron, Dwarf-crafts

Trevalia is a large independent freehold located deep within the center of the Frostcrown Mountains; in the secluded, but strategically valuable, Ansilay Valley. The Freehold is also home to the only remaining entrance to the famed Bloodstone Mines of the lost dwarven realm of Kronar.

Borders


The freehold of Trevalia is completely encircled by the massive peaks of the Frostcrown Mountains, but there are three separate entrances.

To the north, lies Morovar Pass, which leads to the hostile realm of Drakhara and is protected by the ancient Dwarf-Gate. To the south, lies Waymeet Pass, which leads to the kingdom of Gwynne and is protected by the Bloodstone Gate.

Finally, at the western edge of the valley, lies Trailsend; a rubble-strewn roadway which leads to the ruins of the dwarven city of Krone Feyr.

Politics


Presently, Trevalia is independent, but maintains close relations with the Kingdom of Gwynne. The Freehold is ruled by the House of Trevalio; an ancient Thannish noble family. Its current ruler is Viscount Galen Trevalio, who is widely respected as a fair and just ruler.

Military


To protect the freehold’s territory; the Viscount has at his command a force of 500 mercenaries. These troops, which contain a mixture of both human and dwarven warriors, garrison both the northern and southern gates at the freehold's borders. They also escort travelers and caravans going north and south through the freehold between the nations of Drakhara and Gwynne.

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In return for tolls, the freehold guarantees safe passage along the Ansilay Road that runs south from the city of Kuldhûr all the way to the Gwynnish capital of Ashara.

Bloodstone Mining


A second major source of revenue for the Freehold is the trade in Bloodstones. These precious gems are still extracted from the upper Bloodstone Mines, located in the Ansilay Valley, although these mines produce a fraction of the volume of the ancient Dwarven mines of Kronar.

Recent Troubles


For the past several years, the Freehold has been going through difficult times. Once supported by the nation of Gwynne, Trevalia is now completely on its own; militarily and politically. The northern end of the freehold has been infiltrated by a growing number of bandits and brigands, led by a mysterious figure known only as the: "Grandfather of Assassins."

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The Viscount has tried to avoid bloodshed by negotiating with the bandits, but every year their demands for tribute grow higher and higher. Soon, the Bandit army will be strong enough to assault Ansilay and possibly conquer the entire Freehold

Local History


For centuries, the story of the Bloodstone Valley was inextricably linked to the Dwarven realm of Kronar. The valley attracted little attention from anyone outside the mountainous barricades of the region.

However, in the late Third Age, groups of Thannish settlers began to appear in the region, usually in scattered, pitifully poor communities made up of hunters, trappers, and farmers, who eked out a squalid existence.

Over time, these Thannish tribes banded together and founded the great human kingdom of Rhodara. Over the years, the Rhodarans expanded north from their city of Ashara into the Bloodstone Valley, where they encountered the dwarves of Kronar. Eventually, King Robar and the dwarven King Ormethar formed an alliance, and for many years there was a strong bond of friendship and a lucrative trade between the Thannish and the dwarves.

In the midst of the valley was a small dwarvish colony called Skörvos, which soon became a successful trading post between the Thannish folk of Rhodara and the dwarves of Rhodara. In the year, 250/4 the dwarves allowed the Thanns to set up their own small independent settlement inside the Bloodstone Valley; this became known as the "Barony of Bloodstone." A Thannish lord named Ansilay Trevalio was sent to rule over this barony.

For many years thereafter, the human-dwarf trade prospered. The dwarves used their wealth and skills to build the fantastic Dun-Tharos; the famous "Dwarf-Gate." This fortification guarded the Bloodstone Valley from northern invasion.

Sadly, this prosperous period did not last. In the year 1087 of the Fourth Age, Alokkair sent a huge army of orcs into the valley. Skörvos was overrun and destroyed and, soon after, the city of Krone Feyr fell and the entire dwarven realm of Kronar collapsed.

Making matters worse, the humans in the region were thrown into complete disarray when their mother-kingdom of Rhodara, came under the rulership of the "Mad-King;" Gayorg Gwynnett. His rule soon caused the destruction of that entire kingdom.

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Establishment of the Freehold of Trevalia


In the wake of the Cataclysm, King Garth Baldurin of Gwynne needed new sources of wealth for his new kingdom, so he turned to Devan Trevalio; patriarch of an old Gwynnish noble family, and a descendant of the original founder of the long-lost "Barony of Bloodstone." King Garth granted Devan leave to re-establish a trading colony in the Bloodstone Valley, which had lain vacant for centuries after the fall of Kronar. It was the King's hope that this colony would produce wealth for Gwynne from both its strategic location and the mining of the famed Bloodstones found in scattered, local deposits in the valley.

The colony was indeed successful, and in the Year 0027 of the Sixth Age, King Garth granted Devan the title of "Viscount" and the Freehold of Trevalia was officially established. All subsequent rulers of the Freehold have held this title ever since.