Firelands Recent History
The Monroe Expedition (Year 462)
By late spring of 462, reports from the central region of the continent made clear that the
Gnoll horde had been repulsed by the
Hobgoblin Legions and was swinging north-east into
Orc territory. While this region was distant from the city of
Detroit, there were commercial interests in the limited trade with the various Orc tribes. The most significant interest was the
Royal Guild of Alchemists and Demolitionists based in the capital Karfidag of the Kingdom of Eikinam. The guild’s interest was in bat-shit— a key ingredient in the guild’s latest formula for smoke powder and refined blasting powder. The blasting powder was crucial for several construction and excavation projects of
King Alfvari Shieldbarrel. Therefore, by the end of summer, the royal coffers funded the expedition of
Colonel Justin Monroe to the region, chartered to fortify and protect certain trade routes.
Colonel Monroe, a veteran of the Republic of Ionia’s regular army, resigned his commission for this opportunity. The Expedition left Detroit with a force of about 500: over 300 fighters and the remainder being auxiliaries (teamsters, medics, and cooks) expected to defend themselves if facing
Gnolls. They rushed to clear the mountain passes before winter snow.
Accounts of the Expedition’s campaign—facing both the Gnoll horde and savage forest fires—are many. Suffice it to say, the Colonel successfully ended the threat and was then tasked with fortifying the trade routes. Complications arose when the Orc tribes, who had supplied trade goods, were essentially wiped out by the Horde and the fires.
The Town of Monroe Founded (Year 466)
The Colonel’s solution: found a town at the junction of the
Silver and
Tahquamemnon rivers and encourage soldiers to become farmers and land holders. Many did so. The rest returned to Detroit and the Kingdoms, spreading tales of land for the taking. Settlers soon followed.
Expansion: More Townships and Settlements (Years 470–Present)
The region east of the Silver river and north of the Tahquamemnon river, once home to the Orc tribes, had become a devastated rainforest due to Gnoll raids and conflagration. As new growth returned, settlers founded townships along the Silver and Sable rivers. These independent townships looked to Monroe, the largest settlement, for leadership in regional matters.
Colonel Monroe Killed by Bludwan Nox (Year 487)
Among the settlers was a sorcerer,
Bludwan Nox, who assassinated Colonel Monroe and established a magocracy with himself as Despot. News of Bludwan’s cruel policies halted the flow of settlers—most left Monroe for the countryside. Eventually, a band of adventuring heroes confronted Bludwan in Monroe. The adventurers’ fate is unknown; Bludwan vanished as well. The town is now ringed by a 25-mile
zone of blight—no animal moves, no green thing grows, and everything is covered by sickly lichen.
The Blight (Year 480)
Many refugees from Monroe fled to
Tèarmann Nàdair, a region claimed by an exiled Fey prince and sheltered from the Gnoll horde and forest fires. Bounded by swamps, the Rock and Silver rivers, the Tèarmann Nàdair is where your hero grew up. You may have traveled as far as Sable Falls or Chatham, but most of your knowledge of the world comes from elders' stories.
The Present (Year 530)
Your hero is
Sheriff Walker, the lawman of Monroe. Now in his 70s, Sheriff Walker raises horses and his granddaughter, Daphne. He is the sole survivor of the band of heroes who ventured into Monroe to stop Bludwan Nox four decades ago. He only remembers watching the horses when the others entered Monroe, and afterwards, detected no life: no people, no beasts, no insects, no plants. For 15 years, Sheriff Walker has been seeking a successor to bring justice to the Firelands. You have been training for this moment—perhaps with your family's blessing, perhaps without—preparing to become the next Sheriff.
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