Coarsewell

Brechtür » Eastern Basin States » Burrows » Coarsewell
Coarsewell.png
Coarsewell is a hilly province within the Burrows. It is mainly a farming community but much of the land to the east and its border with Fellrock is covered in forests.

[top]The Land

Coarsewell has always been a challenge to the community of the Burrows. Much of it is covered in forests but each year, there is a little more cleared, especially from the west near Ludstedt.

While there are small hamlets in the forests, especially near the logging sites, the forests are regarded as dangerous due to the wildlife, with wolves and other beasts regularly raiding the farming communities. While this draws in hunters who seek rarer pelts, it also brings tales of the unknown with descriptions of creatures and happenings that cannot be explained. The Land's Protectorate regularly investigates these stories but rarely reveals its findings, other to say that they are not a problem for the province. However, they are willing to provide protection to travelers, at a cost. Some residents of Coarsewell argue that the Quintain should send a force and clear the forests of the dangerous beasts, but the council has not been willing to make such a commitment.

[top]Settlements

There are two main settlements in the province.

Wodbetten is a minor village based around the main timber mill. It is also a regular source of resources for hunters. It is located within a day of Ludstedt. The timber it relies on come from surrounding hamlets.

Ludstedt is the centrepoint of the agricultural industry in Coarsewell, located to the west of the privonce within a day's trip of Ambles-on-Hillsfair and Westwold. While is is really just a small town when compared to some of those found in the larger provinces, it is where most of the wealth for Coarsewell can be found. It is named after Ludwick Greihands, one of the earliest successful farmers who was responsible for establishing the market in the town.

There are a few homes to the south-east on the edge of the river but much of that is unsettled because of the lack of trade.

[top]Landmarks

Ludstedt Market: The market is the center of trade in Coarsewell. As a lot of the farming in the province is livestock, the market is on the downhill outskirts of the town near the stockyards. This provides easy access for the carts and wagons of the farmers, but makes visitors complain about the smell. Unfortunately for them, the accommodation at the inns at the uphill end of town on some days is not much better, as the wind tends to blow up the slope.

The market also has a reputation for great foods, especially some cheeses that the guilds have been endeavouring to duplicate in other provinces.

Orin's Run: There are many hills and dales in Coarsewell, but Orin's Run is of great cultural importance. The name relates both to the location, the history of the province and an annual sporting event. Each year, at the start of spring as the snow in the peaks starts melting, competitors "run" up through the valley along the side of one of the rivers to what is now a distant sub-lodge of the Land's Protectorate, collect a token and race back down the valley. This is supposed to recreate the efforts of Orin Spakenfield many years ago when she raced into the hills to harvest some Golden Moontear flowers as key components for a medical brew. This event, the valley and the race are all known as Orin's Run.

[top]History

[top]Political

The main regents are:

• Edvara Garrelban, regent of the Burrows
  
• Hollisande Burnlaffen, guildmaster of Burnlaffen, Childe, and Tallrow
  
• Elan Fairbairn, Elder Deacon of the Land's Protectorate
  
• Wizard of Rheulgard, the sole known source regent
  

Other major figures are:

• Eurphide Smythblade, Quintain Councilwoman of Coarsewell, a blacksmith and goat farmer
  
• Tobias Farskin, provincial Deacon of the Land's Protectorate
  
• Bruni Topfisted, primary agent of Burnlaffen, Childe, and Tallrow
  
• Viara of the Silver Sight, a well known Sidhelien hunter, seen in Ludstedt about once a month, who has a reputation for hunting at night
  
• Stefan Oatenheim, a farmer who is eager to expand their estate and industry
  

[top]Plots and Rumours

• Creature in the dark: News has reached Ludstedt of a large lion-like creature that has been sighted in the forest near the old hamlet of Kavnfell. Stefan Oatenhein has been trying to restart the logging near there and has lost a number of lumberjacks to mysterious circumstances, so he has put out a reward for the pelt of this creature. However, the Land's Protectorate has also shown an interest and started their own investigation, causing rumours that it is more than just a beast that has wandered from the Tarvan Waste or Fellrock.
  
• Supply run: The field of competitors for this year's Orin's Run is quite large. While as usual there are lots of young locals wishing to prove themselves, claiming they have the advantage of local knowledge, there are a number of outsiders who wish to compete, including a Khinasi and a couple of Brecht from Rheulgard. Even Viara of the Silver Sight has been seen in the area. The main problem is that some competitors have been bedridden with a strange illness. Some are blaming Stefan Oatenheim and the new cheese he has been promoting, but Stefan claims that that is just a rumour spread by Bruni Topfisted trying to discredit him.