Still a frontier realm after all these years, Grevesmühl (/gʁeːveːsmyːhl/ or /gʁeːveːsmyː/ in low brecht, *grea-VEAS-moo*) needs a strong leader with a vision.

People from Grevesmühl are called Grevesmühler(s), while things from Grevesmühl are defined as Grevesmülig.

Too few forests for the elves, too few mountains for the dwarves, too few swamps for the goblinoids, Grevesmühl's history begins during the third brecht colonization wave around 480 MA, when adventurer Anton Greves conned his fellow brecht into following him into a "land so much fertile, mild and free from elves than Müden". Anton was an able sailor as it was an able seller, and ventured northen than the Dwarfhame, surpassing the dreaded Dragon's Jaw and landing in the southern inlet, among the fjords. After a month of rain they found out that the promised land was enclosed by mountains, and such mountains were already popuplated by Dwarves. Instead of turning back, Anton's wife Trie Kold-Greves divorced him and started working with the Dwarves to reclame the swamps by creating artificial rivers to the Fjords, thus beginning co-existence between brechts and dwarves. Anton and some more families pursued south, trying to reach the southen gulf, and found out vast prairies and seasonal swamps, with only a few elves to the west. It is said that Anton's last adventure was the colonization of the Zweilunds.

Grevesmühlers kept reclaming swamps, cutting woods and occasionally mine up to the Anuirean Empire's days, while their ranks grew up thanks to disillusioned drachenwarders from the north and disgruntled brechts tired of paying high rent to the dwarves from the south. When the imperial army came, there was no central government, as the realm had barely moved above Colony status. in 40 HC Grevesmühlers gladly "surrendered" their freedom in exchange for roads, safety and internal trade. The empire, however, was more interested in the Zweilunds, which they were seen as a perfect tactical spot for the imperial navy to control both the Black Ice Bay and the Overlook.

In 52 HC emperor Roele himself visited Grevesmühl, after the failure of the voosgard campaign. There is a legend saying that when the Emperor saw how bad the weather was in the realm, he said "Are we wasting our lives for this?" and refused to go norther than Gredaur, and that's why he moved the capital from Trie to Daugren. People sometimes joke that it was the ugliness of Grevesmühl's weather that stripped Roele of any reamining will to conquer - or to live, as he died 8 years later.

During the centuries, Grevesmühl's nobility class begun to split: at first it was the old followers of Brenna's against the empire's new religion, then, after the rebellions in southern Brechtür of ~53 MR, the noble families split between the Rosenweißen and the Rosenröt, the white rose and the red rose. The rosenweißen were the loyalist to the empire, often bound by religious adherence to the church, wile the rosenröt pressed for a more indipendent, brecht nation. Many of the Rosenröt nobles were in fact dissatisfied with the laziness of the central government in response to piracy, gnolls and raiders from Hjorig. Some even advocated that the dwarves were better rulers - they cared enough to apply their laws, at least.

Those years were filled by feuds, small rivalries, and adventures from both sides. In 967 HC the "Bread revolt" caused a massive revolt in Gredaur, forcing Count Aedan Bhalaene-Greves to move the capital back north to Trie, in the hope that mountains would help protecting the court. This, however, was perceived as a give-up on the southern lands, and many Rosenweißen families capitulated to the rosenröt, often after very ugly battles. In 973 HC, the rosenröt grafs laid siege on Trie and deposed the Greves family. The Karlbörg family became the new line of rulers and gave a full pardon to all noble families who wished to bent the knee and reject the empire. to strengthen the idea of sovereignty over the provinces of the realm, Geoffrey Karlbörg was crowned Duke instead of Count. Again, Grevesmühlers joke that the crown on Duke Karlbörg was placed one second after the death of the last Emperor Michael Roele, so the freedom of Grevesmühl was the first true nation free from the empire.

Seeing the kingom never really recovered from the fracture of the war of the two roses, In 165 MR king Rykaard Karlburgher decides to join the Free League of Brechtür, in the hope that the new generations would unite against a common goal, as the houses usually did when raiders or gnolls attacked. In 168 MR they hastly returns, defeated, with less than a tenth of the original forces. Most of the returning men were not even Grevesmühlers, but roschlöwenians who fled from the country as it was being invaded by the vos. The families joined together and the kingdom allied with Daikhar Zhigun to fend off the vos. This tied the nobles enough to forget, in time, their discrepances.

In 169 MR, during the Eve of the Dead, a large mist fell on the Great highland, and a great number of undead woke up in the realm. This forced the nobles to rally once more, this time under the banner of the ruornites. The Mist Plague, as the scholars now call it, lasted 10 years, cementing the relationship between the nobles and the cult of Ruornil.

The last four generations of Karlburghers were as terrible as a ruler can be. In 467 MR Colin Shaefpaete proclamed the Zweilunds both an independent pirate nation, yet Alfor Karlburgher refused both to acknowledge the rebellion or to banish Colin, so he just kept the title of Lord of the Zweilunds. Altough no one seems to care enough to start a new rebellion, Grevesmühl is now again divided by two factions, supporting the ascension of the Silver Guard against those who wish to put business first and foremost as the interest of the realm.

Such divisions were put aside in 530 MR, when a massive invasion of gnolls, thanks to shady passage deals between the monsters and Hjorig, came down from Tyrtep into the plains, even laying siege on Trie after so many centuries. Pirates, adventurers, lumberjacks, paladins and dwarves all joined forces and repelled the horde from the plains. However, the moment the monsters hid in the mountains, the alliance broke. When the gnolls tried to escape back from the mountains passage, Hjorig closed its boundaries, forcing almost a whole army of Gnolls to hide in the mountains and live in exile. Within the last 20 years a solid Gnoll community was born.

Grevesmühl's provinces are wild and overgrown, except near the cities of Daugren and Trie. The locals are an independent sort, living in small communities and clannish extended families more typical of the Vos and the Rjurik than the Brecht. Still, Gevesmühl's inhospitable climate and appearance kept it from being raided by the Grabentod pirates. The mountains that cut it off from the rest of the continent (and keep the bad weather in) make it an unappealing target for any would be conqueror.



The Gnoll Fell Ridge creates a valley enclosed by the mountains to the northwest and the Triestraße to the north. the Daugrenstaße to the south marks the Great Highland, which run in Eiresmachen down to Gredaur. The great western forest or Westwöde marks the other significant area of the realm.

Dubeswald is famous for two things: its lumber and its plunders. The northen county has a large oak and pine forest, who becomes almost a jungle near its norteastern boundary towards the mountains. Some ancient elven settlement is said to be there. The city of Dube stands with its high castle on an highland on the southwest. Another important place is the Wyvern's strait between the province and the Zweilunds - between wyverns, the pirates and the reels caused by the ice in winter, it is considered one of the most dangerous sea routes of the Overlook. There are many small villages of fishermen along the coast and many woodmen communities in the mainland. The province clashes often with pirates as the Zweilund ruler won't tolerate any growth that puts in danger his precious mebhaighl sources.

Split in half between the northeastern highland and the southwestern mountains, EiresMachen is an ancient, wild region. Most settlements are upon the Cliffs, where the highland abruptly ends in the strait of Daugren. The mountains are mostly inhabitated, despite being rich in ore, as The Undead are often seen wandering in the night. The only person brave enough to venture beside The Last Post was Colin Shaefpaete. What he had found no one knows, but it has brought him an high source of mebhaighl which he uses to control the region should the need arise.

The northen highland steps down gently following the strait until it becomes a small plain in Gredaur. There, the City of Daugren works as an important exchange point between the land and the sea. Unlike Trie, however, the capital is now more famous for its black market trades, as the city had fallen into disgrace some time ago. The southern plains rise again as highlands, were cattle and farms may be easily found. The southwestern forest has attracted interest from time to time has its pines are said to have magical properties.

Founded at the feet of a hill along the Westwöde coast, the city of Haldwaren stands as the most important location in regard to sea routes. Most of the traffic from the other brecht realms comes and goes from here, and the fleet often clashes with Rzhlevian pirates to defend its treasures. The Silver Guard constantly patrols the grevesmülig side of the Dwarfhame to prevent incursions. The eastern side of the province turns into the great Highland to the north and the Jardwessen plains to the east. the second greatest woodmen community of the realm can be found here.

The plains of Jardwessen begins where the great highland ends and are filled with cattle and ranches. Once a prolific province, famine and constant raids from Rzhlev had decimated the population. Despite having a large view on the Dwarfhame, there are almost no fisherman's villages, as they were raided too many times. Half the population's province is composed by escaped slaves from the southern vos kingdom.

Mjollinar is an actual dwarven colony inside the realm. Altough they swear loyalty to the Duke, true law and power is exercised by Daikhar Zhigun and the few humans who live above the hills prefer to answer to the dwarven Lords, as they tend to be more efficient, present, and protective than the Duke's men. The hills are rich in ore and there are small fishing villages on the northend cove of the Dwarfhame.

A large passage between the Gnoll Fell Ridge is covered in Grevesmühl national treasure - black pine. Rulsfeg is filled with woods and its mountains are filled with silver, copper - and sometimes even gold. the town of Rulsfeg, on the westermost side of the province, is the most rich place of the realm and its warehouse quarters are as big as a town in itself. It is also true that most of the gainings are spent to protect the province from Hjorig, the Fell and lately even the dwarves themselves.

Sleppsig is the core of the Great Highland, but mostly it's the true center of the realm. Al the trade routes pass inside the provice, and many towns have grown from simple trading posts or small inns. Unlike Jardwessen, farming is more widespread than cattle, and the clans prefer to live in traditional (albeit small) villages all together and split their gainings between trade and farming.

The eastern side of Grevesmühl' side of the Ridge sees the Great highland from the south turn into spiky mountains in Tyrtep. The Highland ends in southwest marking a passage to the Trie Valley, while a chasm creates a natural boundary with Wolfgaard. Tyrtep's mines are rich in coal, and the dwarves mines it for a large share of the profit. A big share of the Gnoll community is here, and has been partially integrated in the coal business.

The valley of Westriet stands between the mountains of the Ridge, the Triestraße and the Great Highland. Trie is the biggest settlement, altough a lot of farms and herders resist the attacks of Gnoll raiders outside the walls of the city. The port of Trie is the second most important port of the realm, as it is considered a mandatory passage before trading north with Drachenward - or battling against Grabentod. It is also the province with the "best" weather of the realm, as strait does not ice in winter.

Albeit separated from the rest of the Ridge, the mountains of Woetapp and Zhylenkal are considered part of same range. The small town of Last Hope, in the southeastern highland, is the only human settlement of the province, as the mountains swarms with gnolls and often with the undead. Dwarves swear that the ancient Dwarven realm that was before Daikhar Zhigun did not reach that north. What really lies in those mountains is a secret only the Gnolls and The Island Mage may know.

There is a say in Brechtür: a Grevesmühler has a big heart, a large mouth, but a very small purse. This could not be more true for the inhabitants of Anton Greve's "dream land", renown for their bad jokes, their attitude to bicker, but also their loyalty, sense of honour and their stinginess.

Grevesmühl is a meltin pot society where traditional rjurik clan society meets with the adventurer's life of pirates and sailors. They tend to be very conservative and disciplinate in their home towns, only to become vulgar drunkards and mischief-makers when they reach the next settlement. The Glücksjar is a very renown tradition between the people: any young people reaching adulthood (16 years) has the right to spent at least a year as an adventurer, provided he or she doesn't take the sea or ventures outside the realm. at 17 they get the right to choose if they want to return to their farms, stay adventurers or "get a job". Grevesmühlers would bicker about anything - ideals, profit, market, law - however, the moment a common foe arises, they act as one. Anyone who has the guts to live in what the the anuireans called "the neverending rainy cesspool" is entitled to be considered a Grevesmühler, but everyone has a duty towards independence. You never know when the next Lich King may come out of the mist, or when Grabentod or Hjorig decide that "now it's the time".

The Noble class, which is often more like "noble at heart" than of blood as tainted lines are the most common bloodlines here, are no exception. Most of the nobles are ruornites and spend their Glücksjar in Grevesmühl's favorite passtime: The Ritterdwalen or Errand Chivalry. As law is almost absent or lazy in the realm, following the example of good Duke Karlburgher, everyday justice is often left to knights errand, who for some reason prefer to administrate justice on other people's province rather than their own. Almost all nobles are raised and educated in a ruornite monastery, and many prefer to join the Silver Guard than going errant.

This lack of government presence makes it so that the common people does not really care about the white/red rose feud. They are more focused on defending their rights against the guilds, which often results in strikes or rebellions. Some even turned their hopes to the wizards, and in certain provinces wizards are considered Grafs administering justice with arcane/elven power, thus deserving tribute.

On one thing everybody, from the occasional pirate to the eldest noble, agree upon, and its well expressed by another say: The only thing more impossible than a week of sun is a useful Karlburgher. There is no animosity towards the Duke, as it is seen mostly as a joke, however that could change easily should someone present the idea of a central government who actually cares or even just gives a thing about its people.

The realm has no true allies. If the Black Ice Traders didn't gouge the Dwarves of Daikhar Zhigun so fiercely, they might have friends there, but Arlinda Aldor seems to harbor a strong prejudice against non-humans.

The gnolls of the Fells would like to take over Grevesmühl, but they are not a serious threat. In the past, Rzhlev has made a few cutlass-rattling overtures, but the Royal Navy of Müden would not take kindly to a Vos realm invading any part of Brechtür.

With the kings slowly delegating military issues to the church and the individual grafs, a new internal feud was born. the new Rosenweißen nobles would like to see the church of ruornil as head of state, whereas the new rosenröt would like an alternative - a permanent round table where corporations and nobles or even mages take control of business, sharing the crown. The dwarves' control on the region is as strong as ever and someone has even advocated for Grevesmühl to become a full vassal state of King Kallen Pickbiter himself. It's not clear if it was to be considered as the usual Grevesmühlig humor or not.

As far as living memory goes, human temples and guilds have always been allowed to have their own forces. the Silver guard can muster 3 levies on demand, as well as a veteran Scout Unit known as the Grevesmühl Guards. The Black Ice Traders have their own fleet and marines. The dwarves of Daikhar Zhigun help defend the realm against the gnolls, providing 4 units of guards and 4 units of crossbowmen.
Since the gnolls must summon all their forces out of the Gnoll Fells and move them into Hjorig, they can muster only one unit of gnoll marauders when needed. See each domains' page for more detail.

• A port and a castle (fortified province, max level) in Gredaur;
  
• A port and a castle (fortified province, max level) in Westriet;
  
• A port and a shipyard in Haldwaren;
  
• The kingdom may benefit from vassalage agreements with the guilds due to the trade routes.
  

• Shaemes Karlburgher - Duke of Grevesmühl
  
• Kallen Pickbiter - King of Daikhar Zhigun
  
• Luther Helmsen - Ruornil's Silver Guard
  
• Morathos Everdark - Bright Ember's Darkness
  
• Ghus Feuerscorn - Yeenoghu's Dark Curse
  
• Arlinda Aldor - Black Ice Traders
  
• Dorin Utterlund - Deep Steel Miners
  
• Caliene Llwelyn - Wizard of Grevesmühl
  
• Colin Shaefpaete - Island Mage
  

The grafs of the provinces are:

• Graevas Resketch - Graf of Gredaur and mayor of Daugren, rosenröt
  
• Dekker Aldor - Graf of Dubeswald, rosenröt
  
• Hubert Karlburgher - Overseer of the Eiresmachen, no sides
  
• Hugo Helmsen - Graf of Haldwaren, rosenweißen
  
• Trogga Gnollbreaker - Jarl of Mjollinar, rosenweißen
  
• Emma Koert, Graf of Sleppsig, rosenweißen
  
• Tanbert Jassen-Roslöw, Graf of Rulsfeg, rosenWeißen
  
• Sirena Greves-Trie, Graf of Westriet and mayor of Trie, rosenweißen
  
• Kurt Greves-Trie, Graf of Tyrtep, rosenröt
  
• Hjorof Aldensen, Mayor and Sheriff of Last Hope
  

Domain Table: Grevesmühl

Province	Law	Temple	Guild	Source
Dubeswald (3/4)	SK (1)	LH (2)	AA (2)	CS (4)
Eiresmachen (2/5)	SK (1)	-	-	CS (5)
Gredaur (3/4)	SK (3)	LH (3)	AA (3)	CS (4)
Haldwaren (4/3)	LH (0)	LH (3)	AA (4)	CL (2)
Jardwessen (2/5)	-	-	AA (2)	CL (4)
Mjollinar (3/4)	KP (1)	ME (2)	DU (1)	CL (3)
Rulsfeg (6/1)	KP (3)	LH (3)	AA (4)	CL (1)
		ME (3)	DU (2)
Sleppsig (5/0)	SK (5)	-	AA (3)	-
			DU (2)
Tyrtep (4/5)	KP (3)	GF (3)	DU (3)	CL (3)
Westriet (5/2)	SK (3)	ME (1)	AA (3)	CL (1)
		GF (1)	DU (2)
Woettap (3/4)	SK (1)	GF (3)	-	CS (4)
Zhylenkal (3/4)	-	GF (3)	-	CS (4)
Abbreviations: SK = Shaemes Karlburgher (Duke of Grevesmühl); LH = Luther Helmsen (Ruornil's Silver Guard); AA = Arlinda Aldor (Black Ice Traders); CS = Colin Shaefpaete (the Island Mage); CL = Caliene Llwelyn (Wizard of Grevesmühl); KP = Kallen Pickbiter (King of Daikhur Zhigun); ME = Morathos Everdark (Bright Ember's Darkness); DU = Dorin Utterlund (Deep Steel Miners); GF = Ggus Feuerscorn (Yeenoghu's Dark Curse);

The picture shows what area is considered to be "The Great Highland", with Daugren being on a small vally in a cove. The highland's sides are supposed to slow build with little declivity. The idea of an highland is however absent in the source book, so either special rules should be provided or it should be considered only an aesthetical value, perhaps using the hill terrain to signal where the highland actually becomes an obstacle in warfare.