Windwyrm Territory
Known as the Bitterpeak Kingdom or the Baronies by its inhabitants.
A map of the windwyrm’s lands. Art by J-Haskell. See full-sized version here.
Bitterpeak Barony
Once known as the Bitterpeak Kingdom, this barony is the territory of House Bitterpeak and the personal domain of the windwyrm’s powerful ruler, the Tempest. It is a vast expanse of glaciers, tundra, and the jagged mountains of the Skyswept Peaks.
Background from Unsplash.
Peak
City name: Peak
Ruler: Tempest Foehn Bitterpeak
Founded: 23 A.E.D. (windwyrm habitation), ??? B.A. (initial construction)
Region: Bitterpeak Barony
Capital of the windywyrm kingdom and the mountaintop fortress of the Tempest. Peak was built over the ruins of an ancient Elder Drake city, carved into a rocky summit.
Well, former fortress, anyway. Many of the walls that once guarded this immense city were torn down by the first Tempest’s mother, who, during her reign, thought that such defences were ‘cowardly’... despite having to fight tooth and nail against a rival for the throne. She was successful in holding her title, but many of her contemporaries blamed her destruction of Peak’s defences for the massive casualties in that civil war. The city is protected by the First and Second Peak guard, soldiers trained from hatching as warriors and taught to be unquestioningly loyal to the Tempest.
Below, along the outside of the mountain or dug in shallowly, are rows of streets that spiral the rest of the way down the slopes. There are a number of markets and residential districts, as well as a large barracks and an area of thick snow, for training soldiers to survive the most deadly of conditions.
Crossing
City name: Crossing
Ruler: Marquis Flock Starstone
Founded: 231 A.E.D.
Region: Bitterpeak Barony
Established by the Queen of Bitterpeak prior to Tempest, Crossing is a unique city in that it was constructed in collaboration between the Windwyrms and Ironbrook in a period that that predates the Tempests themselves. Many believe the city is the ultimate sign of foolishness, as without their ally to the east the technological marvels have gone dark and quiet, but Crossing is still very populous and, although few would admit it, a popular place for nobles to tour to see what the outside world might be like.
Citizens of Crossing tend to be fascinated by human cultures and the outside world, and the current Marquis is rumoured to have possible connections outside the Baronies... although of course, such talk is ridiculous! No windwyrm aristocrat would sully themself in such a way.
Overflow
Town name: Overflow
Ruler: Viscountess Brook Greygrass
Founded: 388 A.E.D.
Region: Bitterpeak Barony
Overflow is a small, squalid village inhabited primarily by serfs. It floods every spring and summer when meltwater from nearby glaciers pours down into the valley. It is an extremely unpleasant place to live, and most who live there try to seek employment as servants for the local lords to get away.
The village was unknown to most before an assassination attempt on the Tempest in 429 by Plateau Mistvale, the youngest son of the then Viscountess of Overflow. Plateau was only imprisoned for his crimes, and was broken out of prison during the later Northern Rebellion. While Plateau and his conspirators were forgiven as part of peace agreements made to end the rebellion, when Tempest Glory came to power later, she would have the entire Mistvale family put to death for humiliating her predecessor.
After the death of their original ruling family in 455, the Greygrasses were given control over the village of Overflow.
Thunder Lake
Landmark name: Thunder Lake
Region: Bitterpeak Barony
A high mountain lake in the northern reaches of the Bitterpeak Barony, frozen solid since ancient times. The ice is so clear that you can see bubbles trapped below the surface, and so deep that it appears nearly black.
The lake derives its name from jagged, lightning-shaped cracks that are visible even from high above. Thunder Lake is treated with reverence by most windwyrms and is thought to be the home of the Líadan, a powerful spirit responsible for winter.
Legend has it that an ancient Queen of Bitterpeak once attempted to kill the spirit, hoping to end winter, and ordered her soldiers to dig into the ice so that they could kill it. They dug for days, but still they could not reach the bottom of the ice; so the Queen, enraged, ordered her warriors out of the way and stood in the pit, demanding that the spirit show itself and fight her like a windwyrm. The ice shuddered and split under her talons and she vanished into a black abyss, deep below the surface.
Her soldiers fled in terror and when they returned later that day, they found the ice had closed back over, and their Queen was nowhere to be seen. After that no windwyrm, Tempest or peasant, has dared to land on the surface of Thunder Lake.
Fort Shatterfang
Landmark name: Fort Shatterfang
Ruler: Lady-Commander Griffon Silverspeck
Founded: 378 A.E.D.
Region: Bitterpeak Barony
Fort Shatterfang is a military fortress that was established by the first Tempest in the years after her conquests. It serves as a base for the soldiers who fly patrols of the northern border and can be considered a counterpart to Ironbrook’s Fallford, just to the north across the Iron Run River.
Similarly, Fort Shatterfang contains a prison for dangerous criminals to be held and is believed by some to be run by the Hawks, although officially Shatterfang and the organization have no ties. Those captured attempting to escape are brought here for ‘trial’ and execution if found guilty.
Roseglade Barony
The smallest of the Baronies, Roseglade is in many ways contrary to the rest of the kingdom. The land is warm (by windwyrm standards) and fertile. Roseglade’s citizens are unconcerned with matters of honour and martial strength, and rather than hunting for food they tend to crops and livestock.
Background from Unsplash.
Valley
City name: Valley
Ruler: Baron Paradise Roseglade
Founded: 87 A.E.D.
Region: Roseglade Barony
Nestled in a peaceful valley by a river that snakes its way down from the mountains of Bitterpeak, Valley is just about the most idyllic place in all the windwyrm kingdom. The dragons here are farmers, and tend to the sprawling city gardens and livestock pastures, never having to hunt for food. The dragons who grow up here are friendlier than most, although they’re no pushovers.
It’s a nice place to live for the lower classes, as the current ruler of Valley, Baron Paradise Roseglade, cares deeply for the people under him. It is seen as a gentle exile for soldiers to be stationed in Valley; those who break the army’s strict codes are sent here to grow old among the flowers.
Petalport
City name: Petalport
Ruler: Duchess Daisy Ninebarks
Founded: 66 A.E.D.
Region: Roseglade Barony
Second to Valley alone in size and population, Petalport is one of the greatest cities in Windwyrm territory if you consider only numbers; and then becomes progressively less… pleasing the more you look. Before the Tempest, Petalport was a trading port that accepted vessels from faraway Theavia, bringing goods from across the Realm into Windwyrm lands.
Today it is considered a gross and disgusting place by those outside of Roseglade. Surrounded by farms and gardens with only a few hunters in the whole city, and rumoured to be a hotbed of illegal black market trade both with internal criminals and outsiders. Locals say that such rumours are blown out of proportion.
There are a number of casinos, theatres, and other, less legal sorts of entertainment to be found on Petalport’s streets.
Songhaven
Town name: Songhaven
Ruler: Marquis Breeze Songhaven
Founded: 14 A.E.D.
Region: Roseglade Barony
Songhaven was once the richest city in all of the windwyrm kingdoms, before the first Tempest took over Roseglade and turned it into a Barony. It was the main trading port and a diplomatic capital between windwyrms and their neighbours; even other pre-Tempest Kings and Queens would arrange with the Roseglade family to make use of it.
Now, of course, Songhaven is much different. By order of the Tempest after the conquest, it was to be abandoned, and for some time it was. After a few decades had passed, though serfs and commoners began to wander into the former city’s streets and make their homes there. It was still in good repair, and they kept it that way.
Multiple attempts were made by Tempest to drive out those who moved into Songhaven, but each one was successful for only a few months, so eventually, she was forced to accept that it would remain inhabited despite her wishes.
The Summer Gardens
Landmark name: The Summer Gardens
Region: Roseglade Barony
The pride of the Roseglade family, the Summer Gardens have been tended to by their members for generations. Located a little north of Valley, the Gardens are sheltered by panels of stained glass and heated even in the coldest months of winter by underground hot springs. Rare and exotic plants grow here, gathered from all corners of the Realm; some are meant for use as spices or alchemical components, while others are simply there for decoration.
The family allows anyone to visit, although they are guided through the whole way, and while they may be gifted with seeds or flowers on their way out, trying to steal their rare flora will result in you being kicked out.
Of course, few windwyrms have an interest in gardens, let alone one so ostentatious, so the Summer Gardens see few visitors aside from farmers and botanists.
Trickster’s Vale
Landmark name: Trickster’s Vale
Region: Roseglade Barony
A treacherous and dangerous valley in the north of Roseglade, along the mountainous border with the Baronies of the Crater and Blackpine. Infamous for unpredictable, fierce winds and strange floating fires one can see darting through the hills at night. Believed to be the territory of the spirit Fintan.
Barony of the Crater
The easternmost of the five Baronies, the Crater is a land of mountains, icy glaciers, and narrow valleys. It is ruled by the noble house Mistcrater, and has longstanding historic ties to Bitterpeak and its people.
Before the conquests of the first Tempest, the people of the Crater were known for their merchant and raiding culture in equal measure, bringing back foreign wealth and knowledge through both legitimate and criminal means. Nowadays the Crater keeps its trading ambitions firmly within the borders of windwyrm territory, but to this day they remain some of the most successful merchants under the Tempest.
Background from Unsplash.
✪ Spark
City name: Spark
Ruler: Baron Kestrel Mistcrater
Founded: 56 A.E.D.
Region: Barony of the Crater
✪ Old Spark
City name: Old Spark
Ruler: Duke Echo Stormpeak
Founded: 244 B.A.
Region: Barony of the Crater
Old Spark’s streets bear many marks of its history; a mix of Elder Drake, moonviper, Brookian, Hovellan, windwyrm and even stormherald construction can be seen in the strangest of places.
✦ Eidothea
Town name: Eidothea
Ruler: Viscount-elect Mink
Founded: ??? B.A.
Region: Barony of the Crater
They have elected a Viscount from amoung their number to serve as a leader of the small village; such actions are of course an insult to the nobility of the Barony, but the city's cursed status makes few interested in getting close enough to try to stop them and enforce the right to rule of the aristocracy over them. They can have their evil little town, so long as they leave the rest of the Barony alone.
✦ Windbreak
Town name: Windbreak
Ruler: Count Nimbus Spearcliff
Founded: 432 A.E.D.
Region: Barony of the Crater
Other than its striking location, Windbreak isn’t a very notable town.
The main ‘entrance’ to the windwyrm’s domain, although it has seen little use in the past few decades. It is a narrow path through caves and valleys and incredibly well-guarded; no outsiders have ever made it through.
The bones of those who have attempted the journey are scattered throughout, perhaps meant to warn off anyone foolish enough to try their luck. |
A large, water-filled crater on a mountain peak bordering the city of Spark. It is deep and dark, believed to be a dormant volcano, with plenty of hot springs and water geysers. Earned its name due to being constantly veiled by a heavy haze of steam.
The water here is brilliant blue and blue-green, and the shore often stained orange and yellow. |
Whiteneedle Barony
Cold and inhospitable, the frost-covered northwestern forests of the windwyrm’s territory are filled with deadly creatures that walk between the frosted needles of the conifers. The windwyrms who call the dangerous forests and cliffs of Whiteneedle Barony home are famed hunters, and the nobility here wear the pelts of polar bears and snow griffons to show off their skills.
Background from Unsplash.
✪ Antler
City name: Antler
Ruler: Baroness Boar Whiteneedle
Founded: 67 B.A.
Region: Whiteneedle Barony
The windwyrms of Antler are considered some of the best hunters in the entire Kingdom, and many masters of the hunt serving in the courts of the nobility hail from this city.
✪ Shadowglen
City name: Shadowglen
Ruler: Marquise Talon Copperbranch
Founded: 32 A.E.D.
Region: Whiteneedle Barony
The city itself is a beautiful place of walkways and bridges over calm rivers, public gardens, and well-built houses painted with flowers and songbirds; it was a project that the Marquise funded after a tutor from Roseglade was hired to attempt to bring her out of her shell a bit more.
Before this, the streets of Shadowglen were bare and the homes decorated only with the pelts and bones of hunted beasts. Many nobles view the changes as wasteful frivolity and have avoided the city since… which may have been the point of it all, considering Talon’s preference for avoiding socialization with most.
✦ Greenford
Town name: Greenford
Ruler: Count Lorikeet Rainwillow
Founded: 53 A.E.D.
Region: Whiteneedle Barony
Their artisans make jewelry and clothing from fish scales, bones, and river pebbles to adorn themselves with and sell to travelers that pass through the village.
✦ Wolfhill
Town name: Wolfhill
Ruler: Viscountess Thistle Shatterspine
Founded: 169 A.E.D.
Region: Whiteneedle Barony
They are the only group of Windwyrms who consistently hunt in the Valley of Fangs, and as such it has earned them respect from even the nobility of the kingdom, who normally regard common folk with scorn if they pay them any mind at all. Residents of Wolfhill often find themselves jobs as guides in the Valley or hired on by nobles in other towns and cities as huntsmasters and to teach their heirs.
Wolfhill is often accused of revering the spirit Oisín to the point of raising it in status above the Tempest, but the respect the rest of the kingdom has for the town’s hunters has saved them from too much scrutiny regarding it.
Nothing but the most skilled and talented warriors and hunters stand much of a chance in the valley, and even so, the first trip into the valley is a harrowing one that claims many lives.
You do not conquer the Valley of Fangs; it conquers you. If you ever reach a point where you no longer struggle to survive there, it is a sign that you have become a part of it, not that you have somehow tamed its wilds.
As such, only the most talented of hunters brave the Valley of Fangs, and those who do are forever changed by what they encounter there.
Blackpine Barony
Named for the tangled, ancient forest that cloaks windwyrm territory from the foothills of the Skyswept Peaks to the coast of the Little Sea. Immense pines and redwoods leave this Barony in constant shadow. The residents of this Barony are smaller than other windwyrms and excel at creeping quietly through the forest.
Background from Unsplash.
Star’s Shadow
City name: Star’s Shadow
Ruler: Baroness Thunder Blackpine
Founded: ??? B.A.
Region: Blackpine Barony
The city of Star’s Shadow is built in the canopy of the massive trees that the Barony is so famous for. Most of the city is cloaked in shadow due to the thick foliage covering overhead save for the dark wood tower that rises above the trees.
This is the Celestial Tower, an observatory built by the Blackpine family during the Era of the Five Kingdoms. Despite its age it remains one of the best places to observe the heavens in the entire kingdom. The observatory itself is equipped with a large telescope that was, apparently, scavenged from traders out of Ironbrook who trespassed into the Barony and met their end there.
Blackbrook
City name: Blackbrook
Ruler: Duke Zenith Starstep
Founded: ??? B.A.
Region: Blackpine Barony
Located along the banks of a wide river that was, at the city’s foundation, merely a small brook, Blackbrook is a bustling trade hub in southern Blackpine barony. Its shops stock lumber and carved goods from Nightpine, as well as herbs - and sometimes illicit items - from Petalport’s markets. The city’s residents subsist primarily off of fish and wild game.
The city is, however, most well-known for Spiderdale Academy, a school founded by the previous ruling family of the city in a time before the Tempest. It fell into disrepair after the Spiderdales were replaced by the Starstep family, but the current Duke Zenith has gone to great effort to repair the old school grounds and reopen the academy to the public. It is a popular place for nobility in Blackpine to send their hatchlings to study, equalled only by the schools in Star’s Shadow itself.
Nightpine
Town name: Nightpine
Ruler: Countess Firth Gildedbrook
Founded: 12 A.E.D.
Region: Blackpine Barony
A bustling little town, Nightpine is a major part of Blackpine’s lumber industry. Most of its commoner and serf populace work as lumberjacks and carpenters, harvesting and re-planting trees and carrying them off to other parts of the kingdom for use in building projects, and are built burly and tall.
The village itself is a sprawling complex of wooden constructions, the scent of pine needles and tree sap almost overwhelming on the breeze, with small summer markets where local craftsmen sell hand-carved jewelry, tools, furniture, and even windwyrm-sized canoes.
Moonwood
Town name: Moonwood
Ruler: Countess Crescent Wintermoon
Founded: 17 A.E.D.
Region: Blackpine Barony
Isolated deep within the ancient old-growth forests of Blackpine Barony lies the Moonwood, an ancient and highly insular village dating back to the conquests and rule of Adeodatus and her empire. The village is built atop and within old moonviper ruins, and legend has it that the dragons who make their home here - and even the ruling family, the Wintermoons - have impure blood, expressing itself in ink-black eyes and a slightly serpentine build. Some go so far to claim that the inhabitants of the Moonwood still worship the trio of lunar goddesses that the long driven-off conquerors venerated, though if you were to ask a villager that, more likely than not you’d just get laughed at.
The Moonwood is, aside from a proliferation of rumours, a quiet town, and the villagers look out for their own as best they can.
At the village’s outskirts by a rocky hill lies the Moonsgrave, a series of caverns where the moonvipers made their final stand against the revolting windwyrms centuries ago. It is widely regarded as haunted, and the memories of the massacred moonvipers live on in the stone walls of the caves, coming alive upon touch. A portion of the Moonsgrave was recently discovered after a hatchling got lost in the cave, finding a way into a section of the tunnels that had, until recently, been blocked off by fallen rocks. They stumbled upon the forgotten bones of many dead moonvipers, thought to have been separated from the others during a cave-in. The remains seemed to glow and glitter in the dim torchlight when rescuers from the village arrived to fetch the, thankfully unharmed, child from the Moonsgrave, as, having been trapped in the darkness for centuries, they had become layered in calcite crystals.
Since then the deeper caverns have been left untouched, most windwyrms eager to try to forget about what they witnessed deep below the earth.
Old Ironbark
Landmark name: Old Ironbark
Ruler: N/A
Discovered: ??? B.A.
Region: Blackpine Barony
Outside the Baronies
Windwyrm-dominated territories located outside the control of the Tempest or Barons.
Background from Unsplash.
The Isle of Ghosts
Landmark name: The Isle of Ghosts, or the Duchy of Greygale
Ruler: Lady Three-Eyes (Lady Escarpment Wisphollow)
Founded: 17 A.E.D.
Region: The independent duchy of Greygale
Once known solely through rumour and legend, the mythical and terrifying Isle of Ghosts was rediscovered in the summer of 504, stumbled upon by a group of sailors from Ironbrook before becoming the location of a power struggle between that nation and the windwyrm kingdom - only for it to be revealed that the Seraphim, long thought dead and gone from the Realm, had been living in hiding on the Isle for the past few generations.
Though fighting broke out and the Seraphim came close to being destroyed for real, thanks to the assistance of sympathetic outsiders, they were successfully able to broker a deal between themselves and the foreign powers on the Isle. The Seraphim would remain as the neutral wardens of the Isle, and small parties from Ironbrook and the windwyrm kingdom would be allowed on its shores, provided they promised not to cause trouble. A secondary agreement was reached with the scholars of the stormherald Societies, allowing for them to continue their research into Elder Drake and windwyrm history on the Isle, provided in exchange they provide teaching for the residents of the Inner City.
Since then, the Seraphim have continued to dwell on the Isle - although are no longer banned from travelling beyond its shores by its leaders - with a significant population of Society scholars coming and going, a few of which have settled down permanently to establish a school.