Central Herdley

Central Herdley

COUNTY OF HERDLEY

Symbol of the Herdley-Arleigh Family

The wealthy County of Herdley lies between Kallent to the north-east and the Royal Domain of Dunfalcon around Lake Neme to the south-west. While large and powerful, Herdley is constrained by its proximity to the more populous Royal Domain and the ambitions of the Kings in Dunfalcon to add her as a vassal state. Castle Herdley lies only a few miles from the border of the Royal Domain. The ancient, gothic pile of Castle Herdley overlooks the small town of Earlshurst, with the Armed Woman coaching inn (north bank of Arleigh stream, outside the walls).  The extensive dungeons beneath Castle Herdley are said to hold many secrets, some best left unrevealed.

Herdley is sometimes seen as decadent by the other River Lords;

Odric, Black Priest of Asmodeus

slavery is common and unscrupulous slavers may sometimes seize victims from other nearby demesnes, a source of friction with Kallent in particular. There are also rumours of debauchery at Castle Herdley. The major vassal of Herdley is the Barony of Ostavitch, on the edge of the eastern mountains. Ostavitch has a sinister reputation for night-haunted terrors, it is a land where doors and windows are locked and bolted at dusk. Herdley is populuous and can field around 2,000 men, with Ostavitch adding another 500.

Countess Varuna of Herdley

Castle Herdley: Seat of power of the Countess, Varuna. A sprawling gothic castle many centuries old, Castle Herdley looms over the small town of Earlshurst (pop 2,800) from the crags to the south-east. The rooms within are richly apointed in dark velvet and brocade. The garrison here is small, around a dozen men, but numerous nubile slave-girls clad only in jewel

Lisa of Swansea, Castle Herdley

ry attend the young Countess' whim. The slaves are overseen by the hefty slave-mistress Grunhilde. Notable slave-girls include two from the world Earth, brought to Herdley by Count Ludwig in 94 YY using an enchanted mirror that is kept deep within the Castle vaults and guarded by a Flesh Golem. They are the Welsh librarian Lisa of Swansea (5'2", YY 70-, long brown hair, spectacles, very curvaceous), now a scribe-slave, and the American lawyer Cheryle of Boston (brown skin, Nerian-looking, 5'6", YY 66-). Inspired by Sir Garrick, Lisa had been secretly sending out messages on Countess Vauna's activities via the castle cess-chutes since M11 YY 96.

Cheryle of Boston, Castle Herdley

UPDATE M8 YY 97: The Black Priest, Odric, used information gained from the treacherous slave girl Lisa's messages to gain ingress, and seize control of Castle Herdley. Countess Varuna now languishes in her own dungeons. At the same time, an army from Royal Dunfalcon crossed the border to besiege Castle Valiant in a coordinated assault. However, the bold Sir Edward Kallent took advantage of Odric's relocation to launch a daring raid upon the ruined Abbey of the Black Monks...

Castle Valiant: Small, but extremely heavily fortified, this is the main military bastion of
Herdley, commanding the Dunfalcon Pike. Eighty heavily armed soldiers are garrisoned here, under the bald and grizzled veteran Castellan Kanovich. Over the centuries Castle Valiant has withstood several attempts upon it from Dunfalcon and the Egarne kings.

Beverly Arleigh-Etting

Bury St Farlan: This good-sized town (pop. 4,600) on the Arleigh Stream is the seat of power of Baron Melchet Arleigh (YY 34-), leader of the Arleigh branch of the Herdley-Arleigh clan, and brother in law to Dame Lysana Arleigh-Wright of Hareboro. Baron Melchet is a big, paunchy man, now bald and aging, who enjoys the fine things in life. He is said to be ambitious, with a ruthless streak - some say he believes he should be Count of Herdley. Melchet has strained relations with the Ostavich, the Herdleys' powerful eastern ally/vassal. His baronial title comes with the rulership of the town and surrounding estates. He is married to his second wife, Lady Agnes Arleigh (YY 46-), and has four surviving children, a son having died young - three daughters and his surviving son, the youngest, Lord Oscar Arleigh (YY 74-), said to be a rake and wastrel with a cruel streak, much fond of using his whip and branding-iron upon the local peasantry and any who incur his disfavour.
Beverly Arleigh-Etting: (YY 59-) Attractive, auburn-haired eldest daughter of Baron Melchet Arleigh by Luchilla (dec'd), Beverly was married to Sir Samuel Etting, the lord of Etting Manor on the Arleigh Stream. She has one child, her son Rodney Etting (YY 83-). Samuel and Rodney were believed lost when Etting fell to the Dunfalcon Light Infantry 2/10/97. Beverly evaded pursuit downriver, clobbering Lt Orpheus Black, only to be captured by the Kallent knights Sir Garrick, Sir Hugh Orde, and Squire Cadwal Fortescue.

Dame Lysana Arleigh-Wright of Hareboro

Hareboro: A village on the Dunfalcon Pike, granted to Sir Odul Arleigh (younger brother of  Lord Melchet Arleigh) twenty years ago for services to Count Ludwig Herdley. Sir Odul recently (late YY 95) passed away from an excess of gout, leaving the estate to his much younger widow, the voluptuous Dame Lysana Arleigh-Wright. Lysana  (YY 67-, married Odul YY 93) hails from the famous Wright merchant family of Yggsburgh.  She is the younger twin sister of the merchantess Miss Candice Wright , and grand-daughter of Raymond Wright, former Master of the Yggsburgh Merchants' Guild and Mayor YY 51-60. Dame Lysana has no children, and already has a reputation as a 'merry widow', to the annoyance of her brother in law the Baron Melchet Arleigh. Rumour has it she has even consorted with the Black Priest, Odric.
The Herdley/Arleigh clan generally maintain good connections with the Wright mercantile dynasty. Most of the County's arms and armour are imported by the Wright coster from Yggsburgh's smithies.