Greendale
Greendale is a frontier settlement on the northern edge of the Illuminated Kingdom, where survival comes before comfort and vigilance is part of daily life. Built around a fortified core and sustained by a vast underground lake, the village serves as both a waypoint and a holdfast. A large portion of its residents are Dragonborn, descendants of warriors who earned their freedom in a war centuries ago, and that legacy still shapes the settlement today.
Greendale stands as the northernmost settlement under the Crown’s authority, where the last reliable farmland gives way to tougher terrain. Founded in 488 EoIF by King Theodan, it served as a forward outpost in anticipation of war against the Mad Sorcerer Morthos Dray. From this position, forces were staged and supplied until the war’s end in 492 EoIF, culminating in Theodan's victory.
In the years since, Greendale has evolved from a war outpost into a permanent settlement, though its origins have never been forgotten. It has grown to a population of roughly 700, expanding outward from its original fortified core into a village shaped by necessity rather than by design.
At its northern center lies the Inner Ward, a fortified structure that still bears its military origins. Beyond it, homes, workshops, and farmland spread outward in uneven formation before giving way to forest and broken terrain. There is no clear boundary between settlement and wilderness, only a gradual shift as control begins to fade. Greendale does not exist apart from its past. It is built directly upon it.
The Dragonborn of Greendale
Nearly half of Greendale’s population consists of Dragonborn, descendants of those who fought in King Theodan’s war against Morthos Dray. Many can trace their lineage directly to the Storm Phalanx, a legendary force that helped secure victory.
These warriors of legend earned their freedom through that conflict, and Greendale became one of the settlements where they chose to forge a life beyond war. That history is not a distant memory. It is carried forward through discipline, expectation, and quiet pride.
The Storm Phalanx is remembered through the teachings at the Storm Phalanx Compound. Strength, honor, and loyalty are passed down through the ages, shaping the very soul of the settlement in ways that are immediately felt.
Government
Greendale is currently governed by Warden Esme Briarlock, whose authority blends both civil leadership and military discipline. Her role is not simply to govern, but to ensure the settlement endures. Decisions are made with survival in mind, and while her leadership is firm, it is rarely questioned openly.
Like all settlements in the Illuminated Kingdom, Greendale pays a Crown tax and contributes a tithe to the Illuminated Church. Enforcement is practical rather than rigid, as survival often takes precedence over strict adherence.
The Church maintains a presence within Greendale, though it does not dominate daily life. Faith is respected, but the realities of frontier living shape how closely doctrine is followed.
Geography
Greendale is shaped as much by its geography as by its history. To the north, the Highlands give way to rolling hills and open ground, offering visibility but little natural defense. To the south, the Brackenwood forest presses close, its dense, persistent growth reaching along the settlement’s edge. To the east, the land rises sharply into the Grenchester’s Rise mountains, forming a hard boundary that runs south for hundreds of miles. King Theodan’s Mile runs west, a maintained but cautious road that connects Greendale to the Highlands Stand outpost. Travel along this road is purposeful and often guarded.
Beneath the settlement lies its most vital resource, a vast underground lake accessed via a reinforced descent. This Underlake provides a stable, reliable water source, allowing Greendale to endure where other settlements might fail. The lake is believed to connect to a larger underground network flowing beneath the Grenchester’s Rise. Though stable and clean, it remains largely unexplored, accepted for what it provides rather than understood for what it may be.
Beneath the settlement lies its most vital resource, a vast underground lake accessed via a reinforced descent. This Underlake provides a stable, reliable water source, allowing Greendale to endure where other settlements might fail. The lake is believed to connect to a larger underground network flowing beneath the Grenchester’s Rise. Though stable and clean, it remains largely unexplored, accepted for what it provides rather than understood for what it may be.
Founding Date
488 EoIF
Type
Village
Population
700
Location under
Owning Organization
Recent History
Highland Predator
Greendale has faced increasing pressure along its northern farmland as a chimera has established itself in the Highlands. The attacks began with scattered livestock losses but have become more frequent and more precise. Patrols have confirmed the beast’s presence and tracked its movements across several routes through the hills. What troubles them is not its strength, but its pattern. The chimera does not wander or hunt randomly. It returns to the same areas, testing defenses, adapting to resistance, and withdrawing before it can be fully engaged. It has avoided every organized attempt to corner it, often shifting its route just before patrols arrive.
Underlake Discovery
In recent months, routine work along the Docks Below led to an unexpected discovery. Workers pushing farther along the lake’s edge found that the cavern did not end where it was long believed. Instead, the waterway narrows into a stone-cut passage that opens into a wider, uncharted section of the underground network. The walls there are smoother in places, as if shaped by more than water alone, and the depth of the lake increases beyond what simple means can measure.
Initial exploration confirmed that the water remains clean and stable, but subtle irregularities have begun to surface. Currents shift without warning, gently pulling toward the newly discovered passage before settling again. Sounds carry across the water in unnatural ways, with echoes returning from directions that do not match. On more than one occasion, workers have reported movement at the edge of torchlight, only to find nothing when approached.
Warden Briarlock has restricted further exploration, allowing only limited survey work to continue under supervision. The Underlake remains the settlement’s lifeline, and no risk will be taken that might compromise it. Even so, there is growing agreement among those who have seen the deeper passage that the lake is not simply a reservoir. It is part of something larger, and whatever lies beyond has yet to reveal itself.
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