Bryswythe is the southwestern highland region of Tora Danya. Something of a forsaken place, the province has a bizarre and disturbing history. Its name, in the old language, translates as “Hills of Sorrow.”

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-GEOGRAPHY-

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Landscape

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Bryswythe is much like Arinnley, only with sharper, rockier hills and a warmer climate. Lake Sapphire lays in a basin among the western end of the hills. Estilan borders to the north at Greythorne Plain, and the Emilene River borders to the east. The Cobbleback River flows north out of the hills, into the Nethermarshes, and out to sea.

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The southwestern portion of the Anderoth Forest belongs to Bryswythe.

Major Settlements

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Due to its unfriendly terrain and haunted past, few notable cities have been settled in Bryswythe. The mining colony of Corlock sits near the source of the Cobbleback River, near the diamond and iron mines. Tollis, a trading post and pilgrimage site, lies on the eastern bank of Lake Sapphire.

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-HISTORY-

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The Elenkarite Massacre

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Near the end of the FA, the rugged southwest highlands were the center of activity for a remote cult who worshipped Elenkara, Goddess of Love. The commune was located at Tollis, next to Lake Sapphire. The founders claimed to be direct descendants of Elenkara herself (as she was known to tryst with mortals), and they made their presence known by sending out missionaries to distant regions. At first, they were seen as eccentric purveyors of peace and love, but as the commune grew in fame, stories began to circulate about their use of hallucinogenic herbs and the practice of intense sexual rites. Young men and women from around Ladinia, particularly those among the disenfranchised, traveled into the wilderness to join the commune. As it grew, it was labeled a cult. The Ladinian government warned the commune of their behavior, but as their debauchery seemed rooted in pacifism and romance, little could be done.

Several decades before the kingdom’s collapse, a disgruntled warrior from Shuro left to join the Elenkarites. The warrior happened to be the son of Horgan, the warlord who commanded the followers of Aza (a demigod son of Mimevak who preached dominance through strength), and a sworn enemy of the Niranites. Disgusted, Horgan sent an envoy to collect his son. The envoy returned empty-handed. Horgan took a contingent of warriors across the Emilene River and marched on Tollis, demanding his son be returned to him. When the cultists declined, Horgan and his followers slaughtered the entire commune. His son never returned home; traumatized by the bloodbath and the slaughter of his friends, he escaped his father, leapt from the cliffs, and was dashed to pieces.

 

The Missing Priest and the Demon

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After the slaughter, Bryswythe was considered a haunted place, inhabited by the ghosts of Tollis. Folks said that when the wind blew, the banshee scream of Elenkara ripped through the hills, mourning her lost children. The Cobbleback River, flowing out of the hills, became a sign of darkness, and Lake Sapphire found its way into many a horrific folktale. In 332 SA, a priest of Lanadain travelled into Bryswythe with a contingent of six mercenaries, hoping to cleanse the area and rebalance the land. After sending word of his arrival in the hills, he and his men vanished, never to be heard from again.

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The region wasn’t approached again until after the rise of Tora Danya. In 132 TA Keleth Fenwick, a Baron in southern Shuro, sent a detachment of warriors into Bryswythe, claiming that since his ancestors were responsible for the original bloodbath at Tollis, he would find out once and for all what was happening in the region.

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Of the twenty fearless troops he sent, only three returned, all telling tales of a terrible demon with three eyes, six arms, and two mouths, who had devoured the rest of the contingent.

 

Underground Treasure and The Hill-Dwellers

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Finally, in 136 TA, King Thomas II of intervened on behalf of the Monarchy. He sent a detachment of highly trained troops out to Estilan, where they approached Bryswythe from the north. With them went a priestess of Loria, several specialists on agriculture and geology, and three expert trackers. When they arrived, they discovered a massive sinkhole near the source of the Cobbleback, at the bottom of which lay the decayed remains of the priest of Lanadain (identified by his tarnished holy symbol) and his six skeletons believed to be his mercenaries. The sinkhole opened into a network of caverns, which led deep into the land to reveal an overflowing deposit of diamonds. Word was sent back to the king, who sent more experts to investigate. The expedition held their breath in anticipation of another misfortune, but nothing occurred. Before long, the community of Corlock sprang up near the caverns and began to mine the diamonds, along with a vein of iron ore that was discovered to the east.

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King Thomas then sent troops further south to investigate the ruins of Tollis. To their shock, they found that the area around Lake sapphire was settled by a tribe of primitive hill-dwellers who spoke a corrupted version of Old Ladinian. The tribe claimed to have been there since the dawn of time. They even had stories recounting the destruction of the commune at Tollis, telling how “metal demons” from the east had slaughtered Elenkara’s favored. Though protective, the hill-dwellers proved friendly enough; they learned to communicate with the modern Tora Danyans, assisted the Priestess of Loria in setting up a shrine on Tollis’s ruins, and soon the shadows began to lift. As Tollis attracted more and more curiosity-seeking settlers, Bryswythe became a viable, if rugged, place for those seeking exploration and adventure.

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Still, it remains an ominous place to many Tora Danyans. After all, the alleged “monster” who destroyed the Shuroan soldiers has never been explained, not even by the hill-dwellers. However, a statue in their chief village curiously resembles the monster’s description.

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Addition to the Monarchy

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In 151 TA, Bryswythe was declared safe for settlement and became an official province of Tora Danya.

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In modern times, Bryswythe still contains a number of interesting things: rings of unidentified prayers stones, the diamond mine at Corlock, a grove of massive oak trees with twisting boughs, and a two-hundred-year-old tortoise that wanders the beach on the southwestern shore.

 

Politics

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Although the mines have been claimed by the Monarchy, who has left a stocked garrison to defend Corlock, the rest of the province is administered by more of a frontier-style justice. Noble families have come and gone, but the Monarchy continues to install anyone willing to accept the challenge.

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As of 1561 TA, the Baron Robin Douglas administers Bryswythe.

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-ECONOMY-

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Bryswythe is something of a frontier province whose inhabitants fend for themselves. Their only contribution to the kingdom comes from the diamond and iron mines. However, those minerals are incredibly valuable, and the Monarchy pays handsomely to sustain the settlers at Corlock. The shrine to Loria at Tollis also attracts travelers, and as the force that supposedly cleansed the darkness, it has become a pilgrimage site. The steady stream of visitors allows the residents to maintain a small trading post.

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Many hill-dwellers have been assimilated into modern culture, but those who remain primitive subsist on a barter system.

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-DEMOGRAPHY AND CULTURE-

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By 1561 TA, Bryswythe’s population had grown to 55,000, counting the hill-dwellers, but the region is still largely avoided by all but those with the strongest stomachs and most inquiring minds. Life is tough; the southern winter may be mild, but the soil is stony, and the wind is strong. While hearty communities have sprung up, people leave as often as they come.

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Tora Danyans have mingled with the hill-dwellers, producing generations of mixed stock referred to as “grey-skins.”

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Religion

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The community around Tollis pays respects to Loria. Corlock, which holds miners and craftsmen from all over the kingdom, features a wide range of beliefs. The hill-dwellers recognize ancient Ladinian gods, but they worship mysterious deities that may or may not be part of the native pantheon.