Difference between revisions of "Whitehawk/Reflection"

Revision as of 21:23, 19 May 2017

Background

On April the 21st of the 1006th year after the Reckoning, I hereby declare that for excellence in long-term service and loyalty to House Grayson and his sworn oaths, Sir Silas Mercier shall now be known as

Baron Silas Whitehawk

He is elevated to peerage on this day, and in the coming days a track of land shall be granted to him for the new Barony of Whitehawk in the Gray First, south of the Bastion, out of Grayson held lands.

Prince Ainsley Grayson Voice of House Grayson

House Whitehawk is the newest barony created under House Riven, granted to Sir Silas Mercier after his family's fealty break with House Grayson following a small scandal involving a proposed alcohol ban and exchanged insults. Silas is a knight sworn to Grayson, thus remained with them and was consequently rewarded for his loyalty. As a result, most Whitehawks are former Merciers who have pledged their fealty to their kinsman and House Grayson, opposed to following the family to the Lyceum.

The area is characterised by more than 110 square kilometres (42.5 sq mi) of mixed woodland, one of the surviving ancient woodlands in Arvum. Traditionally the main sources of work have been forestry – including charcoal production - iron working and coal mining.

Until the reign of Queen Alarice the Great, the forest was mostly unpopulated. However, in the late 600's, several small villages were established for development of local iron-ore deposits and coal production. The villages were populated with settlers from Bastion and Twainfort and many of them still exist. The forest was declared a hunting reserve in 816 AR to protect the animal population. In 1006 AR it officially became the Barony of Whitehawk, home to Hawkhold.

Ecology

The forest is composed of deciduous and evergreen trees. Predominant is oak, both pedunculate and sessile. Beech is common and sweet chestnut has grown there for many centuries. The forest is home to foxgloves and other wild flowers. A number of fallow deer in the central area are melanistic. Small numbers of roe deer and muntjac deer have spread in from the east.

The forest is known for its birds; pied flycatchers, redstarts, wood warblers and hawfinches can be found. It supports the realm's best concentration of goshawks and a viewing site is manned during February and March. Peregrine falcons can be seen from the viewpoint at Lone Pine Rock. Orange ducks, which nest in the trees, and Reed warblers can be seen at Rosetta Ponds and Rosetta Brook, running from the ponds through Parkend, is famed for its Dippers.

Butterflies of note are the small pearl-bordered fritillary, wood white and the white admiral. Klamath Knoll is famed for its glow-worms and Green Lake for its dragonflies.

Hawhold

Hawkhold is surrounded on three sides by the Green River, a tributary of the Gray River. It is located near an important trade route between rich farmlands and their markets. The castle divided into several parts, which belong to different branches of the family. At up to four stories, the eight towers reach heights of between 30 and 40 metres (98 and 131 ft). They are fortified with strong exterior walls; to the yard they present a partial framework. Other significant parts of the building are the Knights' Hall (a great reception hall), the Club Tower, and the White bastion, which serves as a food storage room. In the wing of the castle called the Mantle, a painting can be seen which portrays the Legend of the Hawk Knight from which the family derives its name.