A Region of The Iron Valley
A borderland in every sense of the word, Bolsterlee has had many different rulers over many different centuries. The earliest histories show their confederation of shepherd tribes being conquered by the Bailites to the south, becoming Baile Abhainne. The King of Baile Abhainne was always known as the King of Grain and Stone, and ruled for generations. Then the forces of the Iron Valley descended from the mountains and crashed in from the sea in the Axeman’s War and defeated the last King of Grain and Stone, Guthred Untramarck at the Battle of High Climb, where the warriors of the Valley used axes as climbing tools to ascend Guthreds wooden fortress.
Then for three hundred years ‘Bolsterlee’ was one of the two lower Lees, spoken of with the same bemused guardianship as Anderslee, the only other Lee outside of the mountain valley itself. Bolsterlee became a widely populated and militarised region. It was the first chance in many generations for new space to come into the Valley and the constant threat of Bailite rebellion to the south kept the region well armed and the caravans of offerings from the beaten Bailite Kings well guarded.
But the downfall of Bolsterlee would come from the West. The hundred mercenary companies of Posta Lerona and Vidania, in support of Artebazzani Legions that would force the Valleyfolk from Bolsterlee in two years and three failed sieges of the newly built Deorlings Citadel. Posta Di Confina would be taxed heavily and the Valleyfolk left behind would try to maintain close ties with their High Kin, but under the weight of Bailite refugees, harsh taxation and the High Places showing true loyalty to only the High Places, Bolsterlee was adrift.
It was this drifter that was crushed underfoot by the Illsevir horde. Hundreds of settlements were spread over Bolsterlee when the silent invaders came and while many of these settlements were burned, just as many were robbed of all life. Their inhabitants whisked away to wherever the Illsevir take their captives.
This is surely how it would have remained, were it not for the treasonous actions of Khasim Al-Ja’ani, the Commandant of the Concord who took command of two Concordian armies with no mandate and in a surprise action retook Bolsterlee from the Illsevir. Ushering in a new time for the battered region.
Summary
Bolsterlee is a low region that forms the Northeastern portion of the lands around the Bay of Promised Gold. The idealised image of Bolsterlee would be a wide expanse of tall hardy grasses, criss-crossed by game trails, with mountains far in the distance and a foul storm overhead.
Dominated by its rivers, temperamental weather and wild grasslands, Bolsterlee could be described as a coastal steppe with some areas of sub-alpine highlands containing ancient pine and fir forests.
Life in Bolsterlee has never been particularly urbane, even under the rules of the Early Valleyfolk or the Bailite Kings. Larger settlements along the coast and high in the hills are dwarfed by a widely spread population of farming hamlets spread wide across the grasslands. Even now, farming herds of goats, wide fields of grain and fishing the Bay form the heart of Bolsterlee life.
But this is a new age, and while Bolsteree is scarred for aeons of conflict, perhaps more than lightning can grow in this border region.
The Towns
The only true settlement of Bolsterlee is Strivington. Recently settled, Strivington is based on either side of the Bolsterlee River in the northern half of the region on a natural path of travel between the Iron Valley and Lerona Mere. The main feature of the town is a large stone bridge built by the great Valleyfolk engineer Otrida Stonemind of Bolsterlee. Large enough to have two ox-drawn wagons pass each other with room for travellers on foot. It bridges the river and would have been enough to create a town, but was further aided by the presence of a massive tavern and inn perched atop the bridge, like a strange growth of timber and beer, known as the Striving, which gives the town its name. Strivington was settled by order of Athermer of Windholme, first Concordian Senator of Bolsterlee in the year 221.
The only other settlement of any real note is that of Athermer’s Folly, a large mining camp in wooded highlands of the region's South-East. Commissioned by Athermer of Windholme on behalf of The Concord in the year 221, Athermer's Folly is a Mithril Mine built around the headwaters of the Woodswater River, that has washed away the stones for millennia.
Above all of Bolsterlee and standing as a barrier and reminder of history is Deorlings Citadel. A wide wall that stretches for a week's walk from the Cildfrau to the Steinvaults. It was erected to keep the Artebazzani at bay during the First Mercenary War and now stands denoting the line between the high places and everywhere else. Also known as the Wall of Fifty Gates, there are numerous small gatehouses, each manned its own burough of fierce guardians.
The Roads
While the Bolsterlee River forms the main artery of the region, the East-West travelling Legionnaires Road supports most of the overland traffic of the region. Laid down by the Artebazzani Legions as they crossed Bolsterlee on Campaign, the Legionnaires Road is a standard Artebazzani design of cobbles on gravel and is still in good condition to this day. Any traveller journeying from Lerona Mere to the Iron Valley will likely take the Legionnaires Road, finding the travel easy if not for Bolsterlee’s stormy weather and sparse townships.
The Waters
Risvegilo, Boundersmark or simply ‘The River’, refers to the Bolsterlee River. A wide and fast flowing river that cuts the region roughly in half lengthways as it flows south east from the Steinvaults far in the north before meeting the Woodswater River far in the south. Rarely thinner than a bowshot, the cold waters of the Bolsterlee are old, having eroded away their stones many years before, leaving a flat but fast river that is prone to flooding its banks after powerful storms.
The Woodswater River originates higher in the region from deep below the Cildfrau Mountains. Flowing faster than the Bolsterlee and over rough granite it is a dangerous river with rapids and short falls. It forms the regions southern border and also creates somewhat of a debate, after the two rivers meets and flow out to the bay, which continues? Is that stretch of river the continuation of the Woodswater or the Bolsterlee? Or is it a new river?
The Lands
Referring to everything south of the Bolsterlee River, Bayward is both a direction (“I’m travelling bayward”) and a region. Ever the image of Bolsterlee, Bayward consists of vast unbroken grasslands of hardy Goatgrass, a tall grass that grows to just above waist high and has a rough surface that can cut the skin. Villages here are either farming hamlets that clear the grass for growing, shepherd communities (whose Goats love the grass, thus the name) or small fishing hamlets. Here the bay laps against the shore resulting in short shandy beaches or low cliffs.
On the far side of the Bolsterlee River is Highward, which, like its southern counterpart, is both a direction and place. Here the ground slopes upwards. In the north this is a gentle but unbroken rise, as if a great being traced a line from the river and the High Valley and set the ground at that gentle incline. In the south it is far more rolling, leading levels rising ever higher into the mountains. Settlements here are smaller than in Bayward, but are more specialised. Hunting lodges, herbal communes and more nefarious groups.
While there are numerous forests along the edges of Bolsterlee, The Bailite Woods are most notable. These ancient Tinfirs and Kings Pines are powerful examples of their kind, leading to a forest made of ancient trees that can blunt an unprepared logger. These woods are cold year round and hide secret paths into the Cildfrau Mountain valleys, lost Bailite ruins and dark caves below ground.
The Heights
The powerful northern border, The Steinvault Mountains are a deadly and imposing sight in northern Bolsterlee. The woods that hug the foothills are full of game and life, but the risk of powerful mountain creatures like Hagtooth Trolls and furred Craghounds make it a dangerous place to lay down roots.
Of far more import to Bolsterlee are The Cildfrau Mountains which form much of the region's eastern border. The warmer mountain range is home to numerous hidden valleys and jagged caves. Many a pursued Bolsterfolk has made for these hidden places in search of rescue.
Notable among the Cildfrau is Traitors' Watch. Westernmost of the mountains of the range, this gravel strewn peak is so named for its usefulness in observing Bolsterlee from the High Valley. It remains unclear if the eponymous traitors in this circumstance are the Bolsterfolk or Lerona Mere, a fact that causes more than a bit of disgruntlement.