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Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade
Illustration by Bernadette Carstensen Cartography by Adam Gillespie
“A beautiful land and a people favored by fortune, but don’t let the glittering waters dazzle your eyes—dark perils gather in the Barony of the Emerald Blade, and old evil stirs in the shadows of the forest.”
At the eastern end of the great Altaran Peninsula lies an expanse of dense green forests and sparkling white sands—Merindaelion, the realm of the Emerald Blade. A small domain in comparison to the neigh- boring Kingdom of Tithinia or the Duchy of Solandir, Merindaelion is home to a unique people. Elves and humans have blended and mingled in these beautiful lands more than anywhere else in the world, giving rise to a bold, handsome, and independent people known the world over as great adventurers and seafarers. Situated on the western shores of the Sunrise Sea, the Emerald Blade Barony has long been a land with its eyes turned outward. The merchants and trading
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guilds based in Merindaelion’s ports flourish under the relaxed laws of the barony, and hundreds of ships from all over the world call here. Unlike with the large trading houses of Sarthel and other such cen- ters, the merchants of the Emerald Blade are mostly private shipowners and individual speculators. In troubled times, they are quick to turn to piracy, making up for lost or interrupted trade by sending their ships and crews out to take what they can by force. As long as the baron’s share is paid, the authori- ties are happy to set loose Emerald Blade privateers on the coasts of Tithinia, Numoth, Relis Vullin, and sometimes even the kingdom of Rethmil. Merindaelion’s merger of human and elven cul- ture took shape one thousand years ago, when the great elven kingdom of Solaneillon entered its final decline. In those days, hordes of gnolls from the Sand Sea and the Desert of Black Stone posed a con- stant, ever-growing threat to the fading power of the elves. The rulers of Solaneillon took into their service human warriors from the vigorous tribes of southern
Nerathi Legends: Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade
Kelarnil to stem the tide of monstrous incursions, and afterward rewarded them with land to settle in the realm’s northern wildlands. The elves who lived in
these lands were at first bitterly opposed to the grow- ing number of human settlers. But as the strength of Solaneillon waned, the bravery of the humans, along with their sheer numbers, proved decisive in stand- ing up to the monstrous hordes. When Solaneillon broke apart into smaller states six hundred years ago,
a charismatic half-elf noble named Althier Merind succeeded in uniting the human towns and elven
forest-holds of northern Solaneillon into a single realm, establishing the Barony of Merindaelion. Since Altheir’s time, House Merind has ruled over the realm with a permissive hand. The heirloom of House Merind is Althier’s enchanted sword Perifal, the work of an ancient eladrin master smith. This hand-and-a-half sword is forged from an alloy of adamantine that glitters with
a deep, metallic green color; the hilt is wrapped in
supple leather made from hide taken from the throat of a green dragon. The blade is depicted on every banner, standard, and sail of the barony as a vertical, crosslike design flanked by sleek, feathered wings. This is the “emerald blade” from which Merindaelion derives its nickname.
The Emerald Blade Barony was originally a league of allied nobles, of which the Baron of Nesmalen was the highest-ranking and most powerful member. In the years since Althier Merind successfully united the disparate fiefs into Merindaelion, the barony has drawn together, taking on the functions (if not the titles) of a kingdom.
The heir of House Merind holds the titles of Baron of Nesmalen and Protector of Merindaelion. He or she commands the realm’s army, heads the baronial administration, and is primarily responsible for con- ducting foreign affairs. The authority of the baron and baronial officers is limited when dealing with matters of justice and taxation within the boundar- ies of other lords’ fiefs; the peers of Merindaelion are
skeptical of giving the baron more power, and they have guarded their own prerogatives jealously. The current baron is Geras Alsarien Merind, a half-elf of thirty-five who ascended to his post when his father was assassinated one year ago. Before his accession he was a restless and troublesome heir apparent, adventuring incognito through nearby lands and dallying with more than a few females along the way. Although Geras dislikes the burdens of the throne and misses his freewheeling days, he has
Nerathi Legends: Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade
proven to be a bold and cunning leader, who has won great favor with most of his people. Notably, he has instituted a series of reforms and recalls to root out corruption and incompetence in the baronial admin- istration. Unfortunately for Geras, his crusading has earned him some powerful enemies, and some say he has been marked for the same fate as his father—it’s only a matter of when.
Merindaelion’s peerage is a patchwork of small noble fiefs with a variety of titles of uncertain precedence. There are approximately twenty baronets, seigneurs, and lords or dames, plus a number of indepen- dent holds and free towns that are part of no lord’s domain. The more powerful of the nobles hold fiefs as impressive as House Merind’s own and have strong claims on the barony’s throne due to old marriages with the royal house. Lord Kinimar: The lord of Anduiros, the second- largest city in the realm, Kinimar is a cousin of Geras Merind. He is an ambitious and calculating forty- year-old human known for his talents as a sorcerer. He entertains schemes of unseating House Merind and installing his own House Fhalton as the ruling family in Merindaelion. Baronetess Sefini: Hotheaded and impetuous, Sefini is a striking young female half-elf who reigns over the pirate haven of Talon Bay. She is sometimes called the Corsair Queen, and for good reason— Talon Bay is the home of a large and raucous corsair flotilla. Sefini chafes under what she sees as the overly heavy hand of Baron Geras, and constantly tests the limits of baronial authority with brazen acts of piracy. The Forest Lords: Seven of Merindaelion’s ranking peers hold no towns or castles, but instead represent noble elf clans of the forested interior. Each Forest Lord governs a clan, a house, or a tribe of elves and their retainers, watching over unsettled
territories in the forested hills. The Forest Lords and their people serve as a crucial first line of defense against incursions from Tithinia and Iron Circle spies. The Forest Lords do not maintain a permanent residence, roaming from season to season between various natural refuges and shelters (some of which are more comfortable and secure than any human nobleman’s tower). A contingent of Forest Lords often visits the court at Nesmalen, quietly advising the young baron on elven concerns and interests.
An ancient enemy lurks in the caverns and the for- ests of the wild southern borderlands of the Emerald Blade Barony—the dreadful yuan-ti. The yuan-ti once battled the elven realm of Solaneillon for supremacy of eastern Altara, and were defeated. Down through the long centuries they have stirred from time to time, erupting in turn against the dragonborn warriors of Arkhosia, the proud lords of Nerath, and now the half- elves, elves and humans of Merindaelion.
A fortresslike haven harboring scores of ships, this small city is the capital of the Emerald Blade Barony. Population M ix: Approximately 8,000 people, most of them humans or half-elves, live in Nes- malen. Several times that number live in the fields and towns along the River Nes and the shores of Emerald Bay. Halflings, elves, shifters, and dragon- born make up the nonhuman population. G overnment: Nesmalen is ruled by a lord mayor appointed by the baron. The city and its surround- ing lands are the historical demesne of House Merind, but the baron, as the ranking noble of the realm, delegates oversight of local affairs to various officials. The current lord mayor is an old, officious male halfling named Tarren Thistler. Lord Mayor Tarren makes a great show of any civic ceremony and never misses a chance to give a speech, but otherwise governs lightly. Commerce: Nesmalen’s major industries are shipbuilding, woodworking, and the production, dyeing, and embroidering of textiles such as silk and cotton. The major food crops are brown rice, fruit, nuts, beans, and other crops that do well in
warm, humid conditions. In addition, every kind of seafood can be found in the markets and is a daily part of the residents’ diet. Nesmalen imports metalwork, wine, grain, and leather. Defenses: Emerald Blade Keep is a large fortress that commands the harbor, but Nesmalen’s first line of defense is its excellent war fleet of twelve sturdy dromonds with iron-beaked rams. The city is otherwise unwalled. In addition to the dromond crews, the Keep is defended by two hundred fifty elite foot soldiers and the order of wizards known as the Mages of the Emerald Star. Inns a nd Taverns: Nesmalen is renowned for its excellent fare and comfortable inns. The White Sail Inn caters to visiting shipowners and captains, offering good food and safe lodgings overlooking the harbor. Travelers of more modest means can choose the Storm Gull near the wharves, where one’s stay might be marked by brawling, robbery, and the occasional murder. The House of Swans, a mile outside town on a forested hilltop overlooking the Nes, caters to elves and other people who have refined tastes.
Nerathi Legends: Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade
The Emerald Blade Barony lies in a region of warm, heavily forested hills marked by steep, rugged ridges. The area is not truly mountainous and isn’t an actual jungle, but the terrain forms a significant bar- rier against attacks from the west or south. A small amount of the land is under cultivation, mostly in the valley of the River Nes and the gentle coastal plain around Anduiros. The interior can grow warm and humid in the summers, but the coast remains temper- ate from the ever-present sea breezes.
The largest city in the Emerald Blade Barony is Nesmalen, located where the River Nes meets the northern arm of Emerald Bay. Nesmalen is a scenic city, with whitewashed walls and colorful tiled roofs glittering among the green, forested hillsides. Its ship- yards turn out the finest vessels on the western shores of the Sunrise Sea, and its warehouses are filled with
goods from all over the world. A picturesque head- land above the harbor is home to Emerald Blade Keep, the stronghold and palace of House Merind and the seat of Baron Geras. Nesmalen is a reasonably safe city, although not without its intrigues and dangers. Yuan-ti spies and abominations lurk in its sewers and catacombs, along with audacious gangs of thieves and a persis- tent cult dedicated to the two-headed demon prince Demogorgon.
Anduiros is the second city of the Emerald Blade Barony. It lies on an expanse of flat farmland in the heart of the realm, ringed by cotton fields and orchards. The city is the center of the barony’s timber industry, producing highly valued hardwoods in its sawmills. Because it stands on open ground, Anduiros is protected by a city wall, the most exten- sive to be found in Merindaelion. In the past, the human lords of Anduiros feuded bitterly with the elven clans of the forest, and in all Merindaelion this is the place where humans and elves remain most at odds; few elves live here, and Anduirosans harbor suspicions about elven influence over the barony’s affairs. Anduiros is the domain of Lord Kinimar Fhalton, a cousin of the baron and the most powerful and ambitious of the realm’s nobles.
Located at the head of the valley of the River Nes, Nesgard Keep blocks the only practicable invasion route into the Emerald Blade Barony from the west. The castle’s construction began early in the reign of Baron Halvar Merind, father of Baron Geras, and proceeded in several stages—first a watchtower, then a small keep, and finally an encircling wall, provid- ing accommodations for a garrison of four hundred
Emerald Blade soldiers. The commander of the for- tress is High Captain Sinnovhan el-Moirad, an elf swordsman of great accomplishment and one of the realm’s Forest Lords. Nesgard Keep is also notable for its proximity to the ruins of an Arkhosian school of war-sorcerers. The hilltop academy was destroyed by demons fifteen cen- turies ago, and dark powers still lurk in the catacombs and vaults beneath the academy’s crumbling towers.
The elves of ancient Solaneillon built a tower on the northernmost point of Cape Saris to guide passing ships through the shallows of the straits. After the original tower fell into disuse, the Nerath Empire raised a new lighthouse and stronghold on the same location two hundred years ago. The Nerathi are now long gone; Emerald Blade soldiers staff the lighthouse and guard the small town at the tower’s base. Power- ful trebuchets on the tower can throw fifty-pound stones, posing a serious threat to any hostile vessels venturing too close.
In the highest and most inaccessible hills of Merindaelion lies a valley of wild and sinister beauty—Faldrin Vale. Moss-grown trees, flowering vines, and ancient standing stones mark the vale as a region where the Feywild lies close to the mortal world. The woods are haunted by dryads, centaurs, and sometimes darker and more dangerous fey; this forest is perilous for mortals, and even elves tread carefully in Faldrin. The vale lies at the heart of the Forest Lords’ domains, and it serves as a meet- ing place and mustering ground for Merindaelion’s nonhuman denizens. The forests surrounding Fal- drin Vale are protected by mazes of brambles and enchanted glades that can capture travelers and send them into a deep slumber that lasts for days.
Nerathi Legends: Merindaelion, Barony of the Emerald Blade
adVeNTuRes iN The eMeRald Blade BaRoNY
Merindaelion is a generally peaceful realm, but that doesn’t mean adventure is hard to find. L etter o f M arque: The heroes obtain a letter of marque—the authorization to outfit themselves as privateers and take to the seas in search of booty. Privateers are allowed to take only ships of enemy lands, but the Saris Strait is rich with Iron Circle merchant vessels full of gold and other treasure. S erissalmar: At one time the enemy of ancient Solaneillon, this great yuan-ti ruin lies half buried in the forests of southern Merindaelion. Long before the rise of Bael Turath and Arkhosia, the yuan-ti lords of Serissalmar and their armies of conjured demons fought against the elf and eladrin realms of the area. They were finally defeated, but demons and other dark powers still haunt the ruined city, and secret yuan-ti strongholds lie hidden beneath the nearby hills. T he Tower o f D al B eriod: The encroachment of the Iron Circle has pushed Baron Geras to for- tify his western frontier. One hero is appointed a royal warden and given a writ to occupy the long- abandoned watchtower of Dal Beriod, clear the area of harpies and ogres, and establish a new fief on the border. R ebellious L ord: With the secret support of the Iron Circle, Lord Kinimar of Anduiros launches an attempt to unseat the baron and claim the throne. Kinimar’s spies and sympathizers pose a serious threat in the capital already, but Geras needs con- crete evidence of Iron Circle involvement before
On the seabed thirty miles northeast of Nesmalen lies one of the ancient wonders of the world: the ruins of the coral city of Thaliessal, once home to a realm of sea elves. Thaliessal lies in a broad region of reefs and shallows, rarely more than a hundred feet in depth. Forests of kelp surround its walls, and in a few places its highest spires break the surface, offering explor- ers a place to moor their ships while they venture into the more accessible buildings nearby. Thaliessal was ruled by a prince who gave his fealty to the elven kingdom of Solaneillon, and a great deal of commerce took place between the land elves and the sea elves in the days of the kingdom’s glory. Thaliessal withdrew from Solaneillon when humans began to settle the nearby shores. After the elven kingdom collapsed, the sea elves’ realm became embroiled in desperate wars against demon- summoning sahuagin. Three hundred years ago, sahuagin hordes sacked Thaliessal and slew many of its people. The survivors abandoned their ancient capital and scattered to smaller holds and refuges in nearby seas. To this day, great treasure lies hidden in the vaults and temples of the coral city—but sea demons guard the deeps, and sahuagin prowl the shallows.
New Feat: Thaliessan Blood
In centuries past the sea elves of Thaliessal inter- married with the other elves (and on rare occasions, the humans) who inhabited the lands that would become Merindaelion. Consequently, a large number of half-elves and elves of the Emerald Blade Barony count sea elves of Thaliessal among their ancestors. Prerequisite: Half-elf Benefit: You are considered an aquatic creature. You have a swim speed of 5, you can breathe under- water, and in aquatic combat, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls against nonaquatic creatures.
Richard Baker is an award-winning game designer who has written numerous adventures and sourcebooks, including Manual of the Planes ™, the Dark Sun ®Campaign Guide, and the D&D ®Gamma WorlD ™Roleplaying Game. He’s a New York Times bestselling author of Forgotten Realms ®novels such as Condemnation, the Last Mythal trilogy, and the Blades of the Moonsea series. Rich is currently the Design Manager for the Dungeons & Dragons ®game at Wizards of the Coast.
Illustration by Peter Tikos
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