Merrydale

Merrydale is the kingdom that arose at the very beginning of the Time of Troubles in the former Ungoverned Lands, starting with Meadowbrook and quickly growing to incorporate Torpen Hill and Redhawk village, as well as the northern side of the Lowbridge-Shield Ferry. It controls both the Great Loop as well as the Potato Route (the northern trade route/road from Freeglas and Breeland to the Uulan Confederacy and the mountain kingdoms.

Ruler

The ruler of Merrydale is Lady Protector Rebecca Fallowstone, an ex-Holy Hands mage who left the order when it became the arm of the Law of Truth. Her main disagreement is around money--the Lady Protector likes money. Lots of money. And the power that comes along with being wealthy. She's rational about it, however, having learned that protecting trade and promoting fair dealing and economic growth brings her more wealth and power than trying to extract maximum rents.

Culture

The towns are fairly self-sufficient politically but depend heavily on the trade. They are religiously pluralistic (although the Church of the Seasons is still a major force). Almost entirely wall-builder humans, there are some halfling families mixed in.