Semmarch

Semmarch is a city that sits just south of the border between the SouthLands and the MidLands. It sits in the foothills of the Thair Mountains, and the Lessic River runs past it out of the mountains toward the mighty Vorilon River. Its location has made it a strategic city, and as such has been the site of many battles over the centuries.

For many years, Semmarch served as the first line of defense against the forces of the Onyx Empire. After the Wars of Arin had concluded, it continued to function as an important stopover for travelers along the Old Gnome Road. The city prospered for many years under the rule of its mayor, Kent Mydland, who also commanded the garrison of the White Army that was stationed there.

Things began to change several years ago, when a criminal group known simply as The Organization began running a protection racket in the city. Kent and the city guard attempted to break it up, but it proved elusive. A small resistance movement, led by an herbalist named Alean, began to sprout up, but things only became more difficult. After a year, the ruler of the region, Duke Mirdael Hanaestor, sent in forces of his own to help break up the gang.

Then, four years ago, it was announced that the duchy of Byngh, of which Semmarch was a part, would be separating from the White Alliance. The duchy was renamed Hanaellan, and the city's importance became secondary in the region to Byngh. The announcement came on the heels of Duke Mirdael's successful campaign against The Organization, and that gave him the impetus to proclaim that the Alliance had failed the city. Thus, there was a good deal of support for the withdrawal. Duke Mirdael ordered many new and punitive laws, with the excuse of combating further criminal activity. Among the changes was the announcement that the Red Dragon Inn in the city would be closed.

Kent and several of his subordinates resisted and attempted to break Semmarch away from the rest of Hanaellan so that they could rejoin the White Alliance. There was a measure of support for this, but most of the citizenry supported the duke, and the duke sent a force to quell the rebellion. Kent's top lieutenant, a paladin named Otillis, was imprisoned for insubordination, but Kent himself, along with at least two dozen of his closest allies, escaped the duke's justice and fled into the rough country south of the East-West Road, where they play a central role in a resistance movement to restore Kent to power.

Today, the air of the city is greatly changed. No longer is it the launching point of adventures into the wild lands of the north or the Caves of Chaos to the northeast. Instead, it is ruled with an iron hand by Duke Mirdael through the new commander of the forces of Semmarch, Captain Strickham. The city guard is reinforced by a platoon of giff, who are also assigned to watch the bridge over the Vorilon River to the west. Most of the business district has been unaffected, but the open-air marketplace that once thrived here has dwindled to a precious few transient merchants -- most of the rest have moved on to either The Crossroads, Nazivonema, or Hanmer itself.