Sloak

Sloak
General Information
Full name	Barony of Sloak
Current leader	Baroness Winifred Cosgrove (de facto)
Location Information
Plane	Material Plane (Aramán)
Continent	Pasitar
Region	Timmony
Points of interest	Castle Sloak
Societal Information
Affiliation	Gormalay

Sloak is a modest barony in Gormalay, a region in the Kingdom of Timmony. It is also the name of the tiny village in that same area.

Description

Sloak is a small and destitute barony on the southern border of Gormalay, a narrow spit of land clinging to the side of the Kavrosi Mountains. It is built on ridges, ledges, and cliffs, and most of the agriculture is subsistence farming and stunted trees because of the lack of sun caused by the tall mountains to the east. The tiny village of the same name is the home of the small, crumbling castle of the local Baron. There is a creek nearby.

Points of interest

• Public house - Owned by Brauwla Dossiber and her husband, it is the busiest place in Sloak, where travelers come and go, and where the local townsfolk go to have their mail or ailments taken care of. The dog shrine of Sloak is also maintained there.
• Castle Sloak - A crumbling ruin of a fort, with part of its wall collapsed, and filled with moss and mud everywhere.
• Bridge - Under construction as of the year 71. It is intended to facilitate the movement of cattle.

Society

Notable people

Name	Type	Description
Cosgrove family	NPC	The new noble family of Sloak.
Sir Finch	NPC	A Knight of the New Morning who fought in the last battle of the War of Axe and Vine at just 12 years of age, and now serves Baroness Sloak.
Sir Garner Copsewood	NPC	A knight from Arderin serving Baroness Sloak.
Big Tom Holly	NPC	A knight serving Baroness Sloak.
Brauwla Dossiber	NPC	Owner of the only public house of Sloak, and good with food, letters, and herbs.
Jasper	NPC	A dwarven mason who, along with his crew, is building new structures in the village.

History

Around the year 45 after the Shapers' War Timmony split from Argosia and became its own independent kingdom, and Sloak became one of its baronies within the territory of the Earl of Gormalay.

Not long before the start of Campaign Four, Sloak had been ruled by the Baroness of Sloak (a temperamental but usually fair woman), widow of her predecessor, until she remarried in her old age to a member of one of the Sundered Houses, Doset Tachonis. When she died nine months later, he inherited the barony, and in the year 71, abdicated the position in favor of the new baron, Casimir Gavendale, as a form of payment for facilitating the execution of Thjazi Fang.

With some difficulty and an exhausting journey (after the corresponding deed of title was stolen by Talcydimir Pridesire), the new Lord Sloak arrived to the village and took posession. However, he was so disappointed about his reward that he decided he would raise taxes on the local population in order to afford the restoration of his new castle. That same day, before anything could be implemented, Castle Sloak was taken by the Soldiers, a group of adventurers who killed Casimir and most of his allies to avenge Thjazi, but spared the local guards and knights, who were not to blame in their quarrel. In order to keep the village protected from external influences, Wicander Halovar was encouraged to claim the position of Baron of Sloak; after he and his friends spoke to the garrison of the castle and learned more about the place and its people, including the dedication of one of them, Dame Winifred Cosgrove, they decided the latter was better suited to take care of Sloak, and was appointed as the new baroness (with Casimir's deed of title being modified to make it official). Later, the new Lady Sloak met Dame Morgaine, who supported the decisions of the soldiers; she advised Winifred not to meet with the Earl of Gormalay yet, and instead wait for King Augustus Valian to return to Timmony, in order to have an audience with him and get a fair treatment confirming her new position.

After Dame Morgaine finished her investigation in town (asking Jasper about the discoveries of some cairns that were surprisingly empty due to the activities of the Tachonis agents), she, Sir Hawkins and the Soldiers left Sloak, leaving Baroness Cosgrove with the provisional approval of the Hounds of the King to rule the barony, and promising that said order would contact the king for her; Lady Winifred, in turn, thanked them again for all their help and provided them with horses, assuring them that thanks to their generosity Sloak could afford replacing the beasts.

Trivia

• The barony's most recent rulers have had increasingly shorter reigns, with the Baroness of Sloak ruling by herself only after her first husband's death; her second husband and successor, in turn, held the title only between Lady Sloak's death and Casimir Gavendale's accession; this criminal, in turn, held the position undisputedly (with the corresponding deed of title in his hands) for less than a day; finally, Wicander Halovar declared himself baron for less than an hour, before designating Dame Cosgrove as his successor. The latter, for the moment, appears to have a stable position that has broken the trend.
• The Earl of Gormalay seems to be disliked in Sloak.

References

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