Ferndale Hold
Crafthalls Nearby: A small Woodcraft hall
Leadership: Lord Holder Jartor & Lady Holder Reswene. Jartor's Bloodline is a mix of Fortian, South Boll, and Tillek. Reswene is of Istan stock, surprisingly.
Location: Ferndale is north of Fort Weyr, between it and Ruatha, situated at the base of the mountain range. The same distance from the east coast as the Weyr is.
Climate: Due to the mountains, Ferndale does have cool winters, but the winds aren't horrible since the mountains tend to shield the Hold from them. Summers and springs can get pretty festive thanks to the ocean breezes and great trees, which are also easy for crops.
History: Ferndale was originally a cothold beholden to Ruatha Hold. Of course, over the turns, the Fort Holders claimed it was closer to their lands. It switched hands, as the cotholders married into different families and different bloods. Finally, after the woodcraft hall was built nearby, things began to change. Ferndale now had a commodity to trade: their skybrooms and the other great trees nestled around the foothills. Trade increased, the Hold began to make a profit. They also worked with the Ruathan runnerline since they were still beholden to Ruatha. As the turns passed, though, Ferndale began to become a stop on the road to Ruatha from Fort and vice versa. The holders capitalized on it by having gathers and increasing output from Hold crafters. Elaborate displays certainly attracted the crowds. And Ferndale began making a name for itself. It wasn't long before the Conclave voted to make it a Hold in its own right. Ferndale had expanded into a modest holding after all, and had the potential to become as large as its neighbors.
The oldest gentleman of the family who had settled the cothold was chosen as Lord Holder. His name was Toclin. Then the right was passed through his sons. Ferndale did expand, as well as the woodcraft hall nearby. Now Lord Jartor keeps his holders, crafters, and staff safe from thread, as will his son after him. Or at least he hopes he has a son.
Building Info: Ferndale's main hold is hewn stone, though the expansions that come out of the mountains are wood, with a metal roof and shutters for every window, as well as metal doors. There is no courtyard like Fort, though Ferndale can boast of an expansive underground water reservoir pumped up from the caverns below the mountains. The Hold itself is four stories, though the storage caverns are basement level, which is below it, connected by a passageway that goes underground into the mountain itself. Outside of the mountain, there are several buildings. Cotholds, the beasthold, a runner station, and even a small smithworks for runner shoes, harnesses, and the like are all outside of the main hold, looking upon the road that leads to the main entrance. There are fields for farming behind the beasthold, convenient since the manure is used for fertilizer. The main thing, though, is their drumtower is not on top of the Hold's fireheights, but is situated on the mountain, like Fort's. It can be reached by a set of stairs cut into the mountainside and weathered by turns of feet.
Economy: The main source of money for Ferndale is its skybroom trees that it allows the woodcrafters to harvest. They also use their abundance of arable land for excess farming, so they do sell produce and other food products, shipping by land or sea. They trade nominally with Fort for fish, since their fleet isn't exactly self sufficient yet. They trade with Ruatha to augment their own breeding program. And when it comes to South Boll, it's all about the weavers' new cloths and styles. They've even been able to sell the moss that gathers in their trees to the healer hall as a remedy.
Transportation Info: One can get to Ferndale by land or sea. Though, if you arrived by sea, you'd still have to walk or take a runner on land to get there. It's near to Fort Weyr, Hold, and Seahold, Ruatha Hold, and South Boll Hold. And of course, if one get can get a ride by dragonback, riders are always welcome.
Population: Ferndale only has about half the population the Hold itself could hold. This is due to numerous residents traveling to the nearby Holds and staying as well as how isolated the Hpld is during parts of winter. They're trying to entice holders, though for the future.
Leadership: Lord Holder Jartor & Lady Holder Reswene. Jartor's Bloodline is a mix of Fortian, South Boll, and Tillek. Reswene is of Istan stock, surprisingly.
Location: Ferndale is north of Fort Weyr, between it and Ruatha, situated at the base of the mountain range. The same distance from the east coast as the Weyr is.
Climate: Due to the mountains, Ferndale does have cool winters, but the winds aren't horrible since the mountains tend to shield the Hold from them. Summers and springs can get pretty festive thanks to the ocean breezes and great trees, which are also easy for crops.
History: Ferndale was originally a cothold beholden to Ruatha Hold. Of course, over the turns, the Fort Holders claimed it was closer to their lands. It switched hands, as the cotholders married into different families and different bloods. Finally, after the woodcraft hall was built nearby, things began to change. Ferndale now had a commodity to trade: their skybrooms and the other great trees nestled around the foothills. Trade increased, the Hold began to make a profit. They also worked with the Ruathan runnerline since they were still beholden to Ruatha. As the turns passed, though, Ferndale began to become a stop on the road to Ruatha from Fort and vice versa. The holders capitalized on it by having gathers and increasing output from Hold crafters. Elaborate displays certainly attracted the crowds. And Ferndale began making a name for itself. It wasn't long before the Conclave voted to make it a Hold in its own right. Ferndale had expanded into a modest holding after all, and had the potential to become as large as its neighbors.
The oldest gentleman of the family who had settled the cothold was chosen as Lord Holder. His name was Toclin. Then the right was passed through his sons. Ferndale did expand, as well as the woodcraft hall nearby. Now Lord Jartor keeps his holders, crafters, and staff safe from thread, as will his son after him. Or at least he hopes he has a son.
Building Info: Ferndale's main hold is hewn stone, though the expansions that come out of the mountains are wood, with a metal roof and shutters for every window, as well as metal doors. There is no courtyard like Fort, though Ferndale can boast of an expansive underground water reservoir pumped up from the caverns below the mountains. The Hold itself is four stories, though the storage caverns are basement level, which is below it, connected by a passageway that goes underground into the mountain itself. Outside of the mountain, there are several buildings. Cotholds, the beasthold, a runner station, and even a small smithworks for runner shoes, harnesses, and the like are all outside of the main hold, looking upon the road that leads to the main entrance. There are fields for farming behind the beasthold, convenient since the manure is used for fertilizer. The main thing, though, is their drumtower is not on top of the Hold's fireheights, but is situated on the mountain, like Fort's. It can be reached by a set of stairs cut into the mountainside and weathered by turns of feet.
Economy: The main source of money for Ferndale is its skybroom trees that it allows the woodcrafters to harvest. They also use their abundance of arable land for excess farming, so they do sell produce and other food products, shipping by land or sea. They trade nominally with Fort for fish, since their fleet isn't exactly self sufficient yet. They trade with Ruatha to augment their own breeding program. And when it comes to South Boll, it's all about the weavers' new cloths and styles. They've even been able to sell the moss that gathers in their trees to the healer hall as a remedy.
Transportation Info: One can get to Ferndale by land or sea. Though, if you arrived by sea, you'd still have to walk or take a runner on land to get there. It's near to Fort Weyr, Hold, and Seahold, Ruatha Hold, and South Boll Hold. And of course, if one get can get a ride by dragonback, riders are always welcome.
Population: Ferndale only has about half the population the Hold itself could hold. This is due to numerous residents traveling to the nearby Holds and staying as well as how isolated the Hpld is during parts of winter. They're trying to entice holders, though for the future.