UpMaps
Around a Wane ago, the first cases of Blue Plague cropped up in Northmarch. It appeared at first in rich households. There was great concern, of course, but it was several months before anyone realised that the Plague seemed to be following a slow but definite path, approximately towards Alliston. Once this was realised, the Baron sent men to investigate what was travelling through the area. At length they realised that a middle-aged woman had been in each location a couple of weeks beforehand. They found her easily enough, in another household where she was working as a cook; they were already beginning to fall ill. The Baron ordered that she stop working as a cook whilst he took advice. But she escaped, changed her name, and took another job as a domestic elsewhere until discovered. When asked about the Plague she grew very angry, and this convinced the Baron that she knew something. He had her confined with a criminal, who quickly grew ill of the plague. But Marie denied it was anything to do with her. She was put to the Question, but died before anything could be found out. Her body, and everywhere she had lived, was put to the torch. Despite this, it was shortly after that that the Plague blossomed and took our land from us. Everyone knows it was her who started it, and that is why no-one calls their children Marie any more.
When the Great Plague cursed this land, many people in Northmarch panicked. Some believed in prayer, others reverted to ancient religions such as Yolande and Karmanos, even Droodism, when Dee'Zola was overwhelmed. There were riots, burnings of scapegoats, prophecies, pilgrimages, quacks and lunatics. Towards the end of Northmarch, the Baron faced a new challenge. Some opportunistic adventurers whipped up dissent and tried to seize control of what was left of the Barony, on the pretext that the Baron should be sacrificed to cleanse the land in the Droodic fashion. Their leader was a man called Melchior. This is the kind of man he was. When the two sides met in battle, Melchior's men were beaten, despite their use of broo mercenaries. Aware that he had lost everything, he determined that at least no-one else would, either, and he urged his last few men to help him set fire to Alliswood, 'to cleanse the land with Oakfed'. But the men rebelled against this madness. Melchior's forces surrendered, whereupon he murdered the Baron atthe parley and escaped, leaving what was left of his forces to be slaughtered by the enraged victors.
They do say that afore he went off to his death at the battle of Alliston, the baron of Northmarch had a vision o' his death, and so he hid all his monies and vallyables in a cave known only to him and his wife and son. Well, as you know, he didn't come back. But what he didn't expect was, his family died of the Plague, too. So the treasure's lost somewhere in Northmarch. So somewhere, there, there is a cave full of more jewels an' gold an' silver than five men can carry...
When the Great Plague cursed this land, many people in Northmarch panicked. Some believed in prayer, others reverted to ancient religions such as Yolande and Karmanos, even Droodism, when Dee'Zola was overwhelmed. There were riots, burnings of scapegoats, prophecies, pilgrimages, quacks and lunatics. Towards the end of Northmarch, the Baron faced a new challenge. Some opportunistic adventurers whipped up dissent and tried to seize control of what was left of the Barony, on the pretext that the Baron should be sacrificed to cleanse the land in the Droodic fashion. The leaders of the revolt found themselves losing ground and decided to raze the forests of Alliswood and Wyldwood, rather than lose them to the rightful owners of the lands. But one of their number, Melchior, who had been growing increasingly cynical of their motives, decided to stop this crime. He led some of the rebels in a defection to the Baron and urged him to march on the others and kill them before they could set their plan in motion. The Baron summoned all his men and mercenaries and marched to meet the rebels at Alliston. The Baron's forces won, despite the insurrectionists' use of the Forbidden Powers. The rebel leaders tried to release Oakfed but the Northmarch army drove him back upon the rebels and destroyed them; but the Baron himself died in the flames. That was the real end of Northmarch. The Periledes family was wiped out by the Plague, and without the Baron, the fiefdom disintegrated under the pressures of plague and the associated panic and famine. Everyone who could leave, fled, as law and order broke down.
Two generations ago, a priest of Jolanday wandered this area, preachin' of the Doom to Come to those who had Forsaken the Old Ways. The authorities paid him little attention, but he were quite convincin' to the superstitious-minded amongst the populace. When the holy man's prediction of a pestilence came true, many flocked to his cult, although as my granpa - the most cynical old cuss I ever knew - said, he'd made so many predictions of gloom an' doom, he was bound to get somethin' right eventual, like. By an' by, the priest became so revered that his head swelled up an' he thought that whatever he said, it must be true. Mayhap he thought hisself a god. He told people the most ridiculous things, like how he could heal any sickness, an' how as long as Yolande got enough Silver, things would be alright. Well, some of these things, they did acterally happened, tho' granpa said half the people as gets ill, they get well again if left to theyselves anyway, so it didn't prove nothin'. But by now a lot o' folk believed in him an' Jolanday. So he says, all this Plague, it's the Baron's fault, an' les' go an' duff him up an' offer his gizzards to Jolanday. So next thing you know, half the folk are fer 'im, an' half is against 'im, an' there's squabbles all over. So the Baron, he says, enough, an' he hires extra troops an' begins puttin' anyone as fer the preacher in prison, an' he wants this preacher man up on a cross. So the preacher's True Believers, they gather round him near Willowsfen, and the Baron's comin' with his army, like. And the preacher says to his folks, look, the Baron's the cause of this evil plague, and everyone knows there's one sure way to clean out evil an' illness alike, an' that's Fire. We's got to scorch Northmarch clean off the map, we's got to be firm or we'll never cleanse this evil. And the folks, some of them was afeared, they said, let's surrender now, we'll burn our own farms; but the preacher, he was in a terrible rage, an' any as said this, he killed them there an' then. An' he says, I knows how to summon Oakfed, an' les' start right away, 'cos it takes awhile in Storm Season an' the Baron's a-comin'. Well, he summoned Oakfed alright, they say. Old Baron Periledes got there just as Wildfire did. The Mad Preacher set them on the army, but the Baron, he'd got a spy in the Preacher's camp who'd told him of their plan, an' he'd brought along summat to set it awry. He'd brought some priests of Lorril, that's Oakfed's dad, see, an' ol' Wildfire he couldn't stomach them. They sent him right back at the Joloonies, an' he gobbled 'em right up in a fury. But there were some rum doin's at that battle, they say. I's heard a couple of versions. One says the Preacher was captured, but he killed the Baron an' escaped. Another says that the Preacher had some friends o' his there, other nobles as was usin' him as a pawn to get Northmarch for theyselves, and it was them as killed the Baron. I suppose we'll never know fer sure. Here's the ironic bit. After the Priest had been killed, or chased out the land, or whatever, Northmarch did fall - because he'd caused so much trouble. If there'd just bin a plague thar, an' the Baron an' nobs were still around to keep law an' order rather than gettin' killed at the battle, maybe the place wouldn't av bin overrun by bandits an' people could still live there. That's called a self-fulfillin' prophecy.
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