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    A Guide to the Viscounty of Salinmoor: A Brief Chronicle of the Viscounts
    Posted on Fri, December 14, 2007 by Dongul
    gvdammerung writes "Hark now to the roll of the Viscounts of Salinmoor. Of whatever ability, none have been able to long avoid the doom that is Salinmoor.

    A Guide to the Viscounty of Salinmoor: A Brief Chronicle of the Viscounts of Salinmoor
    by Glenn Vincent Dammerung, aka GVDammerung

    The Viscounts of Salinmoor have come from two houses - The Lorchesters, allied with House Rhola, and, subsequently, the Secunforths, allied with House Rhola. Ironically, the Lorchesters were removed as viscounts by a Rholan king, Tavish IV, who chose the Secunforths as their replacements. A brief history of the reigns of each of the Viscounts of Salinmoor follows.

    Viscount - Erac I of House Lorchester, 273-297CY (24yrs)
    Viscountess - Lorynel
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Trevlyan II, Gillum I, Tavish I
    Fate - Died on Throne
    Major Hurricanes - 283 CY, 286 CY, 287 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 276 CY (Swamp Fever), 278 CY (Swamp Fever)

    History - The Viscounty of Salinmoor was founded in 273 CY during the reign of Trevlyan II as a possession of House Rhola. Erac of House Lorchester, a minor Suel house allied to the Rhola, was named to the hereditary Viscounty. Erac I lost no time in moving his house into Salinmoor, first establishing the family seat on the island of Redshore.

    Already resident in the area of the new Viscounty were the Andrigal and Rynnow families. Each possessed of substantial holdings, Erac I elevated both to the nobility in return for their oaths of fealty. In 280 CY, the minor Suel House of Makaster arrived in Salinmoor at Viscount Erac I’s invitation to become Salinmoor’s third noble house.

    During his reign, Erac I established a strong foundation for the success and prosperity of the new Viscounty. Enclaves of lizardmen along the Viscounty’s border with the Hool Marshes were attacked and driven deep into the marshes. Sahuagin strongholds along the coast were pillaged and destroyed. Most notably, the green dragon Sathorexthes, who had claimed the area as part of his territory, was driven off and his mate killed. The Viscounty was thus pacified.

    Unfortunately, illness born of unfamiliarity with the nearby marshes slowed progress early. While its causes were eventually understood and overcome, the reputation of the Viscounty as plague ravaged had already begun to take root. An active period of hurricanes sweeping in from the Azure Sea further challenged the new Viscounty, but progress was steady all the same.

    Viscount - Erac II of House Lorchester, 297 - 312 CY (15yrs)
    Viscountess - Kleneene
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Tavish I
    Fate - Died on Throne
    Major Hurricanes - 301 CY, 302 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - None

    History - Son of Erac I, Erac II became the second Viscount of Salinmoor. His reign was arguably the most prosperous in the history of the Viscounty. Erac I having pacified the area, Erac II could concentrate on building the local economy. In this he was substantially aided by the policies of Tavish I. Indeed, Erac II enjoyed the highest prominence of any of Salinmoor’s Viscounts, serving as Tavish I’s Steward of the Hool Marshes. The appointment recognized both Erac II’s unfailing support of Tavish I and the reality of Tavish I’s move into the Sea Hold, better known as the Hold of the Sea Princes.

    In 301 CY, Tavish I founded the city of Monmurg. This was followed in 304 CY with the founding of Westkeep. The creation of the Duchy of Monmurg under House Nulbar occurred thereafter in 306 CY. Salinmoor was vital to Keoland’s expansion into the Sea Hold. The Viscounty served as both a forward supply base, where men and material could be mustered before being committed to the Sea Hold, and as a source of local reprovisioning for forces already committed. Under these conditions, Salinmoor’s economy boomed.

    Viscount - Minthrod I of House Lorchester, 312 - 377 CY (65yrs)
    Viscountess - Nerise
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Tavish I, Tavish II
    Fate - Died on Throne
    Major Hurricanes - 320 CY, 323 CY, 340 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - None

    History - Son of Erac II, Minthrod I continued his father’s policies, strongly supporting Tavish I and Tavish II after him. Salinmoor similarly continued to enjoy great prosperity as the forward base for Keoland’s expansion into the Sea Hold. Minthrod’s sons all served in Keoland’s armies, bringing further honor to House Lorchester, which retained the title Steward of the Hool Marshes under Tavish II. Minthrod I early took the field himself when an incursion by the lizardmen of the Hool Marshes threatened to cut off overland access to Duchy of Monmurg.

    Built during the reign of Erac II, the Hool Trace was less than a road but more than a mere path through the Hool Marshes. The Trace served to connect the new Duchy of Monmurg with the Viscounty of Salinmoor and the rest of Keoland by land. In 314 CY the lizardmen of Hool Marshes, recovered from the campaign waged against them by Erac I, surged out of the fastness of the Marshes, cutting the Hool Trace and threatening the Viscounty, as well as Westkeep. Minthrod I immediately took to the field and in a series of campaigns that lasted through 316 CY, successfully suppressed the lizardman incursion.

    If not for the devastating hurricane of 340 CY, it is likely the Viscounty of Salinmoor would have become sustainably affluent over the long term. Called the Storm of the Century, the hurricane of 340 CY all but destroyed the Viscounty with its ferocity. Much of the wealth and infrastructure of Salinmoor that had been built up over three reigns was literally washed away. What was left could not support itself. Forced to appeal to the Duchy of Gradsul and the Duchy of Monmurg for help, Minthrod I was compelled to surrender his title as Steward of the Hool Marshes.

    The fortunes of the Viscounty were reversed. Rather than being a critical source of supply for others, the Viscounty was forced to rely on others for its very survival. Rebuilding from the hurricane of 340 CY took the better part of a decade. In that time, events passed the Viscounty by as the Duchy of Monmurg, per force, developed beyond the need to rely upon Salinmoor for much of anything. Salinmoor, when recovered, found its fortunes significantly dimmed. Matters would only grow worse.

    Viscount - Sinhal I of House Lorchester, 377 - 407 CY (30yrs)
    Viscountess - Fincule
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Tavish II, Luschan IV
    Fate - Died on Throne
    Major Hurricanes - 383 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 384 CY (Cholera), 385 CY (Typhoid Fever), 401 (Black Miasma)

    History - Sinhal I, son of Minthrod I, made a fatal decision to support Luschan IV that doomed any chance for the Viscounty of Salinmoor to return to prominence. Having served in the northern armies of Tavish II, Sinhal I had returned home disillusioned with the King’s policies. When Luschan IV ascended the Lion Throne and began to retreat from Tavish II’s aggressive imperialism, Sinhal I was one of his most vocal supporters within the Court of the Land. This earned him the gratitude of the king but the enmity of the royal ward, who would reign over Keoland as Tavish III.

    Almost as fatefully, Sinhal I’s stand with Luschan IV put him at odds with members of House Rhola who had favored Tavish II and eagerly awaited the majority of Tavish III. While a scion of House Rhola, Luschan IV was not universally popular within the house. An internal split within House Rhola ultimately saw those opposed to Luschan IV emerge triumphant. Sinhal I thereby suffered for his support of Luschan IV and with him the Viscounty of Salinmoor, which lost valuable support from the Duchy of Gradsul. Following the reverses in the reign of Minthrod I, this loss of support kept Salinmoor’s economy depressed.

    Helping matters not at all, in 380 CY, the first confirmed presence of a kraken in Salinmoor’s waters was recorded. Menacing shipping, the kraken’s depredations further isolated Salinmoor. At roughly the same time, the sahuagin appeared to be returning to their old haunts along the Viscounty’s shore. With the economy in retreat and no help available from the Duchy of Gradsul, Sinhal I was forced to turn for aid to the Duchy of Monmurg. While the offered aid was slight, it was enough for Sinhal I to stave off a worsening of the situation.

    Viscount - Culden I of House Lorchester, 407 - 427CY (20yrs)
    Viscountess - Ethrin
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Luschan IV, Tavish III
    Fate - Assassinated
    Major Hurricanes - 411 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 414 CY (Black Miasma)

    History - Culden I, son of Sinhal I, continued his father’s policies, supporting Luschan IV. This only served to further exacerbate the difficulties Sinhal I had experienced with House Rhola and the Duchy of Gradsul. With the ascendence of Tavish III to the Lion Throne, matters grew much, much worse. Tavish III hated Luschan IV with a vengeance, seeing him as having betrayed his father Tavish II. In the new King’s eyes, all who had supported Luschan IV were suspect if not equally culpable. The Viscounty of Salinmoor paid the price.

    All royal support for the Viscounty ceased. All support from the Duchy of Gradsul was discontinued. While openly breaking with the Viscounty as well, the Duchy of Monmurg in its own interest, quietly maintained trade relations with Salinmoor. Perhaps, this emboldened Culden I. Rather than seek an audience with Tavish III to recant his earlier support for Luschan IV and to swear his support for the King’s imperial ambitions, Culden I stubbornly maintained his opposition to Tavish III’s policies, going so far as to speak against the king in the Court of the Land. Many believe Culden I thereby signed his own death warrant.

    During the reign of Culden I, the followers of the Scarlet Sign that Luschan IV had famously warned against, first appeared in the Viscounty of Salinmoor. Always eluding the authorities, these agitators raised opposition to Culden I’s policies, decrying why Salinmoor should suffer for the Viscount’s refusal to treat with the King. Of course, these scarlet clad signers found only good and the promise of prosperity in Tavish III’s imperial ambitions. For his part, Culden I persecuted the Scarlet Signers as best he could and steadfastly refused to compromise his principles, eventually reaching a point where he accused Tavish III of being in league with them. Shortly after having voiced this accusation, Culden I was fatally stabbed.

    Viscount - Sinhal II of House Lorchester, 427 - 435 CY (8 yrs)
    Viscountess - None
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Tavish III
    Fate - Poisoned
    Major Hurricanes - 429 CY, 430 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 430 CY (Typhoid Fever); 431 CY (Black Miasma); 432 CY (Cholera); 433 CY (Typhoid Fever)

    History - Sinhal II fully shared the suspicions of his father, Culden I with respect to the King, Tavish III. He believed the King in league with the followers of the Scarlet Sign and that they had killed his father on the King’s order. Sinhal II, despite overtures from Tavish III, would not change his opinion or his policies which mirrored those of his assassinated father. Only the counsel of the Duke of Monmurg kept Sinhal II from voicing his beliefs in the Court of the Land. His continuing obstinacy, however, was enough to doom him. After only eight years on the throne, Sinhal II was found dead, poisoned.

    The reigns of Sinhal I, Culden I and Sinhal II erased any hope that the Viscounty of Salinmoor might return the prosperity it had enjoyed prior to and during the reign of Minthrod I, before the great hurricane of 340 CY. In the intervening years, Salinmoor had become economically crippled, diplomatically isolated and irrelevant to events outside its borders. As hard as it may be to fathom, still worse was to come. In 434 CY, revolt began against Keoland’s rule in the adjacent Sea Hold.

    Viscount - Culden II of House Lorchester, 435 - 456 CY (21 yrs)
    Viscountess - Bethurel
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Tavish III, Tavish IV
    Fate - Dispossessed
    Major Hurricanes - 437 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - None

    History - Son of Culden I and brother of Sinhal II, Culden II ascended to the Viscounty of Salinmoor when his brother died without issue. Unlike his grandfather, father and brother, Culden II strongly supported Keolandish imperialism and in turn Tavish III. Where Sinhal II had rejected overtures from Tavish III, Culden II welcomed them. The breach between the Lion Throne and the Viscounty of Salinmoor was healed as Culden II became a vocal supporter of Tavish III. Events would conspire, however, to prevent Culden II from reaping any of the rewards offered by Tavish III for the support of the Viscounty.

    In 444 CY, the revolt in the Sea Hold became much more serious as the nascent Sea Princes organized into a loose confederation to better fight the Keolanders. In 446 CY, Port Toli and Monmurg itself fell to the Sea Princes. Refugees flooded Salinmoor, taxing the economy and resources of the Viscounty to the breaking point. With the loss of their ducal seat in Monmurg, the Nulbars were dispossessed as Dukes of Monmurg in the Court of the Land. To their rescue came Culden II, repaying past kindnesses by allowing the Nulbars to settle in Salinmoor in 447 CY. Not altogether altruistic, Culden II was able to tap the remaining wealth of the Nulbars that they managed to smuggle out of Monmurg before its fall to prop up Salinmoor’s reeling economy. It proved too little.

    In 451 CY, Westkeep fell to the Sea Princes and another flood of refugees inundated Salinmoor, taxing its resources and economy beyond the breaking point. In 453 CY, Tavish III’s attempt to retake Westkeep as a first step toward retaking the Hold failed. Worse for Culden II and Salinmoor, Tavish III died in the siege of Westkeep.

    Tavish III’s successor as King of Keoland, Tavish IV, immediately reversed policy. The Sea Hold was abandoned, achieving full independence in 453 CY. At the same time, Salinmoor was virtually abandoned. The refugees that had flooded into the Viscounty now flooded out, into the Duchy of Gradsul and beyond. They took every bit of wealth they could carry, whether such belonged to them or not. Salinmoor was looted and left in virtual ruin.
    Banckrupt, with no governing authority worthy of the name and no real prospects for a recovery, the Viscounty of Salinmoor fell into anarchy.

    With Culden II’s authority nonexistent, between 453 CY and 456 CY, Salinmoor became a virtual bandit state. While caring little for Culden II and Salinmoor’s fate, Tavish IV grew concerned that the Sea Princes might take advantage of the power vacuum in Salinmoor and advance across the Hool River, absorbing Salinmoor and threatening the Duchy of Gradsul and Keoland directly. To prevent this, Tavish IV unseated House Lorchester.

    Culden II of House Lorchester was dispossessed of the Viscounty, although the house was allowed to retain its holding in Redshore. The Secunforths, allied with House Neheli, were appointed the new Viscounts of Salinmoor. House Rhola, then at perhaps the lowest ebb of its power and prestige, offered no protest on behalf of the allied Lorchesters. Directed to move forthwith to take possession of the Viscounty of Salinmoor, the Secunforths it was hoped would bring new energy and as importantly new resources to Salinmoor. The Secunforths were, however, to prove overly reluctant Viscounts.

    Viscount - Hewel I of House Secunforth, 456 - 478 CY (22 yrs)
    Viscountess - Hedreth
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Tavish IV
    Fate - Drowned in Flooding
    Major Hurricanes - 457 CY, 458 CY, 459 CY, 460 CY, 465 CY, 470 CY, 478 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 457 CY (Black Miasma); 458 CY (Swamp Fever); 459 CY (Wood Chill); 460 CY(Typhoid Fever); 461 CY (Cholera); 464 CY (Black Miasma); 471 CY (Black Miasma) 476 CY (Wood Chill)

    History - To say that the Secunforths became Viscounts of Salinmoor reluctantly would be a supreme understatement. Their comfortable, dry home in the north was traded for a damp dilapidated domain far from civilization as they had known it. Where their former holdings were prosperous, Salinmoor was bankrupt and lawless. What is more, it seemed as if the Viscounty was cursed as a parade of storms and plagues set upon the new masters of Salinmoor. While none were particularly serious, they set in the Secunforths’ minds a fixed impression that Salinmoor was unhealthy and prone to disaster that nothing they could do could remedy or ameliorate.

    Before hardly settling in, Hewel I attempted to relocate the family to Niole Dra and rule Salinmoor by proxy. Tavish IV would have none of it. The Secunforths were all to take up residence in the Viscounty and were expected to set matters there to right in the swiftest possible manner, sparing no expense to make Salinmoor their new home. With no options, Hewel I reluctantly set out to do just that. To a substantial degree, despite himself, he succeeded.

    While plagued by bad weather and literal plagues, law and order were returned to Salinmoor. The new Viscounts found ready allies in the Rynnows, Nulbars and Makasters, and with money to spend, even the Lorchesters proved cooperative, if cold. Everyone could benefit from increased stability and everyone needed the financial resources only the Secunforths possessed in abundance. In a comparatively short time, with order restored, necessary repairs and improvements were undertaken. The cost, however, was the depletion of the Secunforth’s ready cash and most of their reserves.

    Early in his reign, Hewel I earned the respect of his new subjects when in 463 CY he stopped an incursion of lizardmen lead by the black dragon Xulumboltha into the Viscounty. Hewel I personally participated in the campaign and was part of the party that eventually slew the black dragon. Fortuitously, the dragon’s horde proved significant and a boost to the Viscounty’s coffers, avoiding a need to raise taxes for at least a few years.

    In the following year, Salinmoor enjoyed the only significant royal patronage in years. Having shored up his southern border with the appointment of the Secunforths to the Viscounty of Salinmoor, in 464 CY, Tavish IV moved against the Sea Princes. At the Battle of Jetsom Island the Sea Princes were checked for a generation. Salinmoor enjoyed further stability and, briefly, again served the Lion Throne as a supply point.

    Reflecting the relative prosperity of the time, in 465 CY, the town of Saltmarsh was founded by veterans of the campaign against Xulumboltha. Expected to be the Viscounty’s southern bulwark, and hoped to be Keoland’s southern bulwark, Saltmarsh defied expectations. It attracted no royal patronage after the Battle of Jetsom Island as Tavish IV’s actions had been entirely defensive and Keoland then had no funds to spare for a backwater province and its fledgling swamp port. Despite this dashing of hopes, Saltmarsh soon proved its worth as a thriving, if unsavory, port where few questions were asked as long everyone profited thereby.

    The brief period from 463 to 465 CY that saw Salinmoor’s prospects rise did not last. Poor weather and disease continued to haunt the Viscounty as well as its reputation and, again stable, Salinmoor was promptly ignored by the Lion Throne. Economically marginal at best, the Viscounty of Salinmoor returned to being the forgotten, backwater it had become in the later years of the Lorchester Viscounts. The effect of this on the Secunforths cannot be understated. Hewel I had tried, they believed, and failed. The family was doomed or cursed or both. There was nowhere to go but down.

    Viscount - Norbin I of House Secunforth, 478 - 498 CY (20 yrs)
    Viscountess - Selinn
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Tavish IV, Nyhan V
    Fate - Died of Plague
    Major Hurricanes - 480 CY, 483 CY, 497 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 486 CY (Wood Chill); 490 CY (Black Miasma); 498 CY (Black Miasma)

    History - During the reign of Norbin I, the Sea Princes grew increasingly strong. While not yet fully recovered from their defeat at the Battle of Jetsom Island in 464 CY, they seized the free port of Sasserine in 480 CY, effectively making themselves masters of Jeklea Bay. That Keoland offered no opposition explains why the Sea Princes could so readily assert themselves so soon after a major defeat. The Sea Princes power was, however, highly localized. They did not threaten Keolandish shipping out of Gradsul. Their influence was felt only in the Viscounty of Salinmoor, particularly Saltmarsh.

    Unable to confront Keoland directly, the Sea Princes worked by indirection through Saltmarsh, which became the premier base for smuggling into Keoland and, secondarily, one of the primary ports where pirated goods could be sold for cash. Ignored and unsupported by the Lion Throne, the Viscounty could not alone stop the illegal trade in and out of Saltmarsh. Soon enough, there was no will to do so either.

    At a certain point, trade was trade and Salinmoor needed income. Viscount Norbin I became complicit in the illegal trade in and out of Saltmarsh. For a cut of the profits, the Viscount could guarantee that a blind eye would be turned to the cargoes being offloaded. In the alternative, he could seize entire cargoes and claim them forfeit to the crown. The Sea Princes both understood and respected this sort of business acumen and Saltmarsh flourished as a significant source of revenue for the cash strapped Viscounty.

    Unfortunately, the Viscounty continued to suffer a series of reverses that more than offset any economic gains. While hurricanes continued to regularly batter Salinmoor, plague became an increasing problem. Not more frequent, the outbreaks became more virulent. The culmination of this trend was the Great Plague of 498 CY. Fully one quarter of the population of Salinmoor died in the Great Plague. Salinmoor was quarantined by the Lion Throne and blockaded by the Duchy of Gradsul. The economy all but collapsed, kept functioning only by the illegal revenues flowing through Saltmarsh.

    Viscount - Norbin II of House Secunforth, 498 - 499 CY (1 yr)
    Viscountess - Toryn
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Nyhan V
    Fate - Died of Plague
    Major Hurricanes - 498 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 498 CY (Black Miasma)

    History - The Great Plague that began in the reign of Norbin I continued unabated after his death. It claimed his son and successor, Norbin II. The quick deaths of two Viscounts from plague further solidified in the public and private imagination the belief that the Viscounty of Salinmoor was an unhealthy and haunted environment. This later sentiment was more than a metaphor as, in addition to a hurricane and plague, the otherworldly Green
    Terror struck Burle in Norbin II’s brief reign.

    The Green Terror is the popular name given to a series of murders that occurred in and around Burle in 499 CY. In each case, death was attributable to plant life. All of the victims were poisoned, strangled, consumed or transformed by various plants. As the number of deaths mounted, it became clear that more than a series of unfortunate accidents was involved. Suspicion immediately turned toward the elves of the nearby Dreadwood and druids known to frequent the area. While nothing was ever proven, this did not stop vigilantes in Burle from taking the law into their own hands.

    Druids were captured and killed. Before any wood elves could be made subject to the same fate, they simply disappeared into the countryside, only further fueling rumors and speculation. The Viscount had to personally intervene as frightened mobs determined to burn all plant life to include cultivated fields. Were it not for the intervention of the Viscount’s troops, Salinmoor might have faced a regional famine as well as its other troubles. For whatever reason, the Green Terror eventually died away as mysteriously as it had appeared. To the present day, it has not been satisfactorily explained but neither has it reoccurred.

    Viscount - Norbin III of House Secunforth, 499 - 503 CY (4 yrs)
    Viscountess - None
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Nyhan V
    Fate - Died of Plague
    Major Hurricanes - 502 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 499 - 503 CY (Black Miasma)

    History -When Norbin II died without issue, his brother assumed the throne of the Viscounty of Salinmoor as Norbin III. He survived to reign only four years before succumbing to the continuing Great Plague. At wits end after years of plague, the people of Salinmoor began to search for some intervening supernatural cause. Prayers to the gods having proven worthless, it was concluded that some sort of witchcraft must be afoot. The vigilantism that had seized Burle during the Green Terror now seized the entirety of Salinmoor. The resulting Witch Hunts consumed all of 501 and 502 CY.

    Old women, hermits, recluses and any persons deemed to be acting at all abnormally were burned at the stake by angry mobs. In Seaton and Burle, the accused were provided with a summary trial. In the countryside, mob justice found no need to assign guilt to those everyone knew must be, in fact, guilty. Attempts by the Secunforths and Salinmoor’s nobility to stop the witch hunts proved unavailing. The mobs would not be denied and all who would oppose them fell silent, being outnumbered and fearing to be accused of being in league with the witches.

    Eventually, the Witch Hunts died down. In 503 CY, a covey of hags was discovered to be operating within Salinmoor. Tracked to the Hool Marshes, the covey was attacked and destroyed. The populace rejoiced that the Witch Hunt had uncovered the Viscounty’s persecutors. Whether the hags had played any actual part in the Great Plague is unknown but the plague did subside shortly thereafter, but only after claiming the life of Norbin III. Exhausted, sanity and calm returned to Salinmoor.

    Viscount - Cronin I of House Secunforth, 503 - 535 CY (32 yrs)
    Viscountess - Valintesse
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Nyhan V, Senestal III
    Fate - Died defending Seaton
    Major Hurricanes - 520 CY; 525 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 503 - 504 CY (Black Miasma)

    History -When Norbin III died without issue, the direct line of Hewel I was exhausted. It fell then for a nephew of Hewel I to assume the Viscounty as Cronin I. From his first years on the throne, Cronin I distinguished himself among Salinmoor’s line of Viscounts. Less affected by the lethergy and sense of doom that has marked the previous Secunforth Viscounts, Cronin I energetically and intelligently set about ruling Salinmoor, making the best of the situation that presented itself.

    When in 509 CY the lizardmen of the Hool Marshes again mounted an incursion into the Viscounty, Cronin I moved decisively to defeat them. He did not stop there, however. Despite the advice of almost all of his advisors, Cronin I entered into talks with the lizardmen to attempt to create more than the adversarial relationship that had existed to that point in Salinmoor’s history. Tentative at first, the talks began a dialog that resulted in the treaty known as the Peace of Saltmarsh wherein the lizardmen agreed to trade agreements that would obviate the need to raid into Salinmoor. At the same time, the treaty gave Salinmoor an additional and much needed source of income. While the Peace of Saltmarsh has not been universally upheld on either side, it has prevented open warfare between the lizardmen of the Hool Marshes and the Viscounty to the present day.

    Capitalizing on his military and diplomatic successes, in 512 CY, Cronin I moved to actively support the merchant class of the Viscounty with favorable charters and the first royally sponsored trade fairs. From among the merchants attending the trade fairs from outside the Viscounty, Cronin I persuaded a number to expand their business with and within Salinmoor. Some number he even persuaded to move part their operations permanently to Seaton and Burle. All of this activity brought to Salinmoor something that had all but vanished - hope. It was, however, not to last.

    The hurricanes in 520 and 525 CY caused massive damage, setting back much of the progress that had been achieved in improving the infrastructure of the Viscounty. A number of the merchant houses recruited by Cronin I, whose property had been destroyed in the storms, chose not to rebuild. Matters only got worse when, in 535 CY, raiders attacked and sacked Seaton. Drawn by word of increased prosperity and the reality that the city’s defenses had not been upgraded at the same time, the raiders found Seaton a fat target too ripe to resist. The city was ravaged. Cronin I died defending Seaton. Hope for the future of the Viscounty of Salinmoor all but died with him.

    Viscount -Visby I of House Secunforth, 535 - 552 CY (17 yrs)
    Viscountess - Amorel
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Senestal III, Trevlyan III
    Fate - Died fighting Sahuagin
    Major Hurricanes - 540 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 538 CY (Black Miasma); 541 CY (Malaria); 550 CY (Black Miasma)

    History - Son of Cronin I, Visby I became Viscount at a pivotal time in Salinmoor’s history. Cronin I had done much to improve the Viscounty but had been dealt a series of reverses that imperiled all that had been accomplished. Certainly with Cronin I’s death and the sack of Seaton, the public believed that Salinmoor’s ill fortune had reasserted itself. It fell to Visby I to prove the common wisdom wrong. This he ably set out to do when disaster struck.

    In 540 CY, a ferocious hurricane struck Salinmoor of the sort not seen since the Storm of the Century in 340 CY, exactly 200 years earlier. Another Storm of the Century devastated the Viscounty of Salinmoor. With no help forthcoming from the Lion Throne or the Duchy of Gradsul, Salinmoor was left to slowly recover as best it could. All hopes for Visby I’s reign were lost as the Viscount would spend the rest of his reign rebuilding the shattered Viscounty.

    Matters were made worse when, in 552 CY, the sahuagin returned in numbers bent on destruction. Allied with the green dragon Sathorexthes, the sahuagin struck hard, almost overwhelming Seaton and Saltmarsh before reinforcements arrived from Burle. Returned after centuries to have his revenge, Sathorexthes subsequently attacked Burle as the sahuagin redoubled their coastal attacks. The Viscounty of Salinmoor fought for its very existence, winning victory but at the highest price. Viscount Visby I died fighting the sahuagin. Of Sathorexthes’ fate, nothing is known.

    Viscount - Cronin II of House Secunforth, 552 - 560 CY (8 yrs)
    Viscountess - Celin
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Trevlyan III
    Fate - Lost at Sea
    Major Hurricanes - 553 CY; 559 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - None

    History - Cronin II inherited an only marginally viable Viscounty. But like his father and grandfather, he refused to be bowed by Salinmoor’s misfortunes. Unable to attract merchants to Salinmoor in any numbers, he determined to open new trade routes to the south whereby exotic and luxury goods would first come into Keoland through Salinmoor’s ports. Initial efforts enjoyed only modest success but clearly held out promise for the future. Unfortunately, that future would never come for, in 560 CY, Cronin II was lost at sea, having personally undertaken a voyage of exploration. This loss was taken as another ill omen by Salinmoor’s weary population.

    Viscount - Hewel II of House Secunforth, 560 - 576 CY (16 yrs)
    Viscountess - Nestin
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Trevlyan III, Kimbertos I
    Fate - Drowned in Flooding
    Major Hurricanes - 562 CY; 564 CY; 567 CY; 570 CY; 571 CY; 576 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 563 CY (Malaria); 566 CY (Black Miasma); 569 CY (Wood Chill); 572 CY (Cholera); 573 CY (Typhoid Fever); 575 CY (Black Miasma)

    History - Hewel II earned the sobriquet "The Cursed." During his reign Salinmoor endured a literal parade of hurricanes and plagues. While none were individually crippling, each reinforced the common perception of Salinmoor as disease ridden and storm wracked. The successfully prosecuted Second Sahuagin Conflict in 560 CY, the first having concluded in the prior reign, further tarred Salinmoor as prone to monstrous incursions. If Hewel II ever had thoughts of doing more than surviving as Viscount, he abandoned such hopes early on. When he died in 576 CY, Hewel II had a haunted and haggard look. It is whispered that he foresaw his death in the flood waters and welcomed it.

    Viscount - Cronin III of House Secunforth, 576 - 595 CY (19 yrs to date)
    Viscountess - Serbeth
    Reigning Kings of Keoland - Kimbertos I
    Fate - Reigning Viscount
    Major Hurricanes - 579 CY; 583 CY; 587 CY; 591 CY
    Outbreaks of Plague - 583 CY (Black Miasma); 586 CY (Black Miasma); 592 CY (Black Miasma)

    History - Cronin III had no more than been crowned when the Third Sahuagin Conflict began. Between 576 CY and 582 CY, Cronin III spent virtually all of his time and the Viscounty’s resources battling the sahuagin along Salinmoor coasts. Eventually victorious, the conflict all but bankrupted the Viscounty. Recovery had no more than begun when the Greyhawk Wars erupted throughout the Flanaess. The Viscounty of Salinmoor had a ring side seat.

    In 584 CY, the Scarlet Brotherhood revealed themselves to the world, though they had been haunting Keoland for centuries beforehand. With the fall of the Hold of the Sea Princes to the Scarlet Brotherhood virtually overnight, Salinmoor became Keoland’s front line against the old enemy. Surprisingly, and certainly disappointingly to Cronin III, Kimbertos I chose not to rush men and material to Salinmoor to shore up the kingdom’s southern border. While depriving Salinmoor of an economic windfall, Kimbertos I’s caution proved well advised.

    In 589 CY, civil war erupted in the Hold of the Sea Princes. The grip of the scarlet brothers was broken as native population rebelled. Unfortunately, Salinmoor experienced in consequence a steady stream of refugees for which it was not prepared. The Viscounty of Salinmoor once again teetered on the edge of the abyss. Now, Kimbertos I moved to the Viscounty’s aid. Despite all logic, Kimbertos I drove overland, following the old Hool Trace, to retake Westkeep. Now, men, material and renewed economic activity flooded into Salinmoor, as portions of the Hold of the Sea Princes took the opportunity to declare their full independence.

    A brief period of economic prosperity immediately followed. It was, however, shattered when in 595 CY slavers attacked Seaton, sacking the city for the second time in its history. The disruption of Seaton’s role as a supply point for Keoland’s forces in Westkeep was partially overcome by moving operations to Saltmarsh. Saltmarsh, however, proved too restive to long or well serve in this capacity. Of necessity, Kimbertos I then chose to resupply Westkeep via the Javan River from Millen and Kimberton, while simultaneously beginning construction of the parallel Javan Road. Salinmoor was again left isolated and forgotten. It remains so to the present.
    "
     
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