Houses of Gerlaw

As with all the cities in Kramm, the military plays a major role in the governance of Gerlaw. Mainly a hub of commerce, the city’s abundant coal supply has made it a substantial producer of all forms of metalwork. Because of the smoky forge fires and the ceaseless pounding of hammers on steel, much of Gerlaw’s nobility resides outside of the city proper. Estates dot the countryside, many built on or near old strip mine lakes with deep and clear waters.

Four major houses dominate the nobility, and each has been granted the right to form a barony. Each house operates a sprawling estate complete with servants, stables, and a barracks of soldiers sworn to protect the barony and the nation of Kramm. The hamlets and villages within each barony pay taxes for road upkeep, dispute settlement, and military protection. Each barony is presided over by a baron, a position typically held by the most senior male of the ruling house.

While many of Gerlaw's houses do not get along, military law prohibits any open fighting within Kramm’s borders, and only the lowliest house would soil its reputation or risk formal punishment by attacking another. Instead, the houses use gossip, intrigue, and scandal as weapons, damaging status instead of flesh in an effort to better their coffers and their own standing.

As a knight of Gerlaw, you have pledged your service to a house. If desired, you can create a lesser house of your own, or you can or choose one of the options below.

House Creswell

Heraldry: A white diamond on a field of sky-blue
Modifiers: +1 to Renown

The largest and richest house in Gerlaw, House Creswell owns and operates nearly every strip mine surrounding the city. Baron Vant Creswell rules the Barony of Creswell from an opulent estate east of the city. It is surrounded by lakes and lush gardens of exotic flowers, which are prized by his beautiful wife, Baroness Hendra.

Most members of House Creswell consider themselves above all of the other houses in Gerlaw, and while they maintain working relationships with their peers, they do so primarily to keep their coal flowing and their coffers full.

Knights of House Creswell typically reside in one of the barony’s many villages, living in a manor house provided and maintained with funds from the barony.

House Brightsteel

Heraldry: A black anvil with a gray background
Modifiers: +1 to Shieldwork

House Brightsteel is the largest manufacturer of weapons and armor in all of Kramm. The dwarves made their way to Gerlaw from the Spineback Mountains shortly after learning of the coal deposits in the region. Because of this, they are an integral part of the economic wheel that drives the city, by their turning of coal and iron ore into steel.

Baron Hurn Brightsteel resides over his barony, which is simply called the Barony of Bright. Given the lifespan of dwarves, Baron Brightsteel finds the scheming and backstabbing of his fellow houses amusing at best and annoying at worst. He and his kin do not participate in these activities, and as such, the Brightsteel name is synonymous with trust, honor, and loyalty. In many ways, the house of dwarves is the glue that holds the nobility of Gerlaw together, serving as a voice of reason when tempers are heated.

Baron Brightsteel lost his wife during the birth of his only son, Orl, and he has never remarried. His passions are his house and his son, who he is grooming to be his heir. Together, they rule the Barony of Bright from a squat stone estate north of the city. Compared to the estates of other nobles, it is modest and pragmatic—as are most dwarves.

While House Brightsteel employs workers of all races, only a dwarf can be a knight of Gerlaw, and while their stature may not be as impressive as other knights, they have learned the way of horse and lance as well as any, often riding large steeds with extensive feathering on their lower legs.

House Stowe

Heraldry: A black wagon wheel on a field of red
Modifiers: +1 to Horsemanship

Baron Ardus Stowe made his fortune shipping goods throughout the nation of Kramm. While his caravans carry all manner of items, he owes the vast majority of his wealth to House Brightsteel’s weapons and armor. The baron claims the lands south of Gerlaw as the Barony of Stowe. His estate, named Willow Woods, features a large home with three wings that contain rooms for his extensive family.

At nearly sixty years of age, the baron has had three wives. The first he lost to plague, and the second threw herself from her bed-chamber window after their infant daughter died suddenly in her crib. Having already fathered eight children, and with his legacy secure, the baron gave up on love, throwing himself into his work. His house thrived, but at the expense of his relationships with his family.

The situation changed five years ago when the baron found the love of a widower from Dahlgren. Only a few years his junior, and with nine children of her own, Lady Galeya moved her family to Gerlaw. Once wed, Baron Stowe started the construction of additional wings for his estate so that his family could share one roof.

Many of the baron and baroness’ children are older with children of their own, and these days toddlers roam the halls of the Stowe estate, their numbers increasing at an alarming rate. In spite of the chaos, Baron Stowe is— by all accounts— content and happy. His eldest son, Mattus, has taken over the primary responsibilities of the family business, leaving the baron time to spend with his wife and grandchildren.

Knights of House Stowe often spend time training caravan guards and frequently accompany shipments of weapons as they travel throughout Kramm. As such, they are exceedingly comfortable on horseback.

House Grainger

Heraldry: A yellow head of wheat on a field of green
Modifiers: +1 to Lancework

The gently rolling lands from west of Gerlaw to the Arsin River are filled with villages and hamlets surrounded by small farms that grow corn, wheat, barley, potatoes, and many other vegetables. Amid the homesteads is a modest estate of stone and timber that Baroness Renora Grainger calls home. The only woman to rule a barony, Renora is in her middle years. She lost her husband, Baron Winslow Grainger, two years ago when his ship from Dahlgren to Cadwell went down during a storm in the Northern Narrows.

Her eldest son, Granthin, is just fourteen years of age, and while Renora is doing her best to teach him the ways of leading a house, she is struggling from her own lack of knowledge. The baron’s closest male heir, his brother, Lord Corman, is a respected knight of House Grainger, and while he could claim the title of Baron if he so desired, he has shown deference to the baroness and his nephew and is helping the lad prepare as best he can. Rumors persist of a romantic relationship between the baroness and her brother-in-law, but thus far, they remain unsubstantiated.

Common folk in the Barony of Grainger enjoy tournaments immensely, and many villages host mock events of their own, with young men participating in swordplay, archery, and ring jousting. The other houses of Gerlaw frown upon this behavior, likely because knights that rise through the ranks of House Grainger excel at the joust.

Hedge Knights

Heraldry: None
Modifiers: -1 Renown; +2 to Chivalry

Hedge knights swear their allegiance only to the knight’s code of conduct, and many tirelessly travel the lands of Haldane, helping those in need.

Many hedge knights are lowborn men of impeccable honor and courtesy who either have not been accepted by a formal house or have grown tired of the intrigue and slander that houses often practice. As such, they are sometimes looked down upon by knights who are in the service of a liege lord.