Realm of the Mount

The Realm of the Mount was a region of volcanic, wood-cloaked wilderness located in the Border Kingdoms. It was a secretive realm, built upon murder and mistrust.

Description
To outsiders, the Realm of the Mount looked like unwelcoming, deserted wilderness. The rare homes were elevated log cabins, the only roads were muddy trails, and sparse sheeps and goats made for most of the cattle.

The main feature of the Realms was its "tombs", cairns hidden behind overgrowth which were rented by powerful individuals and used as a place to store stolen goods&mdash;or worse. It was usual for those cairns to be trapped and guarded by a diversity of creatures such as golems, crawling claws, dread warriors or skeletons.

Geography
This realm was centered on the Mount, a wood-covered volcano whose fume holes vented steaming vapors that sometimes caused individual trees to burn down in flames while letting the rest of the forest untouched. This led to the place being known as the flaming wood in ancient times. While the Mount wasn't prompt to erupt, earth tremors known as "grumble-thunder" were a common occurrence.

Government
At the time of the Dread King Helemvo, the king had seven underlings known as "Overdukes"&mdash;who were regularly replaced whenever the king slaughtered one for treason or incompetence.
 * Overdukes of the Mount:

The Overdukes were served by about nine "Harcounts", who took care of actual work such as delivering messages, signing documents, or keeping records. Those Harcounts also kept watch on the Overdukes and reported anything suspicious to the king, who regularly "shuffled" Harcounts and Overdukes to prevent alliances from forming.
 * Harcounts:

The king had two bannerlords, who outranked the Harcounts and served as his personal messengers.
 * Bannerlords:

Hawklars were leaders among the dragonkin, and directed the patrols roaming the kingdom.
 * Hawklars:

Trade
While most visitors were unwelcome in the Realm of the Mount, an exception was made for traveling merchants as long as they stayed on designated trails, markets and camping places. Dwarves were known to visit the realm to buy forging time in the volcano's secret rifts.

Defenses
The realm of the Mount was tightly guarded by patrols, usually comprised of three dragonkins, six gargoyles, two undead owlbears, and several pixies. In addition, they carried flying snakes in back-pouches to help in case of though fights. The realm was capable of rallying more than twenty such patrols in case of necessity.

Outsiders were particularly unwelcome in the Realm, with patrols savagely attacking them on sight. Visitors openly carrying magic items were attacked with extreme prejudice, and anyone trying to parley would get surrounded by at least three patrols until an Overduke decided what to do with them.

History
The region was originally a wilderness roamed by monsters and watched over by elves, who prevented gnomes and dwarves from settling in the volcano.

It was discovered by the wizard Xavander Relurvor during the, who was looking for a place to hide with his family after his brother Ormalin embezzled a large portion of Ravens Bluff's treasury. After settling in, he used the volcano to melt the treasure, minting counterfeit Amnian and Calishite coins with the resulting metals. Various family members faked their death and moved to the Mount, and after some internal strife Ormalin fell into a lava rift and Xavander established his kingdom.

Once his realm established, Xavander rented territory to Ravenaar individuals who could afford it. Those "Tombs" were officially sold as a place for their loved ones to rest, but were actually used as a hiding places where the "Tomb Holders" hid stolen goods, kidnapped rivals, or allies trying to lay low for a while.

When Xavander was killed by a more powerful wizard, his son Tholander took over. Not smart enough to actually rule, but smart enough to realize it, Tholander hired and ennobled some of the most vicious Ravenaars in exchange for them ruling in the shadows and acting as tutors for one of his own sons to prepare him to rule.

When Tholander died and Helemvo ascended to the throne, he assassinated his tutors and most of his siblings, cementing his position as the head of state. The "Dread King" Helemvo then murdered several wealthy Tomb Holders, and used their wealth to build a small army of dragonkin, giving them gargoyles and undead creatures to command.

Notable Locations
The ruins of Xavander's mansion could be found in Hool&mdash;if one managed to get past the various traps and magical guardians set up by the Dread King. Those ruins hid the Way of Screaming Swords, a magical portal linking the realm to the city of Ravens Bluff.
 * Way of Screaming Swords

Inhabitants
The warm caves on the sides of the Mount sheltered many monsters and ne'er-do-wells. As such, fights were a common occurrence in the realm's forests.