River Keep
River Keep is a factory outpost and trade depot of The Guild, for activities in the tundra and coniferous forests of the Northeastern Threshold, particularly with Halta. It is a fortified settlement, with a thick stone wall manned by mercenary troops surrounding warehouses, residences, stables, and workshops. At the center of the settlement a squat stone keep houses vaults and important Guild officials, and in the event of a difficult siege can take in the civil populace or goods from the settlement warehouses… a cynic might suspect there is not room for BOTH, however. One side of the settlement faces the river, the wall opening to allow passage of ships in to a set of wooden docks, high towers on either side equipped with heavy trebuchets and a large firedust weapon to deter assault from the river.
River Keep occupies a lucrative position due to a series of diplomatic and trade agreements with the regional powers. Its proximity to the large Haltan settlement at River Blossom, and the inability of Haltan traders to move along their own forest floor or through the river routes controlled by the Linowan, means the bulk of the Republic’s trade with the outside world must come through the Guild and River Keep, including many rare plants and woods highly valued elsewhere in Creation. The Guild in turn supplies drugs such as Heroin and valuable metal goods to the Haltans. While many in the Guild wish for an enlarged drug trade and to push slavery into the Haltan economy, those running River Keep know such desires are foolish: the Guild makes far greater profits exploiting its position, able to sell metals bought and produced cheaply elsewhere at astronomical rates to Haltans who cannot obtain them easily elsewhere, and buying herbs whose prices can be pushed down despite the going Nexus rates because the Haltans cannot easily access external markets on their own. The Factor of River Keep may not secure the heights of profit seen by his peers, but bringing in high profits every year for centuries has granted the post significant influence in the Guild at large.
The Linowan are renowned as river pirates, and the Silver River along with its tributaries are their dominion… any ship could be preyed upon, ships carrying Haltan cargoes or passengers particular draws for Linowan raiders. The ships of the Realm are safe, the Linowan honouring their distant overlords with freedom from attack, but the Merchant Marine is concentrated on the Inner Sea rather than the eastern rivers. The most common trade ships moving in safety along the Silver River are thus the vessels of The Guild, which has arrived at an agreement with Rubylak to buy safe passage for Guild ships. The Linowan today merely watch for Realm or Guild banners, and have little need to worry over false flags… the consequences for any captain falsely flying the colours of either power are far more terrible and far more certain than any piracy by the Linowan. River Keep does some trade with the Linowan settlement of Basten.
The last agreement which serves the Guild well at River Keep is that with the Fair Folk. While the Haltans do not buy slaves, the Keep imports many from Guild factories further south. These are traded to the Fair Folk of Marika’s Domain and Yseult’s Domain, in exchange for Guild merchants and caravans being unmolested in their territories. The Guild, though not a signatory, has accepted the Treaty of High Order and Wild Roots due to its relations with the Far Folk and the Haltans, and within that treaty area even Guild caravans do not move on the forest floor.
Guild ships from River Keep frequently travel the Golden Leaf Canal to trade with the states north of Halta.
Not all powers in the region are friendly, however… River Keep’s fortifications are the result not just of concerns one or more diplomatic agreements might be terminated but also to resist attack from the Icewalker barbarians, Vatal cannibals, and savage spidermen who roam the area.
