Recipe for a good time in Elyria: Mix together a cup of the gambling and what-happens-here-stays-here attitude of Las Vegas with a cup of the large ranches, social revelry, and horse racing of Kentucky. Then add just a teaspoon of hive-of-scum-and-villainy of Mos Eisley. Now imagine this combination in a medieval setting and you have Derby, a racing town in the county of Faedin Fields

UPDATE - Sept 15, 2019 -

We are currently seeking a Baron/Mayor (or two) and we are seeking a veterinarian and a blacksmith (both of these professions are the most notable family in their particular settlement). We are also have openings for martialsmith and brightsmith. We are a Brudvir county but have a large Hrothi settlement and a large fort in addition to our capital of Derby.

(Please note that this post is a work in progress and I will be updating it as we move forward. There are placeholder names until more lore is fleshed out (Ex: Northern River). Please PM me with any questions or post here, Thank you.

the county of Faedin Fields

Do you have what it takes to win The Rue?

LOGISTICS OF Faedin Fields (temp name Greenlantern Arch)

• SERVER: | NA- East
• BIOME: | Taiga, Steppe, Mountains
• KINGDOM: | Vornair - King Evelake Rhyne
• DUCHY; | Anemoi - Duke Zephyros XII
• COUNTY: | Faedin Fields (Temp name Greenlantern Arch) - Count Lash (forum -> coach)
• MOTTO: Si Non Est Primum, Vestri 'tandem
• COLORS: Purple, Silver, Black
• CURRENT BARON: | Lannister Quartermaine
• CURRENT BARONESS: | X'anne
• CURRENT MAYOR: | Nayhon
• CURRENT MAYOR: | Xolia
• SEEKING BARON/MAYOR: | (TBD)
• CURRENT PROFESSION: ELITE MERCENARY GROUP: | DMO
• CURRENT PROFESSION: MILITARY & ELITE POLICE FORCE: | Darrow
• CURRENT PROFESSION: BOUNTY HUNTER: | Nayhon,
• CURRENT PROFESSION: | BREEDER (otterbears): | Vollminch
• CURRENT PROFESSION: | BREEDER (pets, snow leopards): X'anne
• CURRENT PROFESSION: | BREEDER (war trison, wolves): Xolia
• CURRENT PROFESSION: | BREEDER (thoroughbreds/horses): | LaRose
• CURRENT PROFESSION: | SCHOLAR (inter-species breeding): | Kenmaster
• CURRENT PROFESSION: | FARMER (feed crops): Kamikaze_Egg
• SEEKING PROFESSION: | BREEDER (ursaphants): | (TBA)
• SEEKING PROFESSION: | BREEDER (dryas elk): | (TBA)
• SEEKING PROFESSION: | ARCHITECT : (TBA)
• SEEKING PROFESSION: | GAMBLING HALL OWNER : (TBA)

LaRUE COUNTY: OLD LORE

Legend has it that two traders, Garrigan and Lash, were due at the docks by sunset with their backpacks of mined gems. They stopped off at Cavalle, the town located at the halfway point of the journey from the gemstone mines near Wall Town to the sleepy port of Glace. The merchant ship liked to embark on its coastal trading route at night to avoid the pirates, but their all-night... umm... let’s just call them ‘recreations’... had them sleeping right through the rooster’s morning barrage. As Garrigan walked out of the inn, wiping the morning out of his eyes, he noticed the sun was on the wrong side of the building for them to complete the journey before the sun abdicated the sky to the moon.

He ran back into the their room and found Lash sound asleep in a tangle of females. He grabbed the hairiest limb he could find and gave a mighty pull, extricating Lash from his slumberous harem. The stress of their task sobered them immediately and hurriedly they grabbed their packs and barged into the stables, interrupting the groom’s impromptu nap. Knowing their quarterhorses were not up for the task, they asked the groom to point out the two best thoroughbreds in the stable. The groom proudly pointed to a pair of white stallions, misinterpreting why the question was being asked. Lash quickly asked the price for the pair. Being told that the mayor’s horses were definitely not for sale was just a minor inconvenience as they quickly saddled up the pair. Just before the stable boy started to run off to sound the alarm, Garrigan flipped him a rough thumbnail-sized emerald from their trade packs and the first racehorse sale in the history of the region was complete. Whether that emerald made it to the hands of the mayor or the groom escaped with it to another town is still argued to this day.

Ever the gambler, Lash challenged Garrigan to a race, offering that the emerald’s cost be recouped from the loser’s salary. Knowing full well that neither he nor his longtime friend would even report that to their ornery boss it was a no-lose proposition, so Garrigan added that the loser would also pay for that night’s recreations. Lash accepted the counter proposal, and the first race on The Rue was on.

The thoroughbreds seemed to live for racing as each tried to keep its nose in front of the other even though the riders weren’t forcing them to fully gallop. Garrigan knew Lash was the better rider and had seemingly also picked the better horse. Lash and his stallion started pulling slightly ahead at the halfway point and Garrigan made a calculated decision. He guessed these horses were bred for speed, not necessarily endurance, and after watching Lash go into a copse of trees that The Rue bisected, he slowed his horse to a stop. There was a small creek running into the grove from the foothills and the horse drank his fill, snacking on some oats from a feed bag that Garrigan had taken from the horse’s saddlebag. He then jumped back on and took up a canter to the finish.

Garrigan and his mount approached a small outpost on The Rue, ironically now called Garrigan’s Rally, and came upon a dismounted Lash (not of his own volition). His lathered horse was snorting and stamping, just a few paces away. Garrigan slowed and checked on his friend who was holding his right ankle. “Bah! I thought you had slipped around me somehow through the trees when I lost sight of you, and I pushed my stallion too hard,” laughed Lash. He congratulated Garrigan on his win, told him to grab his bag of emeralds and get to port and he would come later after his horse had fully rested.

Garrigan eventually moved to Cavalle and established the race commemorating the event of years past, renaming the town Derby. He became mayor and eventually the Count, giving the county its current name. He raised a large family and still has descendants in the area from a large and documented family tree. Lash, on the other hand never did settle down, living the life of an adventurer, gambler, womanizer, philanthropist, scoundrel, or hero (depending on who you are talking to at the time). His exploits are another story for another day, but just know that he had fun doing them. He came back to Derby often, even winning The Rue a few years after the first race. Lash also has many unknowing descendants in the area, branches off numerous different family trees.

FAEDIN FIELDS: RECENT LORE (To be updated soon with the new name changes)

No one remembers what year the first horse race took place on The Rue, but it must have been ages ago as evidenced by the usage of the Auld Elyrian term 'rue' in place of the modern 'road'. The Rue is a remarkably straight trade road that runs along the navigable Northern River from the once-rich gemstone deposits of the mountains through the luscious foothills of grazing livestock and fields covered with goldtop barley to the Northern Coast. The race began in the town of Derby, and ends just outside of the port city at the crossroad of The Rue and The Northern Road that runs along the coast.

Which came first, the county or the road? Perhaps the name of the county, LaRue, gives a hint to the answer as the significance of the road to trade in the area cannot be overstated. The current Count de la Rue (translated into Modern Elyrian as Count of the Road), sometimes shortened to Count LaRue, is a relative newcomer to the area, arriving just two decades ago. Rumor has it that everyone’s favorite runner-up, Lash, is his ancestor. Although with Lash’s infamous philandering who can say whether legitimate or illegitimate. The Count has even been given that moniker as his nickname long (and often) enough that now that is the name he goes by himself. He quickly saw the opportunity in underdeveloped Derby to invest in its growth. He may not have invented the race but he is responsible for changing the race to circling the town of Derby in lieu of racing from Derby to the coast. This was a business decision so fans, gamblers, racers, and their retinue would congregate in town for several days before and after the main event, spending their coin in Derby instead of at the port. This inevitably led to the town’s growth as the race became more popular than ever.

Count Lash seized on the dragon attack during The Rue in ‘30 to implore the race take place in a more defensible place, knowing all along it was a business reason not a safety one. As the race was nearing its final stages, two horses had pulled away from the remaining racers. Out of nowhere a colossal dragon swooped down out of the clouds and carried off the two leaders, horse and rider both, in each massive talon. He emphasized to the horse breeding and horse racing powers-that-be the gory details of how the riders’ bodies were found broken and bent in all sorts of interesting angles, suggesting a fall from a great height. No evidence of either of the horses was ever found. After a brief meeting, it was agreed almost unanimously to change the race to around the town of Derby. The lone ‘Nay’ vote came from Meachem Stables, winner at the time of four of the past five Rues. No horse reached the finish line in ‘30, but both riders and horses are listed as that years winner.

The town had seen tremendous growth as horse (and other animal) breeders flocked to the area, building residences in town and ranches on the outskirts. Minor racing events are held all of the time, but ‘The Rue’ is only held every four years. The town swells in population coinciding with the event as trade fairs, festivals, jousts, feasts, and all-night carousing become the norm. Even the circus comes to town. Tent cities pop up around the town as there isn’t enough inn space to handle the crowd. Both the fortnight prior and after the big race attract folk from all across the land to examine and purchase or trade animals of all kinds. Trisons, ursaphants, donkeys, exotic pets, dogs, cats, and of course thoroughbreds are sold and exchanged. Many of the race winners are sponsored by the stables but every once in awhile a racer will come to town empty-handed, purchase a mount at the pre-race sale, and surprise everyone with a win. Those legendary races are talked about forever. That is why the race is so loved because major stables on down to an individual with a lucky purchase have all had successes and failures.

No real surprises happened during the races until the controversy at The Rue of ‘42. Hoss Brannam was behind the lead pack but allegedly cut through town for the win. Whispers abounded after the race but with Hoss being just short of 7 feet and 300 lbs, no one was in a huge hurry to make an official objection, so he took home the trophy. Hoss had a habit every year of wrestling three men at a time at the pre-race festivities. With that much weight on his back the horse may have taken the shortcut with or without the approval of his rider. After Brannam’s untimely and unsolved murder a couple years later, an asterisk was added to the Trophy by his name, both to signify the incident and the last race with no interior fencewall.

Over time, more and more wealthy families had built a residence in town while still maintaining their ranches in the countryside. The pressure mounted to help protect the town, and now the major stable owners had a racing reason also to ask for a wall. After the (ahem alleged) cheating at The Rue of ‘42, the Count asked the Duke to help Derby become more defensible, again seizing the opportunity of an incident to make a change to the town. Over the years this wall has been improved, with the parapets on the ramparts serving as seating during the event. Any worry that fans’ sightlines would be poor due to the wall was quelled when that actually added to the suspense of seeing the horses burst into view.