Restwell Keep The Nerath Campaign & The Nerath Timeline The current year for our Nerath campaign is set during the year 103AE. Inspired By Gary Gygax

Restwell Keep "Keep on the Borderlands" is a very old keep. As the only major settlement near the Chaos Scar, Restwell Keep is a mandatory stop for adventuring groups, and members of all races can be found here. Not long ago, Restwell Keep was a freewheeling place with lax law enforcement. Lord Peridin Drysdale, paladin of Erathis, recently took command. More than a few residents, accustomed to the old regime, resent the paladin’s uncompromising push toward order and morality. As a result, Drysdale’s authority is a constant struggle.

Mercenary guards watch the barracks, as well as the towers and gate of the outer bailey. Drysdale’s soldiers patrol the keep proper and the inner bailey. The lord has mandated that capable individuals serve as militia if the need arises which most willingly do. For most, lord Peridin Drysdale is a very well respected knight and his rule of law is well respected.

Restwell Keep, also known as the Keep on the Borderlands, is an ancient site that has fallen into ruins in the past and been rebuilt several times. It was home to hobgoblin kings, dragons, and any number of other monsters. During the Empire of Nerath it was the fortress of a dwarven bandit king who was eventually overthrown by Bertak, a half-orc general who served the emperor. Today it is occupied by Lord Drysdale, who seeks to bring civilization to this region.

The keep guards the entrance to the Chaos Scar and serves as a bulwark against the monsters that live in the Scar. Lord Drysdale hopes that one day he can civilize the region and claim the resources of the Scar in the name of his goddess. Not everyone agrees with this plan however, and many fear that Drysdale intends to force everyone in the keep into service as an army to conquer the Chaos Scar. Additionally rumors abound of secret cults of Zehir or Tiamat among the keep’s inhabitants. Restwell Keep is likely to become a place of intrigue in the near future.

Three times the Keep has been attacked or besieged by humanoids or bandits, and each time it has held out and overcome its foes. Today it is a thriving community of people who have invested years of hard work into making this their home and willing to defend it to the bitter end.

Architecture
This is a full castle "with a population of around 1,000", with a very large open area inside its curtain walls and a strong keep called the Inner Bailey built into the back, far from the only entry point, the main gate. Set on cliffs on all sides at least seventy feet high, with only one real entry point, this is a very secure location. Within the walls of the castle is a small village of sorts which will serve the needs of travelling merchants, who has seen better days since the merchant caravans have recently all but stopped due to recent attacks by humanoids and bandits. The keep itself is made of solid, well-fitted stone "although over the years the wear and tear has begun to show", with thirty to 60 foot walls topped with evenly spaced blocks called merlons that the defenders can hide behind or fire between at invaders.

Towers are placed at regular points with ballista in them (a sort of huge, heavy crossbow that is each manned by crews). Catapults are also sprinkled along the outer walls. Neither weapon is tremendously accurate, particularly the catapult, they are fired at an area, not a single target.

The walls are ten feet thick, with the merlons two feet square, and a raised area that the merlons are atop of three feet high, providing half cover for defenders. The portcullis is of hard steel and is held in place with a gear system. It can only be raised from within by the windlass system once the catch is released. It takes a full turn to raise the portcullis enough for a horse to ride through, or a phase to make enough space to crawl under. The bars are very strong and well made and the entire portcullis weighs 900 pounds.

Notable Locations
• The Travellers Inn
• The Stumbling Giant
• Bergen's Smithy
• Market Square
• Jewel Merchant’s Apartment
• Restwell Bank
• Saruun Guildhouse
• Stables
• Storage Warehouse
• Groms Smithy
• Quartermaster Shop
• Locksmith
• The Green Man Inn
• The One-Eyed Cat
• Guild House
• Chapel
• The Granery
• Prison Tower
• Moneychanger's Shop