Helmstead

History
Largest town north of the Bulwark, in Ban'diel. Sustained through fishing off the island's Northwest coast, seasonal farming and a series of Iron and Coal mines along the northern face of the Bulwark Mountains. Due to the temperature and remoteness, life in Helmstead is a hard one, but is vital to the survival of the rest of the island’s inhabitants due to its resources. Only the hardiest of folk decide to live in Helmstead and the surrounding foothills. It’s largely human population are no strangers to adversity.

Those that call Helmstead home are considered deeply spiritual and traditional people, remaining to their naturalist roots. They take pride in honoring and preserving this long- forgotten heritage through various rituals revering their fallen ancestors.

The Barrow Hills
Nestled into the foothills and crags of the north-facing Bulwark mountains, these barrows carved into the ancient stone have served as crypts for the honored dead of Helmstead for generations. Central to the traditions and spiritual life of the people of Helmstead, no outsiders are allowed to venture among the Barrow stones and effigies ringed by the great Ironwood trees within their shrouded vale.

Both Helmstead lords and commoners alike are afforded the right to be interred in the sacred burial cairns, should they so choose. Typically included with the dead are their worldly belongings, such as various trinkets, armor and armaments, and all that brought them joy in life. These hallowed crypts are to lay undisturbed beneath the boughs of the Ironwoods until the end of all things. Those who dare to disturb the dead's final resting place face swift punishment and the pain of death.

The Ironwood Grove
The Ironwood Grove is named after the towering trees that comprise it and the wood they produce. Unknown in origin, the trees surround the Barrow Hills for miles. For generations the people of Helmstead have felled these trees for their strength and flexibility, especially useful in the construction of the hulls of seafaring vessels. Other uses for the incredibly versatile material include stout building material, and weapon-making. Shields and spears wrought of Ironwood do not splinter or shatter like Ash or Oak, and staves of a magical nature carved from Ironwood boughs are able to channel such energies well enough to rival that of Arcanite metals.

Though the wood cut from these trees found in the Barrow Groves is incredibly useful, the trees are felled very rarely, and held in high regard by the people of Helmstead. The process of cutting through the wood of the thick trunks themselves is a closely guarded secret of the frozen northlands, largely unknown to the rest of the southward peoples. The forest and its secrets are sacred to the people of Helmstead, and they will defend both with their lives.