Adder’s Point

“Although the adder itself is not native to any part of Harodom, the barony of Adder’s Point is named instead for the Old Haro word for snakes and serpents, which admittedly, the barony has in abundance. The baronial lineage of Adder’s Point, the house of Hayden, has long been thought to be more good-natured than the name implies, but few survive in positions of power without a little venom to their bite.”

• Twytt’s Peerage (1992 A.T.)

The barony of Adder’s Point in the Duchy of Gelrich, in the kingdom of Harodom, is nestled along the banks of the Ire, a large saltwater body that divides Harodom from the nations of Detter, Michian, and Darkwood. The seat of the barony is the prosperous port city of the same name, although the barony also includes the towns of Mirrorpond, Dreeg’s Mill, Fasterwood, Roper’s Walk, Fort Wolf, and Stargazer Abbey, a religious community of Clovis worshippers. The barony technically lays claim to lands held by the goblin settlements of Eyetooth and Lost Chicken, which are primarily (but not exclusively) populated by goblins.

Governance

Adder’s Point is currently ruled by Baron William Black, the former bodyguard of Duke Gregory Hayden who was in turn previously the Baron of Adder’s Point. When then-Baron Hayden was asked to take over the Barony of Yorik, his son Alan Hayden was named to the seat. Following the discovery that Baron Gregory’s long-time friend and political ally Duke Jagari of Gelrich was a secret worshipper of the murder-goddess Stasa and his subsequent rebellion against the throne, Baron Gregory was named Duke of Gelrich to replace his erstwhile friend and ally. Alan Hayden, partly raised by Jagari, had followed the former Duke down his path in both necromancy and rebellion, and was banished from Ariel after he became a Bone Lord. Sir William Black, Duke Hayden’s bodyguard, was then named to the empty baronial seat of Adder’s Point, in June of 2013.

Population

With a port city like Adder’s Point and its extended barony, it can be difficult to sustain a census that can truly reflect the demographics of the region. The following numbers are broadly approximates:

City Total Population: About 8600 permanent residents, 76% of whom are human, 8% dwarves, 6% elves, and 10% representative of the other sapient peoples of the Lakes Region.

Barony Total Population: About 15 300 permanent residents, 64% of whom are human, 13% elves, 6% goblins, 6% dwarves, and 11% representative of the other sapient peoples of the Lakes Region. The barony includes lands where several goblin settlements exist, and counts them among their people.

Geography

The city of Adder’s Point is situated on the banks of the Ire, approximately fifty miles SSW from Stelton. Much of the barony is thickly forested, making for excellent hunting, and a robust if retrained forestry industry, guided by priests of Atha for responsible harvest. Although some prospectors have indicated that there may be some iron worth extraction, such mining would not be cost effective when compared to easier to reach deposits in Yorik and Guall, and so this mining has not been pursued.

Adder’s Point has an excellent roadway, serving the interests of the local garrison. Baron Black was the leader of the Fourth Cavalry during the Michian War, and maintains a contingent ready to ride out in service to disaster relief or defence of the realm.

Trade

As a port city, Adder’s Point is a trading hub both for trade with the gnomish nation of Detter, as well as along the coast to the traditional lands of the Churning Water dwarven clan. Adder’s Point is Gelrich’s main importing hub for Michian wines and fine spirits, and did a brisk trade with Deepwood before recent issues led to the fall of the Deepwood government, leading to occupation by a parliament of infernals. Even now, Adder’s Point exports foodstuffs suitable for elves to Deepwood, one of the few trade goods that have not been embargoed, as the infernal governance attempts to legitimize its leadership. Perhaps a result, ships bearing the flags of the Barony suffer significantly lower risks of piracy.

Apart from foodstuffs, Adder’s Point exports timber, lumber, furs, leather goods, and serves as a major gateway through which the wealth of Churning Water, Michian, and Detter flow into the country. While Royal duties take a reasonable share of that, the city and barony are reasonably wealthy, and the citizens have a modest to good quality of life.

Crime

Adder’s Point shares some of the strengths that Stelton enjoys, as a port city that doesn’t have the scrutiny of being the capital of the country. This freedom is something of a double-edged sword however; with large shipments coming and going from the port weekly, it can be harder to keep track of all of the goods – and people – that enter and exit the port.

As a result, smuggling through Adder’s Point remains a constant issue, and it is believed that chapters of both of Harodom’s “Silent Guilds” – representing the Thieves and Assassins – exist within the City. As recently as 2021, agents of Baron Black unearthed a cult of Kazzok that had grown in the municipal sewers, and while a fairly definitive example was made of the cultists, this has raised the question as to whether other such cults may lurk within the Barony.

Authored by: Andrew Dunlop
Fantasy Alive Lore Team 2026
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