Darkmoss

Fort Darkmoss is both a military outpost and settlement initially created by Hertlam Earthshake to repel the orc tribes of the Hinterlands from the rest of the River Cities. It is currently led by Lord Aaron Grant.

History
During the expansion of Laan Rivus, people regularly had to contend with orc raiding parties from the west. The King of the Old World decided the most useful course of action to protect the people was construction of a fort between the Platinum mountains and the Quinjaw mountains. This was the point where three of the wizards who would later found the council of old pooled their resources. Hertlam Earthshake, a notable smith and scribe of the Old World was sent by command of the king, to help the struggling settlers erect a fortress that would serve them as their main point of defense against the orcs.

A local boy prodigy, Daniel Dan’Tarun, was discovered by Hertlam as he was preparing the terrain for construction. The boy possessed advanced Divination skills for his age, and was able to foresee the movements of the orcs, giving the defending army plenty of time to prepare themselves to better repel the assailants. The last one to join the construction of Darkmoss was Erlac Lacquar, also known as the ‘Shortscale’. He was an itinerant scribe, seeking to record the flora and fauna of the new region when he came to the Hinterlands, and his skill in Transmutation proved invaluable when erecting the fort.

The name Darkmoss, allegedly, came from the tasteless lichen that the builders and militia for the wall had to survive on during the months of construction. It's said they hated it so much, that the name was given as a reminder why the Wall was so important: to never need to eat something as disgusting as that ever again.

Controversy
Some historians contend that the Grants, the Noble Family that run Darkmoss, lived in the area long before Hertlam Earthshake and the name "Darkmoss" has a much deeper, even sinister meaning behind it. What is and is not certain is made even less clear as the other Noble Families of the River Cities all have a vested interest in crafting rumors about Darkmoss that would portray it as needing less or undeserving of more aid.