DUCHY OF ARCATA

The Duchy of Arcata
Ruling House: Horgath
Present Duke: William, 8th Duke of
Arcata
Family Crest: Diving Dagger and
Mountains Three
Province Population: 15,000
Capital: Valls (1,300)
Most of the people of Arcata are either
farmers or miners. The farms are predominantly
in the south, around Valls.
Bloodstone is not common along the Arcatan
stretch of the Galenas and the
Earthspurs, but several silver and iron
mines have been opened.
True to St. Sollars and the ethics of endurance
and perseverance, the proud
Arcatans work on in the face of any
hardship. Tomrav, a mining and farming
community deep within the Earthspurs,
is a testament to this
determination. This tight-knit city is entirely
self-sufficient, often cut off from
the rest of the land by deep snows for
eight full months.
Arcata’s House of Horgath had been
in decline even before the rise of the
Witch-King. The common Arcatans recognized
this fact, but they were concerned
mainly with day-to-day survival.
Little attention was paid to the failings
of House Horgath, which seemed harmless
enough. William sent House
Horgath to the very nadir of disrespect
and indecency.
The opening salvo of the Bloodstone
Wars was the conflict between Arcata
and Bloodstone. In league with the
Grandfather of Assassins, Duke William
tried to take the wealth of the bloodstone
mines by force. More than 1,600
strong, William’s army forged straight
in toward Bloodstone Village, marching
through the foothills between Sleepy
Wood and the Galenas. On their first
night encamped on the outlying hills,
Gareth sent a simple note to the Arcatan
generals: “We are of common heritage,
common suffering, and common
goals. Why, then, do we fight?”
The Arcatan generals did not know of
the massive fortifications that had been
built in Bloodstone, and they could not
appreciate Gareth’s magnaminity. They
thought the note was a desperate plea
for mercy. The next day taught them a
bitter lesson.
When the sun rose on the forces of
Bloodstone, they were 1,200 strong,
fully arrayed, and entrenched in cunning
fortifications. There was worse
news yet for the Arcatans. Centaurs,
halflings, and dwarves had crept out of
the tunnels of the Warren to encircle the
Arcatan army from behind. Still loyal to
the wishes of their duke, the Arcatans
attacked the walls of Bloodstone anyway
and battle was joined—but only briefly.
In a matter of minutes, 300 Arcatans
lay dead or wounded, and the remainder
of the army was pinned down in the
little vale against the outer wall of
Bloodstone Village. Now Gareth and the
people of the new Bloodstone showed
their true strength of character. The
paladin and his friends raised a white
flag and rode through the Arcatan
lines, unarmed and unescorted, and
sued for peace.
The terms were simple. The Arcatan
army would collect its casualties and return
home, swearing not to renew the
attack. Duke William could remain on
his throne, and no penalties would be
imposed, no reparations demanded.
Gareth only asked that the Arcatans allow
him to move his forces along the
border of Arcata and Brandiar to meet
Carmathan, a new threat growing in
the south.
The peace was quickly accepted. The
new land of Bloodstone based its own
hopes on the precept of selfdetermination.
The Baron of Bloodstone
gambled that Arcata would
realize that its best hopes lay on the
same path. The terms of the peace,
which have come to be known as
“Gareth’s Gamble,” apparently worked
their magic. Nearly half of the Arcatan
army fell in behind the marching army
of Bloodstone. Three hundred more
troops joined in along the trek to meet
Carmathan.
William’s power has decreased in proportion
to the increasing popularity of
Gareth Dragonsbane and the proposed
Kingdom of Bloodstone. The majority of
Arcatans fully support the idea of a new
kingdom with Gareth as king of a
united, self-directing people. Not too
stupid to understand the tide of opinion
around him, William does not oppose
the populace, covertly or overtly.
It is believed that the Ducal Guard in
Valls regularly runs a secret emissary to
Bloodstone Village. Although the Guard
traditionally bears a fierce loyalty to the
Horgaths, they express the Arcatans'
desire to preclude even the smallest
possibility of renewed conflict.