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Kenby is a small human settlement in eastern Kelerak, located about sixteen miles from Dragonspur City along Eagle Road. Despite its nearness to the great city, Kenby remains a quiet and somewhat isolated place. Eagle Road passes directly through the hamlet, crossing the winding Dace Stream by several small wooden bridges before continuing eastward through the surrounding countryside.
Who Rules: Lord Bartarius of Dragonspur holds Kenby as a fief, although he is an absentee ruler and rarely has any direct dealings with the inhabitants. The hamlet is governed in his stead by its mayor, James Walter, who collects the lord's taxes, settles minor disputes, and sees that the roads, bridges, and other common works are maintained. Matters beyond his authority are referred to Lord Bartarius or his agents in Dragonspur, although this process is usually slow and seldom works to the advantage of the villagers.
Population: 99 humans.
Major Products: Wheat and other crops make up the greater part of Kenby's produce. The inhabitants also gather small amounts of fish from the Dace Stream and timber from the surrounding woods. Most of what the hamlet produces is used locally or paid as rent and taxes, although surplus grain, hides, fish, and lumber occasionally make their way up Eagle Road to Dragonspur.
Armed Forces: Kenby has no permanent soldiers. Its only officer of the law is Sheriff Timothy Ack-Thurpin, a farmer and landowner who performs his official duties when he is not tending his own fields. In times of trouble, fifteen peasants can be called together with hunting bows, spears, axes, and whatever armor they may possess. Among these are Hugh Ack-Nigel, the mayor's burly groundskeeper, and Fulk Ack-Kaler, widely regarded as the strongest man in Kenby. This force is sufficient to deal with thieves, wolves, and minor disturbances, but it would fare poorly against a determined band of orcs or any serious monster.
Kenby is an old settlement and was held by the Percy family for many generations. Their rule ended in 8150 F.R., when the Lord of Lust slew the last lord of the family for treason. The village then passed into the hands of the Lord of Sin and, through her, to Lord Mayor Naglor Osbern of Dragonspur. Naglor granted Kenby as a fief to Lord Bartarius, who has since been content to draw its revenues without taking much interest in the place itself. When the fields are productive and the taxes are properly collected, Kenby provides its lord with an income of about 150 silver pieces each year.
As settlements go, Kenby is fairly representative of the small farming villages found throughout Kelerak. It has no walls, defensive towers, or proper village square. Instead, farmhouses, cottages, sheds, barns, and workshops stand loosely along Eagle Road and the smaller dirt paths branching from it. The Dace Stream winds through the settlement, dividing farms and pastures and providing water for livestock, gardens, and several nearby orchards. Wooden footbridges cross the stream at convenient points, although heavy rain occasionally damages them or makes the surrounding tracks difficult to travel.
The heart of the hamlet is its small chapel of Heshtail, a plain but well-kept building with a narrow steeple. The chapel stands near the crossing of the principal roads and is surrounded by a low boundary wall and a modest burial ground. Nearly every resident attends Southday worship unless illness, the harvest, or some pressing farm duty prevents it. The abbot, Gilden Ack-Gilbert, is respected throughout the hamlet and is known as a good conversationalist. He is often consulted on matters that have little to do with religion, particularly when Mayor Walter or Sheriff Ack-Thurpin would rather avoid becoming involved.
Kenby has only one tavern, the Copper Cup, and possesses neither an inn nor a general store. Travelers unable to continue to Dragonspur before nightfall must persuade one of the inhabitants to offer them a bed, a place in a barn, or room beside the hearth. The people of Kenby are not unfriendly, but they are cautious around strangers. News from Dragonspur is eagerly received, though the villagers commonly claim that nothing good ever comes from the city.
Most of Kenby's inhabitants live simple lives spent farming, fishing, hunting, repairing tools, and tending animals. Many have never visited Dragonspur despite living only sixteen miles away, and most have no desire to do so. To them, the city is a place of crowds, taxes, soldiers, crime, and temptations best avoided. Their own concerns are the weather, the harvest, births, deaths, marriages, feastdays, and the small disputes that arise between neighbors who have known one another all their lives.
Life in Kenby is difficult, particularly because the hamlet has no priest of Bestra to bless the fields, heal the sick, or ease the burden of childbirth. Even so, its people know that they are fortunate compared with many others in Kelerak. They are, for the moment, free from the Dark Occupation and the direct rule of the Lord of Lust. They may complain about Lord Bartarius, Mayor Walter, poor harvests, and the taxes carried away to Dragonspur, but these are familiar troubles that can be endured. Orc raids and wandering monsters remain a danger, yet such threats are infrequent enough that the people of Kenby can still take pleasure in their homes, their feastdays, and the continued survival of their little community.
Farming supports most of Kenby's inhabitants, with the majority of residents working the fields surrounding the hamlet. Wheat is the principal crop, although smaller plots produce vegetables, herbs, and grain for local use. Five fishermen work the Dace Stream and nearby waters, while four hunters range through the surrounding woods in search of deer, boar, rabbits, and valuable furs.
The hamlet also supports a small number of necessary craftsmen. Its blacksmith repairs farm tools, shoes horses, and produces simple nails, hinges, knives, and spearheads. A shoemaker supplies the villagers with sturdy boots, while the local furrier prepares hides brought in by Kenby's hunters. These craftsmen rarely possess a large stock of finished goods, and most work must be ordered in advance or paid for partly through barter.
The Copper Cup provides ale, simple meals, and a gathering place after the day's work is finished. It is here that news is exchanged, agreements are made, and old arguments are renewed. Kenby also has a maidservant employed in one of its wealthier households, but most domestic labor is performed by members of each family. Anything more specialized must usually be obtained in Dragonspur, assuming someone can be persuaded to make the journey.