The arms of Freahburh bear two black chevrons (Defence and duty, symbolizing the county's martial vigilance and loyalty to the crown) on a gold field (Prosperity and agricultural wealth), beneath a red chief embattled (Freahburh’s fortified past and readiness for war) featuring a rampant white lamb with a golden halo.
Freahburh lies along the western coast of the kingdom, its lands marked by gently rolling hills, fertile plains, and salt-kissed air. The interior is dominated by expansive farmland, dotted with windmills and irrigation canals, while the coast provides rich fisheries and modest ports. The county’s stone villages and abbeys blend into the pastoral landscape, and Buchtweiler Castle rises prominently above the bay, guarding both land and sea.
Established to secure Steinau’s western frontier, Freahburh has grown into a prosperous and steadfast county, rooted in agricultural wealth and royal loyalty. Known for its resilience against raiders and unwavering service to the Crown, Freahburh boasts a culture of order, piety, and pride. Though recently scarred by war, its legacy remains one of honour and unyielding defence.
Origins and Growth
Founded during the reign of King Althric I in the early 8th century, Freahburh began as a frontier region of scattered hamlets and fallow fields. Thanks to the stewardship of early crown-loyal noble houses, its fertile lands were soon cultivated into a thriving agricultural province.
Under Count Theobald von Buchtweiler (r. 832–865), major reforms in farming and infrastructure, such as the construction of irrigation canals and granaries, transformed Freahburh into one of Steinau’s principal suppliers of grain and livestock, strengthening both its economy and ties to the monarchy.
The Rise of Buchtweiler Castle
By the 9th century, repeated attacks by Viking raiders and Hinterland marauders threatened Freahburh’s prosperity. In response, Count Alric I von Buchtweiler (r. 902–940) ordered the construction of a stone fortress inspired by the formidable Eastern European strongholds he had seen during his travels. Thus, Buchtweiler Castle was born, a bastion of military strength and religious authority, overlooking Mary’s Bay and the neighbouring region of Grauhoft.
Within its walls, the comital family ruled with piety and resolve, offering shelter to monastic orders and upholding Christian values against the chaos beyond the county’s borders.
The Battle of Hafenwald (988 AD)
During the reign of Count Alric II (r. 970–1005), Freahburh faced a dire threat from the lawless Hinterlands. In 988 AD, a warband of raiders torched the village of Hafenwald, seizing livestock and slaughtering townsfolk. Rallying his forces, Count Alric II led a swift counteroffensive.
The ensuing battle was fought amid the flames and rubble of the village. Though outnumbered, Alric’s disciplined knights repelled the invaders. The count himself slew the enemy chieftain in single combat, and the surviving raiders fled to their ships. After this victory, Freahburh reinforced its northern defences, building watchtowers and military outposts to deter further incursions. While smaller raids persisted, the county’s role as the kingdom’s shield was firmly established.
Piety and Prosperity
Throughout the High Middle Ages, Freahburh’s nobility remained devoutly Christian and staunchly loyal to the monarchy. Count Theobald II oversaw the founding of St. Eberhard’s Abbey, a center of monastic scholarship whose library rivalled any in the realm. The county flourished as a place of pilgrimage, learning, and peace.
By the 14th century, Freahburh was no longer a frontier province but a heartland of grain, faith, and royal strength. Its castles stood tall, its fields ripe, and its people proud of their noble legacy.
A symbol of Freahburh’s strength and resolve, Buchtweiler Castle crowns a hill above the bay that shares its name. Constructed in the style of Eastern strongholds, it features thick stone walls, tall keeps, and sweeping views of the coast. Once a beacon of security and sanctuary, it now houses the remnants of the ruling house, scarred but unbroken.
Freahburh’s people are industrious and deeply rooted in the land. Harvest festivals and holy days are celebrated with equal reverence, and rural traditions of communal feasting and seasonal processions endure. The legacy of past raids has bred a proud martial spirit among its knights, and its abbots are often former warriors turned scholars. Loyalty, to family, to king, and to the land, is held above all.
When conflict erupted, Freahburh stood to support the reign of King Heinrich. Count Erwin von Buchtweiler, though devout, saw Anselm’s growing temporal power as a threat to royal sovereignty. He seized church lands and expelled clergy who refused to swear fealty to king. This bold stance drew the wrath of the bishop and the bucketheads. Despite the county’s wealth and loyalty, it became a target of retribution.
Freahburh lies ravaged in the wake of the bucketheads’ vengeance. The Sack of Buchtweiler Village was swift and merciless, its homes burned, its people slain, with only a few survivors sheltering behind the castle walls. The attacking forces pillaged across the county, aiming to break the house of Buchtweiler and erase its legacy. Now, the county is a shadow of its former self. Its fields are charred, its towns half-empty, and its noble house crippled. But the embers of defiance still glow. Within the ruined halls of Buchtweiler Castle, the surviving members of House Buchtweiler cling to honour and hope, vowing to one day restore their land and take vengeance for the blood spilled on their soil.