Caretaker of New Dunhall

Overview

The Caretaker of New Dunhall is an Imperial title awarded to a Wintermark citizen.New Dunhall was commissioned by the Imperial Senate in Summer 381YE following a natural disaster that claimed parts of south-eastern Hahnmark. The opening of Lorenzo's Deep Pockets (as the sinkhole is known) displaced a significant number of WInterfolk including the residents of Dunhearth Hall. New Dunhall both provides a new home for these people, and a place for the Winterfolk to keep a close eye on the sinkhole.

The Caretaker looks after New Dunhall, as well as gaining custodianship of a sinecure which provides a bounty of coin.

Responsibilities

The Caretaker has no official responsibilities; they simply receive a bounty of coin. Unofficially, they are expected to maintain and expand the prosperity of New Dunhall and the people who live there. If the hall were to be threatened in any way, it would be their responsibility to deal with those threats. Likewise, if any opportunity relating to New Dunhall presented itself, they would make any decisions needed to take advantage of it.

Powers

Levies and Bounties

The Caretaker receives an income of coin levied from the large marketplace and partly paid for with contributions from traders enjoying the protection of New Dunhall and its Redfeldr warriors..The sinecure provides the Caretaker of New Dunhall with a little over 16 crowns each season (324 rings to be precise).

Appointment

The title is selected by unanimous decision of the Wintermark senators. If a unanimous decision cannot be reached, the title may be appointed by the Imperial Senate instead.

The title can be held by any citizen of Wintermark. The caretaker has tenure, and serves until they die or step down. They can be revoked by the General Assembly, the Wintermark National Assembly, and by the Assembly of the Nine.

New Dunhall

Long before The Empire and even Wintermark, the Dunnings lived in and defended the southern region of what now is Hahnmark. Their hall - Dunhearth - was built near Woodhall in Wood Heath, not far from the settlement of Arnburh. With the foundation of the Empire it became an important stopping point for caravans moving the vast resource wealth of wood, charcoal, furs and metals out of Wintermark, primarily into Upwold At the same time, traders brought the bounty of the Marcher farmlands, grain, fruit and cattle to Hahnmark, as well as good from further afield (including Temeschwar and Miaren). The Dunnings maintained a significant military presence in the area - the Redfeldr - who provided security across this sparsely populated border area. As well as a martial legacy, the Dunnings are renowned for artifice, with a portion of the materials passing through Dunhearth being turned to fine woodwork, clothing, weapons, armour, pottery, glassware, jewellery, and famous ales and meads.

In 381YE Arnburh, the Dunhearth Hall and neighbouring Woodhall fell into a massive sinkhole. Forewarned by the Navarr, the Thane and Redfeldr mobilised the town and cleared out all peoples and materials that could be moved. Nearby Hendal Hearth offered succour which was gladly accepted and a tent city was erected by this settlement.

During the Summer Solstice summit of that year, the Dunnings decided that the virtuous path was to turn disaster into opportunity. They made plans for a grand Wintermark trading town to re-establish the flow of goods between Wintermark and the Marches, and to protect the new trade routes around the hole. Likewise it could serve as a base of operations for mining into the hole and any further exploration of ruins below - and potentially a defence against any fell creatures that might come out of the depths of the earth. Work was begun almost immediately, and the majority of the construction completed shortly before the Autumn Equinox.

At the heart of the new town is a large market intended for commodity trading and the sale of the Dunning’s fine artisan goods. Prominently positioned in the middle of the market is a twelve-foot-tall red stone statue of a peculiar Asavean figure - the central stone for the great work known as Lorenzo's Legacy of Vigilance. Some of the locals are uneasy about the statue - it is believed by many to depict some idolatrous Asavean deity.

A new Dunhearth Hall was built, larger and richer than the old hall, destroyed in the collapse. Along with the various barracks, supporting buildings, and defensible walls, New Dunhall is a fine example of a Wintermark town, dedicated to the continuing security of the area. The displaced population of Arnburh helped to ensure that the construction was completed quickly, and most now call New Dunhall home.