Grissenwald

 

Grissenwald is the name of both a stretch of the Reikwald forest and a trading town at the confluence of the rivers Reik and Grissen.

The forest

The south-westernmost end of the Reikwald branches southwards along the Stirland border and thins out as it heads upriver towards the City-State of Nuln. This wide section of the forest is known locally as the Grissenwald, a tight woodland packed with distorted trees and twisted undergrowth, the depths of which are said to be swarming with beastmen, witches, mutants, and the occasional goblin tribe. Because of this, most local woodsmen travel in groups and seldom stay outdoors come nightfall, and it's commonplace to find fluttering bills posted on roadside trees offering rewards for the retrieval of lost family and friends from the bowels of the forest.

The town

Grissenwald is a large trading town, not quite as populous as say, Übersreik, but still significant. It sits right on the Reik, sixty or so Imperial Miles to the north of Nuln. It is the last major settlement before Kemperbad, a further 160 miles downriver. The river Grissen is navigable all the way up to Dunkelberg by small and medium-sized barges. Grissenwald is entirely reliant on the rivers for trade and transportation. No one wants to go there overland as you'd have to brave both the Grissenwald forest and the ill-omened Black Hills (so named because of the ample coal deposits). Of late the town has become something of a backwater. The Countess Emmanuelle canal (which runs from Nuln and into the Grissen) has become the favored route of trading barges, having been built to accommodate large barges.