High Keep

High Keep Hold is located underneath two sheer cliffs on the crucial trade route running between Freeport and Qeynos. The duke of the keep, Carson McCabe, collects a trade tax from all who pass through his gates, a lucrative practice indeed, as this is the only route between the two major cities of Antonica.

High Keep's militia is a rag-tag group of soldiers who are loyal to McCabe and enforce the collection of trade fees and taxes. McCabe also has close ties to the thieves' guilds in Freeport and Qeynos. Theft is not taken lightly within the walls of High Keep, but what happens outside is another story altogether. The people who live here pay the taxes and play by the rules because crime is kept to a minimum and everybody profits from the influx of merchants and traders.

Travelers from both Qeynos and Freeport often stop to rest from their hazardous journey. They are serviced by a variety of taverns, inns, and shops – all heavily guarded by McCabe's personal militia. Several inns in the hold offer games of chance.

The keep itself is surrounded by a sturdy wall of granite blocks carved from the mountain face. Banners with the heraldic seal of High Keep and the McCabe family adorn the walls, signaling allegiance to none other than Carson McCabe – much to the dismay of both Antonious Bayle II of Qeynos and Sir Lucan D`Lere of Freeport.

The inner chambers are made of fine white marble and decorated in splendor suitable for a nobleman. Guardsmen patrol the halls vigilantly, assuring obeisance to McCabe and relative peace in his stronghold.