# House Harrowden of Fenmire > *“By Mire and Might.”* > — House Harrowden motto **House Harrowden** is the ruling house of [Fenmire](/link/39) and a vassal of [House Valkenmar](/link/6). Once politically marginal, the house gained enormous importance after the discovery of rich silver deposits at [Thornmere](/link/41) and became indispensable after the [Rotmire Blight](/link/3) turned [silver](/link/17) into a strategic survival resource. [![image.png](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/uploads/images/gallery/2025-02/scaled-1680-/8KbWq593MMsmlwJA-image.png)](https://dnd.raresnacks.net/uploads/images/gallery/2025-02/8KbWq593MMsmlwJA-image.png) --- ### Overview [Fenmire](/link/39) has never been easy territory to govern. Scattered settlements, difficult waterways, independent marsh communities, and unreliable overland routes limited the reach of any central authority long before the Blight. Harrowden authority is felt through practical things: guarded silver, ferries, tolls, controlled routes, and the uncomfortable knowledge that a marsh house once dismissed by its peers now possesses something those peers cannot easily survive without. From [Fenwatch](/link/40), House Harrowden historically maintained influence through bargains, local agreements, payments, and control of key routes rather than through complete administrative dominance. The [Thornmere](/link/41) silver discoveries changed the house's position. A family once treated as a necessary backwater vassal suddenly controlled a resource every major power in [Faulmoor](/link/2) needed. --- ### History Before the silver boom, House Harrowden possessed title and territory without comparable wealth or influence. [Thornmere](/link/41) transformed that balance and made [Fenmire](/link/39) central to [Faulmoor](/link/2)'s economy. When the Blight spread, Harrowden policy turned sharply toward isolation. Bridges and land routes were destroyed or abandoned, and movement increasingly shifted onto ferries and waterways that could be watched and controlled. These choices protected portions of Fenmire while also earning the house a reputation for withholding resources and abandoning those outside its chosen defensive lines. --- ### Present Day House Harrowden's leverage rests heavily on [silver](/link/17). The region's mines remain guarded, access is restricted, and every fluctuation in supply has political consequences throughout Faulmoor. Rumors about the state of the [Thornmere](/link/41) veins are persistent. Some claim the mines are nearly exhausted; others believe scarcity is exaggerated to preserve Harrowden's bargaining power. The truth is not publicly settled. Relations with [House Valkenmar](/link/6) remain defined by necessity and resentment, while dealings with [House Wilthorne](/link/4) are cautious and transactional. --- ### Major Members Lord **Garric Harrowden** heads the house from Fenmire. His daughter **Marla Harrowden** is a prominent Harrowden authority associated with [Mirefield](/link/45). --- ### See Also - [Fenmire](/link/39) - [Fenwatch](/link/40) - [Thornmere Mines](/link/41) - [Mirefield](/link/45) - [Faulmoor](/link/2) - [House Valkenmar](/link/6) - [House Wilthorne](/link/4) - [Silver and its Importance](/link/17)