Rykar 'The Sleepless' was a famous warrior from Carandor, one of the
fledgling kingdoms that grew up from the ashes of the Vedran Empire. In 973 he
sailed up the River Larch with three ships and began building the castle
of Rykarsburg on the ruins of the old Vedran fort of Deva. This was sited
at the strategic crossing of the Larch at the conjunction of the East and West
Larch Rivers. He replaced the decaying wooden bridges with new
ones built of stone. He also re-opened the nearby goldmine which helped finance
the building of the castle and much of his future activities
Rykar was tireless in clearing the area of its many hazards and making the
roads safe for merchants once more, in particular the northern route into
Carandor from Argannon. In rebuilding the bridges he allowed travellers to
avoid the exorbitant tolls and ferry charges down river and soon trade was
flowing through his lands. Beneath Rykarsburg, at the foot of the hill he
founded the town of Stonebridge. Also he encouraged the colonisation of
the Larches area by groups of Dwarves, Gnomes and Halflings, many of whom
were only too glad to migrate to an area where the human population
readily appreciated their contribution to society.