Grey Rock is the residence of the official head of the Femenite Church, and the Order of Grey Rock have a major political influence on nearby Femenite realms, from receiving tithes, to adjudicating legal matters, to assisting in wartime.
Grey Rock was a small rocky island in the Strait of Hanavadi, nearly inaccessible due to the dangerous currents and hidden reefs around it. Within it are a network of tunnels and hidden However, shortly prior to the revolution, Corsair of the Three Sisters managed to navigate her way through, and set up a basecamp on the island. Over time this basecamp grew in size, becoming the home for Saint Devenand's group of rebellious slaves, and later housing two of The Bookburners, Grin and Adhina, from shortly before the attack on Elucidation to the assassination of Ironwings.
Following Magna the Last's Declaration of Emancipation, Corsair and Daga continued to use the island as a base, fighting in their crusades against the remaining slaving states. Many former slaves passed through the island, as soldiers, travellers or refugees, and they came to hear the good word of the Book of Rust. Due to the confusing genders in the book when describing Adhina, and the strong female influence in leading the fight between the Three Sisters, Daga and later Downpour, this led to the population considering Adhina to be a woman and for Grey Rock to become the locus of the nascent Femenite movement. Over time Grey Rock became known as a sacred place, for it had once been home to 2 of the Bookburners and at least 4 saints.
Corsair was not a believer in the new faith, but indulged it for giving people hope, and encouraging them to fight against the remnants of the Magnapuri Empire. She firmly refused to allow them to persecute non-believers, though she did allow them to grow in distaste of pyromancy - "Ships are very flammable" she was known to say. With the liberation of much of the coastline of the Palaan Sea, and the establishment of several republics and other non-slaving states, Corsair and Daga retired to Biltur. Downpour returned to Vagaur, first to fight Menveg, and later as Rani, leaving little leadership on Grey Rock.
As it does, power came to fill the vacuum. Corsair's long time friend and appointed "Admiral of the Strait" while she was away, Shara Redsail, a devout Femenite, was proclaimed to be the "Pyrux Magnum" by the growing Femenite priesthood. This would be the title of the head of the Femenite sect going forwards, and soon the Order of Grey Rock was organised around her. Upon hearing this Corsair was rumoured to remark "We left the island a pirate paradise, and what did you make it, a damned holy order!"
As the Order developed and grew more powerful, it became steadily more involved in politics, particularly in crusades against the remaining slaving states, launching the Balsifiri crusade after a few decades of waxing power. Femenite states nearby began to offer tithe to the Church, mostly in the form of food and gold, for Grey Rock is not fertile, but some in the form of lands on either side of the Strait. In return, Grey Rock would assist in their wars against unbelievers (initially this was mostly slavers, but later it came to include Masculists). The network of tunnels in Grey Rock was expanded, and the island was turned into a fortress capable of containing a significant military force. Where it lies in the Strait provides a natural spot to police and tax shipping between the Sabhyan Ocean and the Palaan Sea, causing its riches to grow even further.
By 1181YM, Grey Rock has become one of the most influential states in both Cunabulum and Luxiterra, as the head of the Femenite sect, and arbiter of disputes. They have provided some assistance to the Ikand Rajdom in the Swamp Wars, though have yet to commit a significant military presence. They have supported Vetlan gaining independence and joining the Palaan League. Members of the Order of Grey Rock often act as wandering sheriffs and judges, persecuting pyromancers, heretics, slavers and other wrongdoers, as well as keeping the roads safe from monsters. The current Pyrux Magnum, a human who previously went by Doursong, is a calculating figure, refusing to overextend, but ardent in his zeal against pyromancers and non-believers.