Post by Kenneth New on Jun 12, 2011 16:41:41 GMT -5
The Kingdom of Morava sits in the southwestern corner of the Sea of Endymion region. It consists of six duchies and two unorganized territories.
Duchy of Athon (Duke Maelthinor)
The smallest duchy in the kingdom of Morava consists of the forest of Athon and the land surrounding it for a few miles. The duchy produces many fine wood products, nuts and fruits. Duke Maelthinor and most of the nobility are elves, but humans and half-elves are not uncommon.
This duchy is somewhat quiet and isolationist, although it does supply archers to both the royal army and the border forts.
Duchy of Belstraznya (Duke Sevanto Belis)
Belstraznya is ruled by powerful rancher lords who produce beef and leather. The duchy is north of Stregonia and Athon, and west of the Petty Baronies. The Ombra mountains in the west give way to gently rolling hills and then to the high elevation plains of Belstraznya. The duchy continues on into the rolling hills that descend into the Petty Baronies in the east.
Duke Belis is on the front line against the sergalla of Acheron and maintains from his own pocket a series of border forts along the frontier. The Belstraznyan cavalry is large and quite experienced. During the reign of the Witch Queen, the Belis family freed their holdings from her control and ran an independent nation for half a century. After her fall, it was the Duke of Belstraznya who stopped the gnolls at the Hylas River. It was widely expected that he would become the new king of Morava, but Silas Drax beat him to it. The people of Belstraznya have never forgiven the royal family for 'cheating' their Duke of a crown.
Most of the rancher lords are human, but half-orcs, half-elves and atryans aren't uncommon.
Duchy of Elocia (Duke Stephanos Orontid)
Elocia is the largest and most powerful duchy in the Kingdom of Morava. It controls all of the land south of Lake Farzen that is drained by the Inarion River. Its large plantations produce lentils, flax, wheat and grapes. Its many manufactories turn Stregonian wool into cloth (along with their own linen) and leather from Stregonia and Belstraznya into leather goods. They also ship mutton, beef and cheese from other duchies to Kastria, Khryseon and even further abroad.
Elocia is dominated by a powerful landowning aristocracy, mostly Theran and Human.
Duchy of Gendrukkol (Duke Denok Blackhammer)
This duchy sits due west of Elocia and south east of Stregonia. It consists of the northern reaches of the Cordanian Mountains and the hills that lead towards Lake Farzen. The duchy takes iron and coal from Stregonia and produces goods of iron and steel which it sells to all the duchies. In Morava, the best blades and armor are said to come from Gundrukkol.
The population is about half Cordanian Dweir. The majority of the other half is human or half-orc. Almost all of the Gundrukkol nobility are dweir.
This region was sparsely inhabited until the Cordanian Diaspora when survivors of the Fall of Kurdan fled through the mountains into the region. At that time it was a rough border area between Elocia and the backwaters of Greater Morava. During the time of the Witch Queen, Xandia guaranteed their control of the region in exchange for the fealty of the Blackhammer clan. With the fall of the Witch Queen, the dweir of Gundrukkol were anxious to make alliance with the newly formed nation of Morava, seeing it as weaker than the powerful Duchy of Elocia to the east. (They feared Elocian domination).
Duchy of Stregonia (Duke Gorian Drago, King of Morava)
Dominating the Stregonian Highlands (the hill country in the far western reaches of the Kingdom), the duchy stretches from Lake Farzen in the east to the Ombra mountains in the west. Stregonia is the center of the Moravan Druidic church and the druidic hierarchy has a great deal of influence in the duchy. During the Kingdom of Greater Morava, Stregonia was considered a sacred region, but somewhat of a backwater. During the reign of Xandia, it was controlled by a green dragon warlock who answered directly to the Witch Queen. After Xandia's fall, Silas the Dragon Slayer killed this dragon and made himself the Duke of Strego. With the help of the druidic hierarchy, he was able to make himself the king of the newly formed nation of Morava.
Stregonia is a land of shepherds and mines. The people are widely considered to be devout, but unsophisticated. They produce mutton, leather, wool, iron, copper, coal and many types of delicious sheep's milk cheese. Other than the cheese, most of their products are raw goods which are shipped to Elocia to be processed into manufactured goods. In part this is due to the dominance Elocia holds over the Stregonian economy, but in part it is due to the intransigence of the druidic establishment that opposes manufacturing because of its effect on the natural world.
Stregonia is dominated by the mostly human arch-druids.
Duchy of Thus (Duchess Esmeralda Thalas)
Situated south of Elocia along the west coast of the Straits of Tiburo that lead from the Sea of Endymion into the Aikonian Sea, the duchy consists of sea coves filled with mostly human fisher folk and rough highlands run by human goatherds and dweirish miners. The Thalas family has spoken for the fisher folk of Thus for centuries, leading them first into an alliance with Morava (in response to Kastrian domination), then back to Kastria during the days of the Witch Queen and then back to Morava after her fall.
The people of Thus are notoriously independent and individualistic. The control exercised by the Thalas family is light and mostly the result of tradition and the respect the people have for the Duchess.
Thus produces mostly fish (much of which goes to Elocia to be processed) and some goat's meat, leather and milk. The metals produced in the mines of Thus are mostly consumed in within the duchy, but there are also a few mines that produce corundum (of a somewhat inferior quality to what comes from Lugash).
The Petty Baronies (unorganized territory)
The region east of Belstraznya, west of the Hylas Wood, north of Elocia and south of Acheron is known as the Petty Baronies. Each village has its own lord and the constant feuding leads to frequent changes in government as one family is replaced by another. The Moravan crown has always issued patents of nobility to whomever controls a domain and can keep the peace.
The Petty Baronies produce sheep and sheep products, as well as madder and other dyes. Until recently the raw materials were shipped to Elocia to be processed, but the Baron Madderval (who refers to himself as a count because he controls more than one domain) built a facility for carding, spinning and dying wool using the madder his barony is famous for. The red yarn is then shipped to Elocia for spinning, although the 'count' would love to expand in that direction as well. A small amount of locally woven cloth in shades of madder and ocher is produced. It's quite rustic by Elocian standards, but the quality improves every year.
'Count' Evander Madderval is a human man in his early fifties. He has never married, nor produced an heir of his own, but he has taken each of his five nephews under his tutelage one at a time. When they reach their early twenties, he conquers another domain and makes them baron. He has conquered four additional domains in this fashion and seems to have his eye currently on the village of Ulma where his nephew Rufio Istvarek is busily rebuilding an old watchtower destroyed by Xandia.
The Swine Holds (unorganized territory)
Situated north of Elocia and east of the Petty Baronies, this small territory extends into the southernmost part of the Hylas Wood. It is well-known for its pork products and only slightly less well known for its apples and pears. The coastal villages also produce sea salt they sell mainly to Elocia and the Petty Baronies.
Each village is autonomous and the local barons cooperate without any organization. They are economically dependent on the Duchy of Elocia, which buys most of their surplus goods. It also handles their trade since there are no good harbors along their coast.
Most of the people of the territory are human or half-elven. But those who dwell within the forest proper are mostly elven or half-elven.
Recently, sergalla incursions into the southern forest have become more frequent.
Duchy of Athon (Duke Maelthinor)
The smallest duchy in the kingdom of Morava consists of the forest of Athon and the land surrounding it for a few miles. The duchy produces many fine wood products, nuts and fruits. Duke Maelthinor and most of the nobility are elves, but humans and half-elves are not uncommon.
This duchy is somewhat quiet and isolationist, although it does supply archers to both the royal army and the border forts.
Duchy of Belstraznya (Duke Sevanto Belis)
Belstraznya is ruled by powerful rancher lords who produce beef and leather. The duchy is north of Stregonia and Athon, and west of the Petty Baronies. The Ombra mountains in the west give way to gently rolling hills and then to the high elevation plains of Belstraznya. The duchy continues on into the rolling hills that descend into the Petty Baronies in the east.
Duke Belis is on the front line against the sergalla of Acheron and maintains from his own pocket a series of border forts along the frontier. The Belstraznyan cavalry is large and quite experienced. During the reign of the Witch Queen, the Belis family freed their holdings from her control and ran an independent nation for half a century. After her fall, it was the Duke of Belstraznya who stopped the gnolls at the Hylas River. It was widely expected that he would become the new king of Morava, but Silas Drax beat him to it. The people of Belstraznya have never forgiven the royal family for 'cheating' their Duke of a crown.
Most of the rancher lords are human, but half-orcs, half-elves and atryans aren't uncommon.
Duchy of Elocia (Duke Stephanos Orontid)
Elocia is the largest and most powerful duchy in the Kingdom of Morava. It controls all of the land south of Lake Farzen that is drained by the Inarion River. Its large plantations produce lentils, flax, wheat and grapes. Its many manufactories turn Stregonian wool into cloth (along with their own linen) and leather from Stregonia and Belstraznya into leather goods. They also ship mutton, beef and cheese from other duchies to Kastria, Khryseon and even further abroad.
Elocia is dominated by a powerful landowning aristocracy, mostly Theran and Human.
Duchy of Gendrukkol (Duke Denok Blackhammer)
This duchy sits due west of Elocia and south east of Stregonia. It consists of the northern reaches of the Cordanian Mountains and the hills that lead towards Lake Farzen. The duchy takes iron and coal from Stregonia and produces goods of iron and steel which it sells to all the duchies. In Morava, the best blades and armor are said to come from Gundrukkol.
The population is about half Cordanian Dweir. The majority of the other half is human or half-orc. Almost all of the Gundrukkol nobility are dweir.
This region was sparsely inhabited until the Cordanian Diaspora when survivors of the Fall of Kurdan fled through the mountains into the region. At that time it was a rough border area between Elocia and the backwaters of Greater Morava. During the time of the Witch Queen, Xandia guaranteed their control of the region in exchange for the fealty of the Blackhammer clan. With the fall of the Witch Queen, the dweir of Gundrukkol were anxious to make alliance with the newly formed nation of Morava, seeing it as weaker than the powerful Duchy of Elocia to the east. (They feared Elocian domination).
Duchy of Stregonia (Duke Gorian Drago, King of Morava)
Dominating the Stregonian Highlands (the hill country in the far western reaches of the Kingdom), the duchy stretches from Lake Farzen in the east to the Ombra mountains in the west. Stregonia is the center of the Moravan Druidic church and the druidic hierarchy has a great deal of influence in the duchy. During the Kingdom of Greater Morava, Stregonia was considered a sacred region, but somewhat of a backwater. During the reign of Xandia, it was controlled by a green dragon warlock who answered directly to the Witch Queen. After Xandia's fall, Silas the Dragon Slayer killed this dragon and made himself the Duke of Strego. With the help of the druidic hierarchy, he was able to make himself the king of the newly formed nation of Morava.
Stregonia is a land of shepherds and mines. The people are widely considered to be devout, but unsophisticated. They produce mutton, leather, wool, iron, copper, coal and many types of delicious sheep's milk cheese. Other than the cheese, most of their products are raw goods which are shipped to Elocia to be processed into manufactured goods. In part this is due to the dominance Elocia holds over the Stregonian economy, but in part it is due to the intransigence of the druidic establishment that opposes manufacturing because of its effect on the natural world.
Stregonia is dominated by the mostly human arch-druids.
Duchy of Thus (Duchess Esmeralda Thalas)
Situated south of Elocia along the west coast of the Straits of Tiburo that lead from the Sea of Endymion into the Aikonian Sea, the duchy consists of sea coves filled with mostly human fisher folk and rough highlands run by human goatherds and dweirish miners. The Thalas family has spoken for the fisher folk of Thus for centuries, leading them first into an alliance with Morava (in response to Kastrian domination), then back to Kastria during the days of the Witch Queen and then back to Morava after her fall.
The people of Thus are notoriously independent and individualistic. The control exercised by the Thalas family is light and mostly the result of tradition and the respect the people have for the Duchess.
Thus produces mostly fish (much of which goes to Elocia to be processed) and some goat's meat, leather and milk. The metals produced in the mines of Thus are mostly consumed in within the duchy, but there are also a few mines that produce corundum (of a somewhat inferior quality to what comes from Lugash).
The Petty Baronies (unorganized territory)
The region east of Belstraznya, west of the Hylas Wood, north of Elocia and south of Acheron is known as the Petty Baronies. Each village has its own lord and the constant feuding leads to frequent changes in government as one family is replaced by another. The Moravan crown has always issued patents of nobility to whomever controls a domain and can keep the peace.
The Petty Baronies produce sheep and sheep products, as well as madder and other dyes. Until recently the raw materials were shipped to Elocia to be processed, but the Baron Madderval (who refers to himself as a count because he controls more than one domain) built a facility for carding, spinning and dying wool using the madder his barony is famous for. The red yarn is then shipped to Elocia for spinning, although the 'count' would love to expand in that direction as well. A small amount of locally woven cloth in shades of madder and ocher is produced. It's quite rustic by Elocian standards, but the quality improves every year.
'Count' Evander Madderval is a human man in his early fifties. He has never married, nor produced an heir of his own, but he has taken each of his five nephews under his tutelage one at a time. When they reach their early twenties, he conquers another domain and makes them baron. He has conquered four additional domains in this fashion and seems to have his eye currently on the village of Ulma where his nephew Rufio Istvarek is busily rebuilding an old watchtower destroyed by Xandia.
The Swine Holds (unorganized territory)
Situated north of Elocia and east of the Petty Baronies, this small territory extends into the southernmost part of the Hylas Wood. It is well-known for its pork products and only slightly less well known for its apples and pears. The coastal villages also produce sea salt they sell mainly to Elocia and the Petty Baronies.
Each village is autonomous and the local barons cooperate without any organization. They are economically dependent on the Duchy of Elocia, which buys most of their surplus goods. It also handles their trade since there are no good harbors along their coast.
Most of the people of the territory are human or half-elven. But those who dwell within the forest proper are mostly elven or half-elven.
Recently, sergalla incursions into the southern forest have become more frequent.