Pine March

A small land ruled by various cruel feudal lords throughout its troubled history, Pine March is fairly isolated from most of the Keller Lands, despite sharing borders with two major trading states and the Pershamon Empire. As the former center of the "Dark Empire" of Fermas Vorokhoi (-450 to -212 IY), Pine March is dotted by ruins from this era, with a consequent infestation of undead creatures and "evil relics". This is especially the case due to the large numbers of tombs left by allied necromancers and intelligent undead during the period of the "Dark Empire". Despite efforts by the victorious allied armies fighting against Fermas Vorokhoi to destroy all such sites, too many were created and their locations concealed to ever really be rid of this menace. Successive rulers have either been unable or uninterested in dealing with this potential danger, and the region is constantly plagued by supernatural beasts and occurrences. After the war to destroy the "Dark Empire", the region was formally integrated into the Keller Empire as a border march, divided among Imperial allies and military aristocrats to protect the Keller heartland from Pershamon incursions. This set the tone for future rulers. Not particularly wealthy or culturally advanced, Pine March is best known for its towering pines, which are widely sought after for ship construction further towards the coasts. Pine March is usually regarded as a dark and cursed land, whose people are either menacing and sinister, or hapless, downtrodden wretches, depending on who is asked. There are few towns of significant size, and only the capital Berlexing is large enough to merit being called a city. Most of the population lives on feudal manors dominated by the stereotypically backwards, cruel, and belligerent Pine Marcher aristocracy. Geographically, Pine March is similar to its neighbors. The FarSpar Mountains dominate the northern and western edges of the country, forming an impassible wall dotted with glaciers. These mountains are split by a large valley and pass leading to Durham, called the Cumberfulda Gap. Elsewhere, dense pine forests fill most of the countryside. The entirety of Pine March consists of hilly uplands, with the only productive soil along river valleys due to alluvial deposits. This has resulted in low population density, and low agricultural output. The climate of Pine March reflects its high altitude and position. It receives ample rainfall through the year, but remains cool even in summer. Winters in Pine March can be brutal. Thanks to the mountains and the scattered settlements, the wilderness regions of Pine March are home to far more numerous threats than neighboring states, in the form of bandits, humanoids, and large predators. This is in addition to the aforementioned undead of various sorts. It can be a very harsh place to live, but Pine Marchers tend to be among the psychologically toughest humans in the Keller Lands.

Pine March is ruled by Lady Anmara Loren, Marquessa of Pine March. The Marquessa lives up to most stereotypes of the "evil queen". Indeed, she has pretensions of becoming a queen someday. Widowed many years ago, it is rum