The Crown Counties

Down in a peninsula forgotten by peace and remembered by torment the Crown counties lie. Once united as the Riamer province, the counties remained as an administrative figure when the maronni empire fell. The leaders of these territories should be called Count or Countess, but tradition has it that they are to be crowned kings and queens, despite the territory they hold giving them no right to such title.

Whilst humans are the most common face, like in most places of the continent, Tabaxi, Harengon, Half and full orcs, high elves , leonin and goliaths have settled into the counties for centuries in great numbers. Some, like the Harengon and Goliath are mostly found in single crowns, but the rest are spread all across the land.

Woman being burned to death by a mob after being found guilty of witchcraft

Rocky Landscape of the Crown counties

The endless hills and rocky scape reigns , with few valleys in which to grow wheat. The diet of the average peasant will be of hill nuts, some wheat and pork, with lamb if they are lucky. Hunger and poverty are the norm, people have learned to go off their days with half a meal on their stomach, to fight the other counties and the constant raids of sea bandits and slavers. It is in this harsh land that the most valuable asset of the Counties is created, harsh fighting men.

The hierarchy of the counties is very direct,King commands, knights do .The noble and priest class exists, but the harshness of the land has weeded out the fat of other aristocracies. Every noble man is a knight, as poor and loyal as you can get. Traders are looked down upon , so are any manifestations of magic outside the one provided by faith to the holy church of Amaunator, or the mecca of Alsham in the case of the Mohad Caliphate.

The disdain for men of money and magic make both trades almost nonexistent, the main traders are the higher knights with vast lands, using the old Maronni roads and the multitude of chapels and churches along them as waystations. The peoples of the crowns are very faithful, the main religions are those of Amaunator and Alsham. Devotees of Alsham will find themselves oppressed in crowns whose aristocracy is faithful to Amaunator and vice versa.

The Crown Of Varúz:

Sitting in the north of the Riamer Peninsula, the smallest of the crowns finds itself surrounded by the Southern Duchies of the Kingdom of Normand to the northeast, by the Crown of Aguerre to the south and by the Crown of Matacan to the west.

Once the biggest arguably the mightiest, the Crown of Varúz has seen most of its territory eaten up by its equals as the centuries passed. Only the heartland remains today, based around the capital city named after its founder, Varúz. Most of the city lies atop of a flattened mountain, a work of engineering done by the ancient Maronni Empire a millennia ago. Of the other works done to the city only ruins remain, only one of the dozen aqueducts still flows with water from the mountains, and while the walls were rebuilt, found schematics of the original city show how great the Maronni architects were.

At the heart of the city lies the “Antiz Jareg” meaning “Old Palace” in the Varuzian tongue, the traditional house of its nobility and the throne of the small kingdom. The current king is Valpino Aruzvende the strong, a relatively young wood elf of measly 173 years of life and the head of his household.

Streets of Varúz, with Antiz Jareg at the back

Ormaz de Varúz, Current captain of the Vartegos

Despite these big defensive advantages the Crown Of Varúz owes its prolonged existence not to big walls or fancy pipes, but rather to their iron filled mountains and their iron willed Vartegos. Once raiders, these goliaths arm themselves with the finest great axes and Normand styled brigantines, then proceed to chase off the enemies of the crown by charging at them until they flee or none remain. Some scholars put a sparse link between these warriors and the Istvani emperor´s Englivovarangoi half giants from the cold lands of the north. These fierce warriors also employ themselves as mercenaries around the continent, most commonly in service of the republics of the thalic peninsula.

The Crown Of Aguerre:

Southern plains of Aguerre

The Crown of Aguerre lies In the northeast of the country, where the hills are more forgiving and the coast leads to many plain valleys. The fortune of somewhat fertile soil is countered by very open borders almost surrounded by enemies. To the north the Southern duchies of the Kingdom of Normand and the Crown of Varúz offer very little peace, the former by many attempts to conquer the land, the latter by many attempts to recapture lost land across the centuries. To the west the Crown of Matacan offers a slightly tranquil frontier, but bandits and raiders still come through. To the east the whole coast is under periodic raids by Mohad and far flung slavers, and to the south the lands of the Mohad Caliphate begin, with no mountains nor hills to stop them from rolling over.

The current king of Aguerre is one Matias Aguerre The charger, who gained his nickname on his steed amongst his knights. The kingdom of Aguerre started as one of the many crowns of the peninsula, but by the current year it has claimed the once free crowns of Levanz and Catrúz on the Riamer peninsula .

Outside of the peninsula it holds ownership over the islands of Sica, Secor and Codia located in the thalic peninsula. Further to the east the crown has two duchies subservient to the authority of the Istvani empire , The duchies, or pronijar as the istvani call them, that hold the cities of Agirasteles and Toxotepoulos.

By necessity and their own will the kings of Aguerre have delegated most of their outer domains either to familiars or to friendly noble houses under their banner, which they have the most of compared to other crown counties. Alone the small Kingdom of Aguerre is nothing out of the ordinary, but when all the territories of this crown are accounted for they are a veritable force in the world.

The chosen knights of the kings of Aguerre are the Knights Bravado. Wielders of the mighty flame of Amaunator, shielded by their faith and driven by their conviction. Tales of their bravery in battle have gained them renown, it is well known that not even the mind altering magic of witches and heretics will make a Bravado knight drop its weapon. These warriors are the spearhead of Aguerre´s conquests as well as their heavy response whenever war or unrest rages on their lands.

King Matias Aguerre

Knight Bravado dousing the flame off his blade

Catrúz Marksmen

The lenient domain over their territories has gained the crown the trust of their populus as well as the troops of the conquered. The Catrúz marksmen are some of the best in the world, being said of them that they kill two men with every shot to better use their expensive bolts. From the city of Levanz, or more so, the hills around it, they have gained the loyalty of the mogavs , sturdy hill half orcs capable of outrunning even the fastest horse in the rocky terrain, lethal with the javelin and the sword. From the island of Codia the Aguerre´s have recruited once shepherds, now turned into the best slingers in the world . Finally ,from the far flung domains in the Istvani empire they have managed to hire very few of the Kathepainos, the heaviest infantry that empire can muster.

The Crown Of Matacán:

City of Eltum

Almost Squished in the middle of the peninsula and with 3 major rivers cutting its territory in parts, the Crown Of Matacan has learned to use mountains and walls as its biggest asset. The name of the Crown means “Murderhole” in common, this being the best weapon of the defenders of every defense of the small kingdom that has seen more attackers that it had any business withstanding. Time and time again sea raiders, Mohad slavers and fellow Crown kings have attacked their mountainous domains, only to get their heads squashed by a big rock as soon as their ladders reached the walls.

Queen Alicia of Matacán knighting a young squire

By virtue of being the prior King's only surviving heir, and having no wish of giving the family authority away, the current ruler of the kingdom is queen Alicia Of Matacan the Poet .A young, stern woman in her twenties known for her ability with the written word and the rapier. She surrounds herself with her recently deceased father´s loyal knights and a retinue of handpicked matadores in the castle capital of Eltum.

Harengon matador amidst a duel

The times of “peace” in between wars and the banditry that ensues after one have bred some of the best duelists in the peninsula. Amongst the harengon and their dugouts the dexterity with the saber, the rapier and the thrown knife has grown to become its full blown art. Many a master fencer from noble upcoming has been bested by a haggardly looking rabbit man with a wooden dueling blade and some dirty inherited shirt to cover their misery. The art of fencing has spread all throughout Riamer, but the harengon matadores have stayed on top of the rest, earning them the best contracts and a place alongside the queen herself.

Forest village of Eldamo

Due to how exposed are river towns are to bandit raids they are barely used, war and the roughness of the land has squashed what would otherwise be a comfortable place to live in.

The only roads of this are the ones the old maronni empire made. Villages and towns are located at the top of hills and mountains, wood and dirt palisades are commonplace, as well as rockfall traps on the known paths an invader could take. Outside the villages only the harengon are recognized as peaceful folk, this after decades of persecution and extermination until they became a vital part of the Crown´s defense, the rest are either roving bands of hungry bandits, Mohad slavers, or worse.

The Crown Of Rauna:

Where the plains meet the mountains in Rauna

Shaped like an inverted L the Crown Of Rauna struggles to keep even its small domain protected. The vast coastline to the north and northwest has seen normand raiders and worse. To the south lies the Mohad border, mere miles away from the capital of Rorez. Severely lacking proper defensive fortifications or the means to man them, Rauna has relied on its bravado more than any crown. Every invader , raider or slaver that has set foot on their ground was stalked until it exposed a weakness, which then was mercilessly exploited by the King´s army, led by his own pride.

King Leonce Derroca

The biggest “City” in the kingdom is its capital of Rorez, founded by a maronni legion back in the days of the empire. With the empire came the gladiatorial fights , still a form of entertainment in this part of the peninsula, as well as a full pride of leonin gladiators who established themselves as nobles with the decay of imperial authority. Conversely, wood elves and goliaths make very little of the population, as both originally settled the area as barbaric invaders that the leonin nobles made short work of.

Rumaruz charging into battle with a war spear

While there are many human and half orc nobles, the core of the aristocracy and the army are the Rumaruz. Prides of leonin warriors brandishing themselves in gladiator and maronni styled kit, the masters of the brutal skirmish. The current king is one Leónce Derroca the panther, a hulk of a leonin that surrounds himself only with the deadliest lionesses.

In battle the Rumaruz close in, pick off the most exposed opponents and continue as much as they can. Their roars , claws and fangs instill dread even in the most sadistic raider or well disciplined slaver.

Arturo De Vivaz, feared sorcerer that stalks the lands of Rauna .He has been killed at least seven times according to accounts from the last three centuries

Fishing and farming is decent in the north, but food is scarce around the capital as nothing grows in the hills and the rumaruz have hunted beast and harengon alike. There is no iron nor any big forests in their domains , most houses are made of thatch and mud. Slingers form around half of their army, with a few spearmen to actually hold the enemy in place. The wealthier Rumaruz equip their strongest half orcs with mauls and mail, a sort of second rate shock troop, something for the enemy to be distracted by.

While most of the peninsula sees wizards and sorcerers as weird and dangerous, the Rumaruz outright hunt them down. This practice has not engraced them one bit with the other crowns, which tend to occasionally have a wise wizard or socialite sorcerer in their courts despite shunning them outwardly.

The Crown of Tugarpu:

Tugarpese caravels, some of the biggest ships in the world

Being a long strip across the west side of the peninsula and cut in three by two unfordable rivers, the crownsmen of Tugarpu have learned to become good sailors for good and bad. It is the coast and not the shallow heartland that keeps the kingdom afloat. Fishermen towns and trade ports flourish on the rivers and the vast coast to the sea. The thing that makes the Crown of Tugarpu wildly different to the rest is their trade, their skill at it, their willingness to protect it and the lengths they go to obtain good deals.

Tugarpu faces the Mohad Caliphate to the south on a small strip of land, to the north and east they have the Crown of Rauna. The nobles of Tugarpu thank their gods every night for the lions to never go hungry. To the west lies the vast coast and most of its population, your average commoner will be a fisher, a trader in a ship or a craftsmen dedicated to making things for them. The weapon of preference is the saber, whilst more expensive it is better fit for fighting on ships and on the narrow alleyways of the crowded cities that grow crowded inside their walls.

Port city of Taluz, one of the biggest in all of the Crown Counties

The coast of Tugarpu is one of the safest for trade and fishing, every trader is required to be armed and fight every pirate they come across, a duty they carry out with glee. The capital of Taluz, the city of blue tiles and white walls, easily holds fifty war galleons in the Coteira , a gigantic ring shaped port likened to those of olden tales.These warships sail day and night to chase down any foes, armed with a vast array of boarding weapons, sabers, daggers, crossbows, and since very recently pistols and arquebuses. The current ruler is King Alberto Dumeca the Wise, the closest you can get in the peninsula to a backline leader. His vast pockets and good administrative rule have allowed a miracle for the dried lands that barely even grow wheat, in his kingdom no peasant will go hungry for more than a day.

Tugarpese coracero armed with a matchlock arquebus

Of renown are the troops paid for by the nobles, which are more deserving of the warrior trader title than of knight. Coraceros they call them , expert men wearing half plate and morion helmets, armed with shields, sabers and arquebuses. These men are skilled shots and duelists as well as elegant and well educated. The wealthy tugarpese is well educated in history, literature and calligraphy.

Humans and wood elves are the most common sight in the crown, although the wood elves in these parts are sterner than usual, survivors or the descendants of the ones pursued by the Rauna centuries ago. The major trade cities are cosmopolitan in nature, flowing with peoples of every corner of the world as long as they behave and have business to run.

The crown´s nobility is fairly engraced with all the republics of the thalic peninsula, specially with the Vanneti. They have accorded areas of influence in matters of trade, letting the tugarpese traders reign mostly over the western side of the continent while the Vanneti take everything to the east, although independent vanneti traders are known to not care about this agreement.

The wealth of the kingdom has attracted a fair share of bad attention. Uncountable raiders have launched campaigns against them, Mohad slavers can taste the feast they will give themselves when they capture a tugarpese trader, knowing how much they will charge for ransom .Whilst the kingdom is the strongest at sea, no amount of sabers and crossbows has ever replaced a good spearwall, which they sorely lack. The walls of their cities have seen more fight than they have any business with , rumor has it that the life of trade and city has grown the populace soft, unaccustomed to fighting for their own lives.

Market of Caveira Platina , a small city by tugarpese standards, a metropolis to the rest of the crowns

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