The Principality of Durham
The Principality of Durham
Founded as the Torulan Marches by the Old Keller Empire, after the Torulan Mountains which spur off of Sannathi Khai into Jotan March, the lands which eventually became Durham were ethnicly diverse, with Sevastins akin to the Pine Marchers, Sannathi Khai Sevastins, Noladen and even some Pershamon and minor ethnic clans before the various Keller Empire settlers moved in.
It was reorganized by House Durham in the wake of the Keller Civil War into a Principality. The Durham Princes generally were an unimaginative, but stubborn lot who managed to keep the now “Heartlands” region of the country togeather. They were Linealists, and hoped for future reintegration within the Keller Empire. It was still culturally a backwater, however, as it relied upon farming and logging for its livelyhood, and the Durham Princes were ineffective in keeping bandit activity down.
One hundred and forty three years ago (582 KY), the Pershamon took action to stop the raiding parties from attacking the outlying communities of Ecmen. Togeather with the Dwarves, they rallied behind the Alastin/Gemri adventurer Khajem Tavolera in a successful coup of the Durham Dynasty in an effort to create a client state like Silverwater. Tavolera and later his heirs turned out to be far more able than the Pershamon thought, and while they did bring the stability to the area that the Pershamon wanted, the Tavoleras have remained more independent than the Pershamon have liked. The Tavolera Dynasty has not aped Pershamon customs, they do not give the Pershamon Empire favorable trading status and they have never been cowed into submission by threats from either Empire. The Tavolera expanded the Principality first into the High Pines and Southwoods area, and then into the Lowlands and Amber Fields. Their spies keep tabs on more than just state secrets and the actions of other leaders and their armies, but also of cultural developments and new ideas from among the people.
The current ruler, His Serene Highness, Prince Escoban Tavolera VII of Durham, Duke of Torula and Viscount of Eisenburg is no exception. Having risen to the crown seven years ago by ruthless politics, assassination and coersion against his many brothers (some older, including the eldest he killed in a formal duel ), he has proven his right to first become Heir Apparent, then the Prince upon his father’s death per Tavolera custom, which creates bold and shrewd, if ruthless leaders. He continues his ancestor’s investments in improving Durham into a mighty state to be reckoned with, such as developments into firearms, diversifing the economy and promoting schools that teach more than Thaumaturgy and Theology.
Militarily, the Tavolera’s are innovators in combined arms strategies, making their standing army one of the finest in the Keller lands.
The Tavolera are Selectionalists, and they do favor this church, but they have not been aggressive in suppressing other faiths providing that they don’t cause trouble. Eisen is known as the City of Festivals, for just about every Keller faith has a temple in the city, with their corresponding holy days and naturally, festivals.
Dutchy of Rajkiev (Amber Fields Region)
The northernmost region of Durham is the Dutchy of Rajkiev (pronounced Ray’-ki-ev, and commonly refered to as “Amber Fields”), a half valley streach of land reknown for its crops of wheat, barley, hops and millet. Water from the Farspars drains through this land into the Jotun River. Dotting this field are many small barricaded hamlets where the farmers live. The area’s isolation and proximity to Frostwall, Jotan March and the Far Spars Range makes life dangerous in terms of orcs, goblinoids, monsters and raiders. The mainly Noladen stock of the people here fare well, and more than a few mighty warriors hail from this region. Besides grains, this region naturally brews beers and stronger drinks, and meads, which are popular exports.
The Ducal Capitol is Vanniris Keep, a castle and town which guards the Northern Farspar Road to the Pershamon Empire and the Dwarven Kingdom of Kurg-Havas. The Ducal line originated with Feolo Dystrada, a friend and fellow adventurer with Tavolera I, and both lines have made it important to keep the friendship going.
Viscounty of Rajkievburg, consisting of the city of Rajkiev which guards the border with Frostwall and is a port on the Jotan River. Rajkiev serves as the staging area for Durham’s defenses for both the Jotan River (navigable all the way to Eisen iself) and for the land border with Frostwall, as well as a trade center with both Frostwall and Jotan March.
County of Nordrajkiev
Viscounty of Vanniri
County of Katjarl
Dutchy of Torula (Heartlands Region)
Viscounty of Eisenmont - Traditionally held by the Prince, or his Heir Apparent as a training ground for the new ruler, this bestows rulership over Mount Eisen, and thus the Capitol City itself. Eisen is the Montburg, or City - Mountain, and is truely a wonder to behold, as everthing from Dwarven crafts and arms to Pershamon silk and spices can be found here in the multilevel city of over 250,000 people. Built on and within the mountain, it has disparragingly been called the City of Stairs, its inhabitants are reknown for their stamina, built from a mix of the thinner air and the extra work required to move about.
Mount Eisen is a multi-peaked rise, which holds a glacier which drains through the mountain’s most distictive feature, a cleft starting at 10 feet deep and ending at 1700 feet deep at a waterfall ending in a lake, which is also fed by two rivers on either side of the mountain. These rivers drain from the Heartlands and the lake is the terminus of the navigable length of the Jotan River. The highest peak of Mt. Eisen reaches 13,198 feet above sea level, making it the tallest mount in the chain between the Farspar and the Torulan Ranges.
Eisenburg is built on the Northern end of the Cleft, just above the waterfall. Besides normal structures on both ledges, subterrainian structures are built down the sides of the cleft and along lightwells built in the city to provide light and air. Aquaducts from the glacier were hollowed out into the mountainside to provide running water to the public wells, bathouses and prives. Eisen’s base economy comes from mining and smealting, crafts and trade, as the finest grades of Red Powder are mixed here. The city also hosts one of the three Dwarven Clanholds of the Eisenmont, Clan Angmok, reknown for their crafts - they are the stonemasons which allow the city to exist.
Atop the nearest peak just East of the Eisenburg is the Red Rock Palace, named for the red granite stone it is made of, and is the capitol of all three of the Principality, the Dutchy and the City. The palace-fortress is located at a place where most of the road from the south comes into the city, as well as most of the road moving north. The “Red,” as it is called by locals, serves more as the home of the Prince and his family, and a garrison for his personal troops. The actual beaucracy which runs the government is centered upon one lightwell downslope from the Red.
Other Communities upon the Eisenmount include the terraced farming towns south of the city, the port of Eisenlocke on the Jotan River, the Dwarven clanholds Bereg and Opplenog in the deep mines of the mountain, military fortifications at strategic locations, mining towns and finally a prison on the far side of the mountain’s glacier.
County of Argineh
County of Eisenlund - The county of all of the satelight towns near Eisen. The County is populous and very agritarian, as it is the main food source for Eisenburg itself. Eisenlund does grow a wide variety of crops, and they practice some of the latest (TL4) new agronomy techniques. Generally, this is a quiet area to live in, as many minor nobles and well-to-do merchants from Eisen keep country estates here.
County of Raz
Viscounty of Torula Gate
County of Woedd Crossroads - At the crossing of the Eisen Road and the Old Dwarf’s Road, this County is the traditional lands of the Woedds.
Dutchy of Oberlund (High Pines Region)
Viscounty of Thakuran
County of Ellaan
County of Balkurs
Dutchy of Sutwud Uddjal (Southwoods Region)
Viscounty of Uddjal
County of Mistwood
County of Pargin Grove
County of Saeh
Dutchy of Unterlund (Lowlands Region)
Viscounty of Port Randhir - Port Randhir is the only seaport in Durham.
County of Ruggtirol
County of Vorarlburg
Minor ethnic groups:
Woedds - Among the strangest peoples of Durham are the dark mocha skinned Woedds (pronounced “Woads”), with often curly, kinked or wooley hair of red or brown, and rarely blonde. Most have blue eyes, sharp facial features and tall lithe builds, and tend towards having very little body hair - all men go clean shaven. They are the most integrated minority in Durham, having almost completely adopting Keller ways. They use a white face paint for decoration (men prefer thick blocky patterns while women use delicate tracery lines) and they still practice certain old customs, like stickfighting (among the men), cremation of their dead and group dancing during festivals.
The Woedds live in the County of Woedds Crossroads, a major trade and transporation hub within Durham, which exposes them to the other peoples of Durham far more than the more isolated minorites, and they are generally considered solid citizens. “Fuzzy Wuzzies” is an increasingly less common racial slur used to decribe them, which they remarkably have taken in good stride.
Woedds’ tounge is their native language, which shows heavy Sevrin and Montoc influences, but is unintelligable to speakers of those languages. It is written now in Keller script, but old manuscripts were written in Sevrin script.
Saar - This Noladen tribe lives in small freeholds in the sparcely populated High Pines region, and look fairly typical of the Noladen save for curly blonde or red hair and light eye colors. They live fairly primitvely, as they do not know the secret of steel. It is belived that they trade food and hides with the dwarves for their metal items. Since they have nothing Durham wants, and they live in a very remote region, they have largely been left alone, although when some of their warriors seek their fortunes outside of the Saar Holds, Durham has been more than welcome to employ them.
Kazemi - Another Noladen clan, the Kazemi people all have jet black straight hair and a darker tanned complextion than most other Noladen. They were the first Noladen group to be “Kellerized” during the early imperial era, and are staunchly pro-Keller Empire and Linealist. Most speak Kazemi Nola, and all speak Keller, many are literate and they consider themselves to be the only civilized people in Durham, or among the Noladen for that matter. This arrogance, plus the suspision that they work as spies for the Keller to bring the Unterlund into Imperial hands makes the “Cursed Kazemi” very unpopular in Durham.
Despite this repuation, many serve within the Principality as Heavy Infantry, and a few even serve as calvary. Given the high percentage of literacy among them, they serve in many administrative posts throughout the area, as well as serving as sages and scribes, or tax collectors (something else for which they are called the “Cursed Kazemi” for).
Vaduzi - These peoples look Imperial Keller in all ways save stature, as they are smaller and lighter than the Montoc, and are often called “Halflings” or “Half-men” despite usually being 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall. They spend much of the winter underground, and have carved out elaborate tunnel towns in the relatively soft volcanic cliff faces where they live - both as a means to hide from enemies, and to hide from the winter cold. They live above ground when times are warmer and safer.
Naturally, the Vanduzi make good stonemasons, and the soft rock they tunnel in makes an excellent aggregate for the currently limited Durham construction cements. Besides these items, the Vanduzi trade other stones and marbles that they quarry, as well as many decorative items they make from such stones, like idols, jade jewelry and such. They also are supeb ropemakers, given that rope ladders and cranes/pulleys are required for their cliffside homes.
The Vaduzi live near the border with Sannathi Khai, and are close enought to be in one of the low mana regions. As a consequence, many Vaduzi are magically resistant, and there has been a couple of Vanduzi who developed the rare ability to suppress the local mana area even futher.
Razish Pershamon - The people of Raz are holdouts from one of the times Peshamon invaded these lands (in 479 KY, so 246 years ago), with some intermarrage with the Keller and Noladen. They are an olive skinned people with dark brown hair which turns salt and pepper early in life, but rarely goes completely gray. Brown or green eyes are the norm, and they do not have an epicanthial fold. They have a larger build than normal Keller, and often have a widow’s peak. Men take pride in their well groomed facial hair - usually large mustaches, van dykes or similar. They dress in bright colors, favoring reds for their loose trousers or dresses, as well as for their headscarves and Fezes, and greens and blues for their tunics and shirts. Instead of a belt, they wear a bandoleer to hold gear. Most speak at least some High Persha, but they lost the Pershamon gender equality when they first took Keller and Noladen wives many years ago.
The Razish still favor Pershamon curved blades, except with simplified crossguard hilts like a scimitar or shamshir, and favor light armor and fast attacks in combat, and they make excellent skirmishers. Most still live in the city of Raz in the Dutchy of Torula, which guards the road and pass to Jotan March.
Some of the elite units of Durham are the Razish Zouaves, several light infantry regiments which specializes in Mountain warfare.