City of the Petty Kingdoms
The city of Dorgard is on the southern shore of the
Loudewater River on the west side of the channel. It is kind of the center for a group of fifteen petty kingdoms that band together to try to hold the
Gorled Kingdom at bay (there used to be 19, but
Gorled over ran the three northern most petty kingdoms many generations ago). Dorgard is by far the smallest of the cities, at about 1 square mile (completely contained within the city walls). The walls around Dorgard consists of 50’ x 50’ x 30’ high field stone towers with a 12’ high earthen rampart and 15’ high log palisades atop, with a 10’ deep trench (when the tide is high, a shallow muddy moat; when the tide is low, a trench full of thick mud), with spikes set permanently within the bottom of the trench. These gates are manned 4 guards on duty at the gate during the night and 6 during the day with two additional guards that are off on any particular day (these guards get two days off once every 12 days), and with a captain overseeing their activities. Their shifts are roughly 12 hours long with shift change being at about twilight. They bunk on the upper floor of the tower, with there being 3 rooms with four each and a separate room for the gate captain.
These 15 rulers elect one of themselves or (more often) a trusted agent to serve as Margrave of the city and its surrounding lands (the
Dorgard Commons). The current Margrave is
Jaqadhor Aenoran, who was elected but is not part of any of the 15 Royal Houses. Each of the 15 petty kingdoms also provides 100 men (or cavalry, counted as 3 men per one man and horse), which together serve as the front-line army of the city. The Margrave has full dictatorial powers within the
Dorgard Commons, and may only be overruled by a majority of the petty rulers. All of the 15 rulers and the Margrave, meet once each year to review the laws and policies of the city and the alliances of the Petty Kingdoms (uneasy and distrustful as it may be).
The 15 Petty Kingdoms that indirectly rule over Dorgard are as follows, with the current ruler (or currently elected Margrave in the case of the Dorgard Commons):
•
Black Hills Kingdom,
Fulco Hochlat
•
The Borderlands,
Lord Calver Soledin
•
Dorgard Commons,
Margrave Jaqadhor Aenoran
•
Far Marches,
Nicholas Dewees
•
Highlands Kingdom,
Adelard Nargiso
•
Lindenwood Kingdom,
Philip Eisler
•
Lower Kerdingath Duchy,
Bertulf Kerdingath
•
Mangor Hills Kingdom,
Rickert Mangor
•
North Galedreth County,
Chersis Galedreth
•
Pelinost Kingdom,
Lynceus Pelinost
•
South Galedreth County,
Canute Galedreth
•
Southern Kerdingath March,
Louth Kerdingath
•
Telerdast Peninsula,
Lord Teldulso Telerdast
•
Upper Kerdingath Duchy,
Nyrie Kerdingath
•
Willowvale Freehold,
Titormos Vainbelits
Within the city and its "subject" lands taxes amount to 10% of income or production in money or products, as well as a 5% import tax on common goods and a 10% import tax on weapons, gems, jewelry, foreign coinage, and slaves. There is also a 1Cp-gate tax per non-resident entering the city. Spell casters who are proclaimed Full Members of the "
High Tower of Magic" are exempt from income and production taxes (but becoming a member can be costly), but in return for this and the location of their Guild Hall and Library being located here, they give council to the rulers and aid to the city and lands in times of need. The
High Tower of Magic is the tallest building within the world, it is an octagonal shape with each of the eight sides being about 200’ across, and the entire structure is about 1,000 feet tall. The surrounding walls are 25’ thick, 50’ high, and about 400’ long on each of the 8 sides. Each corner of the wall is made up of a round tower that is 100’ in diameter and 100’ tall. The most amazing thing about the entire structure is that there is no apparent gate (unless you are expected, so the rumor goes). The entire walled complex is surrounded out to about 200’ to 300’ by thick trees and underbrush that appears to be only a thick tangled mass, although there are a few trails leading into it. Most of the people of the channel region avoid going within this strange "park" like they would avoid the plague.
Population: 34,160 (Gambed: 70% Masgand: 10% Anistali: 10% Others: 10%)
Return to the
Channel Cities.
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