Barosk

Barosk is a militaristic nation governed by an absolute monarchy, with Grand Imperator Varidus Faydren as its supreme ruler. He promises to continue his father’s, and grandfather’s, work to rebuild Barosk into the imperial power it was meant to be. Though Barosk is considered a militaristic nation, it has yet to impose its might on its neighbors, favoring expansion through distant colonies in order to grow its powerbase, first. The recent addition of a third Baroski colony in the southern continent of Kazura has increased the Grand Imperator’s popularity, and will, hopefully, increase Barosk’s fortune.
It is well known that Dominus is the preferred religion of the royal family, but Barosk does not impose a national religion on its people, allowing them the freedom to worship as they see fit. Surprisingly, however, the most popular religions have become the ones with less benevolent deities. After the success of the Faydren family since the Baroski Revolution, the worship of gods who are typically more feared than they are loved has become popular. The benevolent, gentle deities have become shunned after centuries of worship during which Barosk’s fortunes were in steady decline.
Barosk, as of late, has become more pragmatic as a whole, favoring action that leads to direct results over theoretical debates that prolong stagnancy. The moral questions raised by this results oriented approach have been largely ignored, however. Consequently, a human-first policy has been adopted, giving rise to the legalization of slavery in Barosk, but limited only to non-human slaves.

Life and Society

The current regime in Barosk is less oppressive than it is demanding. It is not so much tyrannical as it is authoritarian. To law abiding patriots, life can be rewarding. To those who stand in opposition to the system, it can be short. All males in Barosk are required to serve a minimum of two years in the military. Many chose to reenlist after their requirements are met as the military often provides greater opportunity.
Most in Barosk know that dissonance is not tolerated and do what they can to avoid unwanted attention. The commoner does his work, gets paid, eats, and enjoys a simple life. Nobles gossip, flatter, and maneuver in an effort to curry favor with the Grand Imperator and his inner circle. In reality, life in Barosk is not much different than anywhere else. It just may be clearer to the majority what kind of behavior is not to be tolerated, and the list of offences might be a bit longer than in other places.
Most Baroski are content. The basic needs of a civilized society are seen to. There is established order. Reasonable food and drink is available. Also, the Baroski have an outlet that allows them to vent any frustrations they may have and relieve undo stress. Slaves. Slaves in Barosk have no rights whatsoever. A slave has less standing than the poorest commoner. However, to a slave’s owner, that slave has a monetary value, like any other piece of property, so the abuse of slaves is generally limited to one’s own.
It has become fashionable, among the well-to-do, to acquire goblin slaves. This originated from the colonies in Kazura and trade ships from there often bring Kazuran goblins to sell in the Baroski slave markets. Many nobles are now paying handsomely for adventurers and mercenaries to hunt and capture goblins for them from the wilds in Velen as well. Before goblins, halflings were the trend in slavery.

Major Geographical Features

The southern half of Barosk is relatively flat, while the northern portion is only moderately hilly. Decent farmland can be found throughout, much of it tended by slave labor. The southern coast is considered along the Mathari Sea, but the west coast is officially along the North Pontian Ocean. The land in the country is dotted with monstrous humanoid tribes, like orcs, gnolls, and goblinoids, especially north of the Pale River. But many of these tribes have begun moving farther north, closer to the mountains, for fear of becoming slaves to the humans.
Giant’s Wash: This river flows south from the Quartzrock Mountains until is joins with the larger Pale River. The north to south line formed by the joining of the rivers marks the border between Anthaal and Barosk. This river gets its name from the hill giant settlements near the mountains in the time of the Andarian Empire, and the giants that were said to bathe in it.
Pale River: The Pale River gets its name from whitewater often found throughout its length. The rapids in the river can be turbulent and dangerous in spots. The worst areas, however, are closer to its source in the Quartzrock Mountains. At the point where it is joined by the Giant’s Wash, the Pale River continues the border between Anthaal and Barosk.
Quartzrock Mountains: Named after the heavy quartz deposits in the range, these mountains truly became famous for gold mining. However, most of the gold mining is in the northern half, controlled by Great Thrundar. The southern half of the mountain range is known for being more volcanic and generally less habitable. Multiple species of giants and dragons have been known to lair in the Quartzrock Mountains since the time of the Andarian Empire, most of them concentrated in the southern half.
Barosk’s northern border ends at the Quartzrock Mountains, claiming the lands between the Pale River and the Giant’s Wash.

Important Settlements

Baroski cities have a lower crime rate than many cities in neighboring countries. But, of course, there is still crime in Barosk. In fact, evidence of thieves’ guilds also exist. Conditions in the cities, before the Faydren family took over were generally poor. The streets were crowded, disease and famine were prevalent. The Faydren regime has taken steps to alleviate these situations by expanding the cities and towns outwardly, relieving the congestion. Food and clean water are available, a combination of state and private farming and the import of necessary supplies. Land becomes available to those who serve in the military at an incrementally discounted rate depending on length of service. Ultimately, a soldier can earn free land if he has served twenty years, or even ten years if he is a combat veteran.
Brye (Small City, 9,500): This city has grown in recent years, fed by trade with Kole and Inderlin in Anthaal. Its growing influence has seen the construction of two fortresses nearby, one to the north, and one to the south. Brye sees frequent visits from soldiers of these fortresses, both on patrol, and on leave. As such, entertainment has become an important focus in the city. This has led to an increase in taverns and brothels, which cater to soldiers, and to traveling merchants.
The current magistrate of Brye is Mikels Denarian.
Cadrie (Large Town, 4,500): Set along the Pale River, Cadrie sees its fair share of traffic, trading with the Rynish town of Wilcree to the north. Many blacksmiths practice their trade in Cadrie, working large military contracts for weapons and armor. Several adventurers and mercenaries frequent Cadrie as well, as it often serves as a launching point for funded expeditions to the north, either in search of treasures or for the purposes of gathering humanoids, such as goblins, for use as slaves.
The current magistrate of Cadrie is Adnar Velthor.
Elester (Large City, 24,000): Elester was one of the first settlements established in the region by the Andarian Empire. It had existed for over 800 years before the Andarian Empire collapsed. Afterwards, it withstood close to another 500 years, under various rulers, before the founding of Barosk in 2446 AC. Since then, it has served as the capital of the nation of Barosk. It is a walled and fortified city, most of these fortifications built only recently, but within city walls there is ample room. There are two concentric walls, each spaced out considerably. The outermost wall was built when the city faced overcrowding, allowing its citizens to expand in safety. The construction between the two walls stands in stark contrast to the older, more dilapidated construction within the inner wall. But the palace sits within the confines of the original wall, surrounded by noble villas that are well maintained.
The people of Elester respect the Grand Imperator and greet him favorably whenever he makes an appearance in public. His fortunes are their fortunes, as they are led to believe; and very few argue the point, at least out in the open. In truth, the stability afforded them by the Faydren kings has greatly improved conditions in Elester, and most are truly grateful for that.
Elester has no appointed magistrate. Grand Imperator Varidus serves as the city’s magistrate.
Southpoint (Large City, 21,500): Southpoint is the only major port in Barosk. It houses the only significant shipyard in the country, reserved almost exclusively for military vessels. Barosk does not have a large navy, and relies on hiring privateer and merchant vessels for transportation and goods transport to and from its colonies in Kazura. As the only port in Barosk, Southpoint draws a lot of visitors. The docks district in the city is rather large, capable of handling dozens of ships at a time. There is always a variety of merchant and fishing boats in its harbor, coming and going up and down the coast or south to and from Kazura. Southpoint was named so for being the southernmost point along the Mathari Coast. It was established approximately 200 years before the fall of the Andarian Empire.
The current magistrate of Southpoint is Norigan Lantholin.

Regional History

The Andarian General, Elester Barosk, conquered the region in 1149 AC. The settlement of Elester was named in his honor as was the region. For his service to the empire, he was granted land and lordship in Elester. The region existed in relative stability under the Andarian Empire for 800 years, then the empire collapsed. Chaos and anarchy mixed with various reigns of local lords, generals, and warlords followed for another 500 years. Then in 2446 AC, the cities in the Baroski region united to form Barosk.
Barosk was a hereditary monarchy and its rulers were the Felhorn family. At first, Barosk was prosperous and looked to expand its territory. It conquered the land of present day Rynord in 2518 AC and the island of Frithia in 14 AV. But in 207 AV, Frithia claimed its independence from Barosk after successfully fighting a revolution against its overlord nation. Then, following suit, Rynord rebelled, claiming its independence in 249 AV. Rocked by two successful revolutions against it in the span of 42 years, Barosk entered a period of decline.
Weak kings with little ambition, ruling by caprice, weakened the nation further. Its cities began facing overpopulation, with the surrounding countryside becoming more dangerous as monsters in the region grew bolder. This led to starvation and eventually disease. Barosk’s rulers did little to prevent this and seemed clueless on how to turn the nation’s fortunes around.
In 420 AV, conditions in Barosk reached their lowest point. One day in April, General Polimus Faydren was making rounds through the city, checking on troops which had been ordered to guard royal food stores from starving rioters, when he came across an incident. A group of rioters was being subdued by troops when a young, emaciated girl ran forward to stop a soldier beating on her father. The soldier struck her with an armored hand and the girl fell dead to the ground. This incensed the rioters further and the situation escalated. In the end, dozens of citizens were killed. A few soldiers were wounded. The little girl reminded General Faydren of his own daughter.
The general marched straight to the palace, after the crowd was subdued, to talk to the king. When he arrived at the palace and neared the king’s chambers, he was stopped by guards stating the king did not want to be disturbed. At the same time, two of the king’s known concubines were arriving and allowed in to see the king. The concubines were a half-elf, and a halfling. King Brilan Felhorn was known to delight in his lusts.
General Faydren left the palace in disgust. When he returned, it was with a force of his loyal troops. A bloody revolution followed, known as the Baroski Revolution. In 423 AV, after three years of fighting, General Faydren overthrew King Brilan and assumed control of Barosk, proclaiming himself the Grand Imperator of Barosk.
During his reign, mass starvation was ended. The infrastructure of the cities was updated to alleviate congestion issues. The slavery of nonhumans was made legal. The military was reorganized and Barosk’s borders were secured. And Barosk established Domini, its first colony in Kazura.
Grand Imperator Polimus’ reign was followed by his son’s, Harith. Harith continued his father’s improvements and established the second colony in Kazura, Variden, named after his son. Harith’s reign was followed by Varidus who currently rules as the Grand Imperator. In 493, Barosk established a third colony in Kazura, the city of Rumlin.

Capital
Elester
Government
Monarchy
Banner/Flag
Burgundy background with a silver gauntlet holding up a silver sword
Population
857,000 (humans 89%, halflings 3%, gnomes 3%, goblins 2%, half-orcs 1%, dwarves 1%)
Demonym
Baroski
Religions
Bellum, Clades, Dominus, Fortuna, Mortem, Pontus, Umbra
Imports
Ale, fruits, grain, livestock, pearls, slaves, textiles, timber, vegetables, wine
Exports
Armor, fish, ivory, metal, ore, weapons
Language
Baroski
Alignment
LE, LN, N

The Continent of Velen

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