Soma
The southernmost province is entirely under the thumb
of the Crimson Court, a cabal of vampires that have ruled
the land for centuries. From their capital of Nov Ostoya,
the Court projects their power across its borders, backed
with undead soldiers and necromancy.
Nov Ostoya sits at the southeastern end of the
province. A natural harbor, it was once a popular port
for trade ships. However, an Empire blockade currently
prevents most trade to and from the city, so Nov
Ostoya must do with what raw materials the outlying
towns can extract from their mountains and forests.
Nov Ostoya is a walled city, known for its tall
spires, stained glass windows, pointed arches, and
stone gargoyles. The tallest structure, Blackharbour,
is the fortress stronghold of Grand Duke Drago
Koshevek. The Karstein Market serves as a central hub
for goods and services, but one will be hard-pressed
to find weapons and armor of quality—most of these
have been co-opted by the nobles for their own armies.
Other places of note are the docks, where a local unit
of the Ebon Syndicate operates, and a small temple
devoted to Solyma, goddess of righteous vengeance.
Soma’s wealth is concentrated in the capital; each day,
the goods from farms, workshops, forges, and fishing
boats wind up here, as do taxes from all provincial
towns. An underground economy does exist—the Ebon
Syndicate does brisk business here when it comes to
smuggling and human trafficking, but even they are
obligated to pay a cut to the nobility.
The Court’s vampiric nature is universally known by the
citizenry but never spoken of, especially not to outsiders. In
fact, despite the prodigious cloud cover blanketing Ostoya,
which allows vampires to walk about for short periods
during the day, neither the Grand Duke nor his Crimson
Court is often seen in public. Instead, the aristocrats prefer
to hold lavish masked balls every few months.
Trade & Transport
Soma is a feudal society. The vampire nobility
who hold Soma’s wealth have divided control
of the mines, the lumber, the craftsmen, and
the fisheries amongst themselves. Meanwhile
the human peasantry makes their living as best
they can by fishing, mining, or farming. Trade
typically flows through shipping lanes to distant
lands, though of late there has been trouble with
Bürach naval blockades
Type
Geopolitical, Province
Capital
Head of Government
Legislative Body
the Crimson Court
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
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