Duchy of East Sceya
The Duchy of East Sceya lies in the far south of the Gold Empire. Ruled over by duke Andreas "the Handsome" Ari from the northern holdfast of Irondeep, East Sceya is considered the last frontier and truly wild place in Dain. East Sceya is marked by the dichotomy of its population: with the northern imperial settlers slowly gaining ground culturally and geographically and the local sceyans living in their ancient villages and paying respects to their wild spirits.
East Sceya exists in a great deal of political tension, with an unstable truce negotiated between the northern imperial duke and the southern Robber Prince. This truce has enabled all manner of criminal activity to flourish in the frontier, as neither side is capable of fully protecting its people for fear of the other.
East Sceya exists in a great deal of political tension, with an unstable truce negotiated between the northern imperial duke and the southern Robber Prince. This truce has enabled all manner of criminal activity to flourish in the frontier, as neither side is capable of fully protecting its people for fear of the other.
Structure
Duchy
The ruler of the duchy is the duke Andreas "the Handsome" Ari. The duke rules with great authority, only limited by the authority of the Aurathean Church and the will of the people. In practice the duke has a liberal approach to ruling, preferring that each town, city and village mostly determines its own affairs. His only demand is that everyone pays their taxes, so he can keep law and order.
The duke has the most influence over the industrial towns in the Coalhills and along the Giantheights, places where his investments have supported the new lives of many. He once had similar influence over the Army Towns, where most of the duchy's population lives, but this influence has too a greater and greater extent been replaced by the People's Church and the Veteran Councils. The duke originally supported the democratic development of the Veteran's Councils, but since the rise of the People's Church he has somewhat regretted relinquishing control of the Army Towns.
Cities
There are 3 important cities in the duchy:
Highwall has a large mountain dwarf population from the south, many of them not fully acclimating to imperial authority just yet. Their leader is elder Jansen, an older mountain dwarf who works closely with the baron to develop mountain dwarf-Ari relations. Highwall in many ways represents the duke's hopes for East Sceya's future: tradition and friendship united with a hope for economic growth and diplomacy.
Saltisle has a more complicated relationship with its interest groups. Unlike the friendly disposition of the mountain dwarves in Highwall, Saltisle has a large contingent of imperial merchants, alchemists and envoys from other imperial provinces, who all desire to gain as much amber and influence as possible in East Sceya. Duchaian merchants are particularly numerous. Amal Eamil frequently clashes with elements from other provinces, though she is somewhat limited in what she can do.
The ruler of the duchy is the duke Andreas "the Handsome" Ari. The duke rules with great authority, only limited by the authority of the Aurathean Church and the will of the people. In practice the duke has a liberal approach to ruling, preferring that each town, city and village mostly determines its own affairs. His only demand is that everyone pays their taxes, so he can keep law and order.
The duke has the most influence over the industrial towns in the Coalhills and along the Giantheights, places where his investments have supported the new lives of many. He once had similar influence over the Army Towns, where most of the duchy's population lives, but this influence has too a greater and greater extent been replaced by the People's Church and the Veteran Councils. The duke originally supported the democratic development of the Veteran's Councils, but since the rise of the People's Church he has somewhat regretted relinquishing control of the Army Towns.
Cities
There are 3 important cities in the duchy:
- Irondeep, in the north of East Sceya
- Highwall, in the middle of East Sceya near the Giantheights
- Saltisle, in the middle of East Sceya on the Mistsea Coast
Highwall has a large mountain dwarf population from the south, many of them not fully acclimating to imperial authority just yet. Their leader is elder Jansen, an older mountain dwarf who works closely with the baron to develop mountain dwarf-Ari relations. Highwall in many ways represents the duke's hopes for East Sceya's future: tradition and friendship united with a hope for economic growth and diplomacy.
Saltisle has a more complicated relationship with its interest groups. Unlike the friendly disposition of the mountain dwarves in Highwall, Saltisle has a large contingent of imperial merchants, alchemists and envoys from other imperial provinces, who all desire to gain as much amber and influence as possible in East Sceya. Duchaian merchants are particularly numerous. Amal Eamil frequently clashes with elements from other provinces, though she is somewhat limited in what she can do.
History
The Age of Amber
The first great age of East Sceya was the Age of Amber, when it was ruled by Fíaglasir, the King in Green. A great golden tree gave life to all the lands, from within the beautiful city of Cathair Ombra. Amber elves lived alongside firbolgs, forest gnomes and humans in a wealthy free city, under the protection of the greatest Fey Lord, living many times their normal lifespan without sickness or illness, thanks to the healing power of the amber.
Cathair Ombra was a center of learning, trade, magic and harmony like few other cities in the history of the world. There was no hunger, no poverty, no conflict, but working together for the good of all. Threats came to the city, seeking to destroy its symbol of hope. The greatest threat was Orcus, who sent undead legions until he was humbled in battle by Fíaglasir. The dream did not last forever.
The Dreamwar
The Gold Elves of Chead Cathaír declared war on all fey lords, and Fíaglasir took the challenge, making war within the Feywild. The amber elves of Cathaír Ombra joined their lord in war, expecting the battle to be over soon, as all other wars fought by the King in Green had been. They were wrong. Many lives were lost within the madness of the Dreamwar, and the amber elves lost their youth and innocence in this terrible war. Cathaír Ombra gradually lost inhabitants as the gold elves attacked and killed innocents, and entire districts were replaced with graveyards. However, Cathaír Ombra was able to hurt Chead Cathaír almost as much as they were hurt in turn, as the two greatest cities of the world made war.
The Deep Hunger
While Fíaglasir fought in the Feywild, an evil came to Cathaír Ombra, a great mass of tidal waves, endless maws and eyes of ravenous hunger. This creature came from the ocean, and crashed over the walls of Cathaír Ombra, devouring much of the city and crashing entire parts of the city beneath the waves. By the time Fíaglasir returned from his battles, much of the city had already been devoured.
Legends say that when the Amber King saw the devastation wrought upon his city, he wept tears of gold. When these tears struck the ground, gold lilies sprang up, symbolic of the god's sadness. Fíaglasir told his people to flee and survive through all the coming trials, while he killed the monster, and that they should never lose hope so long as the sun rises. Fíaglasir threw spears of light into the beast of deeps, bringing it to heel, but he could not kill it. He imprisoned it beneath his old friend Lebemneth.
After this battle, Fíaglasir told his people to continue their defiance against Chead Cathaír and to hope for a future victory. He travelled into the Feywild to defy the Eternal King in a final struggle, as the last standing Fey Lord.
All that remains today of the Age of Amber are the ruins of Cathaír Ombra. Ancient graveyards are protected by spirits of amber elves, elven gardens give perfect fruit to the humans who live in the ruins of ages lost, fonts of magical power are still used by druids and armories contain magical artefacts from times immemorial. Locals know to avoid most of these, except for those they have been invited into by their inheritors, but imperials are not as savy to the ways of the amber folk. However, most of the ruins can be found beneath the waves, destroyed by the Hunger, while some can be found on the isleas of the Mistsea Coast, claimed by the sea.
Of course, the Weeping Tree still stands in the Sunsea, still giving life and peace to those wise enough to seek it, still weeping its golden tears of amber and lilies.
The Age of Coal
After the fall of Cathaír Ombra, other powers claimed East Sceya. The greatest of these was the fire giant duchy of Eldfjall Höfból, whose warriors claimed tribute from all humans living in the ruins of elven power, kidnapping many of them to the north to serve as their slaves and serfs. These eventually became the Kolathrell. The north of East Sceya became dotted with weaponfoundries, coalmines, firepowdermines, slave camps and the expansion of Irondeep, the center of power of the fire giant duke.
The fire giants fought with the mountain tribes on many occasions over overlordship of the human tribes, and the Sceyan tribes and fey folk found it very difficult to stand against the fire giants. Many of the fey folk, the centaurs, firbolgs and forest gnomes, fled to their deep Feywild refuges. The arrival of the Damatír tribe changed this, as the humans and fey folk suddenly found they had a group of skilled warriors and free-spirited people to lead them in resistance. Both the goliaths and fire giants were pushed out of the forest, as the legendary Damatír warrior Deidre led his people to unite and protect the East Sceyans.
The Age of Gold
While Deidre led the fight against the Fire Giants, another force came from the west. An imperial warhost led by Prins Andreas Ari crossed the Giantheights and defeated the fire giant duke and his closest allies in the battle of Blacksmoke. The prince's war was so succesful that he claimed Irondeep and liberated the Coal Hills in a matter of months, reducing Eldfjall Höfból to a vassal state of the Gold Empire. The prince's host moved further south, claiming the northern edge of the East Sceyan Greatwoods, and defeating the goliath tribes in a similarly brutal manner before claiming most of the Giantheights down to the mountain dwarf realm.
The new Duke of East Sceya claimed Irondeep as his seat and incorporated the Coalhills into his realm, as well as founding several mining towns along the Giantheights and fishing villages along the Mistsea Coast. The Duke created several forts in the East Sceyan Greatwood and established towns to cultivate the northern end of the forest. While the duke ruled from Irondeep, there was a balance, where the duke gradually funded and supported towns further and further south into Sceya, often settling alongside local Faordaon and converting them to the faith and teaching them the imperial way of life.
Wildwalker Uprising
When the duke travelled to Akshus to fight in the The Imperial-Akshusian War, he took with him the best regiments in East Sceya to fight in the desert dunes. Leaving East Sceya under the protection of his nephew and ward, Theodor Ari, and thus leaving his holdings relatively unprotected. Deidre and the Damatír wildwalkers marched north, supported by fire giants, centaurs and firbolgs, and destroyed many of the imperial fortresses, as well as pushing imperials out of the largest towns such as Ravå and Vesterå. This conflict became known as the Wildwalker Uprising.
Theodor Ari was outplayed in several large engagements with Deidre, starting a rivalry that would mar the rest of his career. The Free Sceya coalition had nearly claimed all of the mountain passes into East Sceya, but Theodor managed to hold the Blacksmoke pass long enough for duke Andreas to travel back east with his veteran army from Akshus. When faced in the open terrain of the north, the Free Sceya forces had to flee south or face destruction. Using the strategies that had conquered West Sceya for the Gold Empire, Andreas managed to bind and drive back Deidre's forces. Reestablishing many of the forts, Andreas prepared an expedition south into the forests to cull the Damatír and other enemies of the Empire.
Deidre and Andreas met on neutral ground and exchanged words, which were kept secret from the general population. It seemed like they reached an understanding, with Andreas moving most of his forces back north and Deidre moving his forces to the uncharted southerns wilds. The middle of Sceya around the sunsea became neutral ground, with imperials and locals living side-by-side in relative peace.
Post-Uprising
Post-Uprising East Sceya has become an interesting place. With the north controlled by the duke and dedicated to imperial industry, the south uncharted and left in enemy hands and the middle being a frontier of great danger and opportunity.
While relative stability has been the norm for the last fifteen years, this is slowly changing. The People's Church has grown to great influence in the north, slowly expanding its influence into the neutral areas. The People's Church's goal is simple, it wishes to create a zealous country in East Sceya dedicated to the Dragon God.
Additionally, with unchecked control, the criminal enterprise known as the Company has grown in the neutral zone, selling alcohol, heroin, hashish and mindweed to the locals and imperials both, with seemingly the express purpose being to destroy the East Sceyans.
The first great age of East Sceya was the Age of Amber, when it was ruled by Fíaglasir, the King in Green. A great golden tree gave life to all the lands, from within the beautiful city of Cathair Ombra. Amber elves lived alongside firbolgs, forest gnomes and humans in a wealthy free city, under the protection of the greatest Fey Lord, living many times their normal lifespan without sickness or illness, thanks to the healing power of the amber.
Cathair Ombra was a center of learning, trade, magic and harmony like few other cities in the history of the world. There was no hunger, no poverty, no conflict, but working together for the good of all. Threats came to the city, seeking to destroy its symbol of hope. The greatest threat was Orcus, who sent undead legions until he was humbled in battle by Fíaglasir. The dream did not last forever.
The Dreamwar
The Gold Elves of Chead Cathaír declared war on all fey lords, and Fíaglasir took the challenge, making war within the Feywild. The amber elves of Cathaír Ombra joined their lord in war, expecting the battle to be over soon, as all other wars fought by the King in Green had been. They were wrong. Many lives were lost within the madness of the Dreamwar, and the amber elves lost their youth and innocence in this terrible war. Cathaír Ombra gradually lost inhabitants as the gold elves attacked and killed innocents, and entire districts were replaced with graveyards. However, Cathaír Ombra was able to hurt Chead Cathaír almost as much as they were hurt in turn, as the two greatest cities of the world made war.
The Deep Hunger
While Fíaglasir fought in the Feywild, an evil came to Cathaír Ombra, a great mass of tidal waves, endless maws and eyes of ravenous hunger. This creature came from the ocean, and crashed over the walls of Cathaír Ombra, devouring much of the city and crashing entire parts of the city beneath the waves. By the time Fíaglasir returned from his battles, much of the city had already been devoured.
Legends say that when the Amber King saw the devastation wrought upon his city, he wept tears of gold. When these tears struck the ground, gold lilies sprang up, symbolic of the god's sadness. Fíaglasir told his people to flee and survive through all the coming trials, while he killed the monster, and that they should never lose hope so long as the sun rises. Fíaglasir threw spears of light into the beast of deeps, bringing it to heel, but he could not kill it. He imprisoned it beneath his old friend Lebemneth.
After this battle, Fíaglasir told his people to continue their defiance against Chead Cathaír and to hope for a future victory. He travelled into the Feywild to defy the Eternal King in a final struggle, as the last standing Fey Lord.
All that remains today of the Age of Amber are the ruins of Cathaír Ombra. Ancient graveyards are protected by spirits of amber elves, elven gardens give perfect fruit to the humans who live in the ruins of ages lost, fonts of magical power are still used by druids and armories contain magical artefacts from times immemorial. Locals know to avoid most of these, except for those they have been invited into by their inheritors, but imperials are not as savy to the ways of the amber folk. However, most of the ruins can be found beneath the waves, destroyed by the Hunger, while some can be found on the isleas of the Mistsea Coast, claimed by the sea.
Of course, the Weeping Tree still stands in the Sunsea, still giving life and peace to those wise enough to seek it, still weeping its golden tears of amber and lilies.
The Age of Coal
After the fall of Cathaír Ombra, other powers claimed East Sceya. The greatest of these was the fire giant duchy of Eldfjall Höfból, whose warriors claimed tribute from all humans living in the ruins of elven power, kidnapping many of them to the north to serve as their slaves and serfs. These eventually became the Kolathrell. The north of East Sceya became dotted with weaponfoundries, coalmines, firepowdermines, slave camps and the expansion of Irondeep, the center of power of the fire giant duke.
The fire giants fought with the mountain tribes on many occasions over overlordship of the human tribes, and the Sceyan tribes and fey folk found it very difficult to stand against the fire giants. Many of the fey folk, the centaurs, firbolgs and forest gnomes, fled to their deep Feywild refuges. The arrival of the Damatír tribe changed this, as the humans and fey folk suddenly found they had a group of skilled warriors and free-spirited people to lead them in resistance. Both the goliaths and fire giants were pushed out of the forest, as the legendary Damatír warrior Deidre led his people to unite and protect the East Sceyans.
The Age of Gold
While Deidre led the fight against the Fire Giants, another force came from the west. An imperial warhost led by Prins Andreas Ari crossed the Giantheights and defeated the fire giant duke and his closest allies in the battle of Blacksmoke. The prince's war was so succesful that he claimed Irondeep and liberated the Coal Hills in a matter of months, reducing Eldfjall Höfból to a vassal state of the Gold Empire. The prince's host moved further south, claiming the northern edge of the East Sceyan Greatwoods, and defeating the goliath tribes in a similarly brutal manner before claiming most of the Giantheights down to the mountain dwarf realm.
The new Duke of East Sceya claimed Irondeep as his seat and incorporated the Coalhills into his realm, as well as founding several mining towns along the Giantheights and fishing villages along the Mistsea Coast. The Duke created several forts in the East Sceyan Greatwood and established towns to cultivate the northern end of the forest. While the duke ruled from Irondeep, there was a balance, where the duke gradually funded and supported towns further and further south into Sceya, often settling alongside local Faordaon and converting them to the faith and teaching them the imperial way of life.
Wildwalker Uprising
When the duke travelled to Akshus to fight in the The Imperial-Akshusian War, he took with him the best regiments in East Sceya to fight in the desert dunes. Leaving East Sceya under the protection of his nephew and ward, Theodor Ari, and thus leaving his holdings relatively unprotected. Deidre and the Damatír wildwalkers marched north, supported by fire giants, centaurs and firbolgs, and destroyed many of the imperial fortresses, as well as pushing imperials out of the largest towns such as Ravå and Vesterå. This conflict became known as the Wildwalker Uprising.
Theodor Ari was outplayed in several large engagements with Deidre, starting a rivalry that would mar the rest of his career. The Free Sceya coalition had nearly claimed all of the mountain passes into East Sceya, but Theodor managed to hold the Blacksmoke pass long enough for duke Andreas to travel back east with his veteran army from Akshus. When faced in the open terrain of the north, the Free Sceya forces had to flee south or face destruction. Using the strategies that had conquered West Sceya for the Gold Empire, Andreas managed to bind and drive back Deidre's forces. Reestablishing many of the forts, Andreas prepared an expedition south into the forests to cull the Damatír and other enemies of the Empire.
Deidre and Andreas met on neutral ground and exchanged words, which were kept secret from the general population. It seemed like they reached an understanding, with Andreas moving most of his forces back north and Deidre moving his forces to the uncharted southerns wilds. The middle of Sceya around the sunsea became neutral ground, with imperials and locals living side-by-side in relative peace.
Post-Uprising
Post-Uprising East Sceya has become an interesting place. With the north controlled by the duke and dedicated to imperial industry, the south uncharted and left in enemy hands and the middle being a frontier of great danger and opportunity.
While relative stability has been the norm for the last fifteen years, this is slowly changing. The People's Church has grown to great influence in the north, slowly expanding its influence into the neutral areas. The People's Church's goal is simple, it wishes to create a zealous country in East Sceya dedicated to the Dragon God.
Additionally, with unchecked control, the criminal enterprise known as the Company has grown in the neutral zone, selling alcohol, heroin, hashish and mindweed to the locals and imperials both, with seemingly the express purpose being to destroy the East Sceyans.
Demography and Population
The duchy of East Sceya nominally consists of about 300 000 humanoids, according to the latest Silver Metal census. This number is roughly equally distributed between the imperial-held northern area, which has considerably higher population density, and the rest of East Sceya.
Maps
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Duchy of East Sceya
The imperial duchy of East Sceya, in the province of Sceya. Currently ruled by duke Andreas "the Handsome" Ari, second son of king Hans "the Great" Ari and rider of Yaldresh. The duchy is divided between imperial authority in the north and untamed frontier in the south.
Founding Date
477
Type
Geopolitical, Duchy
Capital
Demonym
East Sceyan
Leader
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Founders
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Traditional
Parent Organization
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Related Plots
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