Sterich

Sterich, properly known as the March of Sterich, is a political state of the Flanaess.

Overview

History

Settled in as a client state of Keoland by relatives of the Grand Duke of Geoff, Sterich was founded as an earldom with the primary purpose of creating a stable political power with easy access to the mines of the surrounding hills and mountains. For centuries, the nation’s nobles grew rich from trade that in turn attracted more nobles (often with paid-for, meaningless titles). The adventurer Fenwick Astakane of Skipperton noted, in his Travels (375 CY), that Sterich was “a hive of low nobility, with titled aristocrats as common as pigs, such that an ordinary serf gains political clout because his labor is in high demand.” True, serfs endured as miserable a life in Sterich as in anywhere in the Flanaess, but the general tone and the underlying truth of the matter dictated Sterich’s reputation for generations.
In recent years, Sterich had grown distant from the Keoish crown, and had been allowed, in most cases, to care for its own affairs. King Symund had for years treated the Marchioness of Sterich, the proud Roseanne, more as a favoured relative than a vassal. The two often spent holidays in each others’ capitals, visits celebrated with much more vigor in Istivin than in Niole Dra.

Settlements

Cities

• Istivin

Towns and Villages

• Bova
• Elnore
• Fitela
• Green Man
• Groenick
• Headwater
• Hilden's Grange
• Istivin Crossing
• Johann's End
• Kalibac
• Kragmere
• Marich
• Mittleberg
• Poignard
• Steryn
• Strake Terrace

Notable locations

• Blackbridge
• Chapel of Time
• Chimney Rock
• Drudd Estate
• Isle of Avenstane
• The Oestral Abyss
• Oytpass Keep
• Velikar's Fort

Demography and Population

144,000 - Human 79% (OFS), Dwarf 8% (Mountain), Halfling 6%, Gnome 3%, Elf 2%, Half-elf 1%, Half-orc 1%

Type

Geopolitical, Marquisate

Capital

Istivin

Demonym

Sterichan

Leader

Roseanne Emondav

Leader Title

Marchioness

Government System

Monarchy, Absolute

Power Structure

Feudal state

Currency

[Keoland standard] griffon (pp), lion (gp), eagle (ep), hawk (sp), sparrow (cp)