Viscounty of Salinmoor
Overview
The Viscounty of Salinmoor is located between the southeastern Dreadwood and the Azure Sea, and is one of Keoland’s most forlorn provinces. It was virtually abandoned following the Siege of Westkeep, which saw the Keoish Throne lose its former southern possessions to the piratical Sea Princes in the last century. This left Salinmoor and its nominal capital, the coastal town of Seaton, as the kingdom’s southernmost possession. However, lacking much in the way of natural resources or strategic importance to the Throne of the Lion due to its distance from Gradsul and close proximity to insurgent Monmurg, it was virtually forgotten over the years by the bureaucracy in Niole Dra, whose introversion is legendary. Salinmoor was founded more than three centuries ago, prior to the start of the kingdom’s imperialist phase, as an adjunct possession of the Rhola of Gradsul. The land and its environs are often described as gloomy, helped in large part by the warm mists which waft off the nearby marshes south of Bale Keep and combine with the briny air of the sea to produce a persistent miasma. Fishing, including some whaling, dominates the local economy, which also sports small farms and some cattle grazing. The viscounty has seen more than its share of misfortune over the years, including a plague in the: late 490s that wiped out nearly a quarter of the population. The frequent storms which cross the Azure Sea north of Fairwind Isle to strike the western coast of the Sheldomar Valley often seem to hit this region the hardest. The people of Salinmoor have a complex relationship with the sea, viewing it as both source of life and bringer of death. These settlers are very superstitious and are often described as overly anxious. It often appears to outsiders visiting Salinmoor that many families here act as though they have something to hide. But Salinmoor is not only a place of sinister secrets. It is often the destination of many seeking to avoid scrutiny in the north, making it a conduit of unwanted notoriety. Much of this portrayal is surely exaggeration by haughty northerners, but examples of this behavior arc often cited. For instance, the part of the Dreadwood which constitutes the northern verges of the province is generally avoided, as it is believed to be haunted or cursed, depending on whom one consults. The marshes in the south, they say, arc home to demons and other foul spirits which feed upon the souls of the living, often reaching out to them in their dreams. The House of Secunforth, which is a distant relation of the Neheli in the north, was appointed to stewardship of the province during the reign of Tavish IV, when Rholan interests in the south fell into decline. They reluctantly arrived to oversee the construction of Bale Keep, and the Secunforths have belatedly ruled these lands ever since, often displaying the deportment of prisoners in their own land. The Secunforths had been well known for their prosperous endeavors in Dorlin, but the transplanted family became infamous for interfering too late in the witch hunts of 501-502 CY, which saw many killed before the hysteria subsided. The Secunforths, now led by the Viscount Cronin III Secunforth, have merited responsibility for maintaining the puritanical atmosphere which is pervasive here. They have seen their own house’s fortunes fall with that of the province and have done little to reverse this trend, for they see themselves as cursed. Cronin, who has never personally been in council at Niole Dra, is planning a visit to the capital next year upon the urgings of the Duke of Gradsul.Settlements
Cities
- Redshore
Towns and Villages
Notable locations
- Abbey Isle
- Brinestone Keep
- Dwarven Mine
- Lizardfolk Lair
- Maidenstone Keep
- Makaster House
- Sahuagin Fortress
- Tower of Zenopus
Type
Geopolitical, Viscounty
Capital
Leader
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Parent Organization
Controlled Territories
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