Duchy of Freestall
Nestled in between the slopes of the Spears of Astartes mountains and the waves of the Icefang Ocean, the Duchy of Freestall is a small nation, who through the fortuitous foresight of one of its ancient rulers has managed to remain outside of the direct control of its neighbour to the west, the Empire of Turelion.
Though they have their independence from the Empire, life in the Duchy of Freestall is hard, with its people spending long hours toiling in the Spears of Astartes mountains to extract the natural resources which are the lifeblood of the nation.
Structure
As its name suggests, the Duchy of Freestall has been ruled over by Duke and Duchesses of the Gronbrax family ever since the first Duke and their family descended from the mountains and decided to settle in the far north-western corner of the Relialo Plains in 657DP. The Ducal line has remained unbroken for all of this time and the family tree of the Gronbrax’s has remained almost entirely Dwarven, with the odd injection of fresh blood here and there along the way.
The Dukes of Freestall govern the Duchy with absolute authority, though they are guided in their decisions by an elected Council of the People, whose membership is voted on by the entire citizen body of the Duchy. Citizens are defined as anyone who resides permanently within the Duchy’s borders who is contracted in gainful employment. Though the Duke’s have no legal obligation to follow the advice of the Council of the People, though over the last few centuries the Duke’s and their family have become increasingly reluctant to do anything without the agreement of the Council, whilst at the same time, the Council has become more confident making their true feelings known on a variety of issues.
Culture
The many centuries of the Duchy’s existence within the shadow of the Empire of Turelion and the Spears of Astartes mountains have given Freestall’s population a stoic demeanour. Common consensus is that individuals and the Duchy itself will continue to endure whatever is thrown at them, that they will persist and stand as the mountains they rely on for their existence do, but with the knowledge that even these great landmarks will eventually be eroded away by time.
In practice this means that those from beyond the Duchy’s borders find its people to be both stubborn and also often bafflingly unmoved by events that take place around them, or things that happen to them, taking both the bad and the good in their stride as if there was little difference between them.
Demography and Population
The originally settlers who descended from the mountains to create the Duchy of Freestall were all Dwarven and since the its establishment, the Duchy of Freestall has remained a majority Dwarven nation. However, the proximity of Freestall to the Empire of Turelion means that there is a large population of Humans who have emigrated there. In addition, there is a sizable population of Halflings, who mostly dwell within Freestall’s agricultural hinterland, and Goliaths, almost all of whom have found employment in Freestall’s opencast mines and quarries.
Territories
Officially the Duchy of Freestall only lays official claim to the north-western corner of the Relialo Plains, where the capital city of Freestall, its satellite villages and agricultural hinterland are located. However, unofficially, the Duchy regards the entire western portion of the Spears of Astartes mountains as being under their control, and they are fiercely defensive of anyone attempting to muscle in on their claims to the tuff and obsidian deposits to be found there.
Military
The Duchy maintains a small standing armed force which is considered to be for civil defence only. This force has not been deployed beyond the Duchy’s borders since the War of Imperial Formation (see below).
Religion
The Duchy of Freestall does not impose any restrictions on the religious freedoms of its citizens. However, as the majority of the Duchy’s population are Dwarves, the Divine Hvanmara is by far the most popular deity within its borders.
Additionally, the nation’s proximity to the Empire of Turelion means that there is a large following of Astartes in the Duchy, and the statistically significant populations of Halfling and Goliaths means that large communities worshipping Josmorra and Jore respectively can be found there.
Foreign Relations
The international relations of the Duchy of Freestall are dominated by their relationship with their nearest neighbour, the Empire of Turelion. The Duchy had established itself long before the campaign of conquest led by Machestaro I, and when the armies of Turelion drew near to their borders, the reigning Duke, Molovan II knew that the limited armed forces of Freestall had little hope of prevailing against the massed might of Machestaro. Instead, Molovan negotiated that he and Freestall’s army would march under Machestaro’s banner until such time that the War of Imperial Formation was complete, at which point they would return to their home, which would in exchange be guaranteed as independent from the Empire in perpetuity. Fortunately for Molovan, Machestaro agreed and Freestall has remained an independent nation ever since.
However, the Duchy’s geographical position means that despite the ancient agreements in place, it cannot afford to provoke the ire of the Empire of Turelion, who are the major purchaser of the resources that Freestall extracts from the Spears of Astartes mountains. This means that on the whole, the Duchy is forced into operating as something of a client kingdom of the Empire, supporting their decisions on the global stage, accepting their tariffs without question and granting and withdrawing access to their produce to other nations in line with the Empire’s diplomatic policy.
More broadly, the Duchy of Freestall tries, when the politics of the Empire doesn’t interfere, to remain on cordial terms with the other nations of Kelbonnar’s Material Plane with whom it has active diplomatic relations with. This means that structures built out of Tuff stone blocks shaped in the Duchy’s quarries can be found in structures as far afield as the Earldom of Karant, and blades of obsidian knapped in Freestall grace surgeon’s tables across Kelbonnar.
Agriculture & Industry
The lifeblood of the Duchy of Freestall is its mining enterprises and associated industries rooted in the Spears of Astartes. Teams of gatherers scour the scree slopes collecting pumice, whilst cohorts of miners toil to quarry and shape blocks of tuff stone and shards of obsidian from the surface spikes of the volcanic glass that litter the mountains.
These resources are brought down from the mountains to the city of Freestall, where large processing complexes chisel the blocks of tuff stone into more easily transportable or bespoke shapes; sort the pumice into grades and package them accordingly; and, undergo the meticulous process of knapping the obsidian shards into razor sharp blades, which are in turn crafted into knives, scalpels and other fine cutting implements. All of these products are then either shipped out to the ret of Kelbonnar’s Material Plane via the port at Freestall, or begin the long journey by road into the Empire of Turelion to the west.
Separate from its mining enterprises, the Duchy of Freestall’s agricultural hinterland is large and fertile enough to produce the majority of the food requirements of the nation in good years. However, in leaner years the Duchy must import food, predominantly from the Empire of Turelion, to ensure that there are no shortages.
Education
As Freestall has a predominantly industrial extraction based economy, education is not high up on the list of priorities for the nation. However, there is one state sponsored school, the Freestall Academy, where children who are believed to have academic can be taken for testing. If they pass the tests, they are admitted and are educated to a high level, with the expectation being that they would then move into the more academically skilled professions needed to ensure the smooth running of the Duchy’s enterprises.
Founding Date
657DP
Type
Geopolitical, City-state
Capital
Demonym
Freestalians
Economic System
Mixed economy
Location
Neighboring Nations
Comments