Duchy of Parafiore

Description

The Duchy of Parafiore is a central southern Duchy of Middenland. It has been in the hands of House Florese for a long time, which has been lead by the sorceress Duchessa Vamora Florese for a little more than half a century. While most of the citizenry think her youthful appearance is a sign that she is favored by Sicere, some of the noble houses know better. Thanks to their spy networks, certain noble houses know that Lady Vamora is no longer human, but they do not have the military strength or a casus belli to make a move against her.
The capital of Parafiore, Filamori, is built around the old imperial temple complex from the time of the Celesian Empire. It has been well-maintained to this day and is the religious center of Middenland. Many rituals are held here and the fertility and harvest rituals contain small sacrifices where people give up some of their own blood in exchange for a good harvest. Unbeknownst to them however, these bowls of blood are taken away in the night and stored in the cellars below Vamora's palace as a source of nutrition for herself and her spawn. This allows them to keep their nature hidden and avoid suspicion of any who would hunt their kind.

Politics

In the past House Florese was known for its eccentric members and a bit of laughing stock among the nobility. Under Lady Vamora however, they have to take Parafiore in account again. She had quickly shown that she was well-versed in their political games and able to steer situations to her favor. In terms of diplomacy she has proven to be a ruthless negotiator, when offered a hand she will take the whole arm. She has also expended significant effort to befriend foreign cultures such as the Sulvari or the Pale Dwarves. She has set up relatively advantageous trade deals for exotic goods in exchange for large amounts of crops.

Culture

(See also Middenlanders for general sentiments of the region.)
Parafiore is not a small region, but rather narrow, it does not own much of the coastline of Middenland. As such it does not have as many ports and trade as its direct neighboring Duchies. There is still some foreign influence, but as a whole the region is not as diverse as some other Duchies. Filamori's temple complex is a the destination of many pilgrims, and thus boasts a rich cultural heritage. Every year thousands travel to Filamori for the Ritual of Rebirth, which is held 5 days before the end of the year. It is a ritual that is generally associated with Sicere and is meant to represent the start of new beginnings. It is contains rituals and prayers for things like a good harvest, fertility and generally the means for a good life. The main ritual is lead by Lady Vamora herself and the people often consider her to be the chosen servant of Sicere, even though that is not actually the case.
Parafiore is a flat, central region with enormous amounts of arable farmland. This farmland was poorly used in the past by House Florese in favor of exotic goods and trade coming in from the few ports. Lady Vamora has proven herself a capable leader with a much better understanding of the importance of this farmland and how to appease the population to increase their productivity. She has ensured that the temples hand out a small amount of food to every peasant below a certain yearly income and she has lowered the taxes of the lower income classes as well. This support of the lower class has lead to more people being able to start their own farm, an endeavor which is usually slightly supported by House Florese as well. Lady Vamora has also tasked many scholars with figuring out more efficient ways of fertilizing and cultivating the land. This has lead to an increase of intensive cultivation techniques, which has significantly increased the crop production of Parafiore. For its high crop production, Parafiore is often called the 'Granary of Middenland'.
The large focus on farmland and smaller communities rather than large cities has lead to a more rural people who hold more traditional values. In contrast to the ever-changing cities of the other southern Duchies, the people of Parafiore place a higher value on stability and family. Like the rest of Middenland they also hold strongly onto traditional family roles where the man is the breadwinner and the woman takes care of the family. Family ties are important and people often live in the area they were born for the rest of their lives. It is also the duty of the children to take care of their elderly parents when they are working adults.

Military

On the surface, Parafiore has the smallest military of all Duchies, slightly smaller even than that of Solland. It consists mostly of poorly trained militia regiments, with only a few regiments of trained soldiers and guards. It can afford to be so lax due to only bordering on other Duchies while the non-aggression pact between them is still in effect. While this might make it seem like an inviting target for invasion for the other Duchies if they were to ever break the pact, most of them recognize it is not. Having sent many spies to figure out the secret of Lady Vamora, they have learned a thing or two about her servants as well. Her main military strength comes not from the living, but from her select elite cadre of Vampire Spawn and Death Knights that follow her every command. These could obliterate entire regiments of soldiers with sheer force and terror.

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of Parafiore is a wilting red rose set against a background of black with a diagonal blue line.

Bread is the key to life.

Type

Geopolitical, Duchy

Training Level

Levy

Veterancy Level

Recruit

Demonym

Parafiorans or Fiorans for short.

Location

Middenland

Related Ethnicities

• Middenlanders