Kingdom of Aachen
Aachen faced changes starting in the reign of BALDWIN III. His reign was not short, but he ascended to the throne as a toddler in 1183 md. Much of his reign was dominated by SILAS MARNER Count of Harz , who served as his regent from 1183-1201. During those years his conservative policies led to greater strife with the growing Vul presence in the north of the Kingdom.
Marner's policies not only stood in the way of peace they exacerbated hostilities with the Vul. This lead to much of Baldwin III's reign from 1201 until his death in 1209 in fighting with the incoming Vuls. Baldwin III under took an extensive campaign to expel the Vul, and it was during this that he died in 1209.
His sudden death thrust the 3 year old REGINALD ascend to the throne. Baldwin III's brother ARTHUR AACHEN was able to step forward as regent and find a path forward to peace with the Vul ending the AACHEN CIVIL WAR. CUTHBERT ELRICSON was the Vul leader that worked with him on this new path of alliance. This was enabled by the Vul already holding land in Aachen being open to keeping further Vul out. This gave Reginald a brief time to rule in peace. The years of his majority were marked by increased trade and peace inside Aachen. His death in a hunting accident in 1230 thrust his 6 year old son BALDWIN IV on to the throne.
The esteemed Arthur returned as regent during the reign of Baldwin IV. He continued the policies of conciliation and peace that had served so well under Reginald. He was also a respected commander, and it was in this role that he lost his life defending the realm against an Ungren attack in 1240. The last two years of Baldwin IV's rule were a variety of issues as multiple men vied to be the new regent, and in the end young Baldwin IV finally reached 18 to find himself drawn into a conflict with the ORCS OF THE VURALBERG MOUNTAINS. Baldwin IV distinguished himself on the day of battle, but was killed by the savage Orcs.
Having married ELLENA QUINTA the daughter of MORDECAI OF HARZ COUNT OF HARZ, she bore his son BALDWIN V who was born shortly after his death. Mordecai was a weak regent, and the Vuls began to invite in more new migrants. The Vul areas were growing in population and power. Their calls for autonomy were only quelled by Mordecai's arranging a marriage between Baldwin V and Cora the daughter of the Vul's Jarl MAEL IGORSON. Baldwin V's reign did not have a chance to set a tone for a new united Aachen, as he died fighting orc incursions in 1261 at the age of 19.
Cora and Mael became the regents of the new King, IGOR I. Igor raised by Vul's, but in the Ethrum capital was able to see a that a fusion of the two cultures could work. He created a firm boundary between the two with distinct ways in each half of the Kingdom. By allowing separate laws and ways of ordering themselves the two parts consolidated under their king, and the country truly began to prosper. He also turned the countries eyes Westward by creating a naval force. While this would bear fruit in the future, Igor I was mortally wounded in the BATTLE OF URSAL TAL in 1291 against the naval forces of the HANSE CITIES.
He was succeeded by his son IGOR II. So another great victory by Aachen was followed up by a king in his minority, as Igor II was only 13 at the time of his ascension. His great uncle BELDIN the Count of Harz became regent. In a rare occurrence for a regent Beldin proved to be able and have vision. He followed up Igor I's victory forcing the Hanse Cities to recognize Aachen's control of the Eastern half of the STRAIGHTS OF URSAL and Tal of Ursal. With their water rights assured Beldin turned his eyes to the North. He was able to take the Vul town of EICKJOLF on the North Shore of the INNER SEA. This town on the KOTSUJ RIVER gave Aachen a road into the heartland of the trapping of the Vuls that lived in the HOLMGARD MOUNTAINS. Other than taking Eickjolf, Beldin left the Vul largely alone north of him, but he now controlled the market for the furs they counted on for silver. Igor II continued this wise policy when he gained his majority.
This incursion into the North did not go unnoticed, and the GOBLINS OF ANSAGAR in 1320 tried to destroy Eickjolf. The city was encircled and the SIEGE OF EICKJOLF was to be long and brutal. Igor II lead a relief force that landed to the East of Eickjolf and he lead in a daring over mountain attack that broke the siege, but at a high cost as GRIGSPOCKET the ELDRITCH GOBLIN leader of the Ansagar hordes was able to use his skills and magic to confront and kill Igor II.
This blunted any follow up to the victory, as IGOR III was so shocked by the death of his father that he refused to expand in the North. He undertook actions to preserve the kingdom, he simply rebuilt and reinforced Eickjolf, he did not follow up and try to reduce the goblins. The new defenses must have been sufficient as the goblins did not molest the city during his reign.
Eickjolf did continue to flourish, and the Vul in the KOTSUJ VALLEY grew in population and spread out to the east and west looking for the furs that the Aachen market commanded. Soon the Goblins from the east, and the Orcs and Ungren that ranged to the West were raiding these new settlements.
The Hanse States, envious of the Kotsuj fur trade again challenged Aachen on the Inner Sea. This SECOND WAR OF THE HANSE LEAGUE lead to another victory by Aachen. Unfortunately Igor III contracted a disease while conducting this campaign and died shortly after the war ended in 1329.
IGOR IV was again a minor coming to the throne. The ADMIRAL OF THE SILVER SEA who was a great naval commander KOTKEL BRAT, Jarl of Brat, and on his death in 1331 was succeeded by his son STURLA BRAT, served as his regent. The House of Brat having close ties with Kotsuj focused the young king on the intrusions in the valley. He increased the troop levels in Eickjolf, and expanded the fortifications. This allowed them to send regular patrols north into the valley and some range outside of it. In 1350 Igor IV declared the valley to be the JARLDOM OF KOTSUJ, and named a member of that house, Eric Brat, as the Jarl. This effectively annexed the Kotsuj valley, and extended the Kingdom of Aachen well into the North.
Structure
Igor IV rules with a benevolent hand. He is a man in the prime of his life. A true Vul chieftan he still maintains feudal ties in the Southern part of his realm. So he rules in a hybrid manner acting as the chief among the Vul and as a feudal King among the Aachen. Castle Aachen, the realm’s capitol, is still a large, powerful fortress filled with wonder and wealth, yet Igor spends little time there. He travels a great deal, dragging his royal household from one end of the kingdom to the other, meting out justice as he goes.
It is a feudal kingdom in every sense of the word in the South. The barons are given their lands in fief for their allegiance and services rendered; they in turn offer their lands in fief to knights and farmers. Much of the land is farmed out to peasants for a fee, a payment due in kind or service. The king possesses the greatest number of feudal holdings and retains the same power his grand-sires did before him.
The lords are held accountable for their actions; abuse of farmers or travelers is not tolerated, or so it is said of the Good Kings of Aachen.
The first day of each month Igor holds court. Any, great or small, who wish redress, need but apply at the court and he hears them out. Several castles of the Knights of Haven have recently been constructed here, the land given as a fief for which the knights must pay homage. Many castles dot the landscape of Aachen, houses for the barons and knights and their families. Occasionally there are villages nearby, but for the most part the castles stand alone, overlooking a valley or along a river bank.
In the North he holds the pledges of all the free Vuls, and they rally to him in regards to battle.
Culture
This is a predominately agricultural society. Towns are small, and most of the populace is scattered about in small villages and steads. The people are generally of a sturdy yeomanry, that is ready to fight to defend their lands. This comes from both the main cultures present. In the South you are looking at the native Aenochians, who have been shaped by millennia in these pleasant plains. The the North are the Vuls. These have arrived in the past decades, but have quickly taken to the lands, many converting from seaborn raiders to land bound farmers. Both groups relish their freedom and most farmers are free holders or renters from larger land holders.
History
In the waning days of Unklar’s rule there rose to the fore a mercenary captain, BALDWIN OF KLUN. Baldwin served LORD PIUS in the west where he fought against the HOLY DEFENDERS OF THE FLAME and hunted the elves of the Darkenfold and ELDWOOD Forests. Though not a cruel man, upon the field of war he showed little mercy. In the civil war between Pius and ORKHAN, Baldwin led Pius’ troops at the BATTLE OF REDHILL in 1124 md, and was instrumental in Orkhan’s defeat. After the battle, Pius entreated Baldwin to hunt down the fleeing Orkhan and kill him. This Baldwin set out to do. He gathered his troops and crossed the SALINE RIVER and shortly overtook the hapless general. A short but brutal fight ensued. Orkhan’s guard either fell or fled, and the general cast himself upon Baldwin’s mercy. Baldwin showed none, but rather returned to Pius with the general’s head in a sack. Pius rewarded him with land and title in the newly forming KINGDOM OF MAINE. Baldwin accepted these with no reservations (some claim that Baldwin’s descendants still have rights to these properties) and settled into a life of retirement, far from the wages of war. He took a wife, a beautiful woman of the northern people, and soon he got her with child. In those days, men said that the Lord Knight Baldwin lived a life twice blessed. His wife, with her last breath, gave birth to his daughter, EPHREMERE, the Wonder of the World. Into this child the world surrendered all its strength, its wisdom, and its beauty. People marveled at her. Then Baldwin saw the unicorn.
Some few years passed and Pius called upon his service again and it was upon a field of deep green where men strove in mortal arms that Baldwin saw the noble beast. The knight’s iron will, caste in bloody gore, crumbled at the sight of the wonderful creature, and in the pale blue eyes of the one-horned stallion, Baldwin’s life changed forever. He looked about the field of carnage, where armored men slew one the other; before his very eyes laid a calamity, a swirling mass of shattered lances, bright hued plates of steal, broken shields, and riven helms. Men stood awash in the black of dirt-mixed blood, while about their feet lay the churning earth, embracing the fallen and the dead. The pitiful cries of wounded men mingled with screams of rage and pain as those still able waged war without respite upon the field of green. Amidst all this, both a part of and apart from the world, stood the
unicorn. The noble beast looked upon Baldwin, its eyes wild, nostrils flaring, great steam blasting forth; a moment only it stood thus, and then, turning, it galloped away, passing with ethereal speed into the deep blue horizon.
Baldwin believed it a gift from the realm of Faerie sent to lead him away from the dark paths of war and slaughter. He lusted for a sight of the beast again, and he swore an oath to that effect. Though already an old man, Baldwin forsook his lands and deserted Lord Pius, taking with him his daughter, a small army of like minded men and their families. He wandered the lands of Ethrum and Aenoch in search of the legendary beast, but to no avail. In time, he and his folk settled in the HARZ, a fertile land of rolling hills and deep forests. There he built Aachen Castle , upon a hill overlooking the EDLE RIVER.
All about him were wide-open spaces, hillocks and grasslands where only a few small villages and farmsteads, mainly sheep farmers, were the norm. Northmen had settled along the coasts. Though they plundered some, most of these migrants seemed bent on settling the country and farming it. A few imperial posts held order in the land, though these rarely left the safety of their compounds.
In a surprisingly short time, Baldwin seized the old imperial provinces of the Harz, Detmold and Heristat. The imperial forces fled and in the dwindling days of 1127 md, he proclaimed himself king of the lands of Aachen. The local peasants did not seem to care and the Northmen respected the king’s prowess in battle and did not challenge his rule.
In Baldwin’s failing years he was befriended by the Forest Lord, the Val Tulmiph DALADON, who himself waged a bitter war against the Dark. Daladon visited Baldwin often, for he loved the old man greatly, and too, he knew of the unicorn. He promised the old king that he would lend aid and guide his daughter, EPHREMERE, as much as he could.
Ephremere, innocent in those days, failed to see the signs of her father’s death. She became enamored with the ranger lord and flattered herself that he loved her as well. Theirs is a strange tale, but suffice it to say another held Daladon’s heart, and he could not see Ephremere in any light but as the daughter of his friend. Seeing the danger that lay ahead for the young land of Aachen, whose king lay dying with no heir but a woman-born, Daladon sought council in the wood. At last he understood why the unicorn presented himself before Baldwin, for through his daughter, the FEY might rise in the world after Winter’s Dark.
Many years ago, Unklar slew the unicorn’s mare and the stallion alone had remained. In Ephremere was placed a trove of the ancient world’s magic, its power, and with her the worlds of Fairie and Aihrde hung entwined. It had never been Baldwin’s fate to see the unicorn again, but his daughter’s alone. Daladon brought the young woman to the forest deeps and summoned the unicorn. Through his ensorcellment the stallion bound itself to her line and the two lines lived on in her son, BALDWIN II, and a new breed of unicorn. On the forest floor where the two bound there grew an abundance of winter roses, those flowers of magical yore.
As the union came to completion, Baldwin the king breathed his last. The tales relate how many a man and woman saw Baldwin on the day of his passing, how he passed through the castle gates, looking younger than ever he had before, and riding upon the back of a great stallion that moved like the wind. The king laughed, they said. Whether these tales hold any truth, none may now say.
With Baldwin’s passing, Ephremere became queen. She relied much on Daladon, for almost immediately her throne came under attack. The orc lords and ungern chieftains of IERGAUL (see MARCH OF ZEITZ) came south, plundering with much slaughter. They rolled over much of King THEODAHAD'S realm of EISENHEIM and into Aachen. King Theodahad raised his armies, and uniting with Ephremere, drove back the enemy,eventually laying siege to IERGAUL but failing to break its walls.
The next decade played witness to the continued struggle between that powerful city-state, the two kingdoms, and others besides. Ephremere sent men to the BATTLE OF OLENSK and afterward to the BATTLE OF LUNEBERG PLAINS and the BATTLE OF THE GREAT TREE where her only daughter, ELISA, fell at the hands of COBURG OF THE UNDYING, and where her spirit wanders the TOTEN FIELDS.
Eventually Ephremere became a warrior queen of great renown and often led her knights and many barbarians from Eisenhiem into battle. Ephremere ruled a land of independent peasants, Northmen, and knights. She followed her father’s example and doled out much of the land to her loyal knights, anointing them with titles of baron and lord, but she admonished them all to treat the people kindly and to molest them as little as possible. She passed several ordinances giving the peasants the right to move where they would and to buy land if they possessed the money. She also sanctified the worship of WENEFAR and Daladon, much to the joy of her nobles, for all but a few worshiped the unicorn that is sacred to both those VAL EAHRAKUN.
After her long reign ended, she was laid to rest next to her father in the crypts below Aachen. A druid of the ORDER OF THE OAK crowned her son King Baldwin II. Already 50 years old, Baldwin did not rule for long, but in the short time he sat on the throne, he exempted all woven articles from taxes for five years. In so doing, he bolstered the textile industry in Aachen, which found ready markets for the finished products in the western kingdoms of Ursal and lay the foundations for his own kingdom’s wealth.
JOHN, Baldwin II’s son, sat on the throne for only a few years and reigned over Aachen during a time of plenty and peace. He claimed that the unicorn came to him in a dream and told him to seek the patch of winter roses where his grandmother had last seen the unicorn, and so he passed into the Detmold forests on a cold wintery night, seeking the ancient oak trees of the forest’s center. He vanished in the wood, never to be seen again. All attempts to find his father failing, the druids crowned his infant son King BALDWIN III.
Demography and Population
Travel here is relatively easy when in the plains; the country is gentle, and there are plenty of tracks. The remains of the ancient URSAL ROAD comes down from CANULT PASS and cuts through the country. It is a dark and miserable road when it passes beneath the Detmold. There it splits, one branch going north, the other south. Few use this road anymore, most cutting around the forest if they can.
There is a proud tradition of warfare among the nobility and they frequently call for tournaments which the king or local lords invariably provide. It is rare that a month passes without some form of tourney somewhere in the realm. The close ties established with the barbarian lands of Eisenhiem were the initial source of continual migrations of Northmen into Aachen. This turned into outright invasion over the last 100 years as the Vuls came from North of the INNER SEA. Taking the lands in the North of Aachen, they now account for about half the population. The proud and warlike traditions of those people intermingle with the subdued personality of the local populace. Disputes invariably break out, but for the most part the peasants and freedmen accept the newcomers with little argument.
Aachen produces medicines, ivory from the Inner Sea, wood products from the Detmold, and horses. The tax on pilgrims of Ore-Tsar makes up a large portion of local incomes. Wool production, however, provides the greatest source of revenue. The wool produced by the farmers finds its way to the small textile factories which pepper the towns and some of the villages. From there, merchants carry the finished product to the markets of Avignon, Anglamay, the Hanse Cities, and so on. The wealth generated due to the trade has brought general happiness and prosperity to the folk of Aachen. Of course, this wealth has also brought bandits, orcs, and other undesirables to the countryside. The raiders are aided by the often great distances between castles. Despite this, the people tend to be friendly and welcome travelers of all sorts into their local taverns.
The country has now acquired holding on the northern shore of the Inner Sea. There the Port of Eickjolf has become a great trading port, where furs pour in from the HOLMGRAD MOUNTAINS. In the last few years they have extended their sovereignty over the great valley of the Kotsuj River. This extends to MOUNT KOTSUJ.
Territories
The lands of Aachen begin at the SEA OF SHENAL in the south and the STRAIGHTS OF URSAL in the west. The gently-rolling, sparsely-wooded hills and meadows of the HARZ and HERISTAT stretch for many leagues, until at last they slip into the warm embrace of the DETMOLD. The Detmold is a young wood, where conifer trees grow in abundance. It is cut by many small breaks, where the sun and soil conspire to conjure a thick loamy grass. At the heart of the Detmold lies an old stand of oak trees. THE STAND, called thus by the locals, has been there for as long as men have memory. It has become a holy place for druids and rangers. It is the heart of the forest, containing EPHREMERE'S GLADE. The deep gulches and tumbled hills of the forest blanket the land to the feet of the VORALBERG MOUNTAINS, which mark the eastern boundary of the kingdom.
In addition Aachen now controls the KOTSUJ VALLEY in the South Central portion of the HOMGRAD MOUNTAINS. This area brings in valuable furs for trade, and is anchored by the Port of Eickjolf.
In Aachen, fresh water abounds in the many streams, lakes, and small rivers that cross the land before they tumble into the sea. The sparsely populated lands of Aachen are abundant in game and fish.
Military
In time of need, the king calls upon a stout force of knights and men-at-arms from the South, and a body of Vul freemen from the North. He augments this with his feudal levy that includes his barons, their knights, and men-at-arms. All this mixture of knights and freemen enables Igor III to field a formidable army. The cornerstone of their military lies in the heavy cavalry of the knights and the barons. They have precious few archers.
The Kings have also established a standing fleet. Mainly made up of sleek VUL DRAGON SHIP. These shallow draft ships provide versatile craft for work both at sea and in rivers. With these ships they have been able to hold their own against the larger ships of the Hanse Cities.
Trade & Transport
Travel here is relatively easy when in the plains; the country is gentle, and there are plenty of tracks. The remains of the ancient Ursal Road comes down from Canult Pass and cuts through the country. It is a dark and miserable road when it passes beneath the Detmold. There it splits, one branch going north, the other south. Few use this road anymore, most cutting around the forest if they can.
In Kotsuj Valley travel is either by river or rough overland. This works as most people will hike in and raft out with their load of furs.
Sects
The predominate religion in Aachen in the South is the Church of Ore-Tsar and the new pantheon. In the North they still follow their traditional pantheon. This is all overlayed by the cult of the Unicorn, which is tied to BALDWIN I. This cult is lead by the KNIGHTS OF THE UNICORN.
The ruling house of Aachen is recognized by its banner: two white and gold manned unicorns facing each other across a red war-board. Upon the shield are a single Winter Rose and two trees. The trees are representative of Ephremere’s Glade and the rose of the Winter Rose that grew at her feet. The unicorns were sacred to the land.
Name: Aachen
Type: Feudal State
Political Power III
Resources
Resource Detail
Ruler:
Pops:
Human:
Demi-Human
Dwarves:
Elves:
Gnomes:
Halflings:
Orcs:
Goblins:
Ungern:
Founding Date
1127
Capital
Training Level
Semi-trained
Leader
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Market economy
Gazetteer
ORSFOG, LUND, Bratvag , NORTHBERG, CITY OF CAM, BLACK ROCK, Aachen Castle, EDENBURG, WALTENSHAW, MUNDEN, BLIEBERG, HERISTAT, ELUYTHUS, VULLAW, DETMOLD FOREST, DETMOLD, UPSLAND HIGHLANDS, HARZ, HERISTAT, LEPFIELD, EBENSFIELD DOWNS HIND RIVER, SOREL RIVER, SOUTH SOREL RIVER, EDLE RIVER, INNES RIVER, MODLING RIVER, VORALBERG MOUNTAINS, CANULT PASS, URSAL ROAD, EICKJOLF, KOTSUJ RIVER
Major Exports
The country exports Woolen Cloth, Medicines, Ivory, Grains, Sheep, Horses, and Wool. With the acquisition of the Kotsuj Valley, Aachen has become the leading exporter of furs. Their furs are needed throughout the new kingdoms.
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Related Ranks & Titles
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
Ephremere (b.1100;1128-1170 md),
Baldwin II (b. 1120; 1170-1179 md),
John (b. 1143; 1179-1183 md),
Baldwin III (b. 1180; 1183-1209 md) [1 son b.1206],
Reginald (b.1206; 1209-1230) [1224, 1228, 1229],
Baldwin IV (b. 1224, 1230-1242), [1242],
Baldwin V (b. 1242; 1242-1261) [1261],
Igor I (b. 1261; 1261-1291) [1279, 1283];
Igor II (b. 1279; 1291-1321) [1297]
Igor III (b. 1297; 1321-1329) [1316, 1317, 1321, 1324]
Igor IV (b. 1316; 1329-1354) [1338, 1342, 1345]
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