Westland
Westland was the first principality created under auspices of the kingdom of Wallacia. It is the most populous of the principalities, and might have the largest arable land area, though the exact borders of some of the frontier principalities are in dispute.
Westland provides a large proportion of the kingdoms regulars and militia forces. It also supplies the bulk of the realm's naval vessels, though the majority of these are the so-called longships. These are quite suitable for use in the bay and the large river system which empties into it. However, their use in the rough swells of the strait of Cape Storm requires much great skill of seamanship than that larger ships.
Geography
Westland forms the western shoreline of Brigand's Bay. The rests of the eastern border follows the west bank of the Arle River until it meets the Red River flowing from the west. The northern border follow the Red River until it meets the foothills of the mountainous terrain of the neighboring province. The west border follows the line of foothills south, with the hills eventually giving way to full mountains of the southern range. At the very south, a spur of this mountain range blocks access to the strait, with near vertical black rock cliffs on both the north and seaward sides. The northern two-thirds of Westland are mostly plains and shallow rolling hills. This area has been heavily forested, leaving plenty of cleared land for planting crops or grazing livestock. Towards the southern third of the principality, the elevation drops toward sea-level, causing many swamps, marshes, and flooded woods. This area has been a popular haunt for brigands and smugglers, as it is difficult for outsiders to find easy paths of travel through the soggy ground and winding waterways.History
When Wallacia was founded in Blackrock, the government hoped to attract trading vessels by offering Brigand's Bay as a safe anchorage from both the fierce weather around Cape Storm and from pirates. However, Blackrock's location in the far southeast corner of the bay did not provide ready access to patrol the western and northern shores.
As a result, pirates soon started basing themselves away from Blackrock to the north and west, tying off their vessels in small streams and inlets, or even pulling them up on the shore. To counter this, one of King Wallace's lieutenants took a detachment set up a base camp on a small island in the northwest corner of the bay. Being on the island was felt to be more secure from wild animals and possible land attack by pirates. The island also provided ready access to seaborne patrols by ship, and a quick ferry ride to the shore allowed their calvary to search further inland.
The second patrol base helped to greatly reduce pirate activity. In addition, the close proximity of a military base on the island encouraged settlers to begin clearing ground on the mainland for farms and pastures. Soon a small village was growing on the site of the present-day Westport. When King Wallace decided to allow his subordinates to claim land and form principalities under his kingdom, this settlement formed the nexus of the new principality of Westland.
About twenty years after the first villages were founded, orcs and goblins began to make raids from the west. It is thought they spotted the smoke or light of campfires from the heights of the western mountains, and eventually decided to come down in raiding parties. Larger and stronger military patrols kept the raiders from presenting too much of a threat; only those settlers pushing back the frontier suffered serious casualties.
About a hundred years ago, the forces of Westland faced their only major threat on their own soil. Three weeks after an attempted assassination of the Wallacian king, a large force of mercenaries landed on the Westland shore about a day's march south of Westport. At the time, Westport had no actual wall or moat to protect it, as the orcs and goblin raiders never got that far east. Because of this, the prince decided to fight the invaders in open battle, and he called up both the militia and the full levy.
As the mercenaries continued to unload their ships and organize their formations, the prince marched south to meet them at a shallow hill between a river and a marsh. This location prevented the enemy calvary from flanking his largely infantry and archer force. When the battle was joined the next day, the mercenaries launched several charges at the levy, but though the levy bent, they did not break. Then when the regulars and militia counter attacked, it was the mercenaries who fell back.
Meanwhile, the prince had loaded his elite infantry, the dragoons, onto a flotilla of longships. They sailed far out into the bay and disappeared into a fog bank, hidden from the view of the shore. They then sailed back to the west and launched a surprise assault on the mercenary base camp and ships, preventing most of the ships from escaping, and trapping the main mercenary force with no supplies. The mercenaries soon surrendered.
The strong performance of the levy in this battle is a source of pride to this day, not just for Westlanders, but for all Wallacians. The account of the battle is often recited as part of the annual harvest festival military exercises in all principalities and in the crown lands.
Agriculture & Industry
The rolling hills and silted lowlands are quite fertile, leading to abundant crops and lush pasture land. As a result, Westland is self-sufficient with regard to food, and actually exports quite a bit, both to other parts of Wallacia and to foreign markets.
The large shoreline with Brigand's Bay offers many small rivers and inlets from which fisherman can launch their small boats. These cast nets into the bay to harvest large numbers of fish. Some fishermen also ply the bay in search of crab, which they catch in submerged traps. A few of the braver fisherman journey out into the deep-water strait outside the bay, seeking larger and more numerous fish there. However, most are content to stay inside the relatively calmer and safer waters of the bay.
Westland has a number of shipwrights, Although these are quite skilled in producing small fishing boats, coastal & riverine longships, and fast schooners, they do not produce the larger sea-going ships preferred for international trade. They can repair these large vessels, but lack the knowledge needed to design and build one from the keel up.
Trade & Transport
The majority of Westland's trade is by water. This includes both sea-going trade with other nations, and riverine trade via smaller vessels throughout the Arle River watershed. River trade is done via both the ubiquitous longship and via keelboat. In addition, some goods coming from further upstream use barges or rafts, as these vessels are cheaper to make and have a shallower draft. Since they cannot easily travel upstream, these vessels are often sold for scrap once they are unloaded.
The longships are also useful for ferrying goods to and from deep-water ships that anchor off-shore. Westport's harbor is not deep enough for largest sea-going ships, but they can still off and onload cargo via such shuttle vessels. The longships are also suitable for trading with the port of Blackwater at the southeast corner of the bay, but are not well-suited to the heavier seas of the strait.
Westland does have an overland trade route to Allenstahd via the Tri-Boar Trail. This is usually more expensive than the Red River route, especially for bulk goods, but can be faster. Also when the river is swollen with flood waters, or running low in late summer, the river route might actually be unavailable.
Taxation
Westland raises a little over half of its tax revenue via tariffs. The highest rates are on goods which pass over the docks in Westport. The maintenance of the docks and associated infrastructure is the justification for the higher rate, but outsiders suspect that the figure is inflated. Lower tariffs are charged on goods transferred directly from one ship to another in the center of the bay away from the harbor. This tariff is ostensibly to pay for the naval anti-pirate forces. Westland collects tariffs on such transfers in the northern half of the bay, while Blackrock is responsible for the lower half. The remainder of Westland revenues come from sources such as land property taxes, licenses for certain types of businesses, and miscellaneous fees.Westland Coat of Arms
Type
Geopolitical, Principality
Capital
Demonym
Westlander, though natives often pronounce it as "Weslaner"
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Market economy
Parent Organization
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
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