Prengrunan
Ruled by an Earl and his feudal lords, the March is located in Studpreox between two rivers on the east and west, with the Sostaut Sea to the south. It is a center for trade and commerce. With all major inter regional land routes passing through its borders, it is historically a wealthy nation. Though a recent generations long famine forced them to reevaluate priorities, they are recovering both economically and militaristically.
Structure
| Court Rank | Army Rank | Etiquette | Church Rank | Etiquette | Circle Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earl | Cavalier | Noble Lordship | |||
| Count | Commander | Most Glorious Sir | Mother/ High Priest | High Eminence | |
| Viscount | Banneret | Right Glorious Sir | Matron/ Priest | Eminence | Arch Druid |
| Thane | Companion | Glorious Sir | Maiden/ Under Priest | Most Learned Lady/ Sir | Druid/ Oathbound |
| Landman | Bachelor | Great Sir | Senior Sister/ Brother | Right Learned Lady/ Sir | Fili |
| Marchman | Squire | Sir | Sister/ Brother | Learned Lady/ Sir | Ovate |
| Freeman | Master | Initiate | Bard | ||
| Serf | |||||
| Bandsman |
Public Agenda
To maintain and protect its citizens and holdings from famine, fire, flood, disease, and invasion. Pave, repair, and secure roads from bandits. Dig wells and sewage/ drainage ditches. Build, maintain, and secure bridges and ports. Provide courts for high and low justice. Maintain birth and death records for citizen rolls. Enforce construction standards on homes. Ensure doctors and priests make their rounds. Ensure skilled labor jobs are filled (carpenter, smith, weaver, glazer, etc.) Provide wind, tread, and water mills.
Assets
Sapphire and Ruby mines are the most lucrative asset they have. With a stretch of small castles, no more than three days walk apart, to protect the whole region. Pearls are collected from the beaches and northern hardwood abounds. Their large open plains are home to the greatest herd of horses in the land.
Demography and Population
The vast majority of the population are peasants producing food. Great plains stretch across this land, making for extremely fertile farmland. The mountains and hills are home to herds of sheep and goats, with pigs and cows in the towns, and fishermen along the rivers. There are a few Einjar artisans and herdsmen among the predominantly Arres population. Murasan are known to inhabit the major cities in the sewer systems.
Territories
A vast plain rimmed with mountains and hills to the north, east, and west. More plains extend to the southeast. A great river with several tributaries runs from west to east down the center. The south borders the Sostaut Sea.
Military
This County fields an Army of mostly spearmen and cavalry, with small amounts of bowmen in light to medium armor from the peasant ranks, led by knights in heavy armor. Their nobles and merchant classes provide the cavalry from their personal guard. Horses abound and can be found on massive estates whose sole purpose is breeding. Each Count is expected to raise a full battalion in times of war.
Religion
The majority of residents within the County follow the Church of the Great Mother, though the Einjar who reside within still keep to the Druid Circle and have even converted others to their faith. Einjar Oathbound and Bards can be seen roaming the countryside. The Ban Fellowship have a strong hold in the major cities.
Foreign Relations
Agriculture & Industry
Great farming estates produce oats, maize, barley, and various other grains. Brown and broad beans, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, yams, beets, melons, purple grapes, hot peppers, and more feed this region and the neighboring ones. Flax made linens are popular and produced at large scale. This is the breadbasket of the Arres people.
Trade & Transport
Trade routes follow the river southeast and go by land northwest. River ships capable of carrying several tons make their way down river, while wagon trains make the return trip as merchants take their goods to market. Once at the mouth of the river at the Sostaut Sea a merchant can continue on ship along the coast in either direction. To go out to the many islands of the sea a different ship is required. Land routes exist to go both east and west.
Education
The quality of education varies from place to place, but in all areas students are learning at the age of 7. This is true for both boys and girls. Where they learn is what varies. The wealthy send their sons to the high courts and their daughters to the sisterhood of the great mother. The poor mostly rely on the church, they teach academics Monday through Friday mornings and religious studies on Sundays after mass. Until the age of 14 they learn the basics of language and etiquette. After which point they can choose a career path.
At age 14 some students begin the studies of higher learning, starting with the liberal arts. Most major cities have universities and many monasteries offer similar programs. Firstly they learn the trivium of grammar, logic, and rhetoric. They learn the knowledge of things, an understanding of those things, and finally to express ones views on those things. After completing this three year course a student is granted a bachelors degree. Then they learn the quadrivium of arithmetic, geometry, harmonics, and astronomy. This is to learn numbers in the abstract, numbers as they relate to physical space, numbers as they relate to time, and numbers as they relate to both space and time (motion). After this four year course a student is granted a masters degree.
The practical arts are only taught in specific academies or by masters in guilds. Law, medicine, and war are taught at city Universities. Sartrix are trained at the Ivory Tower. And every major city has guilds regulating certain industries. The most common and most powerful are masonry, carpentry, glazing, and smithing. Every profession can be governed by the guilds if there are enough of them in an area. One can begin their formal training at the age of 14, with nothing more than a formal education in language and etiquette.
The creative arts are taught by masters on a one on one basis, these studies are reserved for those with a wealthy parent or patron. The poor can be taken in by a master if they have great talent. The leading fields are carved and painted walls and statues, epic poems and ballads, and carved pots and tools. The younger one starts, the better.
The performing arts are taught by masters in a classroom setting, these studies are most commonly left to the freemen. Anyone who can afford the fees are welcome. Acting, singing, and playing instruments are the highest forms of the art. Juggling, acrobatics, and the like are viewed as lesser and require less of a financial commitment to learn. The younger one starts, the better.
Infrastructure
The County has a paved road crossing its entirety to facilitate the movement of goods. Walled cities dot the river with protected docks and harbors and remote castle towns protect the frontier. There are several major bridges operated by the County to protect river crossing, water mills along the river, aqueducts to bring water to the major cities too far from the shore and sewers to dispose of the water after. And wells and drainage ditches for those with no river access. The courts exist for both high and low justice, to maintain birth and death records, catch counterfeiters, and provide secure fairgrounds.
Founding Date
Year 1083 of the 7th Age.
Type
Geopolitical, County / March
Demonym
Grunier
Government System
Monarchy, Crowned Republic
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Mixed economy
Currency
The Femun is their official coinage and accepted in all the lands in Studpreox. There are four denominations regardless of material: usually bronze, copper, silver, and gold. The femun (1), lifemun (2), clearfemun (3), and cofemun (4). Each has the scepter of rondes stamped on it.
Major Exports
Much is sent out to feed the people of Adinerado and the Grand Duchy of Fortunado. The bulk of the foodstuffs is wheat, oat, and barley. Figs, olives, plums, grapes, gooseberries, pears, carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, broccoli, horseradish, asparagus, various onions, and spinach too. Shark and whale come in from the sea, and all manner of exotic birds. Sapphires, rubies, and pearls go at high cost.
Major Imports
Wool comes as both clothing and armor. Staves used to make their spears come from the north east and the west.
Executive Body
The Earl writes all the laws of the land and the Counts vote on them. Magistrates are appointed to provincial courts to adjudicate the laws of their rulers. They adjudicate High crimes punishable by serfdom, mutilation, confinement, or death. Lower courts adjudicate Low crimes punishable by fines, serfdom, or mutilation. If a noble is brought to court, they face the Earl or his appointed magistrate. The local nobles enforce the law within their own domains and the Earl sends his Constables to ensure that they do so.
Official Languages
Related Traditions
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Species
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