Varde Baruntacht
Along the river lands within the central regions of the Foljeim Province, encompassing the lands along the southern edges of the Glass-Spear Peaks, the mineral rich highland cliffs, the valuable slate quarries of the eastern regions along the edges of the glacial mountain range, along with the quality limestone bedrock along the southern sections of this stretch of the Tiber River, this estate is a stone and brick production center. However the same cannot be said of Vardon, its principal settlement and seat of power in the region. The Varde clan do not mine nor quarry, directly, nor are they smiths, or artisans of any kind, nor bankers. They are truly old money, and their wealth comes from a long and complex web of financier status. Their holdings are not limited to their estate or even the Foljeim Province. In the complexities of accounting and book-keeping, if one were to explore a great many books for a wide variety of companies within Suranth, and even a few in Depenwood and Raechin? A deep dive would likely reveal some small, but notable percentage ownership and interest tied to the Varde clan directly. Besides this, Vardon is also the city in which one will find the region's mint, that is the production facility for national currency, one of three such government run facilities in all Suranth. Another is housed in Geata-Iarainn of course and the third is housed in Bruachthoir, within the Icevale Province. So given this fact, the Varde Baruntacht actually, despite its small population, has a measurable and important amount of regional political pull, nearly as much as Moss Bay herself in many ways. Because of this fact, Lady Protectorate Kassandra has always made it a key and important point to keep a good relationship with Fiolag Durmi Grigormac Varde, just as her father before her did.
Wandering the lands here, an immediate oddity one will likely note, which is shared by the Tolvar Baruntacht, the neighboring estate to the south, and one that is being politically worked towards being corrected, is the complete and utter lack of connection to the rail system. This is a purely capital and political will based issue, one of economics and the will to invest the political and fiscal capital to do it, especially in the highlands, where your options are diverting massively to swing around and in from the south to avoid the cliffs, alter the terrain and create a man made hill to lay track up the cliffs, or to attempt to navigate the Glass-Spear Peaks from further north to connect the region that way. None are ideal choices, logistically speaking, and they all have their own political disadvantages and distastes that would come attached, along with large investments of capital, manpower and material that would be required.
Wandering the lands here, an immediate oddity one will likely note, which is shared by the Tolvar Baruntacht, the neighboring estate to the south, and one that is being politically worked towards being corrected, is the complete and utter lack of connection to the rail system. This is a purely capital and political will based issue, one of economics and the will to invest the political and fiscal capital to do it, especially in the highlands, where your options are diverting massively to swing around and in from the south to avoid the cliffs, alter the terrain and create a man made hill to lay track up the cliffs, or to attempt to navigate the Glass-Spear Peaks from further north to connect the region that way. None are ideal choices, logistically speaking, and they all have their own political disadvantages and distastes that would come attached, along with large investments of capital, manpower and material that would be required.
Geography
GEOGRAPIC LOCATIONS OF IMPORTANCE:
Shard River: This river gets its name for the fact that it often will have ice floes no matter the time of year, it is treacherous at best to sail. It is a feeder river for the River Glace and is only separate for less than two hundred kilometers of distance before joining the larger regional river. It is a fast flowing river, cold and treacherous.
Icicle River: This river gets its name not really for anything directly to do with the river itself, more to do with the cliffs and caves all along it, which are quite consistently heavily covered in icicles all about the mouths of those holes and cavern entrances. It is known as a dangerous place, the river valley and the many caverns a prime area for various greenskin tribes and bands to make their home.
CITIES/TOWNS:
Vardon (7491): The regional capital, as one would put it, the seat of the Varde Clan, the location of their clanhold, this large town is the center of business for the region, most mining and quarrying operations and companies keeping their offices here, whilst their physical operations are handled on location, where ever that may be. Here one will also find an arm of the Suranthi Mint, an odd place for it compared to where the other two facilities are within the country, yet with no small amount of diplomacy (and bribery to hear most tell it), the location was chosen. The office has been operational for about five decades, and though mostly only producing copper and silver coinage in their various increments; (single, quarter value of next step, half value of next step. So for example, a single copper star, a copper quarter *3 copper stars or 1/4 of a silver moon*, or a Copper half moon *worth six copper stars, or exactly 1/2 a silver moon. Silver coins are made in similar increments, that is you have single silver moons, along with Silver Sunsets worth 6 silver moons, and what are known as Silver Sunrises which are worth 12 silver moons, or in other words 1/2 of a Gold Sun*) This office is responsible for minting about a sixth of the nation's coinage, with Geata-Iarainn minting about half, and the rest handled by the Bruachthoir facilities. Besides this Vardon is known as an nest of investors, a reputation well earned. Many of the rich and wealthy here are not business owners, nor are they old money, nor even mercantile successful/successors. No many here are a different kind of wealthy, a capital estate kind of wealthy, an investor kind of wealthy, where they measure their wealth not just in coin or full ownership of businesses, but in investments and dividends, a relatively new age concept, a little less than two centuries old, but one that has quickly, almost as rapidly as locomotion and aeronautics, taken off all across Valerick.
Slate Point (5843): This large and well fortified town gets its name and economic pull from the large slate quarry it is built overlooking to the north of it, the stone quarried here known to be of fine and solid quality, an excellent and sought after building material, and a staple of the town's economic structure. It is also a military settlement, given how close to the edge of the Glass-Spear Peaks, and the regions just east of it are dotted with small watch-towers and garrison postings, basically bunkers, all to keep an eye to the east, and address any threats that come from the glacial mountain range.
Stonewell (5112): This town is another quarrying settlement, one that works the lowland shelf for limestone just to the east of their own walls and outwards, to great success. Similarly to Slate Point, the stone is a favored building material, for ground into powder and mixed with sand and water, it creates a strong mortar like grout compound for brick work. Used in the stonework for well construction and as a gravel covering and screening for city aquifers, it allows rainwater to flow freely into the reservoirs. It is also an excellent gravel stone for roads, allowing water to pass through, so it doesn't bog down, but is good and compactable, allowing a fine finish over time, not staying super loose, but packing down into a fine road over time and traffic. Between all this it is a material in demand, and the limestone quarried from Stonewell and the surrounding area is known to be some of the most consistent and best to work with.
Shard River: This river gets its name for the fact that it often will have ice floes no matter the time of year, it is treacherous at best to sail. It is a feeder river for the River Glace and is only separate for less than two hundred kilometers of distance before joining the larger regional river. It is a fast flowing river, cold and treacherous.
Icicle River: This river gets its name not really for anything directly to do with the river itself, more to do with the cliffs and caves all along it, which are quite consistently heavily covered in icicles all about the mouths of those holes and cavern entrances. It is known as a dangerous place, the river valley and the many caverns a prime area for various greenskin tribes and bands to make their home.
CITIES/TOWNS:
Vardon (7491): The regional capital, as one would put it, the seat of the Varde Clan, the location of their clanhold, this large town is the center of business for the region, most mining and quarrying operations and companies keeping their offices here, whilst their physical operations are handled on location, where ever that may be. Here one will also find an arm of the Suranthi Mint, an odd place for it compared to where the other two facilities are within the country, yet with no small amount of diplomacy (and bribery to hear most tell it), the location was chosen. The office has been operational for about five decades, and though mostly only producing copper and silver coinage in their various increments; (single, quarter value of next step, half value of next step. So for example, a single copper star, a copper quarter *3 copper stars or 1/4 of a silver moon*, or a Copper half moon *worth six copper stars, or exactly 1/2 a silver moon. Silver coins are made in similar increments, that is you have single silver moons, along with Silver Sunsets worth 6 silver moons, and what are known as Silver Sunrises which are worth 12 silver moons, or in other words 1/2 of a Gold Sun*) This office is responsible for minting about a sixth of the nation's coinage, with Geata-Iarainn minting about half, and the rest handled by the Bruachthoir facilities. Besides this Vardon is known as an nest of investors, a reputation well earned. Many of the rich and wealthy here are not business owners, nor are they old money, nor even mercantile successful/successors. No many here are a different kind of wealthy, a capital estate kind of wealthy, an investor kind of wealthy, where they measure their wealth not just in coin or full ownership of businesses, but in investments and dividends, a relatively new age concept, a little less than two centuries old, but one that has quickly, almost as rapidly as locomotion and aeronautics, taken off all across Valerick.
Slate Point (5843): This large and well fortified town gets its name and economic pull from the large slate quarry it is built overlooking to the north of it, the stone quarried here known to be of fine and solid quality, an excellent and sought after building material, and a staple of the town's economic structure. It is also a military settlement, given how close to the edge of the Glass-Spear Peaks, and the regions just east of it are dotted with small watch-towers and garrison postings, basically bunkers, all to keep an eye to the east, and address any threats that come from the glacial mountain range.
Stonewell (5112): This town is another quarrying settlement, one that works the lowland shelf for limestone just to the east of their own walls and outwards, to great success. Similarly to Slate Point, the stone is a favored building material, for ground into powder and mixed with sand and water, it creates a strong mortar like grout compound for brick work. Used in the stonework for well construction and as a gravel covering and screening for city aquifers, it allows rainwater to flow freely into the reservoirs. It is also an excellent gravel stone for roads, allowing water to pass through, so it doesn't bog down, but is good and compactable, allowing a fine finish over time, not staying super loose, but packing down into a fine road over time and traffic. Between all this it is a material in demand, and the limestone quarried from Stonewell and the surrounding area is known to be some of the most consistent and best to work with.
Maps
-
Varde Baruntacht
The map detailing the settlements and lands under the dominion and responsibility of the Varde Baruntacht Estate, and whomever holds the position and title of Fiolag in the region.
Type
Territory
Owner/Ruler
Ruling/Owning Rank
Owning Organization
Comments