County of Vourdon
The County of Vourdon is a vassal state of the overking in Foere, with a great deal of independence from the distant rule of Courghais. It is a peaceful and productive land that enjoys good diplomatic and trade relations with its neighbors on either side of the March of Mountains.
Vourdon extends through the gap between the Meridian and Rampart ranges, from the verge of the Shadrack Forest (just west of Shullcross) to approximately 100 miles east of Olaric, 100 miles north of Olaric, and 150 miles south of Olaric.
History and People
The County of Vourdon was established by decree of the overking in the year 2822 I.R., thus incorporating a region that had been a largely ungoverned expanse since the days of Hyperborea that lay between the Kingdom of Foere and the outlying Province of Suilley. Lords and barons with their bloodlines dating back to the Hyperborean Age were required to pledge fealty to the new count, whose seat of government would be Caer Sferic near the thriving market town of Olaric. When the Archmage Quaoule destroyed Caer Sferic in a fit of pique, the count’s surviving retainers brought the Throne of Harts to the town of Olaric itself, eventually building the Comital Palace to house it properly. In default of living heirs to the countship, the overking appointed a new great house to the position, and so began the still-surviving dynasty of the House of Rhombard.
During the Fiend Rains of 3439 I.R., Vourdon was subjected to massive flooding, its rivers becoming deluges and its lower-lying pastures becoming stagnant lakes. Unlike the catastrophic failure in Toullen, the County of Vourdon, under the leadership of Count Lorn of House Rhombard, responded immediately to the catastrophe. All the great mages of the county were summoned to Olaric to hear the Edict of Rains, which ordered them to different tasks in accordance with their capabilities, knowledge, and prestige. By means of great magicks and an unprecedented level of cooperation, the mages excavated a number of deep weirs along the March of Mountains, raised ramparts and dikes around many of the larger towns, and bound earth elementals to the task of cutting massive drainage canals to channel the mountain runoff down to the lower-lying regions of Suilley and Keston. The wizards Thylimeles, Fernijan, and Xolobar worked together (reportedly using lost secrets of Alycthron and Margon) to raise the city of Olaric itself to an altitude 10 feet higher than its original standing. All but the owners of the numerous collapsed buildings considered this a small price to pay for such security. The mages also created great terraces carved from the mountain rock east of the capital (using the same unknown magic) to stop rockslides and to abate surges of water during the heaviest rain.
Due to this orderly and expansive reaction to the flooding, the Fiend Rains affected Vourdon considerably less than they damaged the surrounding regions. Some of the canals are still in use and connect towns by waterway. The artificial mountain terraces are now home to fertile vineyards that produce the mediocre vintages of wine for which Olaric is justifiably not famous but sells in great quantity across the continent to establishments and wine cellars less interested in quality and more interested in price and availability.
In the year 3222 I.R., when the lord-governor of Suilley declared himself to be an independent monarch, the count of Vourdon declined the over¬king’s demand to send troops against the rebellious new kingdom, citing obscure matters of feudal law. As a result, diplomatic relations between the County of Vourdon and the Kingdom of Suilley have always been friendly and amicable.
Vourdon has not suffered excessively from the retreat of Foere’s influence, although the demands of the overking are increasing as his tax base and military power wane. Large numbers of troops have been requested, although so far the count has avoided sending more than the bare minimum. The tax burden is a bit more serious and causes consternation among the nobles. Thus far, the county’s status as an independent vassal has allowed it to dodge or reduce several tax levies, but demands from the Court of Courghais are becoming more strident and threatening.
At the same time, diplomatic overtures from the Kingdom of Suilley continue, offering potentially enormous benefits to the county if it were to throw off the reins of Foere and offer its fealty to the Suilleyn king. The concern, however, is that even as weak as the Kingdom of Foere has become, it could still potentially overwhelm Vourdon before any help could arrive from Suilley. The County of Vourdon is no warrior nation, much as its knights believe otherwise, and its peaceful lands provide a desperately needed flow of gold and food into the Foerdewaith heartlands. The count is justifiably concerned that if Vourdon shifted its allegiance, Foere might not just accept the situation as it did with the secessions of Keston Province and the County of Toullen. War would be a definite possibility, and Vourdon is not prepared for such a conflict. Even more vexing, if Suilley’s power continues to expand, while that of Foere weakens, the friendly persuasions of the king of Suilley might change their tone into demands or threats.
Caught between kingdoms, given choices of an increasingly demanding overlord, the potential of ruinous war against that overlord, or possibly waiting too late to join with Suilley on good terms, the count of Vourdon bides his time. With good luck, some new event will arise to give him better leverage against the demands of the overking. With bad luck, some new event may force his hand and require him to rush to Suilley, risking bloody retribution from Foere.
Trade and Commerce
The County of Vourdon is an exclusively agricultural region and initi¬ates very little trade beyond its borders other than linen, bad wine, bran¬dy, and small quantities of flax oil. A number of merchant caravans pass through Olaric on the way into and out of Foere along the South County Road, which is a safe and pleasant route. The length of the road from Olaric to Shullcross, while very hilly, is a pleasant journey, lined with fields of flax that turn into a sea of blue during the flowering season. Or¬chards cover the hillsides, and great terraces carved into the mountains are overburdened with the yellow grapes of Vourdon. Fortified stone chateaux may be seen in the distance, usually on hilltops from which the owner can look over the lands and farms of the fiefdom.
Olaric and Shullcross are below the highland gap between the Rampart Mountains and the Meridians. Shullcross is a lumbering town, and Olaric is surrounded by fields of golden wheat. Other than farming, Olaric’s main industries are manufacturing linen from flax, selling bar¬rels of “cask-quality” wine, and distilling brandy. Distillation in Olaric is a primitive process of mixing grain alcohol into wine, then distilling the mixture. The brandy is consumed in sailors’ taverns and questionable dives across the provinces, just as the wine is imbibed in the manors of impoverished knights and the houses of miserly merchants.
The linen industry in Olaric produces fabrics with a wide variety of quality, some of which are suitable to be worn by kings. The lowest-qual¬ity flax fibers are woven into rope and twine, and the long ropewalk in Olaric is always a hive of activity.
Loyalties and Diplomacy
The County of Vourdon is an independent feudal state, subject to the overking of Foere.
Diplomatic relations with the adjacent Kingdom of Suilley are extreme¬ly good, partially based on the fact that Vourdon never attacked Suilley during Suilley’s war of secession, but also due to trade along the South County Road directly between the capitals, and the general sense that the two realms are quite similar in culture and outlook.
The King of Suilley constantly attempts to woo the count of Vourdon into switching his allegiance from Foere to Suilley, making lucrative trade agreements and bestowing gifts. Thus far, all diplomatic efforts in this regard have failed, albeit very cordially. Vourdon’s status as an inde¬pendent feudal realm under Foere’s protection is a comfortable situation for the counts of Vourdon, and they have seen no need to go through the turmoil of changing fealty.
Of late, however, Foere has made some onerous demands upon the county, calling up a number of troops to join the overking’s army and levying several new taxes. If the trend continues, too many demands from Foere might certainly cause the count to rethink his current loyalties.
Government
The countship of Vourdon is a hereditary title currently held by Count Peilorth Rhombard, second of his name. Below the rank of count, the country has high barons as in Toullen, with barons below the high barons and knights below the barons. The count of Vourdon has only five high bar¬ons in his council, which means that those nobles exert considerable power in the country. On one occasion, four of the high barons threatened a civil war if the count enacted a particular law, which forced the count to withdraw the proposal.
Wilderness and Adventure
Vourdon is safe enough that wandering the villages looking for adventure yields relatively poor results, although there are always small groups of bandits to chase and the occasional predator from the adjoining mountain ranges. Most adventurers in the country are drawn to the mountain terraces, for when these were carved from the mountainsides, some few of them revealed ancient catacombs that had been underground until the removal of countless tons of rock. There are not many of these, but a few expeditions into some discovered that many of the passageways are of worked stone, their origins completely unknown. Moreover, they are home to a number of dangerous predators and contain ancient treasures. Little organized exploration of these catacombs has been attempted; their terraces are left unfarmed, and the folk of the mountainsides avoid them. It is possible that some of these catacombs are the source of predators that emerge from the mountains, although the high peaks of the mountains certainly house a variety of fell beasts.
Region
County of Vourdon
Parent Organization
Controlled Territories
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