Duchy of Ysser
The Duchy of Ysser consists of rolling hills and fields dotted with farms, cattle ranches, and small copses of woods. It is bounded on the west by the Elderwood, the Broken Mountains, and the Old Tors Road, and on the east by the Mons Terminus. Its northern border, by agreement with Reme, runs 50 miles south of the Tradeway. On the south, the border between Ysser and Coutaine has been the subject of dispute, and, on more than one occasion, hostility, for centuries, even though both are vassals of Foere. Though the matter was technically settled in 3011 I.R. by a writ issued by the overking, Ysser came to believe that the royal surveyor who set the border was in fact biased in favor of Coutaine, as it was later discovered that he was a member of the Guild of Cartographers and Explorers based in Cantelburgh. Since that time, the dukes of Ysser have coveted the richer lands of their neighbor to the south and have looked for any opportunity to expand their holdings.
History and People
Ysser was the last of the petty kingdoms about the Star Sea that Macobert conquered before he turned his eyes east to The Plains beyond the March of Mountains. The capital of Tourse finally surrendered to Foere in 2741 I.R. after a two-year siege. The defeated king, his entire family, and the majority of his retainers were promptly executed, and their bodies were left to rot in gibbets hanging in the main city square.
Macobert awarded the newly created Duchy of Ysser to one of his knights, who, while his king was in the east, managed to lose his holdings in a game of chance. Since then, the duchy has passed through the hands of a number of noble families of Foere, with few lasting more than two generations. In this Duke Othon Passur is unusual, as he is the third generation of his family to hold the fiefdom.
Most of the folk of Ysser are Foerdewaith, descendants of the various tribes originally conquered by Macobert. However, its location astride and near trade routes that cross the continent means that many other people are traveling through, and often settling, in the lands of the duchy.
Religion
The oldest temple in Tourse is devoted to the worship of Archeillus, who is the patron of the current duke and his family. In fact, the duke requires all of his vassals to attend services there and has been known to frown upon those showing devotion to other gods. Nevertheless, a substantial temple to Mitra manages to maintain a body of worshippers. Solanus, one of the patron gods of Reme, is greatly disfavored here.
Smaller temples to Belon the Wise, Muir, and Dre’uain the Lame are also in the city, while the folk in the countryside often worship Freya, Mithras, or Mick O’Delving.
Some clerics visiting Tourse have of late returned with concerns about the temple to Archeillus in Tourse. Some of the devotions seem different from those performed elsewhere in Akados, and certain ceremonies are held in secret and only for the greatest nobles of the duchy, away from the sight of those of lesser rank. And the mutual, and near-fanatical, devotion shown by the duke and the clergy of Archeillus to each other seems oddly disturbing. Rumors question whether the priests of Archeillus do in fact honor that god, but any espousing such rumors had best not speak them in front of agents of the duke or they may find themselves in great peril.
Trade and Commerce
Astride the Northern Kingdom Road, the Duchy of Ysser is an important center of trade. Its own resources are a bit more limited. Some of its fields, particularly on the south, boast soil rich enough for farming various grains. A number of well-respected ales and beers are brewed in Ysser. In the north, the soil is less fertile, and in those lands are found ranches with cattle and sheep. Some logging and trapping occur in the portion of the Elderwood that borders the duchy. Ores are mined from the lower slopes of the Mons Terminus, and diamonds can be found in the Broken Mountains, where the mines are held by the Baron Denar Craldan of Vroulet, a vassal of the duke.
Loyalties and Diplomacy
As a loyal vassal of Foere, the dukes of Ysser do not technically engage in diplomacy independent of the overking. This has not, however, actually impeded Ysser from meddling in affairs both domestic and foreign where an advantage can be found.
Of late, with the overking, many other nobles, and nearly all of the Knights of Macobert away campaigning against the Huun, Duke Othon Passur has seen certain new favorable opportunities arise. It is said that agents of the duchy have been seen in the Stoneheart Valley hiring gnolls to attack Waymark troops in service to Bard’s Gate. Already critical to trade along the Northern Kingdom Road, Ysser would be in position to even further enrich itself were the duchy able to gain a foothold on the Tradeway, and dominion over commerce going east and west as well.
Perhaps the only thing more attractive to Duke Othon than incorporating the Tradeway into his demesne would be taking lands from the hated Coutaine to the south. His spies and soldiers probe the border, looking for any opportunity, but so far the watchful Count Eggar le-Gaunt has countered each move. If the authority of the Crown at Courghais is not restored soon, however, the duke may decide to take matters into his own hands and commence open hostility to gain what he wants.
Government
Ruling a palatine duchy of Foere, the duke is sovereign in the lands of Ysser and possesses within its bounds the authority of the overking. As with the rest of Foere, Ysser’s government is feudal, with counts and margraves holding lands as vassals of the dukes. Ysser, however, has fewer such vassals than its peer realms. It is a poorly kept secret that Othon and his predecessors have over the years sought ways to arrange the forfeit of their vassals’ lands, to the enlargement of those held directly by the dukes.
As a result, few of the vassals of Ysser trust their liege, with the dukes ruling by fear rather than love or friendship. Similarly, the dukes have historically appointed magistrates who sit in courts throughout the duchy, with the authority to investigate and dispense justice in the name of the duke independent of the local feudal lords. The duke’s vassals are wary of interfering with a magistrate, unless it can be done without attribution; more than one such vassal has been banished or beheaded, their lands forfeit to the duke.
Military
The dukes of Ysser maintain a sizable body of soldiers loyal only to them, often enhanced by mercenaries or sell-swords bought by the coin gained through the lucrative trade passing through the duchy. While the dukes also have the right to call upon levies from their vassals, the level of distrust between liege and vassal leaves such an action at best uncertain.
Major Threats
There are really no major external threats to Ysser. Both of its neighbors, Waymarch and Coutaine, would much prefer peace with the duchy than hostility. As a result, the greatest danger may in fact be the duke’s ambition and whatever mysterious plans may be motivating the priests of Archeillus in Tourse. Additionally, though Othon has been deft at maintaining fear among his vassals, were he to show weakness or take a sufficiently outrageous action, a rebellion or assassination attempt is not entirely out of the question.
Region
Duchy of Ysser
Parent Organization
Controlled Territories
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