Matagost Peninsula
The Matagost Peninsula protrudes like the blade of a cleaver from the eastern side of Akados, stretching almost all the way to Ramthion Island where the dark Dardanal Strait marks its easternmost point. The Matagost Range bounds its southern flank while the northern shore looks out upon Pontos Island and the Gulf of Akados far to the north. The discovery of vast iron lodes in the mountains led to its current state as a leading fabricator and exporter of ironwork. This is the position it now holds in the Empire of Oceanus, the latest sovereign to control the lands of the peninsula. No longer a great forest, Matagost is lightly wooded for much of its length and provides firewood along with coal mined from the mountains to light the forge fires of Highsmyth.
History and People
In the days of Hyperborea, the Province of Matagost long sought to be a shipping capital but was always eclipsed by Tsen and its holdings to the north. With the destruction of that land and the emergence of Endhome as a trade center, Matagost was relegated to a military status to protect against Ramithi pirates and other threats. Over time, it developed into a self-sufficient province in its own right through its emergence as a center for ironwork.
After the fall of Hyperborea, Matagost was absorbed into the burgeoning Kingdom of Foere in 2745 I.R. Over time, the appointed lord-governors in Oestre gained some slightly greater standing as Ramthion Island was brought into the kingdom and Matagost came to serve as a hub for what limited travel existed between Courghais and that distant province.
When the Kingdom of Oceanus rebelled against Foere in 3215 I.R., the Foerdewaith fleet gathered at the great sea fortress of Highreach to crush the rebellion. However, after Oceanus soundly defeated the Foerdewaith navy at the Battle of Kapichi Point, Matagost found itself in a precarious position as neighbor to a growing naval empire and without the military support of its own distant master. Nevertheless, Matagost chose to stay the course and maintained its allegiance to the Court at Courghais. They benefited from Oceanus being occupied by other, greater threats and managed to marshal their own defenses.
When the Province of Burgundia declared its independence from Foere in 3221 I.R., the magnate of Oestre, the ruler of Matagost Province, marched on Trevi. His route through the Moon Fog Hills avoided detection, and he was able to lay siege to the city before the Burgundian army reached him. Now forced to defend a huge area against a possible invasion from Foere, the Burgundian army had insufficient forces to break the army of Matagost at Trevi. The city and both armies settled in to what would become a long siege.
In 3222 I.R., the province of Suilley seceded from Foere, and in 3224 I.R. the magnate of Penmorgh was assassinated, and the province of Southvale became a duchy of Burgundy. In response to this new uprising, the magnate of Oestre landed an army loyal to Foere south of Wellesley and marched on Penmorgh. His army outnumbered the forces holding Penmorgh, but the magnate of Oestre had not reckoned on the numbers and training of the peasants who arose from the countryside to harass them nor the heavy infantry provided by the dwarves of Durandel. The army of Matagost soon found itself outnumbered and caught in unfavorable terrain. The army was routed and forced to retreat to the coast to be picked up by the ships that had transported it.
With Matagost reeling from its sudden defeat, the new duke of Southvale took the initiative and marched his now-blooded army up the Southvale Causeway toward Trevi. These reinforcements, combined with the surrounding army of Burgundia, broke the siege of Trevi and routed the Matagost host. At the same time, word came that ships carrying survivors of Matagost’s southern army encountered a storm in Dardanal Strait and many had gone down, including the one carrying the magnate of Oestre. Pandemonium immediately engulfed the Matagost Peninsula. A new lord-governor appointed by the overking was murdered in his chair when he convened a council of the leading families. Though many of the lords of Oestre were rich and powerful, none was capable of defeating all of his rivals and exerting power over the entire peninsula, which resulted in a bloody civil war that lasted for more than eight decades.
Finally, in 3312 I.R., a fleet of ships came silently out of a night fog and landed on the shores of Matagost. Oceander marines stormed ashore and quickly took Highreach while transport ships deployed infantry and cavalry units. In only a matter of weeks, Oceander units swept through the war-torn remnants of the peninsula and brought its civil war to a screeching halt. The banner of Oceanus was raised over Oestre, and the maritime empire had its first mainland holding. Matagost’s massive foundries now produce the weapons and armor for the Oceander war machine, and its cities are the staging point for its continental land armies.
In ages past, the peninsula was heavily forested and inhabited by elves. Hundreds of generations of timbering and the great fires of Curgantium did much to clear its lands, but they have recovered significantly over the years. Some high elves still call Matagost home, though most live in the more sparsely populated areas where the trees grow thickest among the foothills of the mountains. These elves are friendly with the lowland humans and their Oceander masters. They avoid the filth and soot of Highsmyth but are commonly seen in Oestre and frequently serve as guides and hunters for travelers or caravans headed for the dwarven mines in the mountains.
The population of the Matagost Peninsula is composed primarily of native Foerdewaith stock, many with the blood of the Heldring in them from their invasions of long ago, but there are also many folk of Oceanus (also Foerdewaith but with the olive skin common to the natives of that island) who have relocated here to find their fortunes since the peninsula fell under Oceander control.
Religion
The Piedmont of the city of Oestre serves as the location of the marble-columned chief temple of the peninsula. It has venerated many deities over the years, but switched from the soldier god Mithras to Sefagreth, God of Commerce, by order of the governor-general 13 years ago in order to promote the prosperity of trade over Matagost after the long specter of war that it faced for so long. With so many military forces present in the peninsula, however, Mithras remains extremely popular, along with Tykee, the Patroness of Luck. Dre’uain the Lame is likewise widely venerated, especially in the forge-city of Highsmyth. The courts of law are still dedicated to Thyr, but his presence has faded greatly from the old days. Rumors of cults of diabolical or demonic influence in Oestre have circulated for centuries, but to date no evidence of such has ever been discovered by the authorities. Lack of proof, however, hasn’t kept the rumors from continuing to swirl.
Trade and Commerce
Matagostian timber builds and maintains the Oceanic fleet at Highreach and beyond, while coal from the Matagost Range feeds the forge fires in Highsmyth. The many forges and foundries in Highsmyth create a constant racket at all hours of the day and night as they produce the armor and weapons needed to feed the expansion of the Oceander Empire.
Loyalties and Diplomacy
The Matagost Peninsula is an occupied land. Long a province of Foere, it suffered over eight decades of civil war before the Oceanders conquered the area 200 years ago. While some of the old families continue to resent the Oceander occupation, they recognize the stability and peace that it has brought and make no move to rise in rebellion against the lord of Pontus Tinigal. While the native folk of Matagost harbor no great love for the Oceanders, they elect to make no trouble for them either — and not entirely because of the proficiency and ruthlessness of the Oceanic forces that control their lands. Besides, with the effective disintegration of Burgundia, rival claims to the lucrative mines of the Moon Fog Hills have evaporated, and the avarice of Matagostian aristocrats inclines them to cooperate with their Oceanic overlords with the prospect of greater riches on the horizon.
Government
The mayor of Oestre is the highest-ranking civilian on the peninsula, but it is the military governor-general appointed by Oceanus who resides in the Lord’s Palace and rules Matagost as a military dictatorship. The governor-general appoints mayors of Oestre and Highsmyth (often from among the Oceander gentry), and the smaller towns and villages are allowed to elect or appoint their own mayors or headmen, though these must answer to regional correctors appointed by the governor-general who serve as magistrates and auditors of the local municipalities under their authority. There is little unrest among the Matagostian population, but the ever-present Oceanic soldiers and marines means any such troubles that do arise are put down quickly and brutally.
Military
Matagost has no real military of its own beyond the household guards of the more powerful aristocratic families, primarily found in Oestre. However, the land remains highly militarized as a military dictatorship with Oceanic troops keeping and maintaining order and a watchful presence over the land. The main concentration of troops consists of 5,000 Oceanic marines kept in a constant state of readiness at the ancient fortress of Highreach. At any time, scores of Oceanic naval vessels and crews are present as well, all kept on hand and ready to depart at a moment’s notice to address some threat to the empire anywhere in the world. The rest of the forces found in Matagost are the 3,500 soldiers and light cavalry primarily billeted in Oestre and Highsmyth and charged with keeping the peace upon the peninsula. Some few patrols make their way down the Soldier’s Road west of Oestre to scout the western reaches, but most remain more centrally located.
Major Threats
The Matagost Peninsula enjoys a sort of wary peace. In many ways, the civil wars of 200 years ago exhausted its stores of violence. The Oceanic occupation is well-ordered, and the enemies of Oceanus lie far away, leaving Matagost a region of little national intrigue. There remain giants and goblinoids in the Matagost Range, and the mysterious depths of the Dardanal Strait continue to spawn weird ichthyic threats, but these offer little overt threat as a whole. Even the barbaric tribes of the Moon Fog Hills and ravenous gnolls of the Sand Hills seem little disposed toward being more than an occasional nuisance nipping at the borders of the realm.
Wilderness and Adventure
The thin veneer of calm over the peninsula hides a land ripe for adventure. Giants and goblins still control major parts of the Matagost Range, and rumors of gray dwarves and vengeful restlessness among the mountain dwarf clans themselves have been heard of late. Slimy, scaly things crawling up from the eastern and southern coasts point toward untold dangers hidden in the briny deeps of the Dardanal Strait and Matagost Bay, and the mysterious Moon Fog Hills remain able to swallow entire companies of soldiers in their silent embrace, leaving no trace but the dripping leaves in the fog-shrouded Mistwood.
Region
Matagost Peninsula
Controlled Territories
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