The Vuurfelde (The Firefields)

The Vuurfelde (pronounced FU-ER-felt-uh) is the second largest of the eight geographic regions in Kredashmi (pro. Kre-DASH-me), which in turn is the third largest country that makes up the Saeric Lands. Since 17 SGC, Kredashmi has been a territory of the Raskvaerii Empire, and thus the political and adiministrative nature of the Vuurfelde has changed dramatically in the last 235 years. With the exception of Karrkiy Podkhod (the Karr's Approach), the Vuurfelde and the other six administrative regions cover roughly the same geographic areas as Kredashmi's former clan territories.

Following the Raskvaerii Policy of Empire, the hierarchical clan structure was replaced with a peerage sytem based on the traditional one used in Raskvaeric. The hereditary clan häuptlinge (chieftan) was replaced by the title of Earl, to reflect the important status of the regional landowners of non-royal blood. The first Earl of the Vuurfelde was Ulrich Dunheuvelin (pro. DUN-hoy-fel-in). The present holder is Ludwig Dunheuvelin, 4th Earl of the Vuurfelde and the Eerste Regte (First Judge) of Kredashmi.

Geography

The central expanse of Kredashmi is called the Vrugbare Vlaktes (pro. Fr-UH-bar-eh FLAK-tuhs), or 'the Fertile Plains.' These plains follow the path of the Lourlis River, intersecting several adiminstrative regions, including the Vuurfelde. Despite being the second largest region in the country, the Vrugbare Vlaktes only intersect with the Vuurfelde for 19 miles (30 km), meaning that arable farmland is limited. The great percentage of the Vuurfelde is moorland. Close to the Vrugbare Vlaktes, there is a great deal of biodiversity.

The main city in the Vuurfelde is Alahnis, some 60 miles (96.5 km) from the capital of Rykfontein. It is situated on the edge of the Vrugbare Vlaktes, and is the administrative heart of the region.
Approximately 20 miles (32 km) to the southeast of Alahnis is the ancestral home of the Dunheuvelin clan, Draakhohen Castle. The castle overlooks the town of Draakskaduwee (pron. DRAAK-sca-duh-vee-ah), which is home to most of the castle's servants, guards and their families.

The Vrugbare Vlaktes by Douglas Williams

The next nearest town to Draakhohen Castle at 6.6 miles (9.6 km), is Volendarn, followed by the village of Boerhaaven at 8.6 miles (13.8 km).The largest body of water on the Vuurfelde is Lake Irriley, which has become a quasi-religious site in recent years and an unofficial site of pilgrimage.

The Vuurfelde by Niklas Weiss

Fauna & Flora

Close to the Vrugbare Vlaktes, there is a great deal of biodiversity. This lush grassland gives way to rough upland grazing as one nears the village of Boerhaaven, which is primarily a settlement of livestock farmers. Farmers do not use fences to mark their grazing territory, opting instead to dig deep, continuous ditches around their gazing sites. As these ditches have to be wide enough to prevent animal escapes, farmers hammer large wooden poles into the ditches to use as stepping poles. The ditches often become waterclogged, leading to the growth of ditchwater mushrooms. When dried, these brown-speckled fungi can be smoked for their hallucinogenic qualities. Although still considered a recreational passtime of the peasantry, its use has started to be seen more frequently amongst the younger generation of the merchantile class in Rykfontein.

In the immediate vicinity of Draakhohen Castle and heading northeast towards the Gehuilvelde, the moorland is covered in thick heather. The bright purple flower of summer gives way to a burnt orange hue in autumn, which scholars agree is why the regional name of Vuurfelde predates the arrival of dragons in Kredashmi.

In recent years, Ludwig Dunheuvelin has received permission from König Thaddeus and the Six Judges to pass a law prohibiting the harvesting of heather on his land. In the twenty years since the supposed Slaughter of Metheven in Versarna, the rise of Varsii immigration to Kredashmi's main cities, has led to a rise in demand of herbal medicines. Varsii Healers use the flowers, leaves and stems of heather to make medicinal teas, and it is claimed the that species grown on the Vuurfelde has a perculiar property that alleviate the symptoms of gout.

Sheep on the Vuurfelde by Anastasiia Chepinska

Natural Resources

Peat Gatherers on the Gehuilvelde by Alexander Eric

Towards the northeastern regional border with the Second Judge's territory, Oost Raskin, the moorland turns into wetland until it reaches the shared expanse of the bogland called the Gehuilvelde (pron. Huh-hoy-feld-uh; the Weeping Fields).

A rich source of peat, the Gehuilvelde is harvested for fuel and is sold across the Raskvaerii empire. As most of the Gehuilvelde is on the Vuurfelde, the Dunheuvelin family have a higher stake in its extraction and sale than the Second Judge; in Oost Raskin, peat is mainly harvested for domestic use - at a taxable rate.

History

The König's Dragons and the Vuurfelde

Dragons were not native to Kredashmi, and were not known in any of the Saeric lands prior to the Great Thunderstorm of 324 HE. The arrival of the dragons on Cape Draakenruhe, and their alliance with the Rhalen clan, ultimately led to end of centuries of bitter clan warfare in Kredashmi. The Unification itself was brought about by the willingness of the dragons to accept riders from other clans, in return for their chieftans swearing loyalty to the head of the Rhalen clan, Jurrijn Rhalen, as the newly-formed könig of Kredashmi.
The Vuurvelde provided the best location to train new riders in the art of dragon flight. By the time König Erhart I created the military order of the König's Dragon in 351 HE, the Vuurvelde was already well-established as a training facility. The close relationship fostered between the Rhalen and Dunheuvelin clans led to the creation of Ruan Dunheuvelin as the first Master of the König's Dragons in 352 HE.

Pilgrimage

Lake Irriley has become an unofficial site of pilgrimage for people sympathetic to Kredashmi's clan heritage and the memory of the dragons. It is believed to be the resting place of Laisrén, the dragon of Otto Dunheuvelin. Despite the criminilisation of dragonflight by König Miron I shortly after the Invasion of Kredashmi, the Dunheuvelins must have hidden and protected their old steads. In 32 SGC, Otto Dunheuvelin and Laisrén were shot out of the sky while practicing nightflight by a Rasvaerii mounted cannon. According to the report by General Mariusz Senyavin, the dragon was injured in the vacinity of its scapula, rendering its left wing useless. Unable to control its flight, the creature plummeted into the depths of Lake Irriley. Both dragon and rider perished. Although the body of Otto Dunheuvlin was retrieved by General Senyavin and the troop under his command, the body of Laisrén was never recovered.

Otto Dunheuvelin by Brinsmead

Irriley Lake by Gemma Evans

This makes Laisrén's body unique in the fact that it is one of only two Kredasene dragon bodies not to be returned to Raskvaeric for preservation, study and display. Some historians argue that Lake Irriley is not the final resting place of this Dunheuvelin dragon, as they claim the description of the beast called forth by Gerard Dunheuvelin during the Battle of Alahnis in 40 SGC is similar to that of Laisrén. However, other scholars point to the fact that the accounts from General Senyavin and his men, presented to König Miron after the death of Otto Dunheuvelin, claim that his dragon had been too badly injured by the cannon blast for the creature to have flown again. Indeed, a 48 hour watch that was set up around the perimeter of the lake to watch for the beast to resurface, was ultimately unsuccessful. The Dunheuvelin family have therefore always maintained that Laisrén drowned in the lake. Whatever the truth of the matter, many pilgrims travel to the lake. They leave offerings of small black pebbles (allegedly the same colour as the dragon's scales) and sprigs of heather.

Offerings of black pebbles and heather by Hattias Heil

Black pebbles balanced on the shore of Lake Irriley by Rostyslav Savchyn

Owner/Ruler

Ludwig Dunheuvelin

Ruling/Owning Rank

Die Eerste Regte van Kredashmi (The First Judge of Kredashmi)

Owning Organization

Kredashmi