Drakenburg Castle
Demographics
Being a border province the Duchy of Drakenburg tends to attract settlers from all its neighbouring races, including a few it would prefer to exclude like Goblins from the mountain tribes nearby. The actual variety does vary according to the season and the weather the pass itself acting as an obstacle and a deterrent. However a rough breakdown is as follows.
- Dwarf 9%-10%
- Wood Elves 3%-4%
- Gnome 0-1%
- Goblin (None are tolerated)
- Halfling 6%-7%
- Imperial Humans 70%-71%
- Bretonnians 9%-10%
- Strigany (Strigany occasionally use the pass but rarely stay in the Duchy just pass through it)
Government
Duke Konstantin is the ruler of the Duchy and has told power answerable directly to the Grand Prince of the Reikland himself.
The Duke delegates that power to various stewards and commanders whom he trusts including his three children. However, his main preoccupation is with the defence of the Reikland and so the settlements themselves are allowed to appoint their own elders and officials to deal with local affairs and are only answerable to the Duke in the event of a complaint or infringement of Imperial Law. This can lead to some odd situations such as the Elder of Fraglich being a Bretonnian and his local Watch Commander a dwarf. But the Duke has not interfered and will not do so unless it leads to conflict.
Defences
The Duchy is dotted with fortified towers particularly along the line of the pass. These are solid stone constructions and incorporate a warning beacon which is lit at the first sign of an invasion. Likewise, the villages and settlements are built behind a ditch and palisade to ward off all but the most determined raiders, bandits and beasts.
The Duchy maintains its own army which is understandably larger in proportion to its population than most provinces given their role as a 'Marcher Province'. The army know locally as 'The Drakguard' (The Dragon Guard) wear dark grey uniforms and are often mistaken for troops from the Nulner State Army.
Settlements appoint their own watchmen who often serve part-time between other roles in the community. However, in times of trouble, everyone is expected to fight to protect the settlement and any that do not are quickly noted and ostracised by the community.
Architecture
Unlike the Vorbergland provinces, the buildings in the Duchy of Drakenburg tend to be of a more temporary nature. Most are of wooden construction and tend towards the utilitarian rather than grandiose. The area is subject to regular raids and invasions, so investing too much effort on something that might be burned to the ground next year probably seems a waste of time. Also, the population itself tends to be transient and so they build what they need rather than something to treasure.
Geography
Drakenburg Castle sits on the crest of a wooded rise in the foothills of the Grey Mountains. The slopes below the castle are dotted with the buildings that make up the rest of the settlement most of which are of wooden construction and temporary in nature.
Natural Resources
Whilst the Duchy of Drachenburg covers a large area much of it is inhospitable mountain or barren moorland. The small area of fertile soil is used to graze sheep and goats and to grow the more hardy varieties of vegetable. Whilst timber is available from the dense forests that cover some of the foothills cutting it is immensely dangerous as the forests are a natural haunt for some of the many vicious creatures that reside in the wilderness. Likewise, the mountains are said to harbour a number of rich mineral deposits including gold and silver but the local dwarves whilst tolerant of mankind's occupation of the surface world tend to consider anything below the surface as theirs by right and so mining without their permission and co-operation would be extremely provocative.
Type
Citadel
Population
300
Location under
Ruling/Owning Rank
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