Klarland (klär lănd)

A proud and independent people, Klarland is more a collection of towns under one banner than a homogenous country. Forced into nationhood by a warlord, the people were freed from tyrannical rule by a paladin, and a paladin has sat on the throne ever since. Best known for the products of Lake Süshasser, the people manage to produce most of what they need and import very little.

Culture

The people of Klarland are fiercely independent folks. While this could be said of most of the inhabitants of the Frontier Lands, the folk of Klarland take it to an extreme. Conquered and ruled by a warlord and his heirs, they were liberated by a paladin whom they named ruler, but who recognizes and protects the freedom of the people. This independent streak means they often refuse to import goods, often preferring to make it themselves, trade it from a neighbor or do without. While they are too small, and unorganized to have a standing army, each town has a well-regulated militia which can be ready at moment’s notice. Consequently, they usually decline to hire mercenary protectors from the south unless absolutely necessary. In addition, each duke is authorized and expected to keep a force of soldiers at his keep to protect the land from raiders, and bandits. They trade peaceably with their neighbors and mind their own business. This is not to say they ignore a neighbor in trouble. Whole communities are known to rally around a member who is ill, had a accident or otherwise suffers some misfortune.

Public Agenda

Klarlanders just want to be left alone, to live their lives in peace. They aren’t expansionist and the kingdom has grown little with towns occasionally being invited to join the nation for the protection it offers. However, these invitations are seldom extended, and then only if the townsfolk have expressed an interest in joining. While they do not have and have no intention of forming a Klarland army, each duke is expected to maintain a force of soldiers to protect the lands under his dominion. The dukes are known to recruit not just in their own lands, but to seek recruits in the communities outside of Klarland proper. While these forces are well trained (most of the dukes being retired adventurers), they are purely a defensive force only.

Assets

Klarland, like most of the Frontier Lands, is fertile ground and the year-round growing season allows a lot of different crops to be grown, albeit at different times of the year. Cotton and linen are popular crops, as there is little need for warmer wool clothing. Wheat, barley and millet are staple crops as well, along with a variety f fruits and spices. Cattle are grazed, being the most common livestock in the land. In addition, the Nahe river and Lake Süshasser provide plenty of resources as well. Each duke is required to maintain a fortified keep along with a force of soldiers to garrison it. Further, the people are trained from childhood to wield weapons and each community can field a strong disciplined militia. Each town is fortified with strong walls that are manned by volunteers twenty-four hours a day.

History

Klarland was founded in 556 when warlord Sigibert Baasch forcibly united the various villages and hamlets that dotted the shores of the Nahe river and Lake Süshasser under his banner. Before that the communities had lived a peaceful existence except for the occasional orc raid. Sigibert arrived leading a mercenary army from Ebhar (then just a town) paid for with the funds of his adventuring career. The towns of Klarland had no military beyond a few small militias and were quickly overcome by the much larger and better equipped force. The purge that accompanied Sigibert’s conquest is still spoken of today. As he marched into each community the population was rounded up, and all who refused to swear fealty to Sigibert were summarily executed. While the exact number killed in his purges is unknown, it is believed to number in the thousands.

After consolidating his power and purging all who would dare to speak against him Sigibert settled in Ucahhen, then the largest village, and set about fortifying it. He built walls and watchtowers and a small keep. The majority of the mercenaries were paid and departed back to Ebhar, but a small core of the most ruthless remained with Sigibert forming the foundation of his army and personal guard. In 587 Sigibert passed away in his sleep and his daughter Wassa Baasch succeeded to the throne. Much like her father she spent a year or so traveling from community to community forcing the peasants to swear fealty and executing all who dared speak against her.

Under Wassa the town of Ucahhen was expanded, and the keep grew into a proper castle. Beyond these improvements Wassa contributed nothing to the kingdom, too busy having affairs with any attractive man who caught her eye. Rumors had it that she was a sadist whose trysts were accompanied by bondage and pain, and if the man in question was less than willing so much the better. The results of one of these trysts was the birth of her son Amalbert Baasch. Who ascended to the throne in 637 with his mother’s passing. Hushed rumors held that his mother’s passing was from less than natural causes and that an eager to inherit Amalbert helped her along.

If anything, Amalbert was worse than both of his ancestors. He taxed the peasants heavily to pay for lavish parties that he held at his castle, parties that were usually little more than excuses for drunken orgies. He had a habit, much like his mother, of bedding any woman that caught his eye, and even instituted prima nocta. The few dukes under him in the small kingdom were just as bad, treating their peasants more like slaves then serfs.

In 648 Amalbert was overthrown and executed by a band of adventurers led by the paladin Adelais Schräder while she had no intention of becoming king, merely wishing to free the people of an evil, despotic ruler, the people asked her to take the throne, and unwilling to leave the kingdom without leadership, she reluctantly accepted. Adelais instituted many reforms, lowering taxes, ending prima nocta and granting the peasants as much liberty as she could. She also opened trade with Windbrücke, Hofkastell, and Tatidär. The kingdom flourished under her rule, and when she felt the end approaching, she spoke with her counsel about a successor. She wanted to name one of the dukes, or their sons as her heir, but the council fearing a return to the dark days refused, asking her to pick someone else. She settled on her niece, Hildegard Sattler also a well-respected paladin.

In 688 Adelais stepped down and Hildegard took the throne. Much like Adelais she was a good and wise ruler, who made many improvements and looked after the people. Mostly by ensuring they were left in peace to farm and herd and craft. Little happened under the rein of Hildegard, except the final purge of the few holdouts from the rule of the Baasch family.

In 720 Hildegard fell in combat with a demon summoned by an irate wizard angered at her banishing him for illegal practices. While she slew the demon, she succumbed to her wounds shortly after. In the wake of her death her son, Cyneburg Sattler, also a paladin ascended to the throne. So far, he shows all the signs of being a just and wise ruler like his two predecessors, only time will tell. Thus far Cynebburg is unmarried, and his subjects are anxious for him to marry and get an heir. While he is looking so far he hasn’t yet found a woman that he deems suitable.

Demography and Population

Klarland is a relatively small kingdom with a population of only 178,972. Humans are by far the dominant race in the kingdom with a total population of 141,400. Halflings are the next largest population with around 16,100 dwelling in Klarland at any given time. Dwarves also come to Klarland seeking work, some end up staying meaning upwards of 9,000 dwarves are dwelling Klarland any year. 5,370 elves call Klarland home, most living in the communities around Lake Süshasser. Gnomes also call Klarland home with a population of 3,570. There is a mix of 3,580 other races in Klarland as well, predominantly Undines dwelling in Lake Süshasser.

Military

Each duke is required to train and maintain a force of soldiers. Each duke consequently has a military strength of 80 to 250 warriors that they can field at any time. In addition, every member of Klarland is trained with weapons from an early age, so Klarland can call up anywhere between 50,000 to 75,000 militia in a pinch.

Religion

As the ruler of the kingdom is a paladin of Utu, his worship is fairly prominent in the kingdom. However, the two most popular deities are Osa, and Eresu. Also popular are Azu, Emku, and Narum. Rohkea is also gaining a strong following in the land, as is Kello. Arammu, Sinnis, Vaalea and Voimakas, have small but devoted followings. However, all the nonevil gods are worshipped to some extent. There is also a small but hidden cult devoted to Asmodeus in the land, particularly among the nobles left over from before Adelais Schräder took power, however his worship is very unpopular amongst the common people.

Foreign Relations

Klarland maintains cordial relations with Hofkastell, Tatidär, and Windbrücke, though they worry sometimes about the standing army in Windbrücke. They also maintain good relations with Etef and to an extent Orthatebh. Relations with Ebhar are strained owing to the rumors the Ebhar is a haven for pirates and slavers. Klarland hasn’t established relations with any of the other Frontier Land Kingdoms, though Cyneburg is looking to change that and has sent diplomatic envoys to Tiefhohl, Ethfaman, and Cektoh.

Agriculture & Industry

The towns and villages that make up Klarland are largely agricultural, unlike in other nations where farmers tend to grow the same things, here each farmer tends to focus on a different crop. Most farmers have a threefold system where they have a fruit orchard or vineyard, a spice garden, and a cereal farm. However, some farmers prefer to grow cotton or linen trading the thread and cloth for cereal. Popular fruits are orange, lemon, avocado, guavas, pineapples, grapefruit, limes, apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, cherries, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, red currants, and white currants. Though some farmers have experimented with more exotic fruits. Popular spices include celery, cumin, chili, coriander, pepper, ginger, allspice, anise, capers, caraway, fennel, fenugreek, horseradish, and mustard. Wheat, barley, and millet are the most popular cereals, though some farmers along the shores of Lake Süshasser have experimented with growing rice. Another crop that is still in its infancy but is catching on is sugarcane. If the cultivation of sugarcane in Klarland pans out, it may become an exporter of sugar as it is of spices.

Cattle are the most common livestock herded in the Klarland, with large stretches of pastureland being dedicated to cattle grazing. After cattle, pigs and chickens are popular animals indeed almost every farmer has a small herd of pigs to eat scraps and a few chickens for eggs and meat. Along the Nahe River and Lake Süshasser the cultivation of ducks and geese have been attempted with varying degrees of success. Sheep and goats are sometimes kept, but in small quantities as cattle is by far a more popular choice.

Klarland doesn’t have an industry yet, exporting little except spices and fruit. Each town and village has a handful of craftsmen who, in addition to maintaining small farms, produce finished products. Smiths in particular are popular, especially the ones who can forge weapons and armor, but each community usually has a potter, a weaver, a tailor, and a cobbler at the least.

Trade & Transport

Klarland does little trading outside its borders. The people are a proud, stubborn, and independent lot, who prefer to produce it themselves, trade it from a neighbor, or do without. The last three rulers have been trying to change this mindset by encouraging trade with neighboring countries to limited success. Unlike other nations in which owning an tool or object produced outside the Frontier Lands is seen as a sign of wealth and success, in Klarland it is viewed as a sign of weakness. Nevertheless, the fruit and spices Klarland produce are in demand in other regions and trading has enriched the kingdom to an extent. In particular imports of goods from the northern Frontier Lands, things which cannot be produced in the subtropics are becoming popular items. Also being imported is lumber from Tatidär, though in small quantities as the elves do not believe or allow large scale logging operations within their lands. So far, the leaders have produced roads leading to Tatidär and Windbrücke and along the Nahe river to Hofkastell. Roads are well maintained inside Klarland between towns, though most are unpaved, the roads are levelled, well repaired and with ditches on either side to discourage the accumulation of water on the road itself.

Infrastructure

Roads are well maintained, by the nobles who are required by the crown to ensure that they remain so. Roads are generally large enough for wagons to pass each other and composed of a macadam of clay and rocks, with a ditch to either side to prevent water from accumulating on the road itself. Roads within villages and towns are usually cobbled though there are exceptions. Bridges over streams and rivers are likewise of stone construction and well maintained. Most towns and villages have very primitive sewage systems with outdoor privies which are filled in and move about once a year. Some have systems where the contents of chamber pots are collected by farmers for use as fertilizer, generally for non-food crops like cotton and linen. Ucahhen is the only town to have a proper sewer system, with the sewers being drained into pits generally containing captive gelatinous cubes. Other towns have studied the system and are considering copying it, something that Cyneburg Sattler is encouraging. Each noble is required to maintain a keep with a force of soldiers, and none have shirked this duty so far. In addition, each town and village maintains walls, usually constructed of hardened clay bricks.

Keep your eyes on the horizon and your nose to the wind.

Founding Date

556

Type

Geopolitical, Country

Capital

Ucahhen

Demonym

Klarlanders

Government System

Monarchy, Crowned Republic

Economic System

Market economy

Major Exports

Klarland exports quantities of spices and fruits, though usually in exchange for things that cannot be produced in Klarland, such as stone and metal or hard coin.

Major Imports

As mentioned, Klarlanders as of yet import little, mainly goods from up north that they can’t produce in their own kingdom, as well as lumber from Tatidär. Some of the nobles have demonstrated an interest in importing goods from the New Kingdoms but as of yet most inhabitants view this as a sign of weakness. One exception to this is stone and metal, which aren't found in quantities in Klarland.

Legislative Body

Klarland has a special legislative body consisting of representatives from the various towns in the kingdom. Any community with a population of 200 or more is eligible to send a representative to this congress, which meets every other year for six months. The congress generally has thirty-five to forty members at each session. All legislation must originate in this congress, though the various nobles can recommend legislation. Though it meets for six months very little legislation is proposed as Klarland has very little use for national laws. Usually, laws are only passed when two or more communities come into conflict.

Judicial Body

Each town has a reeve appointed by the local noble but approved by the town council. However, judgement is performed by a jury consisting of twelve members who listen to the evidence and determine guilt or innocence. The reeve’s job is to sentence those found guilty, though the sentence must be approved by the jury, who can recommend leniency or more stringent measures. Juries are assembled by the reeve, who usually has more than enough volunteers when there is a significant crime or dispute.

Executive Body

Reeves and to an extent the nobles are responsible for enforcing the laws of the kingdom. Of course there is plenty of oversight from the various citizen’s councils as well as the congress.

Location

Frontier Lands

Official Languages