The Grand Duchy of Enrieme

Location
The Grand Duchy of Enrieme is a large state on the coast of the Westerngap Gulf, bordered by the Niandi Mountains to the North and the River Nifrar on the east, with the province of Trans-Nifraria on the far side of the river, itself protected to the east by Lake Marfane.

History
The Grand Duchy was founded approximately 900 years ago by the first Grand Duke, Remiarth, who led the first party of numerous human migrants escaping from what they perceived as persecution by the elves of Sidhiara .
After establishing dominance over the few indigenous barbarians in the area, the new rulers proceeded to build themselves a powerful state with a strong central government. After some initial tension, a good working relationship was established with the dwarves of the Niandi Mountains, with forces from the Grand Duchy often aiding the dwarves against the orcs of the Ingrim Mountains.
The Grand Duchy has fought regular bloody wars against Sidhiara across the WarMark, the no-man’s land which separates the two, and was instrumental in helping the development of the Duchy of Filrath in the hope that it would act as a northern bulwark against the elves, although this has not really proven to be the case. Enrieme was spared the worst effects of the barbarian invasions which swept the rest of the northern world, shielded as it is by the Niandi mountains to the north.

Terrain
The terrain of the Grand Duchy is basically flat coastal plain, rising to hills in the northwest. The Nifrar Delta is very swampy, and virtually impenetrable without the use of flat-bottomed boats. Much of the plains land is crossed by numerous streams and small rivers.

Climate
Enrieme has a generally mild climate, with wet winters, sporadic snow being brought down from the mountains onto the northern parts of the Grand Duchy by northerly winds. The summers tend to be warm and wet, sea winds bringing plentiful rain to feed the crops. Only spring and autumn are really dry, and these tend to be the local campaigning seasons.

Ecology
The plains of Enrieme are lush and green, with large areas turned over to agriculture. Those areas not farmed are mainly rolling grassland interspersed with many small copses of trees and shrubs. The plains support a wide variety of fauna, from rabbits and mice through to goats and foxes. The northern parts of the Grand Duchy do, however, suffer from incursions in winter by wolves and even mountain monsters. The Nifrar Delta is a hostile, desolate place with numerous monsters and unpleasant creatures, and even scattered tribes of such foul beings as lizardmen and bullywugs.

Economy
The economy of Enrieme is primarily agricultural. Crops grown include corn and wheat, with olives, citrus fruits and vines in the southern parts. Livestock includes sheep, pigs and cows. The former are the most numerous, and wool is a prime export from the Grand Duchy. Other exports include fruit, olive oil, fish and wine. Grand Duke Ossirian has taken measures over the last few years to encourage the development of an industry to spin wool into finished cloth, generating increased revenue by exporting woollen cloth and finished garments as well as raw wool. The other key finished product of note exported is fine porcelain and glazed pottery products, using high quality clay extracted from the banks along the lower course of the Nifrar.
The main imports of the Grand Duchy are minerals, armour, and weapons. Iron ore, in particular, is imported from the Niandi Dwarves. Another effective import is that of mercenaries, from Filrath and the barbarian tribes.
Enrieme has very little in the way of mineral resources other than building stone, and almost all of the minerals used have to be imported. For this reason, most of the currency in use by the common people is in the form of glazed porcelain disks stamped by either the Ducal Mint or by the private mints of the great lords. In theory, these disks are based on the holdings of metals of the various treasuries, but in practice, there is a lot less metal available than the value of currency issued on it and the disks are worth very little outside Enrieme.

Social Structure
The social structure of the agricultural areas of the Grand Duchy is primarily feudal. The serfs are more or less rigidly ruled by the knights who hold them in thrall, and are, officially at least, not allowed to leave their villages without permission. There is a small class of freedmen, independent farmers, but their situation is tenuous despite recent efforts to grant them more legal protection. All it takes is a bad harvest to reduce them to debt, and thus serfdom or brigandry.
The town dwellers are in a somewhat better position than their rural compatriots. Most towns are ruled by town councils, which in turn are heavily packed by the guilds and most influential local merchants and traders. This tends to lead to a fairly chaotic situation, thus allowing the average citizen to lead a fairly free, if heavily taxed, life.

Political Structure
The Grand Duke is the head of state, and it is only the strength of his rule which keeps the great Lords from each other’s throats.
The previous Grand Duke, Eltos III, was a weak ruler, too willing to listen to a succession of favourites. After a decade of feuds and baronial wars, Eltos was deposed by a faction of barons who installed his youngest brother, Ossirian, as Grand Duke in 998. Eltos disappeared shortly after, and it is presumed that he was murdered.
Although the barons installed Ossirian primarily as a way of increasing their personal power at the expense of their rivals, he was able to gain the support of the Temples of Odin and Tyr, and with their backing and the security gained by hiring a regiment of Kamaran Dwarf mercenaries, he was able to start making his own decisions. By a series of judicious edicts and laws, he was able to gain the support of the urban populations, and the revenues this bought him enabled him to bring the Lords under control. By pronouncing a general amnesty, he was able to bring peace to the Grand Duchy, and has spent the last few years rebuilding the badly battered economy.
The great Lords are still important, but all factions are represented in Ossirian’s councils, and any tendencies toward settling disputes by force are soon quashed.

Religion
Enrieme’s people are fairly religious, more so in the rural areas than in the towns. The dominant religions are those of Odin and Tyr, but most non-evil creeds are tolerated. There is an underlying stratum of superstition in the more remote country areas, based on the remnants of the religious beliefs and rituals of the original pre-Duchy inhabitants The temples of Odin and Tyr have a strong say in both regional and national politics, especially since the accession of Ossirian.
It is an accepted norm that 10-20% of income is given in tithe to the temples, which matches what the government takes. However, part of the deal that Ossirian came to with the temples was that they pay taxes directly to the Grand Duke in exchange for freedom from the depredations of the great Lords. This deal is working very well indeed, increasing Ducal revenues considerably whilst reducing the expenditure of the temples and giving them greater protection.

Foreign Policy
Under Eltos III, the foreign policy of Enrieme drifted. Alliances lapsed and previous allies felt betrayed by the sudden lack of support. Even worse, border Lords started raiding neighbouring countries. This angered the barbarians, and sparked real fears of war with Sidhiara and the Niandi Dwarves, the latter of whom had traditionally been friends. With a lack of expenditure and control, the navy of Enrieme sat in port doing nothing to stop repeated regular raids by the reavers of Milmar.
Under Grand Duke Ossirian, all this has changed. The only barons not pardoned in the amnesty were Lord Wilnar and Lord Harth, who raided the Niandi Dwarves. They have been forced to flee into exile. Ossirian sent Priests of Tyr to the Niandi with vast sums of gold from his own exchequer in compensation for the wrongs done. This, together with favourable trade compacts and military help against the Ingrim orcs, has mollified the dwarves, who have accepted that the raids were a temporary aberration, although there are still one or two who harbour grudges and distrust.
Ossirian also sent a deputation to the Sidhiaran elves, who received it and halted their counter-raids for the time being. However there is still high tension on the WarMark and it is clear to both sides that all-out war is likely to break out soon in the absence of an unlikely diplomatic breakthrough.
The alliance with Filrath was resumed, and trade between the two states is now flourishing.
Ossirian has also concluded a recent alliance with Jakta, and was able to dispose of some of his most quarrelsome nobles by encouraging them to join the recent expedition into the Sarassid Lands.
The Enrieme Navy has been placed under Admiral Lord Mellart, and as the Grand Duchy’s finances have improved there has been a programme of repairing old ships, recruiting and training crews, and even building a few new vessels. It has been able to curb the worst of the Milmarian depredations; very few raids now take place on the coastline, and in the last year or so fewer merchant vessels have been taken off the coast of the Grand Duchy. However, merchants sailing east still need to give Milmar a very wide berth to reduce the risk of being lost.

Armed Forces
The majority of the armed forces of Enrieme are provided by the feudal forces of the great Lords, in turn composed of knightly retinues. The normal make up of these retinues is as follows;
3-4% Lords and Knights
2-5% Mounted sergeants
3-5% Mounted retainers and hobilars
5-10% Foot sergeants, of which around 30% are skilled crossbowmen
0-20% Mercenary heavy infantry
5-30% Feudal heavy infantry
5-20% Feudal heavy archers or crossbowmen
10-40% Feudal medium infantry
5-30% Feudal medium missile troops
10-40% Feudal light infantry, armed peasants etc
Other forces available to the Grand Duchy include;
The Ducal Guard; a regiment of 1000 noble knights, another of 2000 heavy infantry, and the Dwarf Guard Regiment, currently 1200 strong. There is also an aerial regiment, The Golden Griffons , made up of 200 knights who ride gryphons into battle.
Temple Forces; the Temples of Tyr and Odin can raise large feudal forces in their own right from lands they hold, as well as numbers of religiously motivated volunteers. The noble members of the latter were consolidated into Military Orders early in Ossirian’s reign, in imitation of the Jaktan ones. Although under the control of the Grand Duchy’s temples, they are affiliated to the Jaktan Orders. Ties between the two groups of Orders are very strong, to the extent that individuals and even whole units are frequently exchanged between them, and rank in one is valid in the other.
Urban Militias; all towns have militias, primarily composed of heavy infantry and crossbowmen backed by mercenaries hired with town funds. Because the towns collect high taxes, their militias are usually well equipped and trained. However, they are normally only contracted to defend their town and its immediate environs, so are rarely available for field operations except voluntarily and with the permission of the town council, which is not usually forthcoming. On occasions where urban militias have been used in the open field, their lack of experience in operating in more formal settings and within a chain of command has frequently proven to be a weakness.
Mercenaries; hired directly by the Grand Duke to provide a stiffening for the feudal forces. They are hired from a variety of sources; Filrath, Tarak and the Niandi being the most numerous. Others include Jaktans, Wilderlanders, Milmarians and barbarians of various sorts. There are very few Sidhiaran mercenaries owing to the longstanding enmity between the two countries.
The Adventurers; a notable mercenary formation consisting of two regiments, each around 500 strong. They are composed of multi-skilled individuals of various types who tend to excel in skirmish, scouting and other specialist missions. Under the terms of their contract, up to 25% of each regiment may be on leave of absence at any one time to improve their skills, provided they accept recall within two weeks in time of war.
The Enrieme Navy; the Navy has to a great extend recovered from the decade of neglect under Grand Duke Eltos. No more than 10 vessels remain laid up awaiting rebuilding and repair, and the active strength currently stands at around 80 major warships. Most vessels have a sizeable contingent of marines, and some of these could be available for land warfare in the vicinity of their home ports if necessary.

Important People 
Ossirian; Grand Duke of Enrieme
Guillaume De Marfane; Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of Odin
Tancred Lamoine; Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of Tyr
Lord Wilnar; exiled Lord
Lord Harth; exiled Lord
Lord Mellart; Admiral of the Navy
Pierre Santour; Leader of the Croix Noir secret society, implacably opposed to the Sidhiarans