The Western Wilderland

Location
The Western Wilderland is a coastal province to the northwest of The Kingdom of Jakta surrounded on its north, east and western fringes by ranges of low hills.

History
Prior to settlement by emigrants from Jakta, the Western Wilderland earned its name by being a place where orcs, barbarians and monsters lived and fought. The first tentative Jaktan settlements appeared around 400 AFJ, after a century or two of incursions by Jaktan-based adventurers intent on clearing and looting the place.
During the Fourth and Fifth Surges, the settlements in the Wilderland were left to fend for themselves as Jaktan forces were pulled back to defend the capital. All were abandoned, with orcs, barbarians and monsters moving back in. In a tough campaign from 735 to 738, troops from Fort Telram re-occupied and cleared the Wilderland, Fort Alren was founded to defend some of the key approaches, and settlements were re-established. In 956, Fort Semil was built to defend the western approaches as the Wilderland came under renewed pressure.
In 1005, Grand Duke Keshroy announced the abandonment of the Wilderland as an untenable province, impossible to secure against orcish incursion. Rather than accept the forcible relocation of the population to the main part of the Grand Duchy, Duke Guthrun put himself at the head of an independence movement, and the Wilderland became independent after a short but bloody war. The Jaktan forces were led by Gortig von Telram who became hated by the populace of the Wilderland for his brutality in encouraging his troops to burns farmsteads and hamlets.
The war was ended by The Peace of Kelmar under which Jakta became a monarchy with Grand Duke Keshroy II becoming King Keshroy I. The Western Wilderland was granted independence from the Grand Duchy of Jakta, but agreed to become a federal part of the Kingdom of Jakta under its own laws and rule.
When King Keshroy perished in the Great Fire of Jakta and Gortig crowned himself king, Duke Guthrun was the first to throw his support behind Queen Shrekana as the rightful successor to the throne.

Terrain
Most of the Wilderland consists of grassy plains, crisscrossed by streams and small rivers rising in the hills which surround it. Its geographical border is marked by several broken ranges of hills, although Duke Guthrun has extended the area under his control a little way beyond the hills over the last few years.

Climate
The climate of the Western Wilderland is a maritime temperate one, with warm summers, cold winters, and plenty of precipitation in all seasons. The makes the land fertile and green, and leads to jokes about how you can always spot a Wilderlander because the first thing he talks about is the weather, and that Wilderlanders have seventy four words for different kinds of rain.

Ecology While generally consisting of rolling grasslands, the Wilderland has gradually become more settled over the last few years. Most settlements now have a belt of agricultural land surrounding them, with livestock grazing further out. There is a significant quantity of small game, but much of the big game and monsters have been actively hunted to near extinction over the last decade or so.

Economy
The economy of the Wilderland is primarily agrarian. Most farmsteads and hamlets have an inner ring of fields which grow a variety of crops; wheat, barley, corn, cabbage, and innumerable forms of broccoli. They usually also have a few apple, pear, plum and nut trees, although formal orchards are a rarity. Beyond the fields are extensive lands for grazing sheep, goats and cows. Some pigs are kept, but these are almost domestic pets, kept near the home as a good way to tidy up scraps and only eaten after they die a natural death.
In terms of imports and exports, the Wilderland still has to import the majority of manufactured items (although Duke Guthrun has been putting a lot of effort into trying to build up craft industries), while exports are mainly salted meat, wool, leather, and other agricultural products.

Social Structure
The social structure of the Wilderland is based on the family, with most people living on farmsteads or in small hamlets which often represent extended families. It may be a nominally patriarchal society with the farmer being the head of the household, but most are wise enough to listen carefully to the advice of their wives and take the wishes of their families into account. Despite the tough living conditions, it's generally an orderly, happy and self-sufficient society.

Political Structure
Duke Guthrun is the absolute ruler of the Wilderland, but he is still incredibly popular with the citizenry. He gained his position by merit and popular acclaim, and knows he needs to work hard every day to maintain and live up to the respect his people hold him in. He is clever and cunning, but also incredibly fair, and is seen far and wide as one of the best and most enlightened rulers in Argull.
Beneath Duke Guthrun is a council drawn from the most respected elders from across the Wilderland, and he will always listen to the advice of this council when making a decision. There is also a town council in Santorio, the capital, but the membership of the two councils overlaps to a great extent, and they are both relatively informal bodies with quite a flexible membership.

Religion
The people of the Wilderland are not a hugely religious bunch. The Northern Gods are nominally worshipped, but there's a sense that they are for the nobles of Jakta and abandoned the ordinary people during the War of Independence. The only temples to them are found in Santorio, and they are relatively low-key affairs compared to the grand edifices in Jakta and Enrieme.
Although the countryfolk of the Wilderland aren't superstitious, they do have quite a few popular folk customs and festivals. Tying celery sticks to the doorway in autumn is reputed to ward off evil rot spirits, and bunches of daisies in spring are a fertility sign.

Foreign Policy
To a great extent, the foreign policy of the Wilderland is tied up with that of Jakta, but Duke Guthrun tries to not get too involved in exotic foreign adventures. The economy of the Wilderland just isn't strong enough to afford it ! The key concern is to ensure the security of the borders, as raids by orcs and other monsters are still an occasional although diminishing threat. To this end, Duke Guthrun has been gradually extending the area under control, primarily by sending teams of adventurers to weed out entrenched threats and then setting up fortified settlements with local garrisons in easy supporting distance.
More recently, of course, the Wilderland has separated from Jakta over the issue of the Royal Succession. While matters haven't come to blows (primarily due to other, more pressing concerns) there is a worry that a civil war is a possibility.

Armed Forces
The armed forces of the Wilderland are primarily formed by a well-trained and well-armed citizen militia. Every able-bodied male is liable to serve in defence of both their own settlement and the Wilderland as a whole. Service beyond the Wilderland is on a voluntary basis, although financial incentives can often help boost the numbers.
The militia are generally a mix of halbardiers and crossbowmen, with a few cavalry and light infantry swordsmen to support them.
Duke Guthrun has made some headway in creating a force of militia cavalry, with training provided by a mix of Jaktan exile knights and Varenians. These are primarily light cavalry raiders and skirmishers, although still a work in progress at present.
The Wilding Dragoons are notionally a Jaktan formation, originally established to protect outlying settlements. During the War of Independence, they were initially under the control of Count Gortig, and were responsible for some terrible atrocities. But a number of the men were horrified at being ordered to do this to those they had been formed to defend. Eventually the regiment mutinied and went over to the Wilderland side; many of those who had committed the atrocities were lynched or deserted. The regiment is now the premier cavalry formation in Duke Guthrun’s army.
Duke Guthrun has a small personal bodyguard of heavy armoured knights.
The Wilderland also hires mercenaries, some as required, others on a virtually permanent basis. These are both to make up the numbers required, and also to fill specialist gaps in the capabilities of the army.

Important People
Duke Guthrun – lord of the Wilderland since 1005.
Count Galuk - Duke Guthrun's Master of Information. A rather plump dwarf.
Emmerich Merhilde – Duke Guthrun’s personal armourer and quartermaster. Also a talented (but highly eccentric) inventor

Type

Geopolitical, Province