Marthsford

Demographics

Brick by brick, upon blood and sweat. Marthsford history is built upon these words, a reminder of the hardships and struggles that were overcome to give birth to the province of stone.

Marthsford was nothing before it's passing from The Southern Behemoth to The Northern Star. A nigh barren stretch of land Duma had planted their flag upon as they marched across the continent. Those who lived upon the land resided in small villages or alone in cottages. While even before the age of empires most of West Uros was occupied or ruled by feudal lords and large Houses, two things largely prevented Marthsford from ever experiencing something similar.

The first was the inexplicably high population of Horrors within the region, something that made any attempts to settle the land prone to eventual failure as the night beasts would find themselves attracted to the sounds of construction and disturbances in the land, and second was the lack of easily exploitable, relevant resources that could be harvested from the land. There were far safer regions in which agriculture could be grown, and the dry and rocky terrain was often awkward to till even without the loaming Horror threat. However, the land was hardly devoid of resources, even early on prospectors realized the unusually high-quality quantity of limestone, granite, slate, and perhaps most relevant when sold to the right buyers, marble. Yet, given the difficulties that came with settling the land, it was largely ignored. Even Duma after passing through the land put very little focus on building infrastructure in the land they conquered. Thus it was only was falling into the Empire that effort was once more directed towards settle the wilds of Marthsford. The first step of the first Ruling House was a practice that was quickly taking off all around the new provinces, Trailblazing.

Gathering groups of armed men and fresh immigrants eager to find work in the new land, these first Trailblazers faced down the Horrors of Marthsford intending to cut down the night beast's population enough that towns could begin to form. These initial attempts were met with what can only be described as abject failure, a sobering reality that reminded all to respect the fierce reputation that Marthsford had garnered. Yet these first escapades were invaluable lessons in how they would have to proceed if they wished to have any chance at establishing a permanent foothold in the region. The first was to massively increase the amount of Trailblazers in operation, numbers they satisfied primarily by bolstering their ranks with the addition of slaves or criminals and the second was to take things step by step, focusing their attention on securing small zones in which they could then develop upon. It was undoubtedly a struggle, and likely one of the most strenuous Trailblazing campaigns across the Empire, yet it can be equally argued that it was the most successful. Many of the noble legends surrounding the Trailblazers were formed in Marthsford, while most little more then tall-tales embellished over a round of drink this legacy and pride many hold in their ancestors remains. Even translating to the modern-day as Marths make up a large percentage of those who voluntarily join the Outriders.

After the successful work of the Trailblazers, Marthsford was slowly built up into the region it is today. As many of the men responsible for clearing the land settled down and began taking advantage of the resources around. With those who had earned enough from their days, Trailblazing took to founding businesses and gathering into small towns. While others began to gravitate towards the new capital of Locksley and assist in its construction. Initial efforts were focused upon buying up large farmlands to support the new populations' needs for food and other base necessities, however eventually once those were met the focus began to switch towards establishing quarries capable of tapping into the resources in which the land had been sought after to begin with.

Government

While the responsibility of ruling Marthsford had long since resided in the jurisdiction of House Zelken. A position held since the founding of the province, their still recent resignation in the 202nd year left the region in momentary turmoil. It was during this turmoil that the relatively innocuous House Schwarzer began to rise to prominence. Far from the typical Great Houses often considered for ruling a province, House Schwarzer was almost non-existent until their foray into the struggle for Marthsford's title. Yet despite the tendency for established organizations to reject new blood, especially those often seen as thirsting for power beyond their place, the machinations of the young House and the equally young Yorrik vus'Schwarzer defied all expectations. Currying favor among many well-established Houses and organizations within Marthsford's climate before ascending to the freshly abandoned position of Provincial Lordship.

Thus far the Schwarzer's tenure has been relatively bereft of controversy, as they prove extremely hesitant to engage in any actions that may upset the dynamic of the province. A likely result of their early years given the shaky ground they stand upon. Without the generations of support and trusted allegiances granted by a long family lineage, just as quickly as the Schwarzer's have risen to power so may they fall if the forces that propelled them have a change of heart. The long terms implications of what the change in leadership will mean for the province still remain a mystery, yet whispers and rumors indicate that the Schwarzer's may not be as docile as their recent lack of obvious action would suggest.

Yet while the landscape of the office of Provincial Lord is caught within a great change, much of Marthsford is as its always been. Especially regarding the activity of a faction neither housed nor founded within the province, yet one with immense sway and a vested interest in the activities of Marthsford, The Vitali Stonemason's Trust, or the Masons.

The connection between Marthsford and the Masons started as simply as one might imagine, as the two would almost inevitably look to establish relations with the other. As Marthsford's reservoirs of limestone and granite could be reliably sold off to most provinces, the relatively untapped potential revenue of the region's marble quarries would first need a source of consistent demand before they could truly be committed to harvesting it on a large scale. While independent artists would often travel directly to Marthsford with the intent to purchase or commission quarrymen to extract and cut a particular piece for their work, it wasn't until the Masons arrived that a true demand would ever arrive.

The simple presence of Masons constantly traveling to the region and often spending large amounts of time around quarries and the average laborer of the Outer Province has a drastic effect on the entire region. To constantly have customers with much deeper wallets and much greater expectations, especially around Locksley, has created a small subsect of the economy designed to cater and capitalize on this. Many quarrymen even find themselves moonlighting as Rough Masons, cutting cobble and other cheap material with the aspirations of one day having their works noticed by a roaming Mason. So that his work may then receive more interest after catching the eye of a skilled craftsman. While such an occurrence is rare, to say the least, this also comes at some benefits to the Masons. As if the works of a young stonecutter prove exceptional they may be brought back to Vitalis and signed on as an apprentice so that after training and polish their works may one day bring immense renown to the Trust.

It is because of this relationship between the Stonemasons and Marthsford, and the immense respect and renown placed in the options of the Masons, that the Trust holds substantial sway over many decisions made regarding the province. As even in cases were Masons may not be directly involved, their influence is rarely absent.

Assets

In the years immediately following Marthsford's settlement, the priorities shifted towards establishing the infrastructure needed to maintain a population. While such a process would typically be extremely time-consuming, especially given the sheer amount of physical labor required to both establish and operate large quarries. Marthsford benefited immensely from the leftover Trailblazers, now in need of employment and largely willing to take any job they could get. Yet while this base of workers would indeed help move the process of Marthsford construction along, it was eventually the large slave force initially brought into the region to assist with clearing the land that would prove instrumental in establishing Marthsford. Something that has in large part persisted in the area, as while slavery has been on the decline since Praeten values have risen the prominence, and the Divine Prose's explicit condemnation of those who chain those who share the faith, this has not eradicated it in its entirety.

What was once a slave trade that extended throughout the Empire has largely drawn back into a handful of provinces. Continuing the practice with justifications such as the enslavement of criminals, members of society who cannot truly claim to practice Praeto given their criminal offenses. Yet even this has faced contention from the Adjudicators of Attenveil, as in these regions hereditary enslavement still runs rampant. With slave owners often asserting that the damage of the crime cut so deep, that no single life of work could hope to repay it. Yet regardless this practice runs antithetical to the Church's rejection of the sins of the father. This conflict has raged for nearly half a century and while it currently shows no sign of slowing it's clear that the tide is shifting ever out of Marthfords favor. As Praeto's influence continues to grow, the eventual complete demolishment of slavery seems inevitable. A change that will no doubt cause a major shift within the structure of the province and upset the long-established balance of power.

Given Marthsfords dependency on slave labor when it comes to the extraction of stone from the earth, and thus a significant portion of its economy, considerable effort is put into both ensuring that work is performed promptly and that these a cogs of the province work as intended. The former managerial position is often occupied by elder experienced slaves serving as bailiff, while the later is the jurisdiction of the Binders, a military organization unique to the primality of Marthsford.

These Binders are often a collection of contracted soldiers or locals with few career prospects. This variance in experience is of little importance, as very few of them will ever face an armed foe in combat. The vast majority of time is simply spent watching over the quarries, their presence alone enough to deter any attempts to escape or fight back. However, it is the public and often excessively cruel punishments meted out towards those slaves in response to any perceived infractions that has become the hallmark of the Binders. Whether the position attracts those with a predilection for extreme violence and sadist tendency, or whether continued success in the position requires one to adopt such traits, the result is largely the same. With increased scrutiny placed upon the tenure of their slaves and the Church's eye always glaring down upon them, fewer slave owners risk holding on to their slaves for long then their crime allows. An increased rate of affranchisement that has steadily decreased the number of slaves within the region and as such the forced needed to watch them have decreased as well. And once released many of these guards find themselves with nothing but shoddy weapons, a penchant for violence, and a need to experience the high of utter dominance over another once more. Some manage to rejoin the rest of the working world or find work as a mercenary, yet it's hardly surprising the amount who find themselves drawn into banditry. This tendency has caused many to view Binders in a far less favorable light then they once had. Seeing them as simply violent brutes, a necessary evil required to keep the workforce in check.

Alternative Name(s)

Heart of Stone

Type

National Territory

Location under

The Outer Provinces

Owner/Ruler

King Evric vus'Byron

Owning Organization

The Empire of Bryonsworth