The Meadows
Overview
The Meadows is the region with the largest amount of hospitable land in Corondor. The region is fertile with fields fat with grain, barely, and fruit which are used to feed the entire realm. Every region imports something from the Meadows, whether it be grain, fruit, wine, or flora, the realm relies on the stability of the Meadows to operate. The people of the realm are very culturally different by county as the region is so large and vast that there is little regional solidarity. The Meadows had always been somewhat divided. Counties competed with one another for the same few products in abundance. Many skirmishes would occur as a defensive measure just so one county would have to restart anew while the other only got stronger. The largest family in the Meadows at the time was House Ebonlight who were extremely well-respected in the realm. During the invasion of Queen Vy’shera I, she would fight the combined forces of the two largest regions: the Meadows and the Farsouth. She wanted both of their lands as they were by far the most fertile in the realm and had the capacity to house and feed her armies and, importantly, her dragons, with plenty to spare. However, the conquest was not without its problems. Vy’shera’s king consort, Haevon, died in the conflict and sent Vy’shera into a state of grief. She would rage at the territories, and would be set to destroy them if they were unable to rectify their mistake. She would use Forbann, the Volcanic Dragon, to make the Worldgorge and permanently create a difficult border between the Meadows and the Farsouth. Despite this, the two regions still share a close relationship and similar cultural emphasis on religion. The Meadows would forever be changed after Vy’shera’s Conquest as she would require all lords and ladies to answer under one house: House Ebonlight. However, during Raheavor’s Rebellion, House Ebonlight would be overthrown by the current ruling family, House Borsmount. The Ebonlights fought alongside the betrayer family, the Hydraeons, in an attempt to oust King Raheavor from his rightful seat. The Borsmounts now sit as the paramount families unable to hold the same level of legitimacy as House Ebonlight in the face of a shattering Meadows.Ruling Family
House Borsmount is the ruling family of the Meadows. They are a family of goliaths, they are tall, imposing, and strong. While their history is relatively short, Ulna “Crushbones” Borsmount is a famed name around the realm. She led much of Raheavor’s armies in Raheavor’s Rebellion to victory against unfavorable odds. She would crush the previous head of House Ebonlight in one mighty blow, ending an over thousand-year-long reign. House Borsmount is the newest of the paramounts and clearly acts like it. The previous ruling house, House Ebonlight, was the largest ruling house in the Meadows since Vy’shera’s Conquest. Even before Vy’shera, House Ebonlight ruled the largest working city in Corondor in terms of population. During Raheavor’s Rebellion, House Ebonlight was overthrown and massacred. The stability of the Meadows instantly fell apart without them, as no house had ever been groomed to succeed them given a situation where it would perish. As a result, House Borsmount, the leader of the Meadowsian rebels, would be named as the Paramounts of the Meadows. Currently, House Borsmount is led by Victarion Borsmount. Victarion, unlike his ancestors, is quite bookish. He has always defied the expectations of his family by being stern, quiet, and not the best fighter. Instead, he looks to rule the realm by numbers. He is orderly and holds small councils often, but does not frequent hosting or speaking to his minor lords and ladies. Instead, most of the charisma in the family comes from his children: Avas, Liliana, Bond, Harlan, and Ullen Borsmount.Structure
The Meadows has followed a standard feudal system since Vy’shera’s Conquest. The previous ruling family, House Ebonlight, was very stable in establishing dynastic legitimacy within the Meadows. House Ebonlight ran the Meadows well, each member of the house was raised to understand their role in the realm and were incredibly well-researched on their region. The advisors that ruled alongside the Ebonlights were often trustworthy. The goal of the Meadows has historically been to feed the realm and make a little profit from it. But, they have always been fair, while not as economically sound as House Ljonholm, for instance, they have always done their job through duty-bound honor. When King Raheavor II named House Borsmount to replace House Ebonlight after Raheavor’s Rebellion, the structure shifted. House Borsmount were warriors, they were made and built to fight—not deal with politics and numbers. Ulna “Crushbones” Borsmount faced a serious challenge to her role as Lady Paramount. She struggled in managing the Meadows with the skill and precision of House Ebonlight and had little to offer when other houses looked to her for guidance. As a result, while feudal, the houses of the Meadows have become increasingly more independent. While they honor House Borsmount as their high lords, these houses know they cannot be relied on for answers. Ambition has since soured and more and more houses have begun to challenge the rule of the Borsmounts.Culture
Over the past hundred years the culture of the Meadows has become very disjointed and diverse. As the Meadows is a very large region with a large population, each county in the region has created their own individual identity. The attitude of a person in Honeyhive is vastly different than someone in Eldenmurrow. While not as religious as the Farsotuh, the New Pantheon is heavily worshipped in the Meadows. Kalmerta, the Goddess of Harvest, Wilds, and Nature, is sacred in the Meadows which rely on her power to continue caring for their fields. Some of the largest factions within the Meadows consist of: the goliath houses in the prairies, the wood-elven houses in the forests, and the humans of the fields. The large majority of goliaths in the Meadows live in the prairies. Once wandering tribes, the goliaths have since settled and begun to produce livestock. The culture of the prairie is to honor their animals. Horses, cows, and other livestock are all free range. This strategy has led to great, sustainable success. Meat in such quantities has always been a premium product, and the goliaths treat it as such. Furthermore, the goliaths heavily emphasize the importance of horses. Prior to Vy’shera’s Conquest, the prairies were where wandering tribes of goliaths on horses would wage war and conquer. Now, they use the knowledge they acquired after years of breeding horses for battle to produce some of the realm’s fastest and strongest warhorses. The wood-elves of the forests know the forest front to back. They know where to scavenge and where to hunt. They are often separated from humanity, living off of trade rather than the monetary value of the realm. They play the game of politics to the extent that they can be left alone. With the Ebonlights replaced, there is no family that truly represents them. Their culture now is utterly isolationist. They reveal themselves only to trade with neighboring counties or when they are in need of materials such as metals or glass. The largest area of the Meadows is primarily controlled by the largest racial demographic—humans. These areas are filled with farmers growing different grain, fruits, and vegetables. These fruits are used to make wines while grain is used to make enough bread to fill the bellies of the hungry smallfolk. No smallfolk of the Meadows ever feel the pang of hunger. Life is monotonous, farmers own land which their families care for and use to trade and sell in larger markets. The largest fields are owned by nobles which they use to employ serfs to care for their fields.Natural Resources
As the Meadows is largely sustainable, farming land, it naturally produces most of the realm’s food and livestock. Chickens, cows, pigs, sheep, and more have all been farmed primarily in the Meadows as there is an abundance of food to feed them. The Meadows suffer no sacrifice in sustaining these animals which has allowed them to essentially support every major city in Corondor. Drakenmarch in the Crownlands, Ljonholm in the Goldlands, Abarrax in the Farsouth, and Tidestone in the Ashlands are all supported by the livestock in the Meadows. Outside of livestock and grain, the largest export is by far wine. Wine, mead, and beer are all produced in the Meadows and are seen as the highest quality alcoholic beverages in the realm. Many breweries are stationed in the Meadows due to its high quality ingredients. Certain potions, such as the common health potion, are produced primarily in the Meadows as it has access to the most common magical flora.Geography
The lands of the Meadows are filled with fertile land perfect for farming and fresh forests filled with wildlife. The land in the Meadows alone can sustain most of the realm, as a result, the Meadows has the largest regional population in all of Corondor. Although, its perfect landscape is marred by the Worldgorge. During Vy’shera’s Conquest, Queen Vy’shera I and Forbann, the Volcanic Dragon, would ride into the Meadows and the Farsouth demanding either resurrection or retribution for her husband, King Haevon’s, death. She and Forbann would fly west, and use Forbann’s breath to burn into the earth, destroying the crust and creating a large ravine between the two nations which would eventually fill with contaminated water. The area around the Worldgorge is almost unwalkable. To this day the remnants of Forbann’s volcanic breath makes the water within the gorge incredibly hot. Only few survive trips into the Worldgorge and even those with resistance to fire will continue to suffer through unimaginable pain if they enter it. As such, the Meadows and the Farsouth constructed bridges that would make trade easier between the Farsouth’s capital city, Abarrax, as well as the greater south of the Farsouth, with the Meadows. These are known as the Stitches and are manned by six families—one for each castle.Organizations
The Queen’s Florists
The Queen’s Florists, or simply known as “the Florists,” are an organization of potioneers in the Meadows. They are the experts of their craft and make use of almost any magical flora, especially those found in the Meadows. When Queen Khellira Ebonlight, wife of King Cal’atar I, needed certain potions, she would request a series of “Florists” from home who would visit her with a series of different unique and wild flora which would later be used in brewing potions for whatever the Queen needed.The Horselords
The Horselords are not a formal organization, but they are instrumental to Meadows society. These horselord breed horses to be as strong as they can be. They are tested and trained for precision and speed. Many of the horses in the Meadows are used by honored knights, wealthy nobles, and sportsracers.Notable Locations
Type
Constituency
Founding Date
[PLACEHOLDER]
Capital
Eldenmurrow
Ruling House
House Borsmount
Ruler
Lord Victarion Borsmount
Religious Affiliation
New Pantheon
Neighboring Regions
Goldlands
Bogs
Farsouth
Ashlands
Significant Population(s)
Wood Elf
Goliath
Demonym(s)
Meadowsian
Constituency
Founding Date
[PLACEHOLDER]
Capital
Eldenmurrow
Ruling House
House Borsmount
Ruler
Lord Victarion Borsmount
Religious Affiliation
New Pantheon
Neighboring Regions
Goldlands
Bogs
Farsouth
Ashlands
Significant Population(s)
Wood Elf
Goliath
Demonym(s)
Meadowsian
