Zwartedoorn (Zw-Are-Ter-Dorn)
The Duchy of Zwartedoorn serves as the hereditary seat of the van Fraley family, who serves as the Duke and Elector of the province. One of the provinces gained in the 2nd Conquest , it holds the easter border of the Empire. With vast land holdings, Zwartedoorn serves as one of the key buffers against the untamed wildlands of the fey. The mountains that help hold this barrier, however, have few convenient passes, meaning that trade caravans more often seek to go through Dern or Holl, than the hard to reach Havelbero and Skallsred passes, in the high reaches of the eastern barrier mountains.
Historically, the Duke of Zwartedoorn has delegated administration of various regions of their domain, by parceling them out into fiefs to vassalized mediate nobles, such as the van Rökke family who are the Viscounts of Havelbero, the van Venris family who serve as the Viscounts of Markdorf, and the van Pool of Skallsred, amongst other lesser Barons and Ridders that administer and hold lands on behalf of the Van Fraley family.
Geography
The Duchy of Zwartedoorn is shielded on three sides by the Mountains ranges of the Eastern barrier mountains, the Kar-Golovkin kingdom, and Kar-Novikov kingdom. The valleys, foothills, and rolling hills of the downlands provide a great deal of grazing for cattle, goats, and sheep. Farming is harder, and larger and more orderly farms are only possible farther west, in and around the riverlands of Rosengrot. Rich in mineral wealth, in particular, chalk, clay, and granite. Temperate in their climate, with the rivers fed by the creeks, keep a humid but mild temperature throughout most of the year.
The province of Zwartedoorn has fairly regular rain and moderate humidity, allowing for a great deal of both deciduous and coniferous forests. Rain is between the late fall to early spring, along with heavy snowfalls throughout the winter. Summer highs range into the Low 90 F's but to the high 60's. Come Winter, heavy snow and freezing temperature, freeze the rivers and often lead to heavy flooding come spring, with mountain silt bringing good harvest most years.
Fauna & Flora
Moderate rainfall with rolling foothills, had lead to a mixture of both deciduous and coniferous forests, with wild mountain goats, elk, whitetail deer, and hogs thick in these forests, along with similar wild games. Heading eastward the hills turn to downlands, ideal for animal grazing, and eventually grassland, that has been largely cultivated by the plow into farmland.
Much of the Crashen river is damned, both by man and animal along the way down, with river travel possible up to the foothills.
Natural Resources
Zwartedoorn, due to its size is rich in a number of resources, such as chalk, clay, granite, as well as soft and hard woods. The solid farmlands in the east also generate regular and bountiful harvest most years, with ranching of goats, cattle, and sheep to the west being more common in the downlands and foothills, along with orchards, as good farmland become harder to establish.
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