The Kingdom of Berbot (Burr-Butt)
Sure, the king is in charge, but if you think any of the dukes give a damn about what he says, you're more delusional than he is
The largest of the three so called Marcher Kingdoms, Berbot is also the most developed, but it's current king is seen as incredibly weak and it's dukes rule the nation in all but name. All of the dukes now have their eyes on the throne and most have been raising men at arms and eyeing the borders of the neighboring duchies, and the nation teeters on the edge of civil war. The perception that the nation is close to civil war can be seen in the attitudes of the common people as they stockpile food and other goods in anticipation of the hardships that come with such an outbreak of violence.
History
The Eastern Marches were one of the last regions of The Great Inland Sea to be pacified and settled, and in the case of Berbot, it was the last member of a disgraced noble house from Alboria who did so. Vincent Boutroux arrived in the Eastern Marches in late May of 1734 with fifty loyal men at arms and a handful of families which retained their loyalty to his family and founded the city of Antossis.
As the population of the territory expanded and more settlements were constructed, Lord Boutroux declared himself to be king of the newly founded kingdom of Berbot and handed out Dukedoms to the heads of the loyal families which followed his family on their exodus from Alboria. These dukes were each given a section of the territory as their Duchies along with the responsibility of pacifying and developing their newly granted lands.
Society
While most kingdoms have many layers of nobility, in Berbot only the dukes stand between the royals and the commoners, and therefore excercise more direct control over their holdings than their titles would suggest. This has lead to ducal power largely eclipsing that of the royal family and the more ambitious among them eye the throne with covetous eyes.
The King
The Boutroux family has held the kingship of Berbot since its founding, but it's power has waned and the current king, Hugo Boutroux, is seen as particularly weak. Generations of kings content to sit in their palace in Antossis and allow their dukes to do the hard work of pacifying the wilderness, fighting back incursions from the other side of The Western Wall, and suppressing banditry have left the commoners more loyal to the dukes than the king, and some dukes feeling like they should be the ones running The Kingdom.
The Dukes
Descendants of the heads of the families which followed Vincent Boutroux on his exodus from Alboria, their ancestors were entitled due to their loyalty to the royal family, but centuries later this loyalty has all but disappeared. Frustrated by the perception that the dukes have done all of the work while the royals have sat back and reaped the rewards, most of them are now eyeing the throne covetously.
Duke Eustace Bullion
Located in the north west corner of The Kingdom, the Duchy of the Bullion family is the wealthiest outside of the royal holdings. Trade with Galacia and Fruchtbarland has created a wealthy merchant class, and the roads and ports of their duchy are the best developed in the kingdom. Duke Eustace sees his family as the primary source of wealth and foreign trade coming into the kingdom, and therefore more deserving of the throne than any other claimant.
Duke Guido Levett
In charge of the south eastern end of The Kingdom, the Levetts have guarded the southern border against warlords and monstrous humanoids alike since the founding of Berbot. Ever vigilant against incursion, the Levett's maintain a line of border forts and patrol their territory nonstop, a task that they regard as more important than ever with an ambitious warlord now in control of their neighbor to the south. "Defender of the Realm" may be a title granted to the current king, but as far as Duke Levett is concerned it's a title that his family has more right to than any other.
Duke Lancelinus Dimont
Responsible for the southern half of the western edge of The Kingdom, the Dimont families first task upon being entitled was pushing the tribes of monstrous humanoids back across The Western Wall. Preventing incursions from The Western Marches and keeping the monster populations suppressed is a constant struggle, and it is something that Duke Lancelinus regards as his families most important duty. Despite lacking any designs on the throne for himself, The Duke feels that the throne has failed to provide adequate resources to support his family in their duty, and would likely support another contender to the throne who promised to devote more resources to securing the border.
Dutchess Adeliz Marchand
The duchy which sits in the very center of The Kingdom is home to incredibly fertile farmland, and this has made it the breadbasket of Berbot. Insulated from the dangers of both the western and southern borders, the Marchand Family has been able to develop an enormous amount of their holdings into productive farmland, enriching themselves in the process. Acting as regent for her young son after the death of her husband in a riding accident, the ambitions of The Dutchess are well known, as control of the royal holdings and the city of Antossis would connect their duchy to the trade routes of the Palsas Sea.
Duke Mathieu Toutain
Responsible for the mountanous north eastern corner of The Kingdom, the Toutain family are well known for being formidable warriors who are unafraid to take to the field of battle alongside their men. Known for producing large numbers of sons, it is tradition for each of the border forts to always have a Toutain stationed there, and this willingness to brave the dangers and hardships of border duty alongside their men has endeared the ducal family to the common folk. While Duke Mathieu might not personally have aspirations to the throne, should control of the kingdom come into question he can see no reason that his family wouldn't be the most deserving contenders.
The Common Folk
With no intermediary ranks of nobility between the dukes and the commoners, it's only natural that the common man would feel somewhat more directly connected to their dukes than in other kingdoms, and in Berbot the weak royal family has only exacerbated this trend. The dukes are universally seen as the true rulers of their domains, with the royals a detatched and nearly foreign entity living in their palaces in the coastal city of Antossis. While war is rarely kind to the common folk, it's certain that should it break out the commoners will rally behind their dukes over the royals.
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