Veircourt
Overview
Veircourt sits along the coast of the Effinigan Ocean in Western Grouce. The area that the three major cities of Veircourt lie along is known as the Emerald Coast. These cities are Tralone, Balbar, and the capital of the province Lomren. The province boasts well maintained roads between the cities as well as routes to other major cities in the country. The region benefits from a temperate climate from the sea resulting in mild seasons.
The province gained fame for being the trading gateway of the nation. Veircourt accounts for over ninety percent of the international trade of Grouce. While the province doesn’t produce many goods of its own, the warm water ports allow goods to be transported year round. The lack of production does not mean lack of income, as every item that enters or leaves Veircourt is taxed and tariffs are collected on all shipments. This has allowed Veircourt to amass the largest amount of wealth of all of the provinces in the nation.
Veircourt became the indisputably wealthiest and second most influential province during the War of Unification. The sultan that ruled Lomren at the time, Silvio Lippert made a deal with the generals of Amersham that he would help finance the Unification in exchange for being given control of the other cities and the land along the Effinigian coast. The generals agreed and once in power, Silvio renamed the area the Emerald Coast. This relationship has carried to the present where it is common for the citizens of Veircourt to pay fees to avoid conscription to the Grouce military.
Since the end of the conflict Veircourt has gained traction as a cultural hub. The constant movement of people and goods throughout the region has led to a constant ebb and flow of trends and popularities. This constant flux of what is popular has created a culture of extravagance. Wealthy guilds and noblemen throw extravagant parties to flaunt wealth and gain a higher standing in society. The sultan is the largest determinant of wealth for the members of the city. Guilds and individuals that earn the sultans favor are gifted lucrative trade contracts and opportunities. Of course this has led to some people claiming that that is an unfair system and that areas outside of the major cities are neglected. The sultan generally ignores the claim, and most of the population continues to be happy with the general governance and fairness that is shown in most aspects of life even in the more remote parts of the province.
History
Integration of the Servants of Heiliger
While the first missionaries from Heligiand landed at Black Rock in Amersham, they afterwards traveled down the coast and introduced the various trade cities to the Servants of Heiliger. Although Amersham was the first nation to be introduced to the religion, Veircourt was the quickest to adopt the religion and start the widespread worship of its gods. Veircourt holds Reise, Betrunk, and Handel in especially high esteem.
International Hub
With the introduction of the Servants of Heiliger and Heligiand so too came new nations to trade with. Lomren quickly became a trade hub for the region, and became renowned for their ports ease of access and the friendliness of people that lived there. Within a matter of generations after being introduced to Heiligmus, Lomren had absorbed various port cities down the side of the continent until the land of Cijera and its impassable coast line. Lomren merged with the southern city of Balbar and became known as the Sultani of Veircourt. While the nation set its eyes on the northern city of Tralone, it was currently already under siege by the war hungry nation of Sherpmel and was unavailable for assimilation.
Even without the final coastal city before the mountains the nation of Veircourt became an incredibly wealthy nation. Their wealth was such that they were able to form several alliances with nearby nations to provide sufficient disincentive for Sherpmel's warlike habits. Among the various nations around the Effinigan Ocean, Veircourt started a close relationship with the mountainous nation Amersham.
War of Unification
It was this relationship that eventually gave way to a meeting between Silvio Lippert, the sultan of Veircourt, where he made a deal with Amersham to support them in a war to unify the various countries of the region. With Amersham taking the lead, the combined might of the two nations was eventually able to win the bloody conflict known as the War of Unification. Though Veircourt did not do much fighting, their diplomatic skills and monetary backing were essential to Amersham's victory in the conflict.
Post War Expansion
To the victor came the spoils and since Veircourt was the first nations to assist in the war they had first choice of their prize. They chose to take control of the rest of the coast up until Amersham's territory at the Beresto Mountains including the city of Tralone, cinching their hold the coastline and naming the region the Emerald Coast. They also took the rest of the land inland of the coast where the coastal plains were. With these expansions, Veircourt nearly quadrupled in size having the largest proportional land gain of any nation.
The increase in land paled in comparison to the increase in economic might Veircourt experienced. With victory came sanctions on the losers and Veircourt leveraged that advantage into tariffs and taxes on trade that helped them to amass massive amounts of wealth. The increase in wealth has created a land of luxury and excess. This monetary boon has allowed for the cities of the Emerald Coast and the people who live there to pursue massive public works projects and displays of wealth.
Geography
The province of Veircourt is a flat coastal region with a warm climate. While the province experiences heavy rainfall in the planting season, intricate wards developed by the archmagi Liproty Simino reduce the rainfall on the cities and keep them at a more pleasant environment. The province of Veircourt stretches from the nation of Cijera to the Beresto Mountains along the coast. The province extends as far inland as the coastal plains of the area. Three major cities are spread along the coast with a variety of storage areas, fishing towns, and resorts dotting the coast in between.
Adjacent Provinces and Countries
Climate
Veircourt's climate is summarized by it's long summers, warm winter, and heavy rains during the planting season. The adverse weather affects have been mitigated by a series of wards established shortly after the War of Unification by Liproty Simino and High Mage Zaubeneir. The weather ward system was the last project the two masters worked on before their falling out. The system greatly reduces the amount of rain that can fall on the region at any one time storing the excess and releasing it when deemed appropriate. The controls for the system are kept under strict guard in Liproty's home city of Balbar.
Major Cities
There are three major cities located along the Emerald Coast. Lomren is both the largest city in the province and the nation as a whole. Followed shortly there after by Tralone, the third largest city in the nation and Balbar the seventh largest city in the nation. All three cities are major trade hubs specializing in particular goods and are constantly overflowing with both goods and gold.
Lomren is the city of exotic goods and cultural revolution. The sprawling city is built into the beach side and home to the finest hotels, food, entertainment, and people in the nation. Its tropical climate and friendly people encourage visitors to relax as their every whim is met. A menagerie of exotic people and skills provide a constant spectacle as you wonder the streets. Anything is possible in this golden metropolis affectionately called the "Crown Jewel of the Continent".
Tralone is the largest source of goods leaving Grouce as it is the export capital of the province. Tralone's ports are constantly seeing ships off as the last stop they make along the Emerald coast. The cities history as the last to join Veircourt initially left it as the odd one out until the Sultan encouraged his citizens to see the area for its potential and it became the largest area for gold coming in from the rest of the world.
Balbar on the other hand has somewhat fallen out of favor with the sultan. The city is still quite profitable as any good coming in from the rest of the world passes through these docks and is taxed for it. However, ever since Liproty's falling out the Sultan has looked disfavorably upon the city, hoping to stay in the good graces of Amersham and it's high mages. The work of the merchant John Pinkman has helped to bring the city back into the Sultan's graces as under his command the city has seen a windfall of profit.
Demographics
Veircourt is the most populous province in Grouce. Containing 22% of the total population of the country, the province is a densely packed region. The region is also one of the most culturally diverse areas in the nation. A constant desire for new and unique spectacle has led to a constant influx of various races to come into the province to entertain the nobility. While many of these entertainers to leave the area either go to Sherpburg or back to their homes once they have shown all they can, many end up staying in the region and calling it home.
Administration
Each city and its surrounding area in Veircourt are governed by a mayor. The mayorship is appointed for life by the Sultan, after each former mayor's passing. The Sultan oversees the entire province and each mayor reports to him. The mayor of Lomren is a woman named Squiggs Marybell. The mayor of Tralone is Bifgrin Hobbs. Both of them have only been serving as mayor for less then 10 years. The mayor of Balbar, however, has been serving the Sultans since the War of Unification. Liproty Simino was appointed as mayor while completing the weather system. Shortly their after he was cursed by an angry genie to suffer eternal life as he slowly lost his mind.
Each mayor is to appoint a cabinet of the regions most prominent citizens to assist them in running the region. These cabinets include members to oversee public relations, schooling, infrastructure, and tourism, amongst other duties. The cabinets also set the standard prices of the items in the region that are used for cost setting for goods being sold. Each cabinet has a team of people working to help them with their duties that are appointed by the cabinet seat themselves.
Economic Capability
Veircourt has the largest and most diverse economy of all the provinces of Grouce. The majority of the provinces economic strength comes from controlling the vast majority of Grouce's international trade. Not only does Veircourt bring in finished items that are sold all around both Grouce and the rest of the world, but they have an expansive class of craftsman and artisans that take raw materials brought to the province and turn them into works of art.
Being the only province with sea ports means that any international trade coming from oversees most pass through the Emerald coast and its ports. The flow of goods and the tariffs placed on them both domestic and international provide Veircourt a hefty some of gold in taxes alone. As most of the nations merchant class also call the area home, Veircourt is able to profit not only from the movement of the goods, but their sale as well. Any profit made by a merchant in Veircourt is taxed anually based on brackets determined by net wealth and adjusted for charitable donation and contributions to religious organizations.
The artisans and craftsman of Veircourt also account for a large percentage of the gold made in taxes for the provinces. A comprehensive network of artisan guilds form a complex web of fees and commissions for the artist as well as providing valuable legal aid and a larger base to sell their products. These large guilds often are aligned with trading companies and other guilds to form networks for artisans from which they recieve backing and sell goods. Nearly every artisan with the province belongs to at least one guild to assist in their business. The guilds also have branched into other provinces to expand their influence and widen their potential customer bases.
Culture
The culture of Veircourt is defined by it's excess. The wealthy of the province are constantly competing to see who can throw the most extravagant party or own the most impressive collection of arts. Many scholars call the province home and the liturgical and performance art of the province is renowned for it's cutting edge and impressive displays.
Literature and Myth
The province is considered to be a hot bed of philosophers and academics. The province is one of the few where books are commonly found in the possession of the average citizen. It is common to see scholarly debate in public and epic poetry written in Veircourt has been known to travel the world.
Food
The food of Veircourt is marked as being elaborate and fickle. The meals often involve fresh seafood and a variety of rare ingredients. Veircourt often brings in fresh produce from Romborn but they are also one of the few places to seek out the wild game of Sherpburg to be used in their dishes. Veircourt's meals tend to be multiple courses with the expectation of trying a variety of foods that have been crafted to standout and show the skill of both chef and the wealth of the hosts.
Music and Visual Art
With their renown for poetry, so too comes a reputation for the visual and performative arts. Foreign performers are often brought in by the wealthy in Veircourt as a way to show their status and large parties and shows commonly entertain high profile guests. The region commonly employs the bards of the country, especially those found in the Sherpburg guild of Lorelei, to entertain company and will often sponsor bards from Grouce to travel the world to gain new skills and stories so that they may come and entertain for the lord once more.
Sports
Veircourt does not have a fondness for most sports, instead preferring performative acts of physical prowess. There have been some wealthy merchants and nobles who have brought in Brick Ball, Jelrin , or Grouce Gladiatorial Combat athletes to preform matches for guests, but these events are few and far between.
Religion
The most popular religion in Veircourt is the Servants of Heiliger. While the major cities will each have a temple to the various other religions found in Grouce, the citizens of Veircourt greatly favor SoH as a religion. As Veircourt was one of the first areas to accept the religion, its beliefs have come to be deeply ingrained in the people of the province.
