Pref History
The first Human nation, the first Elven nation to be effected by the Desolation and the site where the Wardens founded their Orders. The province of Silverpine has seen much violent history and yet for the last thousand years it has been peaceful and silent, the people with in it's boarders often being bystanders to history rather then the sharpers of it.
Leading Houses
House Silvermane
Having ruled the whole province and even, at times, parts of the surrounding provinces. House Silvermane has been in power for the last six hundred years. Having deep ties with the nobles of the region along with having lead the province through three emperors and the accompanied interregnum wars. The people generally trust House Silvermane, however the current head has taken an Elven woman as his bride. Commoners now openly whisper of the Crimson haired witch who whispers in his ear.
Having held power in the province for so long the Silvermanes remain resplendent however their power is not without it's challengers. House Crowmonger jockey for more power both political and militarily. Clan Bloodmoth and the City of Swordbreak raise to the south in the last five years disrupting the power balance between Crowmonger and Silvermane, as well as taking valued allies away from the House. Seemingly the balance of power rests on their former ally House Caswell who in recent years has grown distant.
House Silvermane Currently holds control over the provincial capital of Ni-Kud, the small boarder Towns of Stonespell, Deadpass, Boar's Den, Doveglen; As well as the Villages of Oxhill and Dragon's Hollow. Outside of the province the House holds total control over the City of Marchmellow in the Province of Lorrasha, the city that happens to be the only true city in the province and is an important stop for any ship heading south.
House Crowmonger
Closely related to House Silvermane, House Crowmonger has only been a leading house for about three hundred years. They take most of their blood rights and privileges from their shared ancestry with Silvermane line. Approximately three hundred years ago a second son of House Silvermane became a hero to the province when he defeated an Orcish warchief in single combat. After this event the second son was given the lands that had long been under attack by these orcs. Once the forests and foothills where cut back or settled House Crowmongers had found themselves in control one of the most highly productive regions in the Province for wheat and Barley. On top of that House Crowmonger's Iron is shipped to Shipton where it is turned into Weapons, Cannons, Anchors and other items for ships.
House Crowmonger currently controls the towns of Eastton, Westton, Dim Hall, Stagyard and the City of Shipton where their house is seated. Their House still maintains a professional and semi-professional standing army, in addition to a well drilled and maintained massive navy.
Clan Bloodmoth
The youngest elven clan, only being half a decade old. They've have become almost instantly powerful due to their founding clan leader being the famed Merric Blood-Dragon. Merric who was part of the fabled three heroes who slayed the dragon who destoryed the city of Beckton. The clan then traveled with the three heroes and the survivors of the city to Swordbreak. The clan remained at the city and set up the Moth-Lantern district. The Bloodmoth Clan is based in the City of Swordbreak in the south of the province, surrounded by the rolling olive orchards and wheat fields. Having taken up residence in the ancient elven citadel of Ric'var, Marric has set his sights on returning the Elven power to the southern part of the province, with in the last five years he has done so with effective ease and ruthless grace.
House Davis
Out of the four powers of the province House Davis is the weakest. Not for any fault of their own but simply because they do not make waves politically. Some say it is because the current house head Jakob Davis is wholly fixated on the Knights of the Griffin or that they simply lack capable people to fill the roles needed to expand their political and economic power. Due to their current fixations on "Martial Excellence" as Jakob has put it, they lack funds and political clout however they happen to have the most well trained and best drilled fighting force outside of the legions, the knightly orders and the wardens. Beyond that the house is more then happy to sit in the middle of the province's forest slaughtering goblins and teaching villages to fight against said beasts and their kin.
Minor Houses
House Caswell
One of the oldest families in the province and is said to be almost as old as the Silvermane family, which grants prestige for not dying out or being ousted. Their house however has started to shrivel and might end up dying out soon unless the current generation of the house has a more children then the few generations. However do to the historic significance of the city and lands that the house rules it would be rare if they did end up dying out. It would of course be no fault of their youngest member who has received many female suitors from almost every house in the province and even a few outside of the province. The current count however seemingly refuses to give a definite answer to these offers.
House Caswell currently controls the historical and beautiful city of Pearlshaw, one of the former palaces of the First Emperor as well as the home of the Saint of Sea Fairer and Explorers. As well as the small towns of Brittlerest and Stratsford. However most of the attention of the Count is on Pearlshaw and Brittlerest so the town of Stratsford is left to it's own devises.
The House politically is a power house, it could in theory change the next generation's power dynamic and be almost as disruptive as the creation of the Bloodmoth clan. House Crowmonger and House Silvermane have asked for the hand of their young heir to bind House Caswell to them. Even smaller houses seek to upset the balance of powers as that balance slowly shifts southward towards Clan Bloodmoth and away from House Silvermane.
House Lead-Bird
A small house that has only been around for roughly a hundred years. The current rulers of Mythwatch and Honeyfields, they deal with the lead mines and manage the silver mines in the Ni-Kud region for House Silvermane who their allied to through marriage of the current Head of House Lead-Bird to the Youngest sister of House Silvermane. The Family is known for not taxing their farmers or merchants per head but by how much each family produces. Family itself is mostly reliant on their own holdings for wealth, producing mead, honey and candles from Honeyfields as well as Wood and Lead from Mythwatch.
The House can't call on mercenaries so instead it uses the militia system within their towns, dictating that each year every person must devote a month to learning to fire a bow or use some other weapon. Do to this Mythwatch and Honeyfields are visited often by the Griffin Knights to crush goblin attacks around the un-walled towns.
The House is mostly not interested in political matters and is only allied to House Silvermane through blood, however rumor says that they're son and next head of the house is trying to get Count Caswell to marry his Grandson to his younger sister.
House Lachance
House Lachance is a middling nobility that is known for it's high class life style and it's control of the Silver smiths in the southern part of the province. On top of that it has extensive land holdings producing many things such as; olives, wine, grapes and a massive amount wheat in the lands surrounding the city of Swordbreak. They Families noble holdings include the City of Warlington and the town of Miller's shell. The House currently has three people in the next ruling generation, there is rumored forth child however the head of the house sweeps these rumors aside saying that one of his children died long ago when they where a child.
Beyond their land holdings the family mostly relies on militia forces from their two holdings as well as a small force a mostly mercenaries that they keep payed to protect the members of the house.
The House, for the most part, keeps out of political affairs and any matter that does not pertain specifically to their house or the surrounding land. However, for the most part, they have allied themselves with House Silvermane, and Clan Bloodmoth through marriage. Rumor has it that they're currently trying to get the aging Count Caswell to marry his grandson to their youngest daughter.
Location with in the Empire
Natural Geography
With the Thung-grell Moutains to their west, the Rastico Ocean to the East, the foot hills leading into Dreg-Mar to the south along with the Silver Stream and the Marshlands and swamp of Lorrash to the north. Silverpine however is a mostly forested region with gently rolling hills.
Shipton County
The most north-eastern county of the province it has the ancient rolling hills along it's eastern coast that flattens out into a nearly even plan in the north western part of the county around Eastton and Weastton. The City of Shipton sits in the narrow valley that cuts cleanly through the two hilly peninsulas that create a vary large bay. The hills are sparsely wooded with pines and shrubs.
Northern Sylvain County
One of the three central land locked counties, The Northern Sylvain county is covered in lush pine forests that all gather about the plans surrounding the ruin in the center called Warden's Rest. The forest is thick and mostly unexplored having the only settlement of Dim Hall far to the north on the boarder of the county.
Stag County
The most north-western county with the Thung-grell to their direct west, with the other counties of Silverpine to their south and east just beyond a thickly wooded forest and Swamps of Lorrasha to their north. The heavily wooded county of the Stag is surrounded by enemies all around, Goblins and Ogres from the forests, Orcs and Giants from the mountains and Monstrosity from the swamps.
Beckton County
The county just along the northern beach of the Urala Lake and the Silver Stream river is the county of Beckton named after the once large city of Beckton that is now a small village in the middle of the ruins of the old city. To the north of Beckton is Stag county the boarder is marked by where the woods thin out and has slowly moved north as farms, ranches and villages had moved north. It is sparingly wooded and consisted of mostly rolling farm land inter mixed with the small wooded groves that just seem to stick out of the horizon. Along the western boarder with the Thung-Grells is a small river named the David flow. David's flow moves north moving along the boarder of the county and the Thung-grells before arcing off north-west up into the Thung-grells up into the mountains where it stops at it's source beneath The "Nest"
Ralorrick County
Sitting to the South-west of the province with it's western side up against the Moutains, it's northern side containing the whole of the Urala lake and several rivulets in it's north-western edge. The county of Vrodos to it's east with the massive city of Swordbreak with in it. The Deadpass County to it's south through the dense untouched woods that don't allow many to pass and even fewer to exist unscathed. Ralorrick is mostly rolling foot hills and forests covering the majority of it's land. The river Andrew passes across the center of it to join the larger Silver Stream. The Urala lake is the largest body of fresh water in the province and was once used as a highway back and forth across the river, now however one would either have to head south-east to cross or make the crossings of the many miniature rivers in the north-western province to get to the south of the province.
Deadpass County
One of the four most southern countys being the most western of the southern provinces. Right up against the Dreag-mar foot hills to their southern and eastern boarder and the forest of Ralorrick county to it's north and west. It is isolated and hidden with in the trees and hills.
Vrodos County
Comments