Duchy of Roria
The Duchy of Roria was founded by some of the commanding officers of the Imperial Army forces located on the Great Plains. It stood strong ever since. Deeper in the Endless Forest than any other of the Free Duchies, it is always under the threat of attack from any side. As a result, the people of Roria are tough fighters, brave enough to go deep in the woods to search for rare resources. Most of the civilized human realms, however, have a rather negative opinion about Roria.
The duchy, unlike most others, is organised on the military basis rather than the feudal one. Population possesses most of the land and has a lot of personal rights here. They are, yet, expected to swear fealty in perpetuity to one of seven barons or the duke himself. A common man must come to aid whenever called upon by his liege, put his trust in the liege's court and pay taxes. Barons give the same oath to the duke.
Nowadays, the situation in duchy is becoming more disturbing day after day. The roads and forests are swarming with bandits. People start to grumble at the sight of the duke being unable to stop bandit raids. Finally, all wealthy families seek to get more rights for themselves. Most important, they want to have their own sworn men, turning the duchy into a real feudal state.
Structure
The Duchy of Roria is ruled by a duke and seven barons who all swear fealty to the duke. There is no formal nobility except for those eight families. All common citizens give an oath to either duke or one of his barons in return for their protection. There are, however, some influential, wealthy families; mostly merchants.
Most villages have their elders act as judges in case of a dispute. In Harwood and Silvershield the bailiff holds all the judicial power instead of the elders. Besides, all citizens have a right to ask the one they serve (baron or duke) as their judge. Those who disagree with their baron's opinion can also ask the duke for his court. However, most quarrels never leave the village/town, and the duke rarely intervenes in disputes between the barons' men, unless they are loyal to two different families.
Public Agenda
Duchy's main goal for decades was to become acknowledged by its neighbours as a Grand Duchy. Also, getting back the territories it lost during the previous war with the Duchy of Jugral has become a big issue lately. However, the duke's efforts nowadays are mainly concentrated on strengthening his power, having to fight for it both inside and outside the duchy.
Assets
Roria is well known for being a provider of high-quality herbs, hides and other resources from the Forest. That includes both massive piles of mundane logs rafted down the river and rare wood that is only transferred in a well-guarded caravan. The land itself isn't too fertile, and much of it is covered by woods, making the duchy rely on outside food. There is a modest deposit of high-quality iron ore as well.
Castle of Harwood stands in the south-west part of the realm, overseeing the wild part of its land. It is big and well-fortified, providing shelter to people from the surrounding area in time of need. The inner keep serves as a house for the duke's family, who lives within the safety of its walls.
There are about eight hundred professional soldiers in the duchy. Roughly three hundred men of them belong to the duke's personal retinue, including the Ducal Guard. The militia includes every able-bodied man aged 14 to 60, numbering almost twenty thousand men in total.
Demography and Population
Most people live in safer northern and eastern parts of the realm away from the Forest. The vicinity of two main cities, Harwood and Silvershield, is densely populated as well. According to 90 A.C. census, approximately 79 thousand people are living in the duchy.
Territories
The Duchy of Roria was initially created by part of the Imperial Army forces. Territories under their protection, including castle Harwood, became a part of this new duchy. Even more lands were acquired later on, mostly by force. However, there are still other duchies which have put a claim on them. Modern Roria is still the most western country of all the Free Duchies. It has, however, already lost the position of being the most southern of them.
Military
All barons and the duke have their own retinues of professional warriors. Recruited from among the loyal men, their job is to defend and patrol their liege's lands. Still, in times of war, the bulk of the army consists of the militia. Each village and town is responsible for training its population to fight as a unit. This system allows to quickly raise an army of several thousand people when needed and disband it after the danger has been overcome.
The Ducal Guard, which consists of fifty best soldiers in the duke's retinue, is an elite unit that defends the keep of Harwood. They are also tasked with protecting the duke and carrying his banner on the battlefield.
Foreign Relations
The Duchy of Roria has historically good relations with many other duchies bordering the Endless Forest. After all, they are the first line of human defence against the dangers of it. On the other hand, the situation is much worse with the other Free Duchies. The main reasons for that are Rorians' military origin and their aggressive expansion early on.
The tension is the highest with the Duchy of Jugral. There were several military conflicts between those two duchies and their allies. First started due to a personal dispute between the rulers, they eventually turned into a blood feud. Currently, there is peace, but both sides do not seem to believe in it. Jugral still desires to take back third of its land that was lost almost a hundred years ago. People of Roria, in turn, are angry about the loss of some longtime acquisitions during the last war.
The ambition of Roria to be acknowledged as Grand Duchy does not help the situation either. Most of the present-day duchies were founded by men from the higher standing. As a result, many of their descendants prefer to compare family trees rather than to acknowledge real power. Thus, despite the Roria's vast lands and power, its rulers are forever perceived as a bunch of upstart soldiers.
"In Victory Peace"
Type
Geopolitical, Duchy
Capital
Formation Type
Training Level
Trained
Veterancy Level
Experienced
Demonym
Rorians
Leader
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Traditional
Currency
Copper, silver and gold coins.
Legislative Body
All legislative power in the realm belongs to the duke.
Judicial Body
Duke
Baron
Elders/bailiff
Baron
Elders/bailiff
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Notable Members
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