Boradeal Staderne

Tall walls made of wood and stone are what separate the illuminated townscape from the dark forests outside the wall. The walls are manned by torch-bearing guards overlooking the darkened woods beyond the light of the city. Howls and shrieks emerge from the shrubs just beyond the barrier as a carriage charges through the darkness and barrels towards the gate. Muffled voices yell for the gates to open, and the heavy wooden gates creak and make passage for the vehicle. The loud howls and screams dissipate as the gates close behind leaving only the illuminated cityscape for another swift evening.

Location

Boradeal is located in the northeastern part of Caeroth, a place where winters are long and darkness engulfs both day and night. In these northern parts of Caeroth numbers equal safety, which has resulted in few but larger settlements around the area. Much of the region is covered in forests, woodland and marshes. Many dangers lurk in the shadows of Boradeal thus leaving the lands quite dangerous to travel.

Safety in Numbers

Even behind the fortified wooden walls, safety is not a guarantee. During the outbreak of The Arcane Plague, the city-states of Boradeal came together to put their internal strife on hold to withstand the evergrowing undead problem. Thus the Marquisate Boradeal Staderne was founded, a union of seven city-states under the direct ladyship of Margrave Estrel Redmane. Gathered under a single Banner, the city-states have survived with the only condition being the blood tithe each city-state must pay once a season.

History

For Millennia the cold forest of Boradeal was not inhabited by intelligent creatures. The region has only within the last thousand years this region became hospitable to those who dare traverse the dangers that the dark snowy forests hide. The first settlements were those of hunters and adventures, making the first strongholds in the region. As more people came to these settlements they expanded and people began venturing deeper into the region. As years went by rumours of a ruined Citadel began spreading throughout the towns of Boradeal. Adventures went to these ruins, and many died but those who did return came back pale as the moonlit skies above.
While these pale adventures came back a sickness spread throughout the region, the first symptoms were confusion, which continued to build towards a burning fever that resulted in vomiting blood which concluded an infected life with exsanguination. First people thought it was contracted through touch and many towns made roads for healers of distant reaches to their doorsteps for help. One such healer was Esynsia, she came to these people's aid but soon realised that those who had come to the step of vomiting blood could not be saved. This resulted in the disease being dubbed; Blood Fever. A monastery was built in her honour and her ways of healing are still taught in the town of Vyvelstad.
Though the amount of life lost was significantly reduced, it still ran rampant and the only common factor was the returned adventures with their pale skin. People began seeing them as omens of doom. They were shunned and exiled from their respective communities and with their removal from society the number of sick people dropped rapidly throughout a single season; thus the season of summer is highly regarded in the area. But as summer and autumn gave way for winter, people soon started disappearing from their homes, and violent entrees and screams started to terrorise the night as ferocious humanoids began terrorising the towns.
These violent spawns of monstrous bloodlust left a winter of carnage throughout the region. During this winter, the monastery of Esynsia fell and many of her teachings were lost. This dark path continued until the night became shorter and a rumour of a Great Lady spread as she started gathering the Cities together to form a militia against these attacks, her name was Estral Redmane a newcomer to these lands but quickly gathered popularity as she started to erect fortifying walls and governing organ to secure the citizens. Estrel gathered seven of the towns around the region creating the Marquisate; Boradeal Staderne which consists of the seven largest towns of the region. Her reign of rule has never been questioned, and the only thing she asks for in return is the blood tithe.
The Blood Tithe
As Estrel orchestrated many features of defence she only asked one thing from her citizens, and that was a container filled with fresh blood as it was part of a ritual to keep the city-states safe. No one questioned this, and those who did quickly changed their mind.
The Umbral Court
With the Arcane Plague Sweeping across the realm, the undead that it brought with it tipped the scales of the fortified walls of Boradeal Staderne, as the walls could not withstand the ever-coming stream of flesh pounding against the walls. The people of Boradeal asked their Margrave for help, and together they opened a court for the public where matters of importance could be brought to the Margrave's attention. Margrave Estrel and her court of ministers concluded with the creation of the Bloodguard.

The Bloodguard and the umbral court worked in close relation, with only matters of the highest importance being assigned to those worthy to be called a Bloodguard. Even with its new creation, the Bloodguard is a secretive organisation and mostly works at night. Their work is noticeable and reliable and has mustered loyalty among the seven towns of Boradeal. But as more undead came upon the region, Margrave was forced to increase the Blood Tithe because the Bloodguards were needed at all times, and through a strong ritual, large grey mushroom clouds rose upon the skies covering the already sparsely lit skies and creating a working environment for the Bloodguards.

Since the mushroom clouds have risen, only a few people have died from undead attacks and the Bloodguards numbers have significantly increased since their order was created. Many people live under these darkened mushrooms, protected by the Bloodguard and The Umbral Court.

Type

Geopolitical, Marquisate