Duchy of Gareth

The Duchy of Gareth is the seat of power of House Gareth. Compared to other duchies, the realm is modest in size and wealth, but House Gareth is currently the only one of the so-called minor houses to control a Duchy at all, so they treasure this holding.
Understandable, this province and the related title breeds resentment and envy in the other minor houses.
It is the only duchy in the Old Swynfaredia Region that does not have the prefix "Greater" in front of the name. Something the Duchess of Gareth and many others in House Gareth,are hoping to change though the current Matriarchs of the house believes maintaining a humble façade is good for the House's long term interests, at least for now.

Government

The realm a feudal vassal state of the Queen of Swynfaredia.
Adiminstratively, the province is divided into three counties, two controlled by House Gareth directly, and one controlled by House Fremiss-Caedwin. Despite the apparent conflict of loyalties, the local Fremiss-Caedwin Countess tends to get along quite well with her liege.

Defences

House Gareth has a strong military tradition and they are aware that their house has many powerful rivals.
Most of Gareth's dukes and duchesses have invested as much gold as they could afford into building up their castles and fortifications, giving them castles that rival House Numaness and House Kovenoth in their function, if not their aesthetics.

Industry & Trade

The realm is mostly agragrian with no towns of any noteworthy size, the only duchy in the Old Swynfaredia Region with this deficit.
The county castle have attached townships where their small cottage industries are centered.

History

The Duchy of Gareth started out as a humble barony and was gradually expanded with new lands as the king or queen of Swynfaredia rewarded House Gareth for their years of loyal service.
As it stands now, the Duchy of Gareth was carved out of several of the first duchies in the Old Swynfaredia Region taking a small piece of land from the Duchy of Greater Numaness and the Duchy of Greater Gorisonad and a rather large piece from the Duchy of Greater Kovenoth and the Duchy of Greater Fremiss.
This has generally not helped House Gareth win friends outside of House Numaness, and even then, not every Numaness lord or lady has a high opinion of the Gareth family.

Architecture

The realm's buildings have a vaguely dreary and spartan feel to them.
Relative to the rest of Old Swynfaredia Region, the architecture here is built for function, not for flexing wealth and status befitting the core values of House Gareth.

Geography

The realm is mostly flat and covered in cultivated farmland dotted with a few carefully tended woodlands.

Climate

Temperate with relatively mild winters.

Natural Resources

The realm has good farmland but their main resource worth boasting about is a magic font with good reagents producing land around it.

Type

National Territory

Location under

Old Swynfaredia Region

Ruling/Owning Rank

Duchess of Gareth

Owning Organization

House Gareth