Sophra Prefecture
Sharing the longest and most heavily fortified border with Qadira, Sophra stretches from the Border Wood's western edge to the ancient battlefield of Urfa-Halij. The people of Sophra are hardy folk, accustomed to the hardships of war and living under occupation. Military service is mandatory for all families, who must contribute at least one child to the prefecture’s defense for a minimum of 2 years, and even those who don’t serve in the prefecture’s forces of the Taldan Phalanx often drill with their local militia and town guard.
Sophra receives a great deal of military funding from Oppara , and even citizens who do not serve as soldiers often work for the Taldan army in other fashions, whether as hostlers for cavalry mounts, herbalists and healers keeping forces healthy, or laborers and architects constructing the region’s countless fortifications. Some subsistence farming supports northern supplies, but Sophrans are wary of growing crops that could potentially feed occupying forces. The primary exception is sugarcane, which was originally imported by occupying Qadiran forces early in the Grand Campaign and now flourishes along much of the eastern Jalrune River.
Sophra, more than any other Taldan territory, changes hands often during military conflicts. Over the millennia, the land has alternated between Qadiran and Taldan control, and few lines of grand dukes maintain the title for more than a handful of generations. Whenever the territory changed hands, its new rulers invariably stripped their predecessors of their lands and fortunes to stymie organized resistance, usually imprisoning or executing them as well. In most cases, the military commander responsible for retaking the land was elevated to rule the prefecture as a reward; because of this, the grand duke of Sophra is almost always a former military officer, either due to appointment or descending from a famed military hero in a family line that idolizes military service.
Because of the prefecture’s militarized nature, the grand duke traditionally rules jointly with the high strategos, Taldor’s supreme military commander. Currently, Sophra’s obsequious Grand Duke Urjinus Vobellar defers in almost all situations to High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus. Having been an officer of middling quality and recognizing Pythareus’s strong connections to the crown, Vobellar has no interest in risking his future by challenging the likely next emperor. In addition, this deferral frees up more time to spend on the riding and hunts he truly enjoys.
