Rivage

Area

Rivage is a relatively narrow country on the southern shore of the Lac Bleu . It is sandwiched between Lacan  to the east and Camarrie  to the left.
In the south, it has a border with the Kingdom of Valdoran  and the River Vaillant is the border. It is a peaceful and mainly trade-orientated kingdom.
The thoroughfares throughout the land are extremely busy with the transiting of goods from all over Francalia, but mainly from across the lake and the Republican states.
It also has very prosperous agriculture due to the large fertile valleys crisscrossing the land. One of its main problems is fending off the raiding parties from Lacan to keep up its reputation of safe passage for goods and people.
Because of its main business interests being in the north and west of the country, Rivage has been very susceptible to the Republican propaganda. The Lacan monarchy has been weakened for generations now, and the Rivage merchant class has gained more and more influence at court over the last century.
The Council of Traders has persuaded the aristocrats to engage in secrete negotiations with the Republique to become its 9th State. Many are opposed to the move for fear of reprisal by the formidable Valdoran (and the Francalian King's) armies.

Habitat

- Deciduous Forests

Rivage is well known for its beautiful Deciduous Forests . Logging for quality wood - cabinet making, boats - is one of the main industries of the northern regions.
The forests are also very much prized for hunting and hiking - a new-fangled way of enjoying the country devised by the aristocratic and bourgeois youths. Many of the beauty spots in Rivage are a must for the bands of rich 'hikers'.
The Belle Cascade  is one of the most vaunted places to visit in the whole of Francalia. Shame about the Lacan raiders who can spoil the fun from time to time.
Pigs are reared in the clearings on the forest floor and the Rivage ham is said to be the best in the country. Boar meat is also a delicacy of the area, and men hunt them in teams in the ancestral manner.

- Rolling Hills and Fertile Valleys

The large alluvial valleys of Rivage are ideal to grow many crops: cereals, fruit, patates, etc. A hardy race of white grapes is grown on the south-facing slopes of the hills. A much-prized sparkling wine is made in the region. The people of the valleys are excellent winemakers and fruit growers.
They are not given to warring. However, a militia has been set up using mercenaries and local youths to defend the steads against the Lacan raiders. The aristocrats have been particularly weak in this area in maintaining order and defending their vassals - so towns and villages have taken the matter into their own hands in some areas.
The lords and ladies are often absentee landlords who are keen to collect the revenues from their profitable lands but are not so keen to run them properly. They prefer to be at court currying favors and influence with the Kings or Queens of Francalia.

- Lakeshore

The Rivage traders are very keen to set themselves apart from any other traders on the lakeshore and especially their neighbors from Lacan who they see as little more than thieves.
They pride themselves on their probity and follow a strict code of conduct. Malpractice, if found out, is quickly rooted out, and the offender can be sure of never being able to trade in Rivage.
Their main market is luxury goods: from fine jewelry from The Dones and the mountains to goat's cloth, pricey Eaufeu, and sparkling wines from and around Rivage, all can make a neat profit if you have the right credentials and contacts.
The Merchant guild is very powerful but relies heavily on the influence that the Rivage lords and ladies have in the different courts of Francalia, especially the court of the Kings and Queens of Francalia in Valdoran.
The Rivage lords and ladies are well known for being able to provide their peers with all sorts of goods and delicacies, and often they work as intermediaries between rich aristocrats and the Rivage traders - all done in good taste of course.
The harbors of Rivage are well known to be clean and tidy. This is also where the Rivage traders show off their wealth, and the main avenues can rival the best thoroughfares in Francalia in architecture and artistic flair.
The harbors because of their beauty have also become the playground of the rich, and a great artistic center of Francalia. Many Rivage traders deal in fine arts, and the artists' quarters are filled with hopeful painters and sculptors ready to make their name.
Rich mansions have sprouted out on the lakeshore to become second homes to rich northern Francalian looking for gentler and warmer climes during the harsh winter months.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom