Bourally
POPULATION: 1M
RULER: Adlion Saturam, Duke of Bourally
CAPITAL: Depolla
CITIES: Logental, Ordivil
TOWNS: Babois, Anchier, Municedges, Schenroe
VILLAGES: Cracce, Salulux, Fidden, Vlovers
Bourally is famous for two things: being the first territory conquered by the Drakoya and thus, the effective cornerstone of the The Old Empire; and being the ante of a gentleman's bet gone wrong. The latter is the better known outside of Draksineon, without a doubt.
From ancient times, the region was called Saterran. When Occlose the Victor invaded it, he was short on horses until a local owning a large number of stables made an offering of the required beasts. For this act, Occlose appointed the man, Shoas, to be the area's first ruling noble, and granted him rights to use the land as his official surname. A version of this surname survives in that of the present ruling Duke, Saturam.
Though down a broken line of succession, the Saturams have principally ruled in the region ever since. Their House Crest reflects its early history, bearing a horse with two heads rampant on a red ground. The symbolic importance horses hold for the Duchy is also manifest in a yearly tournament and race, for which the coveted Redishore Cup is the grand prize.
The region's name was changed to Bourally on account of Ascu Boural of the Taverboldes Bourals - a drifter and a charlatan who won it in a game of cards against Braimlin Amazar, the drunken nephew of the Drakoyan Emperor. This he did in 436, a date that lives on in infamy as one of the defining moments of the bedeviled Sunset Empire. Braimlin's classic cock-up remains a frequent subject of jest, and is expressed in many ways across the culture. One prominent instance - the card game, Ascu's Luck - is a special tavern favourite.
Boural, who hailed from a family of merchants, quickly discovered he was a terrible governor and was all too happy to step aside, on condition that the territory continue to bear his name. In return for their land back, the Saturams guaranteed he and his heirs a tidy parcel of land and the inherited title of Baron; however, his descendants have not as yet participated in any formal activities of the peerage.
by Midjourney
Above: Statue of Ascu Boural, in Taverboldes
Because Ascu Boural was from Rello, many Rellans jokingly refer to Bourally as a part of their country by right. Indeed, in Taverboldes, Boural's hometown, the swindler achieved heroic status, with a statue in his honour standing proudly in the town square. These “cultural ties”, coupled with ties of marriage of the present Duke, have fostered a jovial trade relationship with their eastern neighbour. Nearby Beurin is also a strong partner. Southern Bourally contains thriving communities from both nations, while the Bonneru people its northern border, as it is near to their ancestral homeland, Romisbanian. Bourally's chief exports are agricultural. Its main imports are metals from the mines in northern Rello. The Ruby Road winds its way through Bourally en route to Sabellis, providing an influx of exotic goods and energizing the regional economy.
Early Drakoyan ruins are scattered across the land. The most famous of them, the Aptaxis, dwells at the centre of Depolla, having been rebuilt fully during the Drako-Azil Renaissance (circa 609).
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