Surrisep

POPULATION: 400K
RULING DUKE: Fahes Weher
CAPITAL: Covestal
CITIES: N/A
TOWNS: Kirbons
VILLAGES: Astion, Tattingle, Bonnect, (Navirdi: Haunet)
By population, Surrisep is the smallest Duchy. Odureas is smaller in area, but much of the land in Surrisep is rocky and difficult to farm while the winters off the coast are rugged, making it a unpopular locale in which to settle. It has a maritime economy and culture; most of the salt cod to be found anywhere in Draksineon is fished from the waters of Dhimouri Cove by Seechollers. Root vegetables are common due to the terrain. The engetard, a dense and nutritive tuber, is the backbone crop of Surrisepan agriculture. Surrisep is the only Duchy to trade directly with the Opatuit, the native people of Msna, for furs as well as certain plants.
Surrisepians have a reputation for being straightforward and honest, but also a bit simple. They are butt of jokes further south, deservedly or not. It is true that there is less call for formal education here, as bureaucracy is generally thinner. The people hold steadfastly to their faith, the majority belonging to the Congregation of the Ascended. They value hard work, plain food, and steer clear from sensual indulgence. Public houses are accordingly rare. Buildings in the region are made of wood rather than stone and most are only a single storey high based on the common view that mankind should not strive to build itself up. Outsiders have taken to calling these structures "squatshacks" as a result.
The name Surrisep derives from Surea Hasep (Land of Grace), once a vast territory stretching across Draksineon's northwest during the first part of the Sunset Empire and governed by the heiress to the Eannelk Dynasty, Rhadörei of Ceweren. Arlokian cultural traditions were widespread across the area by then, and even after Draksi rule was re-established, many lingered on, and do to this day. The Arielderis family who had ruled in the Surrisep area were slaughtered to a man by the Eannelks. When Rhadörei granted her lands back to the Drakoya, she elevated a simple cleric, Essets Weher, to the status of Duke for his role in restoring order given the period's frequent rebellions. Weher is one of only two Merit Lords ever designated, the other being Hoserva Ehelmon of Calian.
The Aurimbic Tradition holds a sizable presence in Surrisep. Some of the oldest and largest buildings in the Duchy belong to their order.

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