Grand Duchy of Bahran
The Grand Duchy of Bahran is one of the most influental states in all of Blazennia relative to its size. Bahran gained much of its influence through its position as one of the original Landgraviates of the Empire, as its initial rulers gained a seat on the council through this title. Following the usurpation of the Blazennian crown by Emperor Csömbor I, Bahran was elevated to a Grand Duchy and granted some additional territories as compensation for their aid and for their loss of influence over the magical academies. It was also confirmed as a member of the new council, which made its vote far more important. Bahran has also had a long history as one of the premier lumber producing nations in the Empire, and is known as the second largest shipbuilding center of the Empire after the city of Csaishavel.
History
Bahran as a country was founded in 1243 SC, just a few years after the formation of the Blazennian Empire. Initially, it was intended to cover a broad swath of lands, stretching from Lake Leona in the west to the eastern edge of Feulönd. A heavily wooded region, most of which which had only recently come under imperial control, Bahran's authority in Feulönd only extended to non-elves. It was intended to be a deputy of the Emperor in the reigon, as were all Landgraviates in their respective zones of control. However, this organization, like in much of the Blazennian Empire, soon failed as the Landgrave could not properly project power, with many constituents electing elves as their rulers, and then claiming this made them immune to Bahran's authority. Thus, after a few generations the Landgrave of Bahran only controlled a small section of lands along the coast of the lake, as well as some forested exclaves in various parts of Feulönd, which consisted only of peasants. These were the least populated and developed lands, as the more developed regions quickly asserted autonomy. By the 1280s, Bahran seemed destined to fade into a poor backwater.
During the reforms of Albubite I “The Great” Ollomar, Bahran became a member of the Council, as did the other Landgraves, as compensation for their previous administrative duties being revoked. This gave Bahran some real power and so despite their small population the Landgrave became an important member of the empire instead of fading away into obscurity. During this period their most notable conflict was with the rebellious peasants of what would later become Ilrunship (one of their few remaining exclaves), sending expeditions to harass them constantly during the 1300s. The peasants would pretend to be loyal while annoying the garrison until they left, as leaving a permanent garrison was unprofitable. Once the men left, Ilrunship would simply act independently and completely ignore the decress of the Landgraves. Sending a single man was also useless, as the peasants would just not give him money for taxes. Eventually Bahran was forced to give up the lands after being overruled in a vote on the issue of free peasants in exlcaves of this type in 1388.
Although Bahran has always been lightly populated, many of its citizens were hardy woodsmen, who continued carving away at the forests to their north, many of which were still populated by elves despite being part of the "human Blazennia".
Despite displacing some elves from the forests, Bahran ended up having a positive relationship with those who stayed, keeping their communties as pockets of woods safe from forestry operations. These elves became patrons of a small but powerful magical elite within Bahran, which soon led to Bahrani influence in the magical education system. Elven cultural influence over Bahran reached a high point during this era, and the final emperor of Bahran's first dynasty was a eldritch.
After his death in the early 1700s, the Oallbrith dynasty became the new rulers of Bahran, and they brought Bahran to new heights. The Oallbrith had already been rulers of the coastal County of Sarschent, and the union of Bahran and Sarschent under one ruler led to prosperity for both. Bahran had already been shipping timber down the [tbd] river as opposed to through the lake route, as their alliance with Sarschent reduced their tariff fee. However, unification made these operations more dynamic, and Sarschent emerged as a major shipbuilding center. This meant Bahran was able to establish several fortified ports on Ifyrial and managed to establish a minor mining company that provided raw materials. They also made a large profit in the orcish slave trade, bringing them to work in the mines. Despite not being connected by land, Bahran and Sarschent were tightly tied to one another, and were never separated, with the Landgrave-Count often wintering in Sarschent and spending summers in the beautiful lakeside capital of Lutzenfold. By the early 1900s, Bahran, despite its small population, had one of the most productive economies per captia in the whole empire, with most of the population engaged in skilled labor, woodcutting, the magical arts, or trading up and down the river. In 1906, Bahran's Varimar Oallbrith was even elected as Varimar IX for his role in fighting tyranny. Unfortunately, following the death of Varimar IX, the empire would fall into the Time of Troubles. As economic issues prevailed, many of Bahran's skilled laborers were no longer in high demand. Timber prices tanked as nobody was building anything, and the Landgraviate's finances were looking grim, despite its treasury being relatively large still. Only the leadership of Varimar X Oallbrith, the son of Varimar IX, kept the nation on its feet. He continually lobbied the empire for leadership during the crisis, but was passed up over and over again. Finally, however, after the death of Eberhald IV Kyrains of Vindaun, he was elected emperor. Although he was competant when he took the throne, he was in his eighties by the time he was finally granted the throne, and was stressed and unhealthy. He died within a year of taking the emperorship, and became known as Varimar The Old.
Varimar's son, Larimaer, was elected as Larimaer III Oallbrith, but the death of his father hit him hard. He went completely insane within a couple of years of taking the throne, and after six years of incompetant and inconsistent rule, he was deemed mentally unfit and sent back the Lutzenfold, where he lived out the remaining 5 years of his life. In his place, Alezar VIII Lumidbrine (of Emberkeep) was elected emperor. This action stoked the anger of the Oallbrith, who felt they hadn't been given a fair chance with Larimaer the Mad or Varimar The Old, and they turned against Emberkeep's rule. Bahran joined the coalition led by the Kingdom of Mäzgyrazrfold and helped topple Emberkeep's rule. They were especially critical in making sure that the elves and the magical academies stayed neutral in the war, through a combination of threats and manipulation. Although Bahran's forces failed to make progress on the front against Aldmarck or to fully conquer Varwrain (which once bordered them in the southwest), they were considered one of the most important members of the coalition. Despite this, their military weakness meant they only obtained the north of Varwrain, with Mäzgyrazrfold;s troops occupying and annexing the rest. After the war, Bahran was also elevated to a Grand Duchy and recognized with the rather empty title of Official Elf-Human Liason. This elevation was compensation for Bahran's loss of influence in the magical academies, whose education was taken over by Mäzgyrazrfold. Although Bahran had been losing influence in these academies for some time, the immediate loss of influence angered the new Grand Duke, who has begun plotting against Mäzgyrazrfold.
During the reforms of Albubite I “The Great” Ollomar, Bahran became a member of the Council, as did the other Landgraves, as compensation for their previous administrative duties being revoked. This gave Bahran some real power and so despite their small population the Landgrave became an important member of the empire instead of fading away into obscurity. During this period their most notable conflict was with the rebellious peasants of what would later become Ilrunship (one of their few remaining exclaves), sending expeditions to harass them constantly during the 1300s. The peasants would pretend to be loyal while annoying the garrison until they left, as leaving a permanent garrison was unprofitable. Once the men left, Ilrunship would simply act independently and completely ignore the decress of the Landgraves. Sending a single man was also useless, as the peasants would just not give him money for taxes. Eventually Bahran was forced to give up the lands after being overruled in a vote on the issue of free peasants in exlcaves of this type in 1388.
Although Bahran has always been lightly populated, many of its citizens were hardy woodsmen, who continued carving away at the forests to their north, many of which were still populated by elves despite being part of the "human Blazennia".
Despite displacing some elves from the forests, Bahran ended up having a positive relationship with those who stayed, keeping their communties as pockets of woods safe from forestry operations. These elves became patrons of a small but powerful magical elite within Bahran, which soon led to Bahrani influence in the magical education system. Elven cultural influence over Bahran reached a high point during this era, and the final emperor of Bahran's first dynasty was a eldritch.
After his death in the early 1700s, the Oallbrith dynasty became the new rulers of Bahran, and they brought Bahran to new heights. The Oallbrith had already been rulers of the coastal County of Sarschent, and the union of Bahran and Sarschent under one ruler led to prosperity for both. Bahran had already been shipping timber down the [tbd] river as opposed to through the lake route, as their alliance with Sarschent reduced their tariff fee. However, unification made these operations more dynamic, and Sarschent emerged as a major shipbuilding center. This meant Bahran was able to establish several fortified ports on Ifyrial and managed to establish a minor mining company that provided raw materials. They also made a large profit in the orcish slave trade, bringing them to work in the mines. Despite not being connected by land, Bahran and Sarschent were tightly tied to one another, and were never separated, with the Landgrave-Count often wintering in Sarschent and spending summers in the beautiful lakeside capital of Lutzenfold. By the early 1900s, Bahran, despite its small population, had one of the most productive economies per captia in the whole empire, with most of the population engaged in skilled labor, woodcutting, the magical arts, or trading up and down the river. In 1906, Bahran's Varimar Oallbrith was even elected as Varimar IX for his role in fighting tyranny. Unfortunately, following the death of Varimar IX, the empire would fall into the Time of Troubles. As economic issues prevailed, many of Bahran's skilled laborers were no longer in high demand. Timber prices tanked as nobody was building anything, and the Landgraviate's finances were looking grim, despite its treasury being relatively large still. Only the leadership of Varimar X Oallbrith, the son of Varimar IX, kept the nation on its feet. He continually lobbied the empire for leadership during the crisis, but was passed up over and over again. Finally, however, after the death of Eberhald IV Kyrains of Vindaun, he was elected emperor. Although he was competant when he took the throne, he was in his eighties by the time he was finally granted the throne, and was stressed and unhealthy. He died within a year of taking the emperorship, and became known as Varimar The Old.
Varimar's son, Larimaer, was elected as Larimaer III Oallbrith, but the death of his father hit him hard. He went completely insane within a couple of years of taking the throne, and after six years of incompetant and inconsistent rule, he was deemed mentally unfit and sent back the Lutzenfold, where he lived out the remaining 5 years of his life. In his place, Alezar VIII Lumidbrine (of Emberkeep) was elected emperor. This action stoked the anger of the Oallbrith, who felt they hadn't been given a fair chance with Larimaer the Mad or Varimar The Old, and they turned against Emberkeep's rule. Bahran joined the coalition led by the Kingdom of Mäzgyrazrfold and helped topple Emberkeep's rule. They were especially critical in making sure that the elves and the magical academies stayed neutral in the war, through a combination of threats and manipulation. Although Bahran's forces failed to make progress on the front against Aldmarck or to fully conquer Varwrain (which once bordered them in the southwest), they were considered one of the most important members of the coalition. Despite this, their military weakness meant they only obtained the north of Varwrain, with Mäzgyrazrfold;s troops occupying and annexing the rest. After the war, Bahran was also elevated to a Grand Duchy and recognized with the rather empty title of Official Elf-Human Liason. This elevation was compensation for Bahran's loss of influence in the magical academies, whose education was taken over by Mäzgyrazrfold. Although Bahran had been losing influence in these academies for some time, the immediate loss of influence angered the new Grand Duke, who has begun plotting against Mäzgyrazrfold.
Demography and Population
460,000 net
Founding Date
1243 S.C.
Capital
Demonym
Bahrani
Leader Title
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Species
Related Ethnicities
Comments