Altamira

Before the war, Altamira was once a popular Castillian port-city, a trading hub between Montaigne, Eisen and Castille, benefitting from the affluent lake, its connected rivers leading to the Doré Bay, as well as nearby connections to the Montaigne rivers that meet the sea at Crieux.
Now, it is a Castillian port-city long occupied by Montaigne forces. As one of the first conquests in the war between the two nations, Altamira quickly turned into the center of all Montaigne military operations in Castille, supplying troops and the goods necessary for a successful war. The Castillian nobility who once controlled Altamira have lost their power completely, yet the Montaigne Administration keeps them alive for the sake of keeping the Grandes of Castille guessing.
In spite of several attempts by El Vagabundo to rescue them, the noble family of Altamira remains sequestered in their vast estate on the rocky hill overlooking the city and port. The Montaigne government still requisitions the estate with a young Marquise as its figurehead—Sidonie du Carré. She is a fierce and cruel woman obsessed with controlling everything within her grasp including all aspects of Altamira.

The Montaigne Administration

The sprawling estate of the Altamira Grande has changed to make room for the Montaigne Administration. Members of the noble family are now kept in the lower northwest wing, under constant surveillance, in many cases forced to share rooms with siblings they don’t get along with. They are allowed to wander as long as they obey the strict curfews and limited locations available to them in accordance to Maréchal Laurent Pointu, the Marquise’s righthand man.
The rest of the estate has been completely rearranged. The Marquise has taken residence in the Altamira Grande’s former rooms, enjoying the lavish Castillian décor that she has grown fond of. The grand hall, where family dinners and guests once cheerfully ate, drank and sang together now houses the war room where high-ranking officers hold the most important briefings regarding Montaigne troop movements abroad—whether in Castille or Eisen. Other military briefings are held in adjoining rooms.
The Southern wings are the living quarters of the various nobles and officers that have a hand in the administration. The guest wing, a detached building near the gardens and fountains of the estate, is now a small hospital. In the event that they are wounded in battle, this is where the prominent daughters and sons of the nobility are rushed to be treated by one of the most brilliant surgeons of Montaigne—Jacques Ferrand and his staff.
Meanwhile, the Marquise makes sure she is aware of all troop movements. Many believe that she masterminded the initial invasion of Castille, directing generals and other officers with subtle manipulation or direct orders if necessary. She carefully orchestrates everything she does, benefiting from her tremendous attention to detail. She is served by a military council composed of affluent men and women with vested interests in Castille and Eisen. For the most part, they are capable nobles promised additional lands based on subsequent conquests of Eisen and Castille. Many of them, bitter with the lack of support from l’Empereur, feel that they may benefit from pushing for more military forays into Altamira. While the Marquise runs the Montaigne Administration as though it continues to war with Castille, her main priority is to extract Montaigne troops safely.
Since the support and supply lines have dwindled, many troops still exist in Castille, stuck in pockets of land where they may still war with locals, simply to get the resources they need to feed themselves, until they can travel to Montaigne and finally return to their homes. Because Altamira is the hub of Montaigne military abroad, half of the military appointed to Altamira obeys the Maréchal and the Marquise without question, while many other military contingents that simply pass through the region could care less about what goes on here or what she plans for the region.
It is unclear what the Montaigne troops are doing or preparing for, as they have been slowly falling back, mostly due to necessity as the central Montaigne government ignores their needs for supplies. This tension has caused strife between those who follow the Marquise versus the returning malcontents who see the war efforts and the loss of life of their brothers- and sisters-in-arms as a horrific waste. So far, the Marquise has proven that she has no qualms about having a Montaigne officer executed should he cross a line.

The People of Altamira

With the noble family of Altamira sequestered in their own estate and without a council or government they trust, the common folk of Altamira have turned to the local clergy for advice. Alas, the local Vaticine church has been closed by the occupying Montaigne government, so the religious leaders and priests have gone into hiding, joining the humble families of the town in their daily duties, passing themselves as scholars and laborers.
The Bishop of Altamira, Alejandro Lucio Pereida, finds inspiration in these trying times. He feels closer to his flock, plotting with them to free the noble family of Altamira, sending coded messages to faraway members of the Vaticine Church and generally being involved in a way of life he did not expect to see at the age of fifty-five. He feels that it is just that he should be the one to stand up to the Marquise. For now, he has listened to the advice of his priests and the merchants who prefer the status quo to seeing Bishop Pereida executed by the Marquise. Bishop Pereida has sent out many of his priests to nearby Castillian-controlled cities, hoping to find daring Heroes who might lend a hand in helping the noble family escape the clutches of the Montaigne Administration in Altamira.
Until that happens, taking back Altamira by force is out of the question, lest the Castillian military forsake the Grande of Altamira and his family altogether.

Type

Large city