Barony of Beldoah (bel-doe-ah)
The Barony of Beldoah is the oldest of the "marcher" Baronies, established in 7 AF. However, the region was an independent country prior to the Ohnni Conquest of Imesse, ruled by the Toricki family (with the title of Count) for more than 100 years. The City of Beldoah is one of the oldest functioning cities in the Kingdoms, and boasts some of the largest and most beautiful buildings anywhere in Imesse.
The Barony has 40 miles of the eastern bank of the mighty Caldar River and another 50 miles of the Kingdom's border with the Kingdom of Aria along the Teeth of the North. The great "King's Road" begins and ends at the Baronial seat, the City of Beldoah.
Structure
Baron rules absolutely in the name of Mak II.
Culture
A river-based and driven economy, the Barony of Beldoah is wealthy and prosperous.
History
Founded in 7 AF as the first western (or marcher) barony to aid in the defense of the realm, it is the oldest such division in Imesse, and has been ruled by the Toricki family from its founding.
Demography and Population
Population is 75,000, with 51,000 Humans, 20,000 Halflings, and 4,000 Dwarves and Gnomes.
Territories
The Barony is nearly 1,000 square miles of river plain, gentle hills and verdant forests. The ground rises from the Caldar River in the west to a high, hilly plateau that dominates the central and southern regions of the territory. Almost the entire southern border of the Barony lays along the famous Teeth of the North, a line of standing stones of great size and age that is the official border between the Kingdom of Aria to the south and the Kingdom of Lesser Imesse to the north. From the banks of the mighty Caldar River in the west, the southern border of the Barony runs exactly 50 miles east to an ancient tower known as Counts Castle.
Religion
Beldoah has some of the largest temples to the Pantheon of Heaven in all of Imesse located in and around the City of Beldoah.
Foreign Relations
The Barony has a small legation of 189 Elves from Naru that live full time in a palace within the City of Beldoah. Much concern and intrigue surround this palace, and what goes on within its walls.
Agriculture & Industry
The Barony is quite famous for its dairy production. Towns like Brinfield, Eldrick and Wilby produce cheese that is much in demand all across the country and beyond. The small river community of Rhysfort on the Delloth produces more butter from its local farms than the entire Barony of Minsloth. This butter is salted and packed in specially built and treated casks and is shipped all across the Kingdoms with very little loss to spoilage and high profits for its producers. The southern interior regions of the Barony, especially the Briary of Astrick, enjoy a large and very profitable sheep and wool industry, while the northern interior areas along the Delloth and Little Del Rivers have thriving Halfling communities that harvest eels, snails and crawfish by the hundredweight.
The Barony has numerous ship building interests all along its Caldar border, with the largest being at the City of Beldoah, the Town of High Bank, and the Town of Newcros.
Infrastructure
The two best roads in the Barony are the North Pike and the King's Road. The North Pike is the primary means of communication between the City of Beldoah and all settlements northward along the bank of the Caldar River. This road is paved (with varying degrees of success) the entirety of its length within the Barony from Beldoah to the mouth of the Delloth River. The King's Road is the best designed, built and maintained road in the Barony, since it is also the most expensive to use. The toll on the King's Road through the Barony is 2p per person, and 3p per wagon, loaded or empty. A journey from Beldoah to Astrick sees a toll of a halfpenny paid at Belton, again at Eldrick, again at Erast and the last at Astrick. Failure to produce receipts of tolls paid can result in arrest and a fine of one shilling per offense.
There are also three exceptionally fine canals that have been built within the Barony. The first is the Brinfield Canal which connects the Caldar at High Bank with the large farming town of Brinfield. The second is the Newcros Canal that connects the Caldar at Newcros with the town of Newfeld. The last is the Erast Canal that connects the Little Del River at Eelry with the Town of Erast on the King's Road.
Founding Date
7 AF
Type
Geopolitical, Barony
Capital
Leader
Leader Title
Parent Organization
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