Barony of Wessfall
The Barony of Wessfall is a small political division of the High Kingdom of Imesse, but it is very influential for its size. It is a river-dominated society, consisting of two deltas and more than half its borders made up of running rivers. Along the long eastern border is the Caldar River, and the north and south borders are made up of the deltas of the Wessloth River and the Manisar River, respectively.
The population of the barony is 40,000, and 35,000 of them are Human. There are a few shires along the Caldar banks, but the bulk of the population is Human and lives in villages or the two major cities.
Structure
The Barony is ruled by the Baron Brock am Ohnni in the name of the High King of Imesse, Max III. The Barony is divided into two Briaries, the Briary of Hotsloth in the south and the Briary of Wessfall in the north, with the boundry between the two running along the line of the White River to the Dorloth River.
Public Agenda
The Baron is passionate about building a prosperous and secure barony for his subjects. To this end, he has begun to look towards the south for guidance and inspiration rather than to the north.
Demography and Population
Of the 40,000 souls that reside in the Barony, nearly 35,000 of them are Human. The City of Hotsloth has a population of some 350 Dwarves (mostly of the Clan Stonefist), and the City of Wessfall has 650 Dwarves of the Clan Longbeard. There are two small Shires within the Briary of Hotlsoth, Peckfield and Shawfield, each with about 1,000 Halfling residents.
Territories
The Barony of Wessfall is relatively small when compared to other divisions of the northern Kingdom. Holding 1,600 square miles of territory along the banks of the Manisar River, the Caldar River and the Wessloth River and with three-quarters of its western boundary also deined by navigable rivers, Wessfall is a river-dominated society. In the northern regions of the barony there is a flat fertile plain known as the Dorloth Plain that allows very productive and profitable farming and ranching, and there are two areas of gently rolling but heavily forested hills at both the northern and southern extremes of the territory. In the north it is called the Stone Shaw Hills and in the south it is referred to as the Old Shaw Hills.
Foreign Relations
The Baron has begun to correspond with several regional leaders from the neighboring Kingdom of Cobal, specifically the Warden of Selimar and the Warden of Stomar, in order to build (or rebuild, to be more accurate) trade relations and seek advice and counsel on how best to develop his barony's defenses and infrastructure. This communication is not popular with the Court at Northridge, and has prompted much ire from the Bron's immediate neighbor to the west, the Grand Baron of Wessridge.
The Baron has become a frequent visitor to tournaments in the Kingdom of Lesser Imesse, as well. He has begun to build a friendship with the Baron of Beldoah and the Duke of Ben Doa as a result.
Agriculture & Industry
River trade is the largest and most viable form of industry in the Barony. Small but growing communities of Halflings along the banks of the Caldar River and producing tons of fish, eels and waterfowl every season. There are three large and hugely profitable ferry landings within the Barony at the mouths of the Stone River, the White River and five miles downstream of the City of Hotsloth on the Caldar River. Large tracts of oak, hickory and walnut are harvested in both of the barony's two briaries for the construction of river barges and hulks.
A growing number of ranchers are raising draft horses on the grasslands of the Dorloth Plain, as well as thousands of sheep. Orchards along the Peckfield Valley produce barrels of cider, perry and fruit wine that is gaining much popularity in both the northern and southern Kingdoms. Tons of grain, vegetables and flax are harvested every year, as well.
Trade & Transport
Infrastructure
Over the course of the last 15 years, thousands of guilders have been spent improving or building servicable roads across the Barony. The Caldar Pike is a 70-mile long double wide toll road that provides smooth even travel between the cities of Hotsloth and Wessfall. The Dolrick Pike is a new tollway that stretches nearly as far (68 miles) between the Manisar River at Tolford all the way to Kings Ferry on the Wessloth River.
Type
Geopolitical, Barony
Capital
Leader
Ruling Organization
Leader Title
Major Exports
Cider, perry and fruit wine; flax oil and linen; draft horses; wool; hardwood timber
Major Imports
Iron; lead; skilled labor; ships
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
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