Duchy of Thessalaine
The Therian Belt
Thessalaine is largely modeled after the American southeast, and people from this region should have a Southern accent.
Thessalaine has long been the home of scattered villages and cities, but was unified into a single duchy only within the past several generations. Most of Thessalaine’s towns are small, numbering fewer than a thousand people; only Madradur (Thessalaine’s capital) and one or two others claim larger populations.
Bordered by mountains and scattered with woodlands, Thessalaine boasts fertile soil and good farming inland, excellent fishing in the Gulf, and prospering trade with other lands. It also, however, boasts hazards aplenty; orcs lurk in the mountains and waylay caravans, mysterious creatures are sporadically sighted in the deep waters of the bay, and occasional hobgoblin raids remind all in Thessalaine of days long past.
Structure
As all of the Ivory Duchies are, Thessalaine is ruled by the Duke. Below the Duke are Counts, each ruling over a county within the duchy. A Count may have one or more Knights in his or her employ, which are frequently given portions of the county to defend and oversee the operation thereof. These knights are almost always the leaders of settlements in their given fief.
History
For ages untold, humans have lived in the lands known as Thessalaine. Drawn by the farming, the climate—which, save for a brief but violent typhoon season, is warm to temperate—and the chance to make a good life for themselves, many settlers have put down roots here since the beginnings of recorded history. About three hundred years ago, life got a lot less pleasant.
The Searing Wind, a particularly vicious tribe of hobgoblins, swept in from beyond the Towers Mountains and began making life a living hell. Entire villages were enslaved, forced to pay nearly all of their crops and income as tribute; people starved, and those who refused to cooperate saw their entire towns burned around them before they were brutally murdered by laughing hobgoblins. And because there was no unified resistance, this state of affairs lasted for generations.
Less than a century ago, Arthyrr the Strong arrived from the south with an army assembled from dozens of minor lords and thousands of mercenaries who would be granted their own lands in return for their service. It was not an easy victory—the war against the Searing Wind required six long years—but the hobgoblins were eventually driven away. Arthyrr set up his capital in what was then the small trading port of Madradur, and ruled fairly, if strictly, from that day forth.
The current lord of Thessalaine, Duke Ellgrym, is Arthyrr’s grandson; he still rules from Madradur, which has grown into a city of substantial size. He has plenty of issues to deal with, as all rulers do, but nothing of any great import to the duchy as a whole... that he knows of.
Demography and Population
Thessalaine is roughly 60% human, 20% orc, 10% gaian, and 10% other. The gaians tend to cluster in their own settlements, but the humans and orcs are fairly deeply integrated.
Orcs are treated poorly by humans in Thessalaine thanks to the history between the two species in this region, and while there are no official differences in the two species as far as citizenship or law is concerned, socially orcs tend to be victimized by law enforcement, subject to harsher penalties when breaking the law, and generally trusted less than humans.
Military
Thessalaine can field 5000 regulars and another 5000 levied troops when pressed.
Religion
99% of the humans in Thessalaine are fervent Therians, and most of the other residents at least pay lip service to Therianity as well. Those who do not are ostracized, sometimes even assaulted when word of their 'blasphemous' ways gets out.
Foreign Relations
Thessalaine has a largely internal-facing geopolitical outlook, believing that it can handle anything it has a need for and that extended diplomacy with anyone it doesn't share a border with is a waste of time.
Agriculture & Industry
Thessalaine is largely an agrarian region, with hectares of rich, gentle farmland perfect for growing all manner of warm-weather crops like corn, beans, cotton, peanuts, pecans, sunflowers, yams, and onions. The region is also home to several species of sturdy, fast-growing trees that give it a solid timber industry. The coastlines and waterways are ripe with plenty of fish and other seafood.
There is some industry as well, such as granite quarrying in the western end of the duchy, and a strong textile trade guild in Madradur.
Trade & Transport
The mightly Aiglar River provides an important north-south trade route in Thessalaine, as does the Ivory Road. Both widen and slow down as they pass through the flatter Thessian countryside.
Education
Without a prominent local scholarly organization, Thessalaine is considered to have somewhat of a lower level of education than her sister duchies to the north. Most Thessians are farmers and can't read or write, even though they may be full of wisdom and advice.
Fertile History Grows Prosperous Futures
Founding Date
22107
Type
Geopolitical, Duchy
Capital
Training Level
Semi-trained
Veterancy Level
Trained
Demonym
Thessian
Leader
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Traditional
Major Exports
Thessian textiles are exported to many other regions, and Thessian-grown produce is exported to other duchies along the Ivory Coast. Thessalaine is also an exporter of clay goods, including pots and bricks.
Major Imports
As the region is fairly metal-poor, most metal goods have to be imported from elsewhere.
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Location
Neighboring Nations
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