The Wolfmark
When the vampires of the Principalities invaded the Electoral Kingdom, Skuti the Whelp, the youngest son of the king of Wolfheim, spotted an opportunity for glory. Skuti arrived in Krakova with several dozen longships, landing on the coast to the north of Jozht. But instead of raiding the coastal villages and returning across the Orclund Straits with their ships full of plunder, the reaver dwarves stayed, establishing a new fortified settlement at Skogarholm and offering protection to Krakovans fleeing the undead as long as they were willing to pay tribute. The dwarves hate the vampires and were all too eager to cleave their shining axes through bony undead necks.
From his new base, Skuti’s holdings grew over the next few years until the whole peninsula and even the city of Jozht fell under his control, giving Princess Hristina an unpredictable threat to worry about on her western border. To make matters worse, discussions are underway between Jarl Skuti and exiled nobles loyal to Queen Urzula, proposing that the royal court-in-exile recognize the Barony of Wolfmark—in exchange for liberating more territory from the Blood Kingdom on the queen’s behalf.
Queen Urzula and the Royal Court-in-Exile
When the City of the Mermaid fell to Grand Marshall Hristina’s undead army, the beloved wife of King Eynryk, Queen Urzula, fled the capital along with several key members of the royal family and her court. These included her eldest daughter Zosia Walerska, a respected priestess of Wotan, and the king’s brother Archduke Avgost, who commands great loyalty among the Slahta. Queen Urzula has always been seen as a saintly figure, inspiring women to strive for greatness as archers, priestesses, wives, and mothers. Some believe that the queen’s upbringing in a Perunalian finishing school influenced her advocacy for a greater role for female nobles and female scholars in Krakova. The queen and her court escaped to the Naledi Empire. Urzula is pursuing many different angles to save her people from the shroud-eaters. Her representatives are bargaining with the reaver dwarves of the Wolfmark, offering to recognize their rights to the northern peninsula in exchange for military aid. At the same time, the queen’s loyal spies and agents (members of the “mice”) offer advice, practical support, and weapons to those in the province who are prepared to rise up against their new rulers. For a time, Urzula hoped to meet with the Beloved Imperator to win his support against the Blood Kingdom, and it broke her heart when word came of the Imperator’s mysterious coma and the mustering of war bands in Naledi. As an even more desperate hope, Urzula has dispatched operatives to track down Baba Yaga in the hopes that Grandmother might ally with her against Morgau. So far, the first two approaches seem more promising.Infrastructure
Skogarholm
This small fortified coastal town is surrounded by a perfectly circular wall, built atop steep earthen ramparts. Four city gates face north (to the docks where the reavers’ longships are moored), east, south, and west. Roads leading into the city from these four gates divide the city into quadrants; Jarl Skuti’s imposing longhall stands in the center of the town where they meet. The sounds of rowdy dwarven war songs, colorful insults, and splintering bar furniture pour forth from the mead halls to fill the air from dusk until late into the night.Free City of Jozht
Jozht, City of Fish, was once a somewhat ordinary fishing town with a carefully maintained harbor, earthen city wall and brick towers, and a hardened garrison accustomed to raids from the North. When the undead invaded, its inhabitants decided to seek aid from the dwarves at Skogarholm, promising to rise up in support of a reaver attack. Being called a liberator as well as a bold conqueror appealed to Skuti the Whelp’s ego, so he sent 3,000 of his reaver dwarves south to seize control of Jozht, declaring it a “free city” under the Wolfmark’s aegis. Jozht remains a wealthy fishing town, and it exports cartloads of salted fish and herring to the inland regions—though its trade is now primarily directed to Courlandia and the Naledi Empire, rather than Morgau. The huge volume is such that it must import salt from Salzbach to meet demand. Keeping the salt route open is vital to the city’s ongoing prosperity.
Founding Date
20009 A.E.
Type
Political, independent
Demonym
Wolfmarker
Leader
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Traditional
Major Exports
Pine, amber, wool, salted fish, apples, honey.
Official State Religion
Location
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