Horefalls

Ruling House: House Lock'aihain

Other Houses: House Holbein

Population: 294,254 (Primarily humans, with Goliaths and Firbolgs forming a notable minority due to the colder climate)

Notable Features:

Castle Loch: The ancestral seat of House Lock'ahain and the political heart of the province. It towers over the frost-choked valleys and serves as both fortress and treasury.

Jaspine Mines: Horefalls is home to the largest and most productive source of Jaspine crystal in the Oligarchy, granting Lock'ahain unrivaled magical influence.

Economy: Horefalls is staggeringly wealthy, primarily due to its Jaspine mines, which allow House Lock’ahain to monopolize a poriton of magical development across the Oligarchy. In addition to mineral wealth, Lock’ahain engages in a calculated form of economic manipulation: they frequently loan gold to commoners and aspiring entrepreneurs in order to stimulate business, though at incredible interest rates. Those businesses that succeed often find themselves “supported” by House Lock’ahain through a forced political marriage or coercive buyout.

One such example is the case of a daughter of a highly successful alchemist who developed an extremely lucrative potion business. When the Laws on Magic were revised to declare potion-making a regulated magical act, The girl's father was deemed in violation. To avoid further punishment, she was married off to a lesser Lock’ahain noble, and the business was absorbed into the family’s growing arcane monopoly.

Military: The province boasts a formidable military, primarily under the command of House Lock’ahain. The elite guard protects Castle Loch and the Jaspine mines, while vassals and cadet houses contribute additional forces. The army is especially well-funded and well-armed, with arcane enhancements courtesy of Lock’ahain mages and experimental weaponry sourced from allied houses like House Wheelnameitlater.

Culture: Horefalls maintains a cold, stratified culture. While the nobility live in luxury and magical splendor, the Commoners endure a harsh, wintry life. Most of the region's infrastructure is geared toward mining, alchemical refinement, and logistics. Ambition is rewarded only when it aligns with Lock’ahain’s interests.

History: Once a rugged and resource-poor land of scattered mining camps, Horefalls rose to prominence when Malaki Lock’ahain discovered the first Jaspine vein. This discovery reshaped the power dynamic of the Oligarchy, catapulting Lock’ahain into a position of dominance.

In the centuries since, the province has seen relative stability with heavy investment by Lock'ahain coin. House Holbein, the one of the more artistically inclined of the province’s houses, serves as a loyal but increasingly eccentric vassal, known for producing portraitists and illusion-crafters who glorify the ruling family’s image.