The Heartlands

The territorial range of the region known as the Heartlands in the Salvae Empire is the smallest of the territories, expanding some two- to three-hundred miles south of the Gulf of Bartholomew and encompassing almost the entire expanse of the Floods of Cyrriane. Despite its small size however, it is one of the most fertile areas in Kalbela and the region feeds mass swathes of the Empire's populace annually.
Overseeing this vernal and agrarian haven from their seat of power at Miserth Castle is the barony of House Lanne, where they control the main thoroughfare both east and westwards of the Great Road of Kalbela by way of the Triskele Bridge and the ever-looming Keep of Miserth guarding the crossroads and entry into the very heart of the Lanne's territory.

Structure

The Heartlands are under the rulership of the barony of House Lanne.
House Lanne has six knighted families sworn to them: Houses Skylark, Briarwood, Thorne, Fairwind, Vyrion, and Ironbeak.

Military

The citizens of the Heartlands would, and could, never be confused with the trained and armed soldiers of the other regions of the Empire, even the lowest levies of these regions are sometimes better armed and armored then even some of the nobles in the Lands of Plenty. But that is not to say that the people are helpless and the region ripe for plunder, some of the noble houses and their people are prepared and trained for battle or are hunters of fierce beasts as a means of their own survival.
The lacking of metals makes leathers and hides of beasts more common from the lowest peasant to even the barony itself to be most expected and available. Bows, staves, clubs, and spears are the most common armaments for the average citizen, though it is not uncommon for slings or even hunting boomerangs to be wielded by the citizenry. Some of the Half-Wood Elf populace of the Briar Glen are even armed with stone or wooden blades that some claim to be just as sharp as steel.

Agriculture & Industry

The Heartlands are considered the breadbasket of the Salvae Empire and is its agricultural epicenter. The noblility that rule over the lands have struck a balance between their own specializations and the overall co-reliance needed to insure that all the citizenry are well-cared for.

Trade & Transport

As bountiful as the Heartlands is, today, it is oddly situated, sitting deep in the center of the Empire, as a result of the vast destruction of the Broken Spine of Salazar After the Sundering, many sources of metal and stone are now in short supply and to support a warrior class and the needed weapon-grade metals to arm such class, is difficult, if not impossible to do-so on a large scale in the middle of quiet meadows and grassy plains; thus even the wealthiest of the citizenry rely heavily on the outside imports from the other regional powers in the East Riverlands, Empiria, the Shadowlands, and Bay Watch, on rare occasions, and from the fleeting visits from the Sage Stone Clan to acquire these, considered, luxury goods as the vast majority of imported or found metal that the working-class and peasantry get their hands on is put towards tools and small metal wares: plowshares, hoes, shovels, axes, pitchforks, sickles, knives, and arrowheads are some of the most "advanced" kinds of metalwares used, found, and, most importantly, needed in the region to keep it sustained.
As such, aging and broken tools are remade or repurposed into other farming tools. Where as daily tools like knives and axes are often passed down over generations as needed and expected, while swords and armors may have taken multiple generations to acquire just the materials, let alone a finished product, and would be closer to treasured heirlooms than everyday tools.
As quality metals are often in meager supply, leathers and animal hides, often courtesy from Houses Skylark, Vyrion, and Ironbeak and their herds of livestock, with wools and leathers being some of the most abundant.

Type

Geopolitical, Province

Alternative Names

Lands of Plenty

Ruling Organization

Lanne Family

Major Exports

Wheat, Barly, Rye, Oats, Fruits and Vegetables, Wine and Mead, Honey, Sheep, Cattle, Hogs, and Oxen

Major Imports

Weapons- and Tool-quality Metals and Stone and Masonry