Marsan
Marsan is the name for a large barony located in Northwest Cassel, located within the County of the same name. It comprises the lands under the direct governance of the King of the North. It is bordered to the north by the Elan Hills and the baronies of Orthez and Aldarra. It is bordered to the west and south by the Sombre River and the baronies of Canillo, Agennum, and Berga.
Marsan was originally the name for a nation in this area. It existed as an independent kingdom roughly 900 years ago. It gradually grew in power until it was one of the dominant nations in this part of the world. Then it attempted to invade the Elf Kingdom of Lyonne, which caused that kingdom's allies, Cassel and Ledo, to invade Marsan from the sea. The kingdom was forced to become a vassal state of Cassel in the year 2124 I.A..
The kingdom then fell completely under Cassel's control a century later when the monarch, King Moir, died in the year 2217 I.A. with no heirs. Cassel had the most legitimate claim over the lands and took over the kingdom without a fight.
After this happened, the King of Cassel took direct control over the lands of central Marsan, while surrounding lands, including Orthez, Aldarra, Canillo, Agennum, and Berga, remained under the control of local lords.
While it is said that on paper the King has direct control over Marsan, in reality, he designated one of his Marshals to manage the lands instead. The first Lord of Marsan was a man named Charles Martin, who was from the nearby lands of Aeris, spoke the same language as the people of Marsan, and was seen as a tolerable middle ground to being ruled by Cassel.
The Martin Family maintained control of the lands through the centuries. The head of the Martin family is also the Baron of Marsan. The family also produced many of Cassel's finest generals, and the Baron of Marsan is also often designated a marshal of the Northern army. Currently Marshal Charlotte Martin is also the baroness of Marsan.
Year Created:
Capital:
Controlled by:
Capital:
Controlled by:
2217 I.A.
Lornar
Marshall Charlotte Martin
Lornar
Marshall Charlotte Martin
Land Area:
Climate:
Climate:
23,927 km2
Oceanic in the East.
Continental in the West.
Oceanic in the East.
Continental in the West.
Population:
Demograpics:
Demograpics:
520,000
85% Human
10% Elf
3% Lamia
2% Other
85% Human
10% Elf
3% Lamia
2% Other
Fortress City of Lornar
This city was built to be able to withstand any invasion. Well, almost any invasion. In the year 2120 I.A. Cassel and the Ef Kingdom of Ledo had trouble breaking through the city's defenses. The City's walls were built out of limestone, which is able to completely cancel out the effects of magic. This forced Cassel to lay siege to the city using physical force, which turned into a drawn out and bloody fight.
There was a rumor that the walls lining the Sombre river were much weaker than the rest of the city. Cassel and Ledo decided to mount an invasion force by sea. In the winter of 2124 I.A. A large fleet of ships sailed into the Sombre river that were quickly destroyed. These ships were unmanned and were bait to deplete the city's defenses near the river. Then Cassel's main attack force sailed up the river and was able to break through the walls, and ending the war. The city has since grown past the walls, which were mostly dismantled.
Other Settlements
Bataille
Second largest city in Marsan behind Lornar. Bataille is built directly over the ruins of an ancient fortress. There are also a number of forges in the city and roughly half of the muskets produced in North Cassel come out of this city.
Flux
The Town of Flux lay in the west on the Sombre river on what some call a leyline and others say is just an unusually high concentration of aether. The town is known for the production of magic wands and other foci.
Jennyton
Located in south-central Marsan on the open plains. Most of the Cattle farms in the barony are located within a few kilometers of this town. The town processes thousands of heads of cattle each year before shipping them to other parts of North Cassel.
City of Bataille.
Products and Economy
Muskets
Flintlock muskets were invented in Irellith around 150 years ago and make poejectile warfare very easy for those who are no good at magic (or run out of mana). Marsan used to make mostly swords but is now known for making quality muskets.Wands and Foci
Wands and foci made in Marsan are made of white oak and are used to amplify magic spells. They are known to be excellent for use with fire and electrical magics, but not so much with water and ice magics. Death magic caused the wand to decay and turn to dust.Cattle
Marsan's geography is mostly open grassy plains, which is great terrain for raising cattle. Most cattle pass through the town of Jennyton before they are shipped off to other locations across North Cassel for their meat, leather, and milk.Barley and Wheat
Large parts of Marsan are also used for growing various grains. Whatever this part of Cassel doesn't use is often shipped to the volcanic island baronies of Palma, Milos, Theria, and others where space for growing crops is limited.
Wildlife
Lyonnesa Elk
These subspecies of Elk wander into Marsan during the winter months, finding slightly warmer lands from their native range in the Elf Kingdom of Lyonne. These ruminant animals are much larger than deer, and seem to exude a magical quality wherever they walk.While the Elves would rather they be left alone, this doesn't stop the King of West Cassel from issueing hunting permits every year.
Cantana Lion
Species of Lion roughly the size of a large dog. Marsan is known to have three prides of these lions, who are known to go after the sheep herds and sometimes small children.Originally they were much more widespread, but the introduction of the Marsan Shepherd greatly cut their numbers. They are more common elsewhere but still the primary wildlife threat in this area.
Blaze Fox
A variety of fox infected with the corrupting dragon magic of Xiralgus the Nova. Blaze Foxes are known to spontaneously combust when threatened or under duress, and have burned down entire towns and forests.This has caused the people of Marsan to generally treat foxes kindly...that or have plenty of water on hand if one needs to be killed and it is magical.
Marsan Shepherd
Originally imported from Galleska, Marsan shepherds are raised to defend herds from the Cantana Lions. they were selectively bred to be larger than standard shepherd dogs.These dogs are known to be extremely loyal to their masters, and are known to throw themselves in harm's way to protect their family.
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