Jarldom of Vestar

The Jarldom of Vestar or simply Vestar is a kingdom that is westernmost on the continent of Clamund. The jarldom is home to a unique culture of seasonal pirates who band together to sail for plunder across the Gulf of Njord whose leadership surrounds this practice as a raid leader as well as a village headsman. The Jarldom is also home to a large mountain range which dots the coast known as the Hydra's Teeth, making it easy to defend from coastal invasions with guarded passes while being notoriously difficult to traverse and infested with mountain clans. Because of the Hydra's Teeth, the Jarldom is one of the only kingdoms in Clamund with abysmal trading despite its connection to the sea.
== History ==
The history of the founding of the Jarldom is a violent affair considering that the region was inhabited by a largely greenskin population directed by minor wizard kings who ruled over humans and nuphites. During the Age of Magic, pirates and raiders consisting of desolate and expatriated individuals from all parts of the world settled in the Barristen islands. Looking for raids they found the illustrious kingdoms of the wizard kings who did not take kindly to their presence. Over the course of several decades these raiders managed to break past the Hydra's Teeth and began to pillage the valley for loot. Given that some pirates used bronze and iron bought from the Visimarian colonists, they easily overpowered the weak and numerous wizard king armies who often surrendered without a fight. The prisoners of these armies often joined the raiders as slaves who they sold to the Visimarian colonies and the Golden Empire in Izdath. As more of the region's original inhabitants were either killed, moved or sold into slavery, these nameless pirates settled along the coast and eventually beyond the mountains; calling their new found land Vestar and eventually establishing the Jarldom by 101. 
Their colonies stretched as far as the western Free States, and at the time. Many could not do anything to combat their impeding progress of colonization. Years past and a majority of the present day Jarldom was tamed and an official government was established. But the situation in the Western Free States looked desperate as soldiers of the Holy Empire of Visimar were driving many Vestarian colonists out of the Free States borders. And after a few years of fighting. The Vestarians were forced into their already established borders in the western part of Clamund. 
As time went on. The Vestar Jarldom has slowly became the nation is known as in the present day. But also, they slowly began to suffer when the trade boom in the Holy Empire of Visimar began to arise since there was no major trade route established near their Jarldom. The only trade they received is with minor merchants trading with northern border towns that hail from the Earldom of Flynn.
The Jarl of the time, Haki Reginsson (1192-1224) who was in power around 1203AD, was displeased with the trading boom as many kingdoms around him were beginning to flourish with wealth while he were taking the scraps. So he set out to train a massive army of Vestarian Raiders and ordered them to pillage the southern coast of Clamund. Most raiders were keen on attacking the nearby Free State coasts because of the increase in merchant activity dotting the area but some accounts of raiding go as far as the Petty Kingdom of Ive.
The fact that the kingdom's borders are being raided and the Jarldom of Vestar are to blame, especially after knowing the fact that many of the kingdom’s raider parties desert after long voyages do not go well with relations with these raiders in their courts. So because of this, many Vestarian Nobles were prone to becoming isolated within their own Jarldom. And it still appears to happen up to this day.
== Culture ==
Vestarian culture is widely considered to be unique from the rest of Clamund as raiders from abroad settled in Vestar following a disaster in their old homes, finding the fertile lands of Vestar ideal for their new home. Vestarians are raiders at heart, as was their forefathers when they landed in Clamund and their lives reflect this nature. Many towns and villages do annual raids with their strong male populations which are usually led by their nobles or their regional Jarls when at war. These warbands act as a fluid military unit, with each village and town expecting to produce a unit. Smaller villages usually send out a few dozen poorly armed warriors while a trading town could produce a hundred man strong warband with several dozen bowmen. Coastal towns and villages such as Loek Harbor or Port Bragaoss usually fund longboats which are used in coastal raids across Clamund, with some towns "renting" these longboats so that they may do the same.
Vestarians mainly rely on farming on their off seasons which is usually done by lower class serfs or even slaves known as thralls. Artisans, craftsmen, and landowners all go to war at the behest of their noble lords and all commit to a raiding party annually whether they like it or not. In some societies, each hearth must provide at least 1 man armed with spear and shield and must have reasonable power over the family. In the place of 1 man, the leader of a family may elect two younger people in his place or all together if the leader is willing to fight which is usually the case for a majority of levies. Raids are low intensity, but sometimes can turn bloody which would negatively affect the village they hail from. This is especially prominent during wars between Jarls who care little about casualties, often slashing down their own people if they run from battle.
The local nobility holds significant power over farmers and freemen as many also commit to raids out of boredom or due to their obligations with their territorial Jarl. The nobility holds power in society as well as they are elected headsmen that direct the will of a territorial Jarl. Many nobles have no tie to the Gfandijarl however as centralization of power is extremely low within territories outside of the Gfandijarl's personal land. Taxation depends on the ruling Jarl and could often extort the population for much of their wealth, leaving the lower class freemen poor. The Great Greenskin Migration in 1275 had also brought great tension in terms of security among the countryside which made the warband system extremely useful for less protected communities. Sometimes, nobles may band together within lesser Jarldoms to form defensive unions against outside threats. Defensive Unions helped stem the effect of greenskin invaders who came from the Hydra's Teeth but often was not enough as some greenskin warbands were too powerful for a freeman's militia.
== Military ==
Vestarian armies are seldom seen outside of the Jarldom unless a real threat has presented itself or they fight in larger wars that force them to rally banners. Most Vestarian warbands are operated by a local noble under the command of the local Jarl or themselves if it is raiding season. Each warband consists of the town or villages male population and are armed with roundshield, spear and knife and no armour unless they are rich enough to afford it. Not all males join the army as they are not rich enough; forming an emergency militia in case their lands are threatened. Hirdmen are the other portion of a Vestarian army who consist of a Jarl's nobility and trusted men who are retained under a nobles household. Hirdmen are usually well armed as they are given equipment by their lord or are rich enough to afford it themselves and usually fight with two-handed axes, swords and long spears. Being so isolated from the rest of Clamund, this loadout for Vestarian warbands largely remained the same due to material scarcity and the lack of knowledge to produce something better. Unless taken from raids after defeating a mainland army, Vestarians sometimes adopt the use of greatsword to great effect. Other influences include adopting farming tools such as billhooks into the freemen army.
=== Mercenaries ===
The Jarldom of Vestar is usually too isolated to access Clamund's wider mercenary deposit as many sellsword companies refuse to make the trek. Aside from the sketchy companies from the Barristen Islands, most companies come from local towns who consist of freemen without job or ties. These sellswords are usually poor but can become rich quickly if they sail across the gulf into mainland Clamund, which many take the opportunity to retire after they acquired enough loot to buy free land. Many young males take this route in Vestar so that one day they might become landowners, or die trying in a war they don't understand. Other males are included and sometimes females, but usually they join because they get no inheritance within their family, lost their lands to greenskin or rival Jarl raids, or simply because they are adventurous.
== Territories ==
The Jarldom is home to many holds within their lands that are controlled by individual Jarls each owing loose allegiances to a greater Jarl, also known as a Gfandijarl, the Greater Jarl that lends land to trusting nobles. Within these territories the Jarl's control almost every aspect of law and very much so express their power through small wars and raids on other Jarl's land. In times of regional peace, Jarls express this ability through various means which usually involves raiding border villages and going to battle with rivaling Jarls at the expense of lower nobles and their Carls.
Along the Hydra's Teeth lies several mountain clans who owe their allegiances to nobody. Since many holds use the mountain passes for raiding across the Gulf of Njord, many of these clans hide among rocky paths where they ambush and extort these raiders. More often than not, they wait until a returning party passes by as many would be exhausted and overburdened with acquired loot. As many mountain orcs take residence in the mountains as well, these clans often fight orc war parties in small-scale battles which makes mapping who owes what territories in the Hydra's Teeth near impossible.
=== Odin's Harvest ===
Odin's Harvest is the northernmost region within the Jarldom and is home to swampy lands and Vestar's only two castles. It is the lands of the Gfandijarl's and has been for many centuries, being passed off from each Jarl upon their departure from the throne which disallows family inheritance. Luckily for the transfer of power, Gfandijarls often live for a very long time and pass on their title to their sons, which in recent times has given a less harsh reaction among the territorial Jarls due to the frantic nature of who controls the throne. Odin's Harvest is also home to the Jarldom's main army which is maintained by the Gfandijarl. This standing army is stationed in the two castles along the border with the Earldom of Flynn and are under direct command of the Gfandijarl so long as they are paid.
=== Raider's Haven ===
A flatland that consists of rolling hills and seldom forests. The name was given by the earliest settlers who used the lands to hide their stashes from attacking Clamund's coastline. The land is now used for farming which many of the communities and smaller villages use when they are not preparing for raids. Two territorial Jarls control the western and eastern part and often scuffle with one another due to border disputes or to cure boredom within their courts.
=== The Troubled Lands ===
The Troubled lands is a broken area both politically and geographically. Much of the land has broken in the surface, revealing cave systems and water reserves that a majority of the population resides off of in order to farm what remains. The cracks in the land have formed as early as 1000 and are a direct cause of the Greenskin migration taking place. As a result, the lands are far too dangerous to traverse as much of the human population reside in larger villages and towns and are suspicious of outsiders due to a great problem with bandits. Warbands raised in these territories often produce well-trained and equipped freemen who steal their weapons and armour from the Greenskin and bandit parties they eliminate.
=== Hydra's Teeth ===
The Hydra's Teeth is an imposing mountain range that surrounds Vestar's coastline which continues into uninhabited lands to the west. The mountains are horrible to traverse and is home to Vestar's mountain clans who use the ranges to raid unsuspecting parties and caravans that they sustain themselves from. Mountain orcs are also an issue in these lands as their stonish skin often comes into conflict with Jarldom men and more often than not, mountain clans who they feud with for raiding territory. The coastal Jarls usually control one holding in their authority but usually that is all that is required to acquire vast riches and their raiding parties raid across the gulf in order to acquire vast wealth in the Free States. Those communities usually sustain themselves with fishing and hunting and grain traded from inland Jarldoms.
Category:Kingdoms