The Barrens - Setting

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The player characters are individuals and groups affiliated with a noble house and their associates (Mercenaries, guides and other tag-alongs) whose fortunes are suffering or who come from humble backgrounds originally. They are part of the Northern-most territories of the Nation of Flambard and for many years, their household has been picked apart by more prosperous houses. They hope to regain their fortunes by settling an area thought to be uninhabitable, but filled with material wealth called the Barrens. The Highness has given support to this project and has named the person who championed this idea Arl of the Barrens, able to appoint their own Lairds.
== The Nation of Flambard: ==
A largely feudal political body that covers a large island or peninsula (depending on how you want to view its connection to the North) which is surrounded by ocean to the South, East and West and bounded to the North by the Barrens. They also have a handful of colonies on the Empires coast due to a costly war several decades ago. Technically all people who are not land-owners or titled are serfs, but in practice, in most of the Flambard there is little difference between a serf and a freeborn. Serfs work and are paid a pittance of coin as well as homes and food. Whilst a Serf is not allowed to seek employment elsewhere, they can easily slip away in the night and there is little that the nobility can do to prevent this. Freeborn on the other hand are paid a full wage, but must house and feed themselves, occasionally a Freeborn will become destitute and become a serf, but this is becoming less common. 
=== The North ===
The Northernmost territories of Flambard have always been secondary to those of the South. They still produce large quantities of raw materials that are shipped South, but family-run farms and local community mines do not have the infrastructure needed to compete with the paved roads and canals of the South.
=== The South ===
The Southern parts of the Empire are characterised by their wealth. Large stretches of farmland and mines work to fuel industry in Flambard's great cities which churn out fine steel goods, fabrics, wooden ships and almost anything else imaginable. A thriving middle class of merchants and financiers has emerged and this fuels the military of Flambard. 
== The Barrens ==
There is a large tract of land that the Empire has not colonised before in the North. It is separated from the rest of Flambard by a sheer cliff, although over the centuries, the cliff has subsided in places, allowing people to climb up and down the resulting slopes. 
It is renowned as a place of legend, magic and death. Where raiders and monsters come from. People who have gone North have rarely returned alive or sane. Those who have speak of other races, strange tribes, powerful sorcerers, gods and beast-people. It is a place where decay and madness are commonplace. Milk curdles, wine sours, food rots, metals rust and complex mechanisms seize up more quickly than they do in the South. However the Barrens has a resource that nowhere else in Flambard has: Vis. 
Vis has numerous forms but all are clearly magical (Crystalline flowers, golden blood, incandescent mushrooms, floating crystals or gossamer webs), they are physical forms of magical energy and are hugely valuable to people in the South. Because it is only with Vis that the magicians can work their magic. Until now it has trickled South into Flambard through the illicit trade between Barrens-folk and smugglers. Flembic folk trading iron, salt and food in exchange for the precious Vis. 
== The Empire of Freiboden: ==
The nearest neighbour and greatest rival of Flambard. A powerful collection of nations traditionally united under a puppet Empress [Empress is the term used for the holder of the position regardless of gender] (although a strong willed Emperoress has emerged recently and has resisted attempts to puppeteer them). The two states of Flambard and Freiboden have been intermittently at war for as long as most people can remember. 
Historically the various nations of the Empire have been at war with each other since before their conflict with Flambard. However the Empire is said to have become more unified recently due to a series of skilled Imperial interventions which have settled several major old grievances by the elimination of troublesome families. 
The Empire is much larger than Flambard, although its divisions, along with Flambards superior navy have allowed Flambard the upper hand in some previous conflicts. It is anticipated that with the recent lull of internal conflict the Empire is gearing up to eliminate the Flembic colonies on its shores and maybe even invade Flambard its self. 
== Other Nations: ==
There are a handful of other nations within sailing distance of Flambard, but none come close to the power of Flambard or the Empire in terms of size or resources.
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