Southdown

## Kingdom of Southdown

The Kingdom of Southdown is currently led by the High King and Queen of Southdown, Their Royal Highnesses Ermine and Brynia Winterbrace.

## Geography

### Prefectures

Southdown is made up of six prefectures, all of which were once independent kingdoms.

#### Southgate

Southgate is both the name of a prefecture and the capital of said prefecture (and capital of the Kingdom of Southdown).

#### Pale

The Prefecture of Pale is a special case in Southdown. Before Pale fell in the War of Expansion, it was widely believed to be the most powerful kingdom in the world. The surrender to Southdown and subsequent invasion left the citizens bitter toward their new lords. Some small rebellions have occurred since, but all have been quashed. Pale remains the most rebellious of the prefectures, but these are now rarely violent. Instead, they maintain their culture wherever possible: Worshipping their own gods, celebrating their own festivals, ignoring (to the best of their abilities) the other five Prefectures. Its capital is Palebrook.

#### Uplands

The southernmost prefecture of Southdown is known as the Uplands, which is made up mostly of hills and mountains. Its capital is Rockreach.

#### Lowlands

Surrounded on most sides by mountains or rivers, the Lowlands are very fertile and very agrarian, providing much of the food and livestock for the kingdom. Its capital is Sprucehurst.

#### The Barrows

The Barrows, while not as rebellious as Pale, is still fairly sheltered from the rest of Southdown due to its location within the kingdom. Its capital is Ashford.

#### The Weald

Nestled between two mountain ranges, The Weald is made up mostly of ranchers and some farmers. Its capital is Crestfell.

### Geographical Features

Southdown, due to the scattered nature of the erstwhile kingdoms that compose it, is a broad kingdom. It is bordered by the Elsinorr Peaks to the south and most of it is bordered by Umbre to the north. Pale is the notable exception, being a long, north-south prefecture in the eastern part of the kingdom. It borders the eastern edge of Umbre by way of the Umbrian Mountains, and it is also the only part of Southdown to border Northreach and Nerograd in the north.

Much of Southdown is near mountains of some sort, and the highlands, lowlands, and valleys between these mountains give Southdown its excellent farmland. Most of these mountains are also mined by the people of Southdown, providing raw materials for many manufactured goods, particularly arms and armor.

## Government

The Kingdom of Southdown is a hereditary monarchy. The kings and queens of Southdown can trace their lineage to Pellor Winterbrace, the first King of Southdown.

## History

### The War of Expansion

Over 500 years ago, what is now Southdown was actually six different kingdoms, stretching from the Barrow Kingdom in the southwest up to the Kingdom of Pale in the northeast. The then-King of Southgate (later changed to Southdown after the war was won), Pellor Winterbrace, decided he wanted to expand his territory, and the decade-long War of Expansion began. He conquered the Weald and the Lowlands with little resistance before moving east to the Uplands. The rough terrain and stubbornness of dwarves made this a tougher conquest, but the might of Southgate proved to be too much for them, and they eventually submitted as well.

Pellor's sights were set higher than that, and he began a dual-front war on the northeastern and western sides of his territory. In the west was the small Barrow Kingdom. They made up for their small army with good barriers: the sea on two sides, the mountains on one side, and the mighty Kingdom of Umbre to their north. Pellor yearned for the Barrow so that he would have an easy way in to Umbre. After a fight that was much harder than he anticipated, he gained the fealty of the Barrow-people. However, his losses were enough that any invasion of Umbre would have to wait.

Meanwhile, in the northeast, the toughest conquest of them all was taking place. The Kingdom of Pale was one to rival Southgate and Umbre, and when they heard of Pellor's bloodlust and warmongering, they mustered their armies to defend their homeland. The fighting on the Pale/Lowlands border was fierce, with neither army giving up any territory. It may have ended at a stalemate, but the newly-conquered dwarves of the Uplands had an idea that would change the tide of the war. Using the Lofts of the Everdark, they snuck behind the front lines of Pale's army and marched straight to their capital, Palebrook. The modest garrison that remained there was no match for the dwarves, and Pale's king was forced to surrender.

Although Pellor's conquest of these kingdoms was successful, he was never able to enjoy the power that his armies won him on the battlefield, as he died under mysterious circumstances just days after the surrender of Pale. Some say Pale's king had cursed him, while others claimed the gods struck him down for the salughter of so many innocents during the war. Regardless, the Kingdom of Southdown has only defended herself since then, never attacking another nation, and every king or queen has made sure to keep to that tradition, for fear of divine retribution.