The Five Duchies

Hearty. Steadfast. Iron-forged. These are the folk of the Five Duchies.

The Five Duchies are independently-managed locales with unique land features; each is presided over by a Speaker. Their primary activities involve industry and commerce.

The Duchies mostly depend upon each other for their goods and services, but the amount of sheer exports they send to other countries via both the Lattice and their system of roadways is dizzying. The roads and ports of the Duchies are constantly humming with trade and the people there live simply but very well. Their pursuits might only be disrupted by a development as serious as war, and with the threat of a Vargoth invasion, this does indeed seem imminent. Five Duchies folk are strong and kind-hearted, generally sparing anything they can for someone truly in need. Their infrastructure—centered on trade—is healthy, but they do not offer fine crafts or lofty educations within their territories. That was what Valarmore was for, after all.

In matters of war, even if they cannot always boast high-quality training, Five Duchies fighters are ferocious for the simple reason that they have something they believe is well worth protecting: their land and their loved ones.

### Geography, History, and Climate

The Five Duchies is part of a large peninsula surrounded by a few small islands and bordered at the Northwestern corner by the land of the Vargoth, formerly known as Valarmore, also once spoken of as the Jewel on the Sea.

The Five Duchies and Vargoth are bisected by the Howling Cliffs Mountain Range, through which a pass called the Howling Gate once offered access. Tributaries running down from these mountains feed into two big lakes, Terrapon Basin and Lake Una. The general climate of the Five Duchies is temperate, with both deciduous vegetation and evergreens. The people there experience wind, rain, snowfall, and enough sunshine to ensure bountiful harvests and yields for their many farmers. The land features are dynamic; some duchies are more heavily forested than others, and some boast rolling hills and valleys.

Early Five Duchies history is passed down by the telling of stories rather than the writing of books. Its origin story unfolds thus: that in the early days when the peninsula was new—and empty—a brother and sister, Berolt and Elysande, had set out to claim land for themselves and build great cities that would become their legacy. Originally planning to carve out these settlements together, they quarreled and parted, and Elysande went north. Her keen mind and talent for recruiting others to her cause led to the establishment of Valarmore, her finest accomplishment, her great Jewel. Berolt was stout and steady, but didn’t have the resources or inclination to plan great cities. Together with a fiercely loyal group of warriors, he founded what would become the Five Duchies. In later years, the siblings put their grievances behind them and ended up treating and trading with one another. They both lived well into old age and died peacefully, but they always wondered what would have happened had they stayed together in their youth and built their legacies together rather than separately.

Historical figures of note that Five Duchies folk may have heard tell of:

* Berolt and Elysande, brother and sister credited with founding the  Five Duchies and Valarmore
* Galifel Dyneley, major donor and original benefactor of the Atheneum at Valarmore
* Zephora Peckham, current oldest living inhabitant ever of the Five Duchies at 122 years old
* Margus Heyworth, ranger who discovered the Howling Cliffs and first hiked the pass
* Olive Molyngton, first homesteader and founder of Northfield in Hare Duchy
* Captain Easten Fawkes, credited with establishing the Foxfall Mercenary Company

### Politics, Government, and Economy

The governing structure of the Five Duchies may be tidily summed up by calling it a meritocracy. Each duchy is represented by a Speaker, someone appointed regardless of status or necessarily experience for their acumen and good sense. Speakers may have different management styles; some are more casual, some more ceremonious. In all cases however, they govern until someone more worthy to hold the office is found. Changeovers are usually quick and peaceful, though one or two stories are told of more fraught situations—people are people, after all.

Every duchy has their own colors and crest, and the people wear these with pride.

* Bull - brown and yellow, the image of a bull
* Boar - purple and black, the image of a boar
* Hare - yellow and blue, the image of a hare
* Stag - green and white, the image of a stag
* Fox - bordeaux and black, the image of a fox

The Boar Duchy has served as the council seat of the Five Duchies since its inception, each representative traveling there to discuss current affairs. It not only houses the council chambers, but it is home to Boar’s Run Township, the Boar’s Run Bank, and a major Lattice Node. The people of the Boar Duchy are known for their candles and soaps and make excellent tallow for cooking. Bristle brushes and simple leather clothing are also notable exports of the Boar Duchy. Finally, this duchy is known for its excellent road system that makes travel to and from the other duchies safe and simple, even without the help of the lattice.

The Fox Duchy is the least habitable region of the Five Duchies. The ground is more clay than soil, and with the exception of a few tall trees, very little grows there. It is said that this landscape fosters the hardiest of soldiers. While the fighters from the Fox Duchy may not be as well equipped as some soldiers in other lands, pound for pound, you will not find better trained soldiers anywhere. Barracks in the Fox Duchy regularly train officers from other lands, and those from the Foxfall Mercenary Company hire themselves out to supplement the meager earnings they can get from the land. Stonekeep stands as the capital of the Fox Duchy. Its walls house numerous blacksmiths and an armory that can supply all the Five Duchies in a time of need. Though this proud city was once a busy hub for soldiers near and far, it is now quiet and sparse as many of its citizens are at the Howling Gate preparing for the impending Vargoth invasion. Many have noted that the birds of prey overhead seem to outnumber those who are left.

The Bull Duchy is made up of rolling fields graced by herds of cattle. Many of the people here are content to raise their livestock and live simple lives. Cattle Ridge could be called the capital of this duchy, although it is little more than a well-appointed ranch run by an established and respected family. In the past, the Bull Duchy saw little excitement—other than travelers going to or from Valarmore by way of the Howling Gate, which lies in the Northern part of the Bull Duchy and among the Howling Cliffs Mountain Range. Now, the folk nearby watch in dread for what horrors might come through the Gate. It is all that stands between the Vargoth and Bull Duchy. The blacksmiths here are busy! They can easily turn out weapons—swords and shields of all kinds. If pressed, the farmers there might even bring out their pitchforks and scythes to defend their families from enemies.

The Hare Duchy is the breadbasket of the Five Duchies. Farms of every sort blanket these lush fields. Hare Duchy farmers are known for their hospitality and are always happy to take in a weary stranger and feed them cabbages, carrots, potatoes—simple but delicious farm-to-table fare. The capital, Northfield, is in the northern part of the lands, and it was once home to Spring and Harvest festivals each year, though these have been effectively put on hold since the fall of Valarmore. No Valarmorian families of privilege trek down through the pass to experience the fresh air and wholesome atmosphere of the festivals anymore, and the Hare folk are tired and worried over the threat of war. Northfield houses the leaders of the duchy, and many healers come here to practice their medicinal arts with the abundance of healing herbs and roots that are available each season. If it can be grown, it can be found here, perhaps to the exclusion of some of the rarer herbs. Wonderful potions and salves are made here, especially with the import of grease from the Boar and Bull Duchies. People give gifts of heirloom bulbs and cuttings to their friends and children. In addition, this region is known for their fine tailors.

At first glance, the Stag Duchy appears distant and isolated from the other four. The roads here dwindle from cobblestone and hard-packed dirt down to meager paths, and it is easy to lose one’s way. Some structures have been seen cradled high in the trees and it is believed that denizens of Stag Duchy sometimes expand their quarters into the air to avoid forest predators. Deep in their forests, these carpenters and woodworkers do not mingle often with strangers. But despite appearances, these people are known for their gruff compassion and big hearts. When disaster has befallen the Five Duchies, the Stag Duchy has mobilized and traveled to the affected place with tools in hand. Within days, new houses are erected, roofs repaired, and bridges rebuilt. With no words of acknowledgement expected, the folk of Stag Duchy are content to pack up and return to their lands, living deep in their forests. Those who have traveled to their capital of Oakdale do not speak of amiable people, but they do tell stories of the quiet way that their needs were attended to and the serenity the forests brought them. Fletchers here do a brisk business and most of the duchies’ ranged fighters come from here.

In addition to internal and external trade, bartering is a rather common way to handle business in the Duchies, especially with neighbors. Nearly everyone has something of value that someone else wants or needs. Why not barter a quart of milk for some woven cloth or a few cakes of soap?

### Everyday Life

Most of day-to-day life is concentrated around work for the folk of the Five Duchies, whether that means crafting, study, or growing things. Family and relationships with loved ones are of utmost importance, though, and time that is not spent in toil is spent heartily enjoying what pleasures can be afforded; fine weather, good food, and good company. There were a number of festivals that Five Duchies people observed pre-fall of Valarmore, some major and some more auxiliary, depending on the amount of time and energy they had to allot to such celebrations. Though the Spring and Harvest festivals are on hold right now, the Walk of Lights Festival still takes place on the last major gathering each year.

There is a game that nearly every person from the Five Duchies is taught from childhood—Four in a Row. Players take turns placing game pieces on a grid until one of them is able to declare, “Four in a row!” vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, or until no other tokens can be played. Almost everyone has taken the time to make their own game board, and there are all sorts of creative ways to do this: embroidered cloth grids, wooden ones, grids drawn in the dirt. There are huge grids, played with thrown stakes, and small ones, played with two sets of matching stones, or with whittled twigs. It is a fun little game for Duchies folk to come up with clever new ways to realize Four in a Row and they constantly seek appreciative comments from others on their innovations.

In addition to their Genesori, it is customary for Duchy folk to invoke the idea of their “land,” particularly when emphasizing a point and especially when swearing—probably because it’s one of the most valuable things they can conceive of. One might hear:

* “By the Land, what are you doing!?”
* “By this Land I stand on, I swear I speak the truth.”
* “This secret is bound between you, me, and the Land.”
* “Good Land!”

And in fact, many people carry a pouch or vial containing resources from their home territories—dirt, sand, twigs, rocks, etc. as a talisman, so that home never feels too far away.

### Current Events

Life in the Five Duchies changed drastically just a decade ago. Their close ally Valamore fell horrifically to a Vargoth invasion almost overnight, and an influx of Valarmorian refugees has made its way to the Duchies, telling tales of violence and death. It has been noted that the number of refugees is relatively small considering the great size of what was once Valarmore, and folk often wonder what happened to the rest of its citizens. The Five Duchies rallied armies from nearby lands and attempted several times to retake Valamore, but were unable to breach the Howling Cliffs each time. The hope of retaking Valarmore began to fade in the citizens' minds. Now, a Vargoth army gathers in the Howling Cliffs. All that stands between them and a full-scale invasion of the Five Duchies is the fort known as the Howling Gate in Bull Duchy. Soldiers from each duchy and even foreign nations have come en masse to man the fort. But a palpable tension can be felt in the lands as a Vargoth invasion seems imminent.

### Cultural Plot and Themes

The plot for the Five Duchies and Valarmore will deal heavily with military tactics, so players should be ready to track company movements and make decisions about how, where, and when to defend their points of interest. Additionally, there is a good deal of heavy emotional, story, and character-based roleplay planned, especially including tough ethical questions. Some of this will be quite dark, but will be tempered with lighter problem-solving tasks, like improving communication between important NPCs and helping townsfolk with their day-to-day problems. Duchies and Valarmore PCs are encouraged to find story threads that seem interesting and pull at it, even if they’re small.

### Costume and RP Themes

With the Vargoth firmly ensconced in the Northwest as a particularly nasty foe, the folk of the Five Duchies have begun to shutter their windows and bar their doors at night; no one knows what fell things roam the land in the dark. The people of the Five Duchies are constantly attempting to prepare, reinforce, out-think, and out-plan the enemy. They are canny, but this way of life is new to them. Everywhere, there is talk of this new horror and of ways they might ensure their families and loved ones are safe.

Death is an inevitability, whether from danger or from the cycle of aging, and the folk of the Five Duchies meet these difficulties with dignity. It is extremely important to them that they mourn those they have lost, and, as many other cultures do, they erect memory stones and light candles to honor them.

Costume inspiration is pseudo-medieval with a gothic horror flair. Folk of the Five Duchies tend to dress in well-made fabrics. The designs are simple, but their tailors are good.  Each duchy has a crest and colors to represent it, and the people wear these proudly. Pants, dresses, corsets, all are typical. All types of armor as well—leather, metal, etc. Players choosing to play as Valarmorian refugees may wear an elevated form of the same dress, but with more lush fabrics, prints, and designs, especially with Art Nouveau influences.