Wessia

The **Grand Duchy of Wessia** is a major and one of the earliest provinces of Vallonia which lies northwest of Vallonia itself. Wessia was one of the first regions to be settled by Vallonian colonists, and is the largest of all of Vallonia's current Dukedoms. Despite these proud origins, however, Wessia is considered by many who live in the empire's heartland to be a backwoods part of Vallonia populated by country bumpkins; to some extent, they are correct.

Wessia has been ruled for centuries by the von Neckerburgs, a noble family which is fervently loyal to the Autarch. Needless to say, Wessia is one of first of the 11 provinces to pledge troops to the Autarch's armies. Unfortunately, the best that Wessia has to offer are peasant levies and a mere handful of knights, due to the lack of martial tradition in Wessia and the lack of funds available to the Grand Duke.

Historically, since Wessia makes up the majority of Vallonia's western and northern borders, it has always been a frontier land and the location of countless battles and invasions. Despite this, however, Wessia has a reputation as a tranquil and peaceful land of rolling hills and endless farmland.

## Geography

The west-most and also the largest of all of the empire's provinces, Wessia is bordered to the south by Kessland and to the east by Vallonia. As it is a border province, its borders have always been loosely defined, and since the Duchy's birth they have grown and shrunk during various wars; however, the current borders have remained in place for nearly a century.

Wessia is a land of rivers; dozens upon dozens of the Speer River's tributaries snake across all of the region, threading a vast patchwork of lush fields and low hills. These rivers have ensured that Wessia is one of the most fertile regions in all of Pynthia, and as such the Duchy's entire economy is built on agriculture. It is a sure thing that nine out of ten crops sold throughout Vallonia were grown in Wessia's rich soil. Wessia is also known for its strong and hearty ale, brewed, of course, from barley grown locally. The taprooms, of which there are plenty, in the Dukedom are always bustling, with locals but also with passing travelers, who are sure to have been regaled with stories of Wessia's beer and are eager to try it for themselves.

The land not eaten up by farms is usually home to small hamlets and villages, of which there are countless throughout Wessia; closely-knit farming communities abound in the province. However, there are also many dense woodlands and forests, accounting for Wessia's second largest industry, logging, as well as many squat hillocks. Most viewed as eyesores and obstacles by farmers lusting after fresh soil, the hills lie plainly abandoned, though some, especially near the border, have found new purpose as the foundation of stockades inhabited by imperial garrisons.

Wessia experiences rainy springs, sunny summers, temperate falls, and mild winters, much to the delight of the populace. However, during the rainy seasons a new threat is posed: Flooding. Many of the region's gurgling streams and babbling brooks turn to raging rapids after a particularly bad storm, and have been known to spill out over farms, homesteads, and even cities from time to time. In recent years this hazard has been minimized thanks to the Imperial Corps of Engineers, which built an intricate system of dams and locks through many of Wessia's major waterways.

The greatest of Wessia's cities is Holzhafen, the regional capital, which lies in the center of the province. A sprawling township which is beginning to see in industrialization, it holds most of Wessia's foundries and workshops. Other chief towns include Buhnberg, a trading mecca situated on the roadway from Wessia to Vallonia; Papendorf, a city which is famous for its resident chivalric order, the Order of the Gate; Wexhall, an agrarian community which boasts of the best taprooms in the entire empire; and Beckbruch, a heavily fortified frontier city which overlooks Vallonia's border.

## Inhabitants

Wessians are descended from Vallonian colonists, and thus share a kinship with their cousins to the east. However, there are very pronounced cultural differences between the two peoples, despite their common blood. Whereas Vallonians are sophisticated, highly educated, and, generally, pompous, arrogant, and foppish, Wessians are simple folk who are down-to-earth, manly, friendly, modest, and frugal. Wessian farmers are known to look with disdain upon the Vallonian dandies which sometimes show their preening faces in the larger towns of the Duchy; despite this dislike, Wessians are fiercely loyal, both to the empire and the Autarch. It is perhaps due to this loyalty, and also perhaps to their masculinity, that Wessians fight with such success on the field.

Although the Grand Duke is rarely able to field more than peasants, they fight with such valor and ferocity that one might consider them professional soldiers- although a veteran would scoff at the idea. It is rather sad, but even the most gallant and plucky Wessian militiamen are laughed at by Vallonian soldiers, who view them as little more than peasants lucky enough to come out of their first battle alive.

Wessians are known to be a hardy, stalwart, and jovial folk. Optimistic, they dismiss hardship and crisis and live through it without complaint, although, due to their harmonious surroundings, such misfortunate is rarely visited upon them. This cheerfulness carries on to their everyday life; Wessians are naturally jolly, and love to eat, drink, and be merry. They are happiest when surrounded by friends, with a belly full of food, and holding a tankard of ale.

Despite this almost pagan adoration of alcohol, Wessians are also deeply devout and God-fearing. Unlike many other Vallonian's, they pay much more than lip-service to the Gods, and are almost dogmatic in their literal interpretation of their commandments and the unquestioning obedience they give them.

Wessians are characterized as short, heavily-built, and muscular, owing to the hard work and manual labor they perform each day on their farmsteads. They also tend to clip their hair and beards short(at least above the shoulder), as unkempt hair is generally frowned upon in Wessia. They are nearly always depicted as rosy-cheeked, with bright smiles, a chicken leg in one hand and a stein of beer in the other.