Kingdom of Valsgaard

The Kingdom of Valsgaard is a vassal state of the Traagion Empire. The Kingdom is ruled by King Luceo Versa Traagion, and consists of six provinces; five duchies and 1 march each ruled by a Duke or Marquis.

## History

### Initial discovery and settlement ([year] - [year])

In the Sea of Austris roughly 280 miles South West of the imperial homelands of Abython is a group of islands known as Valsgaard. Before the imperials discovered and claimed the archipelago for their own in [year], orcs and druids inhabited these lands and thrived in peace, each keeping distance from one another. Upon the first landing of humans, they quickly discovered the bounty to be had in this land and began to establish settlements. After the first few attacks by the orc inhabitants, the imperials sent a full legion of soldiers to destroy all opposition and push them into hiding. The druids, remaining peaceful and offering tribute to the empire, were allowed to settle on [Island name], an island to the east of Wynwood, without threat of conquest.

### Establishment and expansion of the Kingdom ([year] - [year])

Through the years, immigrants continued to pour into Valsgaard, necessitating more living space and eagerness to exploit the riches of the islands. More towns and ports were established and continuous wars with the orcs meant rapid expansion into the south. In [year] the Kingdom of Valsgaard was officially established, as a vassal under the Traagion Empire. It was ruled by King [name founder] of the [Emperor's dynasty] dynasty, and it consisted of four provinces; Rodenrock, Wynwood, The Crest, and the Sunderlands, and the Free city of [capital name], which became the capital of the Kingdom from which the King ruled. Each province was ruled by a Duke, who were all under one banner of the Kingdom of Valsgaard. With the Kingdom still rapidly expanding outward and driving back the orcs, several years later in [year] the Duchy of Stoneridge was established in the southeastern islands. The rapid expansion, however, came at a cost, and in the following decades the resources and manpower of the Kingdom was stretched thin along the borders with the remaining orc tribes. This meant that the King would have to focus on a single front for expansion, and this caused disagreement between the dukes. The Dukes of The Crest and The Sunderlands wanted to expand their borders in the south, but the King decided to invade the island of Westguard to establish a new Duchy. this caused a rift between the King and the Dukes, who refused to aid the King in the war. The campaign was only partially successful, with this establishment of the March of Westguard on the western side of the island.

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## Government

The Kingdom of Valsgaard is ruled by the King and their consort. The Kingdom is a vassal state of the Empire of Abython, and enjoys military and financial aid from the Emperor.

Each province in the Kingdom is subsequently ruled over by a Duke or Marquis. The provinces of The Crest, Sunderlands, Rodenrock, Wynwood, and Stoneridge are reigned over by a duke, making those provinces Duchies of the Valsgaard Kingdom. The province of Westguard however, has been designated a march by the king. This march acts as a buffer zone between the kingdom and the largest Orc stronghold, Gorga Uruk, and is therefore heavily fortified along the borders compared to the other counties. The March of Westguard is ruled over by a Marquis (Margrave).

## Provinces

Provinces are the six administrative sections of the Kingdom of Valsgaard. Each of the provinces is settled by humans, and usually consists of one major town and several hamlets.

### **Sunderlands**

*Located centrally on the largest island of Valsgaard along the Galdavian plains is the Duchy province of the Sunderlands. Being the largest and most influential province of the kingdom, the Sunderlands far exceeds the others in military strength and resources. Due to this, the Capital of Valsgaard is located along its northern coast, boasting the largest port of the kingdom and the fortified palace of the King.  However, the capital being its own state in the Sunderlands, and constitutes a separate entity from the province itself.*

### **Westguard**

*Westguard is the large island in the northwest of the Valsgaard Archipelago. Before humans arrived, the island was only settled by orcs with one of the largest orc strongholds, Gorga-Uruk, situated on the eastern tip of the island. In [year] the Kingdom of Valsgaard invaded Westguard with the intention to establish the duchy of Westguard, but the campaign ended in a stalemate and the Kingdom was unable to conquer the eastern side of the island. On the western side of the island the March of Westguard was established as a buffer zone against orcish lands.*