Kingdom of Bordeaux

## Tiamat Aftermath

Bordeaux faced a siege to its lands during the Tiamat Crisis by dragons on all fronts. Much like Sanctus, Bordeaux was one of the primary targets to be eliminated by the evil dragons and their fiendish conspirators. Many Bordelais heroes of old and new such as Villentretenmerth, Merlin and the Green Knight rose up to her aid and defended the realm. However at a heavy price. Villentretenmerth was slain by Grul'Merath, a Ancient Red Dragon. Merlin sustained heavy injuries and had to retreat, while the spirit of the Green Knight was set upon by hellspawn. The loss of this and more tragedy as the death of the Grand Duchess divided the realm in the coming years, and The Game of Names continued to worsen the situation. Small civil wars between houses broke out where families fought each other for power, and ultimately for the crown of Bordeaux. By the end of this period of conflict, Bordeaux was split into three separate nations. The traditional virtuous Bordeaux, the hardy stubborn Malletia, and Ombrellia with its enchanting magic.

## Overview

The heartland of Bordeaux has remained and stuck to its traditional values. Living in a feudal society now ruled by a monarch and their nobles. The image one would get when talking about Bordeaux is a land stuck in the past, or lacking behind in change. While the rest of the world has become imperialistic, Bordeaux has remained traditional. The majority of their armies remain peasant militia, with knights in plate armor patrolling the countryside for monsters that still lurk in the dark. Even while the Lady of the Silver Lake has not showed herself in almost four centuries, the people still have strong faith and deeply practice her Five Virtues.

***Structure:*** Bordeaux's political structure has remained mostly the same, only in that instead of the prime monarch being known as the grand duke or duchess, they have now accepted to adopt the title of King or Queen. A feudal society is still what rules Bordeaux. Nobles that own land and have peasants, farmers and craftsmen work said land.

***Tradition:*** While if you were to visit Bordeaux during the summer or spring, it still very much resembles the land it was a hundred years ago. Beautiful like from a fairytale. Chivalry still lives on here. Plate armor and valiant knights atop of steeds are still the pride and joy of Bordeaux. While true, with the evolution of gunpowder, Bordeaux has adapted to train a small standing force that is able to utilize this new technology, but the still field vast swaths of cavalry and infantry of old. As gunpowder proves to be unreliable at times. Apart from the military, the Five Virtues are still what guides life in Bordeaux. People try to dedicate their lives to mastery over one or two of these virtues, while the most noble and ambitions, master all. These are known as Savants of Virtue in the land.

## Economy and Culture

Bordeaux is still known as the Realm of the Horselords. Apart from horses and basic natural resources such as wood and iron, Bordeaux does not have anything exotic going for it in terms of its industry, except for its wine of course. The wine from other parts of the world pale in comparison to a glass of wine from the Orleasian Vineyards. The realm is very romantic, and some say that will never change. The people live in the idea they are poetry come to life.

***Monsters:*** While it lives in a fairytale land, every tale has its share of monsters that lurk in the dark. This still rings true for Bordeaux. Knights ride along the roads hunting such beasts and many adventurers find their feet coming to Bordeaux to slay a beast and claim their first bounty. Its every little boys dream to ride atop a powerful steed and slay a monster that would harm the village where he grew up.

## Politics, Perception and Magic

Of course the loss of many of its border realms was a big hit to what Bordeaux is. Bordeaux used to be the second superpower on the western continent. Now it is hard to rank where they fall on the power scale. The occasional war springs up over a border dispute with their neighbours is not uncommon, especially with Malletia who used to be one of the dukedom houses under the Grand Duchess a centaury ago. With their experience with the Game of Names however, they have put those espionage and spying skills to better use in foreign kingdoms.

***Forgotten Magics:*** Bordeaux used to house many mage towers scattered across its countryside. But the inquisition saw to it that the mages housed in these towers had to go into hiding and flee. Abandoning their towers. These towers are often plagued by bandits and other nosy folk to see what secrets and treasures they hold. Mages that used to be on the council of House leaders are not seen as often anymore. They are slow to trust the mages again, with very few being in positions of power in Bordelais society.

## Grymheim Activity

Bordeaux has taken a diplomatic approach with its efforts on Grymheim. Allying with Cynthia and the native Gealdyr to create a bubble of security for themselves. So far it has worked out well for them as they are careful to not tread past their boundaries they have signed with both. However, their shipping lanes have not been so secure, as the royal navy has been left to fend for itself against the pirates that stalk the safe sea routes to and from the continent.