ALMARRÓN (Estado de)
Location: East of Gulf of Hule, north of Cimarron, south of Gargoña, west of El Grande Carrascal. SC
Area: 6,450 sq. mi. (16,705 sq. km.).
Population: 7,000, including 4,200 in the capital Ciudad Tejillas. Roughly 92% human, 5% elven, 3% half-elven.
Languages: Espa.
Coinage: Oro (gp), dies (sp), centa (cp).
Taxes: 20% income tax, 5% sales tax.
Government Type: Independent barony part of the Treaty of Tampicos and Signatory Council.
Industries: Mining (silver), coffee, tobacco, furniture, jewellery.
Important Figures: Maximiliano de Almarrón y Escudor (Barón, human, male, F9 Noble), Esteban "El Salvador" (Former Tyrant, human, male, F13).
Flora and Fauna: Standard for its warm temperate/subtropical climate, including kudzu, tomatoes, potatoes, maize, plains grasses, deer, alligators, armadillos, prairie dogs, turkeys, and eagles. Dangerous monsters include gnoll raiders from El Grande Carrascal. Normal animals or plants with Legacies can also be very dangerous.
Further Reading: The Savage Coast online document, previous almanacs.
Description by Rikard Prospero.
Almarrón is a small nation that is part of Savage Baronies. Collectively called Los Guardianos, because they guard the rest of the Savage Coast from Hule, the people of the baronies are well respected by the other nations, even though there is hardly any contact between them.
The Land
The western half of Almarrón's territory is a rocky, inhospitable hill country. If it wasn't for the presence of the large silver mines at Sierra del Plata, the land would be almost useless.
A large fertile plain, fed by the Sierra Borgosa, occupies the heart of the nation. This is where the majority of the population lives, in three main villages (Costella, Paso Dorado, and Ciudad Tejillas) and several scattered homesteads.
Forested slopes and cliffs guard Almarrón's shores, protecting the nation from pirates and sea raiders.
Located at the mouth of the Sierra Borgosa, Ciudad Tejillas, the capital, is a centre for commerce and education for the nation. This town is rather lively thanks to the numerous celebrations thrown by the barón. It is filled with good taverns and inns and even has a theatre and a museum. While the hardworking attitude of the commoners gives quiet and peaceful days, the boisterous lifestyles of the local swashbucklers makes for an exciting nightlife. Despite this, the town is fairly safe-adventurers who live in Ciudad Tejillas are protective of its people and its reputation.
The People
The humans of Almarrón, like the rest of the baronies, tend to be moderately dark-skinned. The Red Curse also gives them red overtones. Most humans have straight, black or deep red hair. A few elves and dwarves live in Almarrón, but they are very rare.
Afflicted within Almarrón are well treated by friends and families, and they suffer little prejudice from others. Most Almarróñans view the Red Curse as something that will affect others and simply ignore it in their everyday lives.
The people of Almarrón have gone through so many forms of government that they no longer care about politics and would rather be left alone and leave running the nation to the barón. So far, the current barón seems to have won their respect and has slowly begun to enlighten his nation into a cultural centre.
More so than elsewhere, Almarróñans enjoy their freedom, having lost it several times. Swashbucklers and local heroes who fought against the tyrant Esteban are very common amongst them. The continuous wars and revolts have left most families relatively poor. Luckily, Barón Maximiliano provides priests and cinnabryl for those who cannot afford it, keeping the number of afflicted very low.
Finally, the use of Torreóner mercenaries by Don Esteban during the war has left a bad feeling toward Torreóners among most of the populace.
Recent History
Founded in AC 936, Almarrón was another barony led by its noble family. Corruption among the nobles led to a period of expansionism and conquest. Soon enough, Almarrón started loosing its battles, and most conquered lands declared independence. With the separation of Cimarron in AC 980, the people of Almarrón have had enough and overthrew their barón. They installed a democratic system inspired by ancient Traldar forms of government. In AC 994, a dictator name Don Esteban "El Salvador" took control of the nation and began collecting the nation's wealth for himself.
In AC 1006, Almarrón sided against Narvaez during the Inquisition Wars. The wars ended when the baronies unite to fight off Hule. The next year, the gnolls of El Grande Carrascal took advantage of Almarrón's weakened state an invaded. They were routed by the end of the year, but only after destroying Castillo de Tordegena.
By next year, AC 1008, rebels finally ousted Don Esteban thanks to many troubles the land had during the past few years. The people decided to return to the traditional nobility rulership rather than allow another tyrant to take power. Hence, Maximiliano, the only living descendant of the former noble rulers from long ago, was name Barón Maximiliano de Almarrón y Escudor.
In AC 1009, the Red Curse, which was centred in a few locations just outside the Savage Baronies, mysterious spread during the Week Without Magic and covered most of the Savage Coast, including all the Savage Baronies. The people soon had to learn to cope with outbreaks of the Red Curse and the creation of new afflicted. Most nobles scrambled to find priests or cinnabryl to help their people, and inheritors made themselves public to better spread their stored cinnabryl.
In AC 1010, many believed that miners had discovered the Mannequin of Ixion, the legendary Oltec artifact that would prevent any army in the world from invading the nation. It turned out to be nothing more than a black vessel for a deadly creature. Still, events during this time caused the death of Maximiliano's honourbound leader, as well as the resignation of Costa, the honourbound who would have replaced him. [Those desiring more information are referred to the novel The Black Vessel. Ed.]
Since then, rumours of an impending attack from Don Esteban's forces have been running
rampant, but no such attack has yet occurred.