Baronato de Bênção 1020 AC
by Átila Pires dos Santos-Location: East of Aeryl, west Nimmur e Jibarú, South of Zuyevo. SC
-Area: ??? (I have no idea how to discover this)
-Population: 13.900, including 11.300 in the main settlements (humans 80%, lupin 7%, half-elven 6%, phanaton 4%, others 3%)
-Languages: Verdan, Espa (in Novo Pampa), Slag, Jibar (in Sunará)
-Coinage: Real (pp), ouro/oro (gp), médio (ep), dez/dies (sp), centavo/centa (cp)
-Government Type: Independent barony part of the Treaty of Tampicos and Signatory Council
-Immortals: Valérias ( = Valerias), Mileno (Milén; = Mealiden), Fanha (Faña; La Inquisitora; = Vanya) especially; not commonly worshipped, O Embaixador (El Embajador; = Masauwu), O General (El General; = Thor), A Juíza (La Jueza; = Tarastia)
Capital and Ruler
-Capital: Porto Abençoado (Blessed Port; population 3.300, mostly human, some half-elven)
-Governor: Barão Jorge "O Herdeiro" (the Inheritor) de Vilaverde
-Other settlements (Província de Escorpião): Mato Grande (800, mostly human), Fortaleza de Porto Escorpião
-Industries: Slaves (orcs), trade, coffee
Provincies of Bênção:
Província de Valeriana:
-Capital: Vila Valeriana (Village of Valerias, Valerian Village; 2.000, many humans and lupins)
-Governor: Baronete Luís Manuel "O Senhor de Valeriana" (Lord of Valeriana) de Babosas
-Other settlements: Mina Rica (Rich Mine; 1.500, mostly human)
-Industries: Trade, mining (gold)
Província de Novo Pampa:
-Capital: Estâncias (Cattle Farm; 1.000, mostly human)
-Governor: Governador Álvaro Lopez
-Industries: Cattle
Província de Sunará:
-Capital: Sunará (1.200, many humans and phanatons)
-Governor: Governador Duarte de Sousa
-Other settlements: Bom Jardim (1.500, mostly human), Fortaleza da Boa Vista
-Industries: Trade, sugar, spices ("Drogas do Sertão")
Bênção means Bless. Barão Jorge don't want the name Maldição (Curse) to make others from the Savage Baronies think this barony is an cursed, unpleasant place. Porto Abençoado (Blessed Port) is an growing town around the old Porto Maldição fortress.
Vla Valeriana is the name the Verdans call Preuve (since the Renardie colony were conquered). Mina Rica is a new settlement that lies southwest of Preuve/Vila Valeriana; The same for Estâncias, but in the opposite direction. Sunará is an Verdan trade post on Xingá river (I created this one to help the Verdans of Bênção have an frequent access to phanatons of Jibarú and their culture)
1- Província de Escorpião
2- Província de Valeriana
3- Província de Novo Pampa
4- Província de Sunará
Bênção occupies approximately 54 hex (1 hex = 24 miles), quite large for an savage barony. Bênção also claims Guirronães (Ghonam tribe in the Western Orclands) but never attempted to effectively occupy this area
The idea began with Zuyevo/Renardy alliance, that result on the conquest of Richland and breaks the LB Trade Company/Texeiras monopoly on the Yalu Bay. I guess most (if not all) the "colonial" settlements there (even the Vilaverdan ones) profits with this commercial route; Closing it would ruin the fragile economy of these colonies (except for Preuve, Renardy colony).
Porto Maldição acquired it independence quite recently (1008) and, ten years after, is still an politically unstable place, dependant of the Verdan traders that need to use their port. The Texeiras/Renardy problem would only make things worse.
While that, Mato Grande probably would not suffer much due their different main industry: orc slavery. The Bandeirantes (scouts) profit capturing the Guirronães (Verdan version of the word Ghonam) orcs and selling then to Nimmur (through Porto Escorpião) and other places (Herath and Yezchamenid, for example).
Porto Maldição weren't unaffected by this war too and Dom Jorge worries more each day with Nimmur and its desire for expansion. The situation of Porto Escorpião makes him worried too, and so he decides to take part of Porto Escorpião garrison and occupies the neighbour ex-colony. But instead of resistance, the Verdans welcome him and he became "Barão" of Maldição and Escorpião.
Vilaverde knows this is an excellent opportunity to take for itself the commercial monopoly of the "Bahía de Ialú" (Yalu Bay) and helps its "offspring" barony. Renardy and Zuyevo answer the provocation attacking the Verdans. Texeiras also realises the opportunity and allies with Vilaverde and their naval superiority (and with the help of Nouvelle Renardie spies, that don't like the idea of Renardy taking control of the Yalu Bay) makes Renardy and Zuyevo retreat.
In retaliation, General Luís Manuel de Babosas, leader of Porto Escorpião garrison, leading an small (but efficient) army of Verdan arquebuses, Torreóner infantry and Guadalantan light cavalry, conquer Preuve and rename it Vila Valeriana. As payment, the Guadalantan gaúchos receive the lands northeast of Preuve/Vila Valeriana; they call their new land La Pampa Nueva/O Novo Pampa. Not much later, Bandeirantes discover gold southwest of Vila Valeriana and found Mina Rica
Sunará was an small Verdan outpost n the Xingá river until the Yalu crisis; during this brief period, the spices (drogas do sertão) gain more importance while Bom Jardim suffered the economic problem. Jealous of it and thinking in take part of Sunará profits for itself, Bom Jardim send troops to this small and almost-independent Texeiran colony. Without other options, Sunará governor, Duarte de Sousa, asked to became part of Dom Jorge new barony. Thus Luís Manuel was sent to Sunará to expel the invading troops. Then he landed on the Colony of the Horn and occupied it, claiming this colony as part of the new barony as well.
With the Treaty of Alcântara, Vilaverde, Texeiras and Zuyevo recognized the new barony (now renamed as Baronato de Bênção); Bênção kept Sunará and Bom Jardim and Texeiras gained trade privileges (just like Vilaverde for the initial support) as an compensation for the lost territory; Zuyevo kept Richland and agreed to trade with the Verdans instead of trying to conquer all Yalu Bay (at least for now); Bênção ratified the Treaty of Tampicos and became member of the Signatory Council (Barão Jorge "O Herdeiro" thinks that this way Bênção would be more easily accepted by the other baronies as one of them)
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Porto Abençoado is something like both Rio de Janeiro and Salvador (both were capitals). Vila Valeriana also resembles Rio de Janeiro, and São Luís (both once were French colonies); also were based on Mariana (town in Minas Gerais close to Vila Rica). Mina Rica were based on Vila Rica (town in Minas Gerais that was famous for its gold mines). Mato Grande is very similar to São Paulo during XVI century. Bom Jardim looks like "Nordeste" (northeast) of Brazil. Estâncias and Novo Pampa were based on Rio Grande do Sul (much like Guadalante/Argentina). Sunará weren't based on an real town, but introduced to make the cultural contact between Verdans and phanatons more frequent; Sunará and Bom Jardim situation were based on "Guerra dos Mascates" (War of the Merchants), Bom Jardim as Olinda, Sunará as Recife.