Bramyra, Principality of
by Michael BerryArea:
1344 square miles
Population (AC 1014):
7652
Towns:
Bramyra (2500)
Villages:
Babajun: (400) is a village located just to the north of Bramyra Camp.
Skullhorn: (154) sits in front of the eastern entrance to Skullhorn Gap.
Bolar: (235) is a village in the southern hills 20 miles southwest of Bramyra.
Darchan-Uul: (316) is 12 miles northeast of Bramya.
Ethnic groups:
Ethengarian 85%, Fen 7%, Belcadiz-Elf 4%, Belcadiz- Human 3%, Others 1%
Languages:
Ethengarian, Thyatin Common
Ruler:
Prince Urmahid Krinagar, Count of Skullhorn Pass, Chancellor of Princes
Born AC 968, M22, Dream Master of 4th Circle, AL-Lawful
House:
Krinagar - strongly allied with House Singhabad
Voting Power: 22 at the Council, 26 at the Parliament
Allies: Lady Jella-Lan, Baroness of Goriidel
Military:
Three Banners of Jherek’s 5th Glantrian Army Division are currently stationed at Bramyra camp and are under the peacetime control of Prince Krinagar. The units patrol the border with Ethengar north to the village of Kaschgar in the Tchernovodsk Free Province and patrols to the south go as far as Aguilar in the Skullhorn Free Province. The 5th Division rotates with the 13th every 3 months. There has been a recent redeployment within Jherek's Divisions which has not yet been updated in the official Glantrian TOE (The Grand Army of Glantri.... revised and updated' (Printed by the Piazza Press; Glantri City, Glantri). The 1st Banners from the 5th and 13th Divisions have been redeployed in the last month from Bramyra Camp and Skullhorn Pass Camp respectively to Skullhorn Pass Tower. Orders have been sent for the Banners to familiarize themselves with the tower, its defenses, and the local terrain. A recent change to official Glantrian defensive doctrine has stated that Skullhorn Pass Tower is to be held as long as possible as a rearguard in case of invasion, to allow time for troops (if needed) to move into the western end of the Pass from the heart of Glantri, and to allow as many civilians and military if necessary to escape from the eastern Colossus foothills.
Urmahid keeps a separate Skullhorn Pass Tower garrison of 120 elite cavalry-based archers. He also keeps 60 personal guards on hand to maintain order among the principality's small populace. The Prince has maintained a strong and well trained militia to supplement the Glantrian army units stationed at Camp Bramya. As most of the population are very good horse riding and grow up learning how to shoot a bow, the Glantrian High Command has estimated an effective militia force of up to 900 mounted archers could be called to service in times of need.
History:
The history of the Principality of Bramyra begins with the County of Skullhorn Pass for both were created with the Ethengarians to the east in mind. The Council of Princes had long debated the defenses of Skullhorn Pass, the Camp at the passes centre was thought to be impregnable but some Princes asked themselves… what if it wasn't? If it fell and if Glantrian forces were deployed elsewhere then the Capital itself might fall before troops could be redeployed. Finally in 992 the Princes managed to overcome the arrogance of the Glantrian military in the person of Prince Jaggar and created a dominion at the east end of the Pass which would be responsible for defense and slowing down any invasion till reserves might be brought up. However bitter and divisive was the debate was about the creation of the County of Skullhorn Pass (by law any dominion between 51 and 80 miles from the Capital must be Counties), then matters got kicked up a notch when discussion turned to who should hold this post. Normally an open dominion within Glantri would be settled by and Award's Festival, but the Council of Princes did not want this to go to an Awards Festival. The reasoning being that this was a strategically vital assignment and the last thing Glantri needed or could allow was to potentially have a militarily mediocre viscount elevated to hold such a position. Names of viscounts and barons were tossed about and for each they were either found to be lacking, or known to have no interest in moving or taking such a position. That left the Council at wits end, after a recess the Council came back and when they did Prince Jherek asked to have the floor and speak. Here is a transcript of what he said.
Prince Jherek: My fellow Princes, and Princesses of the Council. We have spent the last week trying to find the noble best suited for this vital position which would be the first line of defense of our beloved nation. They have all been found lacking, or unable to take this dominion for various reasons. Some of you (nods to Jaggar, and Vanserie) still question loyalty of the Ethengarian population of ...
Prince Vanserie: (in a rising voice) I think
Prince Etienne: Silence!.. let Jherek finish ..
Jherek: this nation of OURS! Yet my ancestors and my people have fought, bled and died to help establish and protect our beloved nation. Let me introduce a man to you whom I believe we can trust to handle this vital position and would be a fine addition to our noble ranks as a powerful wizard and graduate of the Great School. *speaks to the doorman* Coleman, you may show my guest in.
*in walks a tall dark haired man, with a long thin moustache, dressed in the distinctively ornate robes and headgear of an Ethengarian Lord… chaos erupts in the Council*
Prince Innocenti: Minchia!!!!!!!!!!
Princess Carnelia: HAHAHAH.. brilliant!!!
Prince Jaggar: what kind of madness is this!
Vanserie: NO!!!!!!! I CAN NOT ALLOW THIS! *grabs wand*
Etienne: *chuckles and claps hands* Sacré bleu!!!!!!
The man Prince Jherek introduced the council that day was Urmahid Krinagar. Krinagar was a man known to the Council as a master spy and a personal enemy of the Great Khan of Ethengar, as well as life-long friend and brother-in-law to Prince Jherek. After order was restored in the Council and tempers cooled off, discussion continued. The merits of having Urmahid as the new Count were laid out with the precision of a lawyer in a courtroom by Jherek. The man has dedicated his life, literally, to help defend Glantri and has earned a substantial price on his head and death sentence from the Khan if ever captured. He was already known to be a capable wizard and graduate of the Great School so after another week of heated debate the council voted. With the support of everyone but Prince Jaggar and Prince Vanserie, Urmahid Krinagar was selected to be the choice of the Council to submit TO the council a bid to create the County of Skullhorn Pass after which his proposal would be accepted and he would join the ranks as the Count of Skullhorn Pass.
Krinagar ran his County smoothly and even gained the respect of Sir Duncan and Lord Eachainn in war games and tactical simulations over the years. The council must have been impressed with their selection and his performance and soon discussion turned to expanding control over the eastern Colossus foothills. Krinagar was asked by Prince Jherek to quietly begin to accumulate the needed signatures from those in rapidly growing and expanding Bramyra region. That he did and in 1003 he presented to the Council of Princes a proposal for an Act of Enfoeffment of the Bramyra region and produced the needed signatures. Debate raged again in the council and yet again Jaggar and Vanserie were the odd Princes out as the Council voted to ratify the Act of Enfoeffment and thus on Sviftmont 17 1003 the Principality of Bramyra was established. In the decade since the establishment of the Principality Urmahid has gone to great effort to build up the region and exploit it economically. He has had great success as the population and prosperity of the people here have grown substantially since the Enfoeffment. He has not wasted time nor is money constructing defences in the region knowing the area impossible to hold if the Khan attacked in force. The tactical doctrine is to bleed the attackers and give ground grudgingly while removing people and resources to the west toward Skullhorn Pass. A reasonable task considering much of the wealth of the region is not static but easily transportable. There are no fancy buildings decorated with gold in Bramyra, no jewel laden decorations. The people of the region place their wealth in horses and the number and quality of horses shows more of a man's place in this region than gold or gems and those were easily transportable as well as giving the population of Bramya a substantial degree of speed and mobility.
Food:
Sufficient
Trails:
The town of Bramyra is the junction of three main trails in eastern Glantri. All three have been rated as fair quality by Glantrian AAA. The Alexander Glantri Memorial Highway runs south through the hills of the Skullhorn Free Province ultimately ending in the Lower Vesubian Free Province at the fortress of Monteleone. The Boldavia Bramyra Highway runs north from Bramyra to Fort Tchernovodsk. Both trails have travelers advisories issued by the Glantrian Commission of Homeland Security. Both are listed current threat levels of yellow, which means significant risk of Ethengarian raiders. The third trail The Skullhorn Pass road runs west through the Pass and ends in Fenswick. Numerous other poor quality trails crisscross the Principality connecting smaller settlements with each other and with the main settlements in the Principality.
Economics:
The Principality of Bramyra imports: precious woods, tea, coffee, and ivory and exports iron, horses, potatoes, turnips, cattle, basketry, woodwork. The mines in the mountains produce a fair amount of iron, while in the foothills the raising of horses provides the main resource of the Principality. Despite hostilities and political suspicions, Bramyra relies heavily upon trade with Ethengar for its survival; therefore, charges of dealing in contraband (any Ethengarian merchandise) are not taken seriously in Bramyra Taxation rates in the Principality are standard with normal Glantrian tax rates. Though created mainly as a political and military buffer against Ethengar, Bramyra is expanding economically a rate higher than many other principalities. The GNP of the Principality has increased every year since the establishment of the Principality even with the Great War and plague. Urmahid's comptroller has been heard to say that he expects perhaps reaching double digit increases in GNP in AC 1015 if things continue to grow as they have the last 3 years.
Bramyran Monthly Financial Ledger (figures from AC 1014)
Main resources: 1 animal (horses), 1 mineral (iron ore)
7 hexes: mountain; borderland; pop. 392; tax 19.6 dc
17 hexes: hills; rural; pop. 4760; tax 476 dc
Bramyra: small town; pop. 2500; tax 750 dc
Total population: 2500 small town, 4760 village/rural, 392 borderland
Tax Income: 1245.6 dc
Resource Income: 6228 dc
Standard Income: 6964.8 dc
Council Tax: 2887.7 dc
Net Cash: 4585.9 dc
Overhead (55%): 2522.2 dc
Available Cash: 2063.7 dc
With 89683 XP/year, in 11 years (AC 1003-1014) Urmahid Krinagar gains 986513 XP, rising from M15 to M22.
Alternate: 14947 XP/year, rises from M15 to M16.
Cultural Curiosities:
FOOD AND DRINK
Welcome back Micky the Mage with day 6 of his whirlwind tour of the Principalities. Today we find him in Bramya.
Oh the things we do for the things that we love. I love food, I love eating it, I love cooking it. I had dreaded traveling to Boldavia but at least Boldavia had vodka and caviar. What does Bramya have? Horses, horses and more horses. A bleak region this is of windswept barren hills. Bramya is an Ethengarian Principality as is Krondahar, but that is pretty much where the similarities end. While Krondahar has culture, Bramya has horses, where Krondahar is home to the cultural elite of Glantrians of Ethengarian decent with a refined cuisine to reflect it, Bramya has horses and mundaners of Ethengarian decent and traditional Ethengarian cuisine to match.
Bramyan cuisine is very typical of the low-born cuisine found throughout the world; lots of vegetables with some meat of varying quality with the evening meal. Wine, beer, and spirits are not produced here and have to be imported and prices are quite high as demand for them is low as many Bramyans simply prefer tea or even fermented mare’s milk. The town of Bramya though growing quickly still has much of a rough frontier flavor to it and has only tavern faire establishments which their dubious quality to choose from. If on a culinary vacation just avoid Bramya. If you are looking for great Ethengarian cuisine go to Krondahar for the real high quality establishments, or even to Glantri City to find some authentic good quality places in the Ethie district of Il Mercante.
SOCIAL CUSTOMS
A defining aspect of Bramyran society is Bramyra has the lowest ratio of arcaner to mundaner of any principality. While the sparely populated and barren eastern foothills of the Colossus Mounts in Bramyra would otherwise be perfect for the wizard seeking solitude and peace to conduct their studies , the risk of other uninvited guests, Ethengarian raiders or even a all out invastion makes this region less attractive for wizards. As Bramyra is a mundaner Principality, class distinctions and even ethnic strife are almost non-existent.
DRESS
Due to the very low percentage of arcaners and even lower percentage of high-born nobles in Bramyra most Bramyrans are dressed as one might find in mundaner sections of Glantri or peasant areas of other countries. However Bramyra has one rather unique Glantrian style. Many Bramyrans wear a distinctive riding boot made of cowhide leather. They have an approximately 2-inch heel, rounded to pointed toes, high shaft, and, traditionally, no lacing. They are often plain leather but some can found with decorative stitching in the shafts. Another distinctive Bramyran clothing item are the Bramyran Hats which are a high-crowned, and wide-brimmed hat
Notable sites: Bramya
The town of Bramyra was established a hundred years ago as a trading posts and early warning station against an invasion from the Great Khan. Over the years the town and the surrounding area have grown and formed its own community which was cemented when the area was enfeoffed. Bramya is a dusty, dirty frontier town with little thought given to aesthetics when the town was built. Individual homes were built with defense in mind with shale roofs and brick construction with arrow slits set in strategic spaces. The most lively section of Bramyra would have to be the horse market where the pride of Bramyran horse breeds can be bought, sold, and traded. Here you can find the only real rival of the Palatinsk Tersk breed for the Glantrian horse of choice, the Bramyran Mori. The Mori is exceptional in rough terrain and has excellent endurance and even a short but lightning quick burst of speed. A rather unique festival held one a year on 7 Klarmont is beginning to attract real attention and interest from outside the region. Bramyra Rodeo Day festival celebrates not only the horse but the skills of those of ride them. Various events are held but the most popular is bareback bronc in which riders attempt to stay on a gelding for 8 seconds and those who manage to complete a ride are judged for style.
Babajun
Babajunis a village farming town located just to the northwest of the town of Bramyra. The great Camp Bramyra is located next to the town. The Camp is the home to the defenders of Bramyra, Jherek's 5th and 13th Divisions, which are deployed here on a rotating schedule. Babajun has strong ties to the Glantrian Military; many of its residents are veterans and former members of the Grand Army, most having served in Jherek's division in the past. Many shops and services here are geared towards the troops. Many taverns (called saloons in Bramyra) can be Babajun in catering to soldiers and veterans and are often quite lively and are said to remain open 24 hours a day with high stakes gambling and merriment around the clock.
Skullhorn
This village, sitting in front of the eastern entrance to Skullhorn Gap, used to be the main settlement of the County of Skullhorn Pass before the enfoeffment of the area in 1003. Sitting above it higher up in the entrance to the gap, is the former tower of the Count which has been converted to a defense work to protect entrance to the pass.
Prince Urmahid rarely comes here though, though he keep personal quarters high in the tower, as he lives in Glantri City. The village is the centre for mining in the Principality, as well as hosting a detachment of 5 Constables from the GSS (the feared Glantrian Secret Service) who make sure those that are going west through the pass are not of dubious nature… or nationality. ID papers can be demanded at any time by anyone trying to go through the Pass.
Bolar
This village in the southern hills of the Principality, some 20 miles southwest of Bramyra rivals Palatinsk area as the most horse crazy regions of Glantri. Here is where you can find many breeders, trainers, and traders of the famed mori breed. The whole area is mad about horses and the weekly horse races in Bolar draw people from all over the Principality and the Free Territories.
Coat of Arms:
Useful links:
Principalities of Krondahar and Bramyra by Jennifer Guerra
GPD - House Krinagar
The Economy of Bramyra by Aleksei Andrievski
The Grand Army of Glantri AC 1000-1014 by Michael Berry