Castelbianco, Viscounty of
by Michael BerryArea:
392 square miles
Population:
AC 1000 - 1960
AC 1014 - 1764
Vilages: (population values are given for AC 1000 and AC 1014)
Castelbianco (630/600): is the commercial centre of the Barony and home to the Baron of Adlerturm. Ponte d'Arno (383/325): is located 8 miles southeast of Castelbianco on the banks of the Arnus River. Castelleremo (154/125): is located approximately 8 miles southwest of Castelbianco.
Mandûa (133/125): is a small village directly south of Castelbianco on the banks of the Arnus River.
Ethnic groups:
AC 1000 - Kerendian 90%, Lupin (Glantri Mountaineer) 5%, Thyatin 3%, Hattian 1%, Other 1%
AC 1014 - Kerendian 85%, Lupin (Glantri Mountaineer) 5%,Flaem 5%, Thyatin 3%, Hattian 1%, Other 1%
Languages:
Thyatin
Ruler:
AC 1000 - Antonio di Tarento (born 954, M12, AL - Chaotic)
AC 1014 - Kristina Wilhamine (born 984, M12, 3rd Circle Fire Elementalist, Al -Chaotic)
House:
AC 1000 - Sirrechia
AC 1014 - Linden
Military:
The security of the Viscounty is maintained by the GdC, Guardia di Castelbianco, (30 F2, studded leather, spear and short sword or hand axe. Long feared in Castelbianco for their heavy handedness, some say outright thuggery, the new Viscountess as one of her first acts reformed the GnC and made it a much more professional force. The GdC is responsible, in coordination with the Sheriffs of local settlements, of maintaining law and order within Castelbianco. They are led today by Valentino Babini (F9, Plate +2, Spear +3). Castelbianco is also occasionally visited by Glantrian Army patrols of Malachie’s 7th Division stationed in Lizzieni.
Food:
Deficient. Food is imported primarily from the Silver Sierra Free Province and from Blackhill
Trails:
The Arnus River is navigable in few brief parts, but NW and SE of Castelbianco, where the River coasts the Glantrian Alps, the navigation’s impossible. A fair trail connects Castelbianco and the mines of gold to Ponte d’Arno and then across the Arnus River into the Principality of Caurenze. There’s no toll to pay for licensed Caurenzan merchants; strangers who want to cross the border must buy the license, which costs 1 sv. A poor trail runs along the River Arnus, starting from the village of Castelleremo eastward through Mandûa, Ponte d'Arno, and into the De Glaze Free Province ending at the village of Matera.
Economics:
Fishing is the main food resource of the Viscounty, which strongly relies on imports for food. The southern hills are home to small hamlets and vineyards (the Dòreo dei Colli di Castelbianco is a white wine, famous for his straw-yellow colour). Near Castelbianco there are the recently discovered( in AC 995) gold deposits, which provide the Viscounty with the money to pay the expensive food needed. Trade is done with the Principality of Caurenze.
Castelbianco Monthly Financial Ledger (figures from AC1000)
Main resources: 1 mineral, 1 animal
3 hexes: mountain; borderland; pop. 168; tax 8.4 dc
2 hexes: hills; rural; pop. 560; tax 56 dc
2 hexes: hills, river; rural; pop. 840; tax 84 dc
Castelbianco: village; pop. 392; tax 39.2 dc
Total population: 1792 village/rural, 168 borderland
Tax Income: 187.6 dc
Resource Income: 938 dc
Standard Income: 1500.8 dc
Council Tax: 525.3 dc
Net Cash: 600.3 dc
Overhead (40%): 240.1 dc
Available Cash: 360.2 dc
With 13512 XP/year, in 10 years the Viscount would gain 54048 XP
Alternate: 2256 XP/year
History:
Viscounts of Castelbianco
Antonio di Tarento 994-1004
Isabella de Montebello 1004-1009
Kristina Wilhamine 1009-
The hills of Castelbianco were settled by the Carenzians soon after their arrival in the Highlands. Though far removed from the Flaemish and the war between the Settlers and the Flame the region has a bloody history as the Caurenzians were prone to fight each other as viciously as they fought the Flaem and later Halzunthram. For many years the hills and mountains of Castelbianco were administered by the De Glace Free Province. However soon after Prince Innocenti came to power in Caurenze in 991 he made plans to bring the area under his control.
Part of Innocenti’s plans involved creating trouble and chaos in the area, and those who opposed the idea (floated of course by agents of Prince Innocenti) tended to disappear or turn up dead. After a year of violence and disorder both the Council of Princes and the people of the region wanted to see peace and quiet in the region so a new dominion was created in the hills north of the Arnus. In payment for some work he had done for the Prince, Innocenti put forth Antonio di Tarento to the Council to run the new dominion. The Council in spite of the strong objections of Prince Etienne and Prince Volospin agreed and Antonio di Tarento became the first Viscount of Castelbianco.
While the overt violence disappeared almost immediately the people of Castelbianco did not find their lives had really improved. The Viscount had no time nor aptitude for ruling and his gang of thugs, masquerading as the GdC came to be feared for their capricious and often brutal treatment of the local population. Standards of living however in the Viscounty still did improve a couple of years later when a major gold strike was discovered in the mountains of Castelbianco. The gold brought great wealth not only to the Viscount but to the merchant class and trickling down the common people of Castelbianco and providing steady work and wages for its people.
In 1004 Antonio di Tarento won the Awards Festival for the open County of Glenargyll and Castelbianco came open for an Awards Festival. Several Barons campaigned but once the popular, powerful, and politically well connected Baroness of Dovehold, Kristina Wilhamine, announced she would be in the running many of those in the running dropped out. When it came time to bring the matter to a vote Kristina won enough votes to qualify while her opponent, the Baron of Nandin failed to get the necessary votes. The new Viscountess immediately set to correcting some of problems of Castelbianco. She immediately let go all remaining members of the GdC that remained after di Tarento moved on and hired new replacements. While Kristina had no interest in ruling, and in fact does not reside in Castelbianco but in Glantri City, her father Erik rules Castelbianco fairly in her name.
Notable sites:
Castelbianco
Located in the foothills of the Glantrian Alps with the tower of the Viscount looking down upon it the village of Castelbianco is the political and economic center of the Viscounty. A sleepy village until the gold strike of AC 995 in the mountains above the village today the village is the largest settlement in the dominion and home to many miners, merchants and those that service their needs. The village is also home for the GdC and the administrative arm of the Viscounty. While Castelbianco suffered, as nearly all Glantri did, a substantial population loss due to the plague the population has rebounded quickly and is nearly back to pre-war pre plague totals. Work started in AC 1012 of a 15’ high, 10’ wide stone wall around the village with plenty of room left for growth. The wall is expected to be completed next year or early 1016.
Ponte d’Arno
Ponte d'Arno sits on the Arno River and is connected to Caurenze by a sturdy wooden bridge built in 995 by the Prince of Caurenze and the Viscount of Castelbianco. It is used to bring to Caurenze the gold mined in Castelbianco, and to Castelbianco highly needed products like wheat, livestock, and vegetables. The village itself has seen a influx of Flaemish settlers, primarily goldsmiths and their families and the village is gaining a reputation for being a good place to find high quality, low cost gold smithing.
Mandûa
Mandûa is a sleepy village known locally for its fishing fleets which fish the Arnus River, which has recently gained a lot of attention throughout Glantri thanks to music. A musical Duo resides here, the Li Bardi Mandûesi (Manduan Bards) whose members, Errico Nedo Porpûa (born 968, M14, AL - N) and Delciso Agôa (born 972, M14, AL - N). This duo developed a new small, lute-shaped instrument, the mandûa. A similar instrument is very popular among the Bards of Nouvelle Averoigne, and many claim the Caurenzan Duo stole the Averoignian design. Errico Nedo and Delciso are very popular in Caurenzan territories as they sing in Caurenzan and Castelbianco dialects. Their style is called "goliardico" (a sort of School of Magic spirit), as they love to sing popular tales, filled with spicy details and gossips.
Castelleremo
Castelleremo is another sleepy fishing village on the Arnus known regionally for two things. One are the quality of the vineyard in the hills around the village. One family in particular produces the the Dòreo dei Colli di Castelbianco which is become a favorite of many in the region, including, it is rumored, the Castellan of Castelbianco Erik Wilhamine. The village is also known for being close to the site of Castello degli Alfieri (Alfieri’s Castle). The castle was once owned by a reclusive Kerendan family. During the Kerendian civil wards the Di Sfonti’s tried to win the family to their side politically, but after their unsuccessful attempt, they sent their armies to vanquish them under the false pretext Alfieri were practicing clerical magic. Since then, the Castle has remained empty. However it is feared something has taken shelter there as a number of disappearences have been reported of those thought to have gone there. After 2 parities of local adventurers failed to return in trying to find the reason for the disappearances most locals now call the place haunted and steer clear of the ruins.
Coat of Arms:
Useful links:
GPD - Antonio di Tarento by Giampaolo Agosta
Kristina Wilhamine by Michael Berry
Viscounty of Castelbianco by Thibault Sarlat, Giovanni Porpora, and Agathokles
The Economy of Glantri by Aleksei Andrievski