Dovehold, Barony of
by Michael BerryArea:
392 square miles
Population:
1,050
Villages:
Aarlanderveen (325) is located in the southern hills and is an old Flaemish settlement dating back half a millennium. When the Barony was created it was naturally chosen as the political and economic center of the Barony.
Poeldijk (225) is a major lamb and sheep herding community located in the southwest hills. The Poeldijk coats are produced here by 6 families who run a cooperative business together.
Vinkeveen (105) is a new village formed around the recently built tower of of Dovehold. The population serves the Baron and his family providing guards, servants, and goods and services.
Ethnic groups:
Flaems 70%, Lupins 10%, Hattian 10%, Kaelic 5%, Alphatian 3%, Boldavian 1%, Other 1%
Languages:
Flaemish, Lupin (Mongol dialect), Thyatin common
Ruler:
AC 1014 - Baron Roeland Koorteweg (born 968, M14,3rd Circle Death Master, AL-N)
House:
Linden
Military:
The Baron maintains two guard units of 10 F2 in the village of Aalanderveen. These guards also patrol the surrounding town areas in the lower hills. The Baron employs 10 full time F3 guards at his tower at Vinkeveen. Being a necromancer of some power the Baron could in emergency call up additional forces to defend his Barony if needed, though few in the Barony knows the extent and nature of his powers.
Food:
Deficient
Trails:
Dovehold is connected to the Nordling Free Province by a fair trail which leaves the village of Aarlanderveen to the south and leads to the town of Vorstadt. A poor trail leads west out of Poeldijk and leads to Baronies of Adlerturm and Uigmuir. The various smaller settlements in Dovehold are connected by a system of poor trails.
Economics:
Dovehold has few resources but for its large herds of sheep. From the shepherds coming a thriving textile industry which produces all sorts of woolen coats, which are the specialty of the village of Poeldijk. An agreement was signed with Prince Malachie last year, who pays hard cash for forest game to restock his forests in his Principality which suffers large losses due to the high wolf populations. Hunting and trapping deer in the foothills and valleys of the Wendarian, and transporting them to Morlay-Malinbois where they are set ‘free’ has proven to be a profitable venture for those in Dovehold.
Dovehold Monthly Financial Ledger (figures from AC 1014)
Main resources: 2 animal
5 hexes: mountain; borderland; pop. 280; tax 14 dc
2 hexes: hills; rural; pop. 560; tax 56 dc
Aarlanderveen: village; pop 210; tax 21 dc
Total population: 770 village/rural, 280 borderland
Tax Income: 91 dc
Resource Income: 364 dc
Standard Income: 728 dc
Council Tax: 236.6 dc
Net Cash: 218.4 dc
Overhead (35%): 76.4 dc
Available Cash: 142 dc
With 5460 XP/year, in 10 years the Baron would gain 54,600 XP from Dominion income.Alternative: 1092 XP/year
History:
Barons of Dovehold
Kristina Wilhamine 1006-1009
Roeland Koorteweg 1009-
The Barony of Dovehold was one of new dominions created in AC 1006 to establish more control over settled areas of Glantri. The purpose was twofold in the mind of the Council of Princes. First it would provide greater revenue for Glantri which was burning through its fiscal surplus kept in the Council vaults due to the massive expenditures for defense and salaries to the Grand Army after the army was substantially strengthened when war was declared with Alphatia. Secondly the new dominions provided for greater control of population centers needed for future levies for the Grand Army and allowed Glantri to stabilize its political structure after three new Principalities had been established earlier and no new lower ranks of the nobility had been established to balance the Glantrian political system.
Many of the new dominions established in AC 1006 were won by heroes of Glantri during the first year and a half of the war with Alphatia. Many of these heroes were leaders of famed Hunter-Killer squads which were formed as impromptu shock units which conducted counter-insurgency operations targeting Alphatian terrorist squads which infiltrated Glantri and unleashed conjured monsters upon the countryside and its population. Many of those leaders became national heroes and often easily won the Awards Festivals held for the newly created dominions. Dovehold was first ruled one such hero, Kristina Wilhamine whose unit of crack adventurers and mercenaries, called Het Stoottroepen by the people of the Fort Nordling area where the unit was based, had one of the highest body counts of Alphatian mage and conjured creatures of any unit in Glantri.
Dovehold was taken from the lands of the Nordling Free Province and consisted of an area long settled by the Flaem and happened to be where Wilhamine was born and her family was long established (rumors were Doveheld was established as a reward by the Council especially for Wilhamine). Wilhamine spent little time in Dovehold and as a ruler, as few of the new nobles actually did, as she continued on as leader of The Stoottroeper. Her father Erik served as Seneshal while Kristina was away with her Stootroepen, in Glantri and later serving in Alphatia. After Thar’s invasion in 1007 and knowing that Thyatis was doomed and unable to hold off the Alphatians a massive draft was instituted in AC 1008. The people of Dovehold and the nearby free territories answered raised two full banners of troops and under direction of Erik and a powerful local mage named Roeland Koortweg and formed the basis of the 72nd Glantrian Division. The division never saw action and was disbanded with the troops returning after Alphatia sank and the war ended.
With the end of the war there were several noble vacancies that needed to be filled and after the Viscount of Castelbianco was raised to Count of Glenargyl, the Viscounty was opened to an Award’s Festival. Kristina participated in the Awards Festival and on the strength of her service, exploits, magical ability, competent leadership of her father as a Seneshal (and the not insignificant beauty )Kristina won the open Viscounty of Castelbianco and opened Dovehold for an Awards Festival in turn.
Roeland Koortweg was persuaded by the Wilhamines and other Flaem to run for the Barony and after some reluctance he decided to go to Glantri City and politic for the position. He was strongly supported by the Flaem, Hattians and Averoignians and after lesser candidates fell out found himself against one challenger, a Belcadiz wizard. With the strong support of Prince Morphail, Roeland won approval from the Council and the Belcadiz petition was passed to Parliament where it was later rejected thus keeping the Barony of Doveheld in Flaemish hands. The Koortweg have proven to be as good of leaders for Dovehold as Wilhamine was. Koortweg being a native of Dovehold had the immediate respect of the people and kept all the local leaders they served previously. The years since the end of the war have proven to be quiet, peaceful, and somewhat prosperous. The area lives with a fear of the Dragons rumored to live in the mountains to the north but there have been no attacks from Dragons in decades. The people though remain ever vigilant and prepared in case the dragons decide to come to prey on Dovehold.
Notable sites:
Much of the Barony is rolling hills and high mountains typical of the rest of Glantri but Dovehold does have one notable site though it’s existence is a closely guarded secret among the Council of Princes.
‘Shangri-La’ is a secure facility built into Mount Sleen in the eastern part of Dovehold. Using summoned elementals, a secure last bastion was forged out in the interior of the mountain. The facility has room and provisions for up to 50 to live for up to 3 months, with all the creature comforts a Prince of Glantri might expect even when roughing it during the worst of times for the nation. Construction started in AC 1006 and finished three years later in AC 1009. The facility is intended to be a rallying point for the Council of Princes and the nobles of Parliament should Glantri City fall to continue organized defense of Glantri. Its existence is secret to the lesser nobles, not even the Baron of Dovehold knows of its existence. Lesser nobles would only be told of it if the facility was needed.
Coat of Arms:
Useful links:
The Economy of Glantri by Aleksei Andrievski
Dungeon Magazine #26 (introduces the Barony)
Kristina Wilhamine and Roeland Koorteweg by Michael Berry