Dunvegan, Marquisate of
by Michael BerryArea:
392 square miles
Population:
AC 1000 - 1680
AC 1014 - 1512
Villages: (population values are given for AC 1000 and AC 1014)
Dunvegan (536/500): is a walled fortess settlement and the political and social center of the Marquisate
Bogniebrae (278/225): is a farming community in the hills north of Dunvegan.
Galloway (150/110):
Ardchyle (190/170):
Fintry (175/160):
Cowie (75/70):
Ethnic groups:
Kaelic 50%, Ethengarian 15%, Flaem 15%, Fen 10%, Belcadiz Human 7%, Lupin 2%, Others 1%.
Languages:
Kaelic, Thyatin
Ruler:
Marquis Eachainn McDougall (born AC 950, M11 AC1000 M13 AC1014, AL - Lawful)
House:
Crownguard
Military:
The Marquis maintains a well trained guard of 50 heavy foot that patrol Dunvegan, maintaining law and order and are always for wandering monsters and leftover conjured monsters from the Great War. The Duniwassal of Dunvegan also lead monthly training exercises by the local militia. Such tactical training is geared toward defense of the Dunvegan Citadel. In case of need the militia has the names of 250 men on its rolls. The militia was last called to service when Thar invaded. They were charged with holding the Citadel. They saw no action though as Thar never moved in the direction of Dunvegan. The militia was called up again later in the war and assigned to the 64th Division. The 64th was tasked with defense of the Skullhorn Gap in case the Alphatians tried to force their way through it and was stationed in Dunvegan.
Food:
Deficient - Food, mainly fruits and vegetables, is brought to markets from the nearby free provinces. The Citadel maintains large stores of grain and livestock in case of siege.
Trails:
The main trail through Skullhorn Pass passes through Dunvegan. A great deal of military traffic and inter-region commerce passes through Dunvegan and the Colossus Mounts between Bramya and Glantri City. Numerous poor trails crisscross Dunvegan connecting smaller settlements to the larger ones and to the main trail running through Dunvegan. The Fen River is unnavigable to river traffic due to the strong rapids within Dunvegan.
Economics:
Dunvegan is a prime cattle producer and supplier to areas in the Colossus Mounts. Eachainn has received the contract to provide cattle for the military garrisons at Camp Skullhorn Pass and the fortress of Skullhorn Pass. There has been some attempt at mining in the mountains of Dunvegan but little of note has been found, only sporadic amounts of precious metals. Dunvegan is known though throughout Glantri for its locally brewed Dunvegan Brown Ale. In Dunvegan, the ale is often called 'Dog' (or simply 'Broon'). The 'Dog' name comes from the euphemism "I'm going to walk the dog" - meaning "I'm going to the pub". The ‘Broon’ is a favorite of the Marquis and of lovers of ale across Glantri. The brewery in Dunvegan is considered such a treasure that it is located within the walls of the Citadel of Dunvegan.
Dunvegan Monthly Financial Ledger (figures from AC1000)
Main resources: 1 animal, 1 mineral
4 hexes: hills; rural; pop. 1120; tax 112 dc
1 hex: mountains; borderland; pop. 56; tax 2.8 dc
2 hexes: mountains, river; borderland; pop. 168; tax 8.4 dc
Dunvegan: village; pop. 336; tax 33.6 dc
Total Population: 1456 village/rural, 224 borderland
Tax Income: 156.8 dc
Resource Income: 784 dc
Standard Income: 1254.4 dc
Council Tax: 439 dc
Net Cash: 501.8 dc
Overhead (40%): 200.8 dc
Available Cash: 301 dc
With 11290 XP/year in 10 years the Marquis could gain up to 112,900 EXP
Alternate: 1882 XP/year
History:
Marquises of Dunvegan
Eachainn McDougall 992-
The history of the Marquisate of Dunvegan begins with the County of Skullhorn Pass for both were created with the propose of defending against the Ethengarians to the east. The Council of Princes had long debated the defenses of Skullhorn Pass, the Camp at the passes center was thought to be impregnable by the Glantrian Army but some Princes asked.. What if they were not? If they fell and if Glantrian forces were deployed elsewhere then the Capital itself might quickly fall before troops could be redeployed to its defense. 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. An Ethengarian spy named Urmahid Krinagar was selected by the Council to In effect petition the council for the establishment of a County at the east end of Skullhorn Pass and he would be responsible for holding the strategically vital east end in case of invasion for as long as possible to allow reserves to come from the rest of Glantri.
The selection of Krinagar was not done without a compromise in place though. One that was put skillfully forward by Prince Volospin Aendyr. If the Flaems and Hattians (the only two holdouts to supporting Krinagar) would support Krinagar the Council would then establish a complementary dominion, one of higher nobility rank as well. A Marquisate and there was a noble waiting in the wings that would be perfect to take that position. The current Duke of Glenargyll, Eachainn McDougall, who had a reputation to all as a brilliant military mind and a great leader of men. Prince Jaggar immediately agreed and after some persuasion Prince Vanserie accepted the compromise as well. It was decided that the Marquistate would be created by the council, but as always there was a side plot in the never-ending game of Glantrian Politics included. In order to placate the nobles who might be upset at the elevation of a ‘non-noble’ like Urmahid over the current viscounts, robbing them of a chance to advance with the creation of a new dominion, the election of Eachainn was going to be rigged. All council members were to agree to support him, and the County of Glenargyll would come open for an Award’s Festival which would take the sting of the bite of being passed over for such a strategically important dominion. All the pieces fell into place, and Eachainn was taken aside by his mentor, Prince Jaggar and had the situation explained to him. Eachainn accepted the offer to ‘run’ for the newly created Marquisate and soon was confirmed by the Council as the first Marquis of what was soon named Dunvegan after the locally famous ale that was brewed in the region.
Soon after the creation of Dunvegan though came one of the more notorious events of recent Glantrian History. The native population of the region was a mix of Ethengarian and Kaelic. In an controversial act, the native Ethengarian population was forcibly relocated out of Dunvegan on the pretext of eminent domain of the lands they held. The reason given was for defensive works and public works. That was the result of an ‘off the record’ amendment to the agreement at the Princes’s Council. Prince Vanserie demanded that national security demanded that possible traitors must be removed from the location in which the Council had deemed to be the last line of defense in the Skullhorn region. He would agree to the creation of the two dominions only if the Ethengarians were removed, relocated out of Dunvegan. Jaggar immediately agreed but this time it was the Prince of Krondahar, Prince Jherek who threatened to scuttle the whole affair. Cooler heads prevailed though and though none liked the whole of the agreement, everyone got something so it was agreed upon. Eachainn, a good, decent man hated having to do so but the whole compromise would have fallen apart if he had not, so he put duty before morals as a good soldier must at times and participated and tried to make the whole relocation as humane as possible with no tolerance for abuse of those being relocated. Though some at the Capital screamed bloody murder, the whole matter faded in memory as Eachainn handled the matter with compassion and efficiency and without bodies, rampant abuse, or torn apart families to point to, the public outcry soon faded.
Now free to fulfill his mission to build a dominion and provide the last line of defense through the Colossus Mounts Eachainn worked hard to prepare his dominion for the task for it was created for. He built a large fortress, with support and advice from Jaggar, around the central village of Dunvegan and began training his guard, the local militia, to work with Glantrian military units which would be occasionally deployed to Dunvegan. Dunvegan has little chance to make much of an imprint on Glantrian history since it is just over 20 years old. Like nearly all of Glantri during the Great War Dunvegan suffered under an assault of conjured and summoned monsters brought forth by Alphatian terrorists and was hit hard by the plague that swept through Glantri. Since the end of the war things have been quiet in Dunvegan and the Marquis continues to improve and make repairs on defensive works and train his forces how to hold their dominion if the worse should happen and the hordes of Ethengar should penetrate this far through the pass.
Notable sites:
The walled village of Dunvegan is much larger in size than the population might indicate. The village is located on the trail coming from Skullhorn Pass and is considered the last line of defense in the Skullhorn Pass defensive system. The village is the administrative center of the Marquisate and the many men of the village are employed by the Marquis, with subsidies from the Glantrian military budget, in labor projects making repairs and improvements to the defensive works of the fortress. The Marquis tower is located close to the village, on a ridge overlooking the trail and the village. The fortress itself is a marvel of Glantrian military engineering and is thought by Glantrian Military Intelligence to be able to hold off 10 times the number of defenders. The Dunvegan Citadel is capable of housing roughly 1000 men and women. Dunvegan is also noted for its famous brewery of Dunvegan Brown Ale which has been made here for the last 105 years. The brewery is a regional treasure and when the village was fortified the decision was made to put the brewery inside the inner walls.
The village of Bogniebrae is the site of one of the great events in Glantrian history. While a dwarf hunt in the area, the Alphatian, Lord Halzunthram was ambushed and captured just outside Bogniebrae by Alexander Glantri thus ending the 40 years war. A monument made by the Architects Cadre of Caurenze sits on the site reported to be exactly where this momentous event happened. Many historians, school children on field trips and Glantrian patriots make the pilgrimage here on the annual anniversary of Halzunthrams capture.
Coat of Arms:
Useful links:
GPD Eachainn McDougall by Markus Olavi Montola
Heraldry of House Crownguard by Chimpman
The Economy of Glantri by Aleksei Andrievski