Nyra, Free Province of
by Michael Berry
Area:
1848 sq. miles
Population:
AC 1000 - 56,640
AC 1014 - 49,164
Ethnic Groups:
Thyatin 20%, Fen 20%, Belcadizan Elf 18%, Belcadizan human 17%,Flaem 10%, Averoignian 3%, Kaelic 3%, Boldavian 3%, Ethengarian 3%, Kerendian 2%, Other 1%
Towns/Large Villages:(population values given for AC 1000 and for AC 1014)
Nyra: (AC 1000: 2500, AC 1014: 3300) Administrative centre of the Free Province.
Trintan: (1500/1700) Trintan is a commercial village whose lifeblood is trade and commerce with Darokin.
Selected Villages:
Coslada: (345/312) Coslada is approximately 32 miles due east of Fort Monteleone just south of the border with the Principality of Belcadiz. Coslada is a major agricultural centre for the eastern part of the Free Province.
Albion: (500/400) This Fen farming village located next to the border with the Principality of Belcadiz roughly halfway between Glantri City and Nyra.
Government:
Propraetor appointed by the Council of Princes, for seven year renewable terms. Seat in Nyra.
Administrator:
Propraetor Thomas Paine (born 931, M6, AL- Neutral) Appointed in AC 985, AC 1008.
House:
Alhambra
During the course of his long tenure as Propraetor of the Nyra Free Province (NFP), Paine has developed a close working relationship with Princess Carnelia in spite of the antics of her brother Don Hippolito. He also maintains a friendly relationship with Princess Carlotina but will follow Carnelia’s wishes in regards to NFP policies when the two Princesses have NFP policy disagreements. Which happens more times than it does not.
Territory:
The Free Province runs; from the southern suburbs of Glantri City in the north, to Trintan in the south and from the Vesubian River in the west, to the border of the Skullhorn Free Province in the east.
Food:
Surplus
Trails:
The main road of the Free Province is the main road of Glantri. The Taterhill-Trintan Expressway is the only paved road in Glantri. It starts at Trintan and runs through the heart of the NFP until crossing the Vesubian River and going into Glantri City. It has been rated excellent by Glantrian AAA and is still passable even in the heaviest of rain with no threat of mud. It was estimated that 92% of all Glantrian imports and exports pass through Trintan and the NFP making the province the single most important province and prestigious bureaucratic posting. While there is robust use of the Vesubian River to move commerce between Trintan and Glantri City most trade still moves along the Expressway on horse and wagon.
Another trail of note is the Alexander Glantri Memorial Highway which begins at Fort Monteleone and runs east into the hill country and from there to Bramyra, finally ending at Fort Tchernovodsk. It is rated a fair trail by Glantrian AAA and has throughout its history been a dangerous route due to proximity to the border with the Border Lands and later with Ethengar. Other smaller poor quality trails crisscross the NFP connecting the towns and villages to each other.
The Vesubian River is navigable to river traffic from Glantri City to Trintan and sees heavy ship and boat traffic, especially in the winter months, moving trade and goods to and from Glantri City from the warehouses of Trintan.
Economics:
The NFP is one of the primary agricultural areas of Glantri. The area of the Vesubian Valley is fertile, well irrigated and with moderate temperatures throughout most of the year. The Vesubian River provides a bounty of fish, while the river valley provides fruits and vegetables of all sorts. Excess is exported throughout Glantri. Foreign caravan traffic entering Glantri at Trintan is heavily taxed providing a substantial amount of income for the NFP and the Council of Princes. The citizens of the province that do engage in farming provide lodging, food, and other services for the caravans moving up and down the Tritan-Taterhill road providing a steady source of jobs keeping the vast majority of the people of the NFP employed.
The humanoid invasion of AC 1007 left much the NFP relatively unscathed as the Glantrian Army had twelve army divisions in the NFP, stationed at Fort Monteleone, thus Thar swung around the NFP on his way north. The northern sections of the NFP did suffer severe damage when Thar crossed the Vesubian upriver from Nyra to complete the investment of Glantri City. Thankfully much of the damage was property as most people had already been evacuated to Taterhill then to Bramya through Skullhorn Pass. While the rest of the NFP relatively untouched by the invasion itself, the whole of the NFP suffered as all Glantri did, in the plague shortly thereafter. Propraeter Paine has estimated that 30% of the provinces population died during the two years the plague ravaged Glantri. While it will take some time for the population to reach pre war totals it is rebounding quickly and will likely reach pre war totals by the end of the decade.
Notable People:
Propraetor Thomas Paine is the highest ranked Fen in the Glantrian Government and one of the longest tenured (human) members of the Glantrian government. He is also a legend in Bureaucratic circles at the capital, having trained and supervised nearly all the current Propraetors and many of those holding lesser positions. He is known for his no-nonsense approach and attention to detail. He is also well known for not suffering fools, even if they happen to be nobles. The assignment to the Nyra Free Province is his second posting here, having served as Propraetor from AC 985 to AC 1001. He was assigned a 2nd time to the NFP from the Glantrian Embassy in Thyatis City in AC 1008 when the previous Propraetor, Claudio Faggoli the tempestuous and combative best friend of Paine, was killed in an aborted ambush attempt of a band of Bugbears during Thar’s invasion in 1007. It was reported by a witness that five Bugbear came at Faggoli; he got four of them before the fifth got him.
Paine’s orders directly from the council have been to rebuild the shattered northern part of the Free Province. Much of that area was overrun with humanoids during Thar’s siege of Glantri City. After six years he has shown remarkable progress in getting homes rebuilt, instituting a program called Habitat for Glantri. In which he lobbies wealthy patrons to donate for rebuilding (with all donations being a tax write-off of course) and rebuilds homes of those who lost them. The only cost to those who have their homes rebuilt, volunteering the time to help rebuild the homes of others. The program has been a smashing success. The Propraetor has even drawn refugees from other regions, especially Blackhill, which has done a great deal to bring the N.F.P almost back to where it was before Thar and the plague struck Glantri.
Notable Sites:
Albion was founded by Fen-folk soon after arrived in the Highlands through the portal that brought the Kaelic to Mystara from Laterre. The village is notable for its ancient church dedicated to some lost immortal patron from their previous home on Laterre. After the Light of Rad other churches were torn down or made unrecognizable by new occupants. However this church was kept as a museum by the village council and is rumored to contain a treasure trove of information about the Fen’s history prior to arriving on Mystara. Unfortunately the guardians of this museum are very selective as to who they will allow to view those well preserved documents. Even Nobles are almost always are refused, including a infamous incident in 946 when the Archduke of Westheath, Edelmiro Pieinants, was refused entry. That led to huge row which had to be settled by the Council of Princes when the Archduke assaulted the Propraetor of the NFP after the Propraetor sided with the Museum’s guardians. The Archduke was reprimanded and the Council, through the NFP, set the official guidelines that only a Prince of Glantri could enter the vaults without permission of the guardians of the museum. The museum aside the building is a favorite of architectural buffs and is a favorite subject for many artists to reproduce.
Trintan is a walled town on the Vesubian River on what used to be the border with the Broken Lands. With the enfeoffment of Kol and annexing of the Broken Lands in AC 1011 the town finally could relax from it's permanent state of military preparedness. Trintan was attacked early during Thar's invasion and the two reserve divisions caught within the town held off the orc attackers and were resupplied by wizards of the Belcadiz under the supervision of Princess Carnelia, under relieved by additional divisions from Fort Monteleone. Trintan is a major commercial centre and still, even though the Western Broken Lands have come under control of Glantri and are safer for caravan traffic, is still known for being a centre for hiring mercenary and caravan guards.
Nyra is the administrative centre of the Free Province and is a collection point for all the produce and goods of the region for shipment north to the Capital and beyond. The town was protected during Thar's invasion and his drive north to the Capital in 1007 by the Vesubian River. Thar ravaged the hills to the west, and the west bank of the Vesubian River on his way to the Capital. However Nyra suffered mass upheaval as the population was moved north in advance of Thar and the town held by the 10th, 38th, 72nd , and 92nd Divisions during the siege of Glantri City to protect the northern flank of Carnelia's forces that held the central and eastern areas of the Province until the siege was broken later that year. After the war the population of Nyra grew even with the plague claiming so many victims, as refugees from ravaged areas in the south of Glantri decided to settle in Nyra. Nyra today is a wealthy,growing, town with vibrant local trade, and trade with Darokin, passing through the town.
Fort Monteleone is the primary fortress that has defended Glantri and the rich trade route running through the NFP. It is the largest fortress in Glantri and took many years to complete when built. It was finished in AC 859 by the combined efforts of the Belcadiz and Erewan elves and in addition to being nearly impregnable to traditional (non-magical) assaults; it has a certain beauty one would expect of elvish construction.
The Fort is capable of holding out definitely in case of siege with large stocks of reserve of food and water and of comfortably handling 8,000 defenders, and even more in an emergency with adequate resupplies of food and water.
Useful Links:
none...as of now.