GLANTRI (Principalities of)
Location: North of Darokin, south of Wendar, west of the Ethengar Khanates. OW
Area: 116,650 sq. mi. (302,124 sq. km.).
Population: 590,000 humans and elves, plus approximately 14,000 humanoids living in and around the Great Crater.
Languages: Thyatian (Glantrian, Aalbanese, and Caurenzan dialects), Alphatian (Flaemish dialect), Elvish (Belcadiz and Erewan dialects), Sylaire (a.k.a. Averoignian), Kaelic (a.k.a. Klantyre), Fenswick (a.k.a. Anglais), Traladaran (Boldavian dialect), Ethengar (Krondaharan dialect), and numerous humanoid languages.
Coinage: Crown (pp), ducat (gp), sovereign (sp), penny (cp).
Taxes: Quarterly income tax of 10% as well as a hearth tax of 1 ducat per household. Also, almost every activity-including speaking in public, carrying weapons, wearing armour and spellcasting-requires a license of some sort with fees ranging up to 50 ducats a year for each activity.
Government Type: Magocracy, ruled by a wizards' council. Only mages can be nobles, and their voting power in the council is determined by their rank (prince, duke, count, etc.).
Industries: Agriculture, alchemy, magic, metallurgy, mining.
Important Figures: Jaggar von Drachenfels (Prince of Aalban), Carnelia de Belcadiz y Fedorias (Princess of Belcadiz), Juliana Vlaardoen (Princess of Bergdhoven), Morphail Gorevitch-Woszlany (Prince of Boldavia), Urmahid Krinagar (Prince of Bramyra), Carlotina Erewan (Princess of Erewan), Dolores Hillsbury (Princess of Fenswick), Angus McGregor (Prince of Klantyre), Ralindi Virayana (Prince of Krondahar), Kol (Prince of New Kolland), Isidore d'Ambreville (Princess of Nouvelle Averoigne), Malachie du Marais (Prince of Morlay-Malinbois), Harald of Haaskinz (Prince of Sablestone and Grand Master of the School of Magic).
Flora and Fauna: Because of the magical interference and summoning of countless mages, almost any plant, animal, or creature-whether native to Mystara or not-can be found within the principalities.
Further Reading: GAZ3 The Principalities of Glantri, PC4 Night Howlers, Glantri: Kingdom of Magic boxed set, previous almanacs.
Description by Hempford Brewster.
Next up in our spotlight of the principalities is a place jus' a li'l north o' Glantri City, a li'l known terr'tory called Fenswick. It ain't much ta boast about, sure, an' it's only recently placed on the map, in a matter of speakin'. But this bit o' Glantrian countryside is a special place ta me an' me folks: Fenswick's a place I call home!
The Land
Jus' north o' Glantri City an' south o' the Vesubia an' Fen Rivers is the beautiful land o' Fenswick. Gentle hills, lush forests, fertile plains an' pastures-alright, maybe it ain't that beautiful. Maybe even a bit dull ta yeh city folks. But one thin' I call tell yeh, the weather in Fenswick is perfect all year 'round!
How's that, yeh ask? Well, we reckon it's the doin' of the local mages, partic'larly one family called the Merryweathers. Yep, they're good folks, casting their weather magic ta stop storms an' rains from cloudin' the skies-altho' sometimes they themselves get carried away with their magic! Nothin' comes worse ta a magical lightnin' storm, I tell yeh!
But as luck would have it, the land around the Fen ain't that fertile. The farmers can't grow much but potatoes an' beets an' other tubers. Most folk resort ta fishin' in the river o' herdin' sheep. Cattle ain't good here. Some folk e'en resort ta lumberjackin' an' minin' for ores.
But because o' our proximity ta the capital, it's always been easy shippin' goods ta market there. Now I won't say the Fen folks are rich, but their lives are getting' more comfortable since Fenswick became recognised as a principality. An' I thinks more's ta come with the nearby Fen village o' Taterhill elevated ta the status o' duchy!
The People
The Fenswick, o' as we like ta call ourselves, the Fen, are actually a minority in Glantri. Many folk think that we're the same as the Kaelic o' Klantyre up north. We're actually closely related, but quite different. Legend has it the first Fen settlers came over ta this world through the same magical gate as the McGregors an' the other Kaelics. Our ancestors were all wizards an' sorcerers, an' in that old world, they were persecuted by some inquisition-maybe the way we Glantrians now go after clerics an' religion. The Kaelics escaped inta this world, an' some o' the Fen came along.
Those early Fen were known as the Fen Witches-maybe because they weren't as powerful in magic as the Flaemish wizards o' the McGregor necromancers-but that's how Fenswick got its name. We Fen have always been a small quiet lot o' people, ne'er really a force ta reckon with in Glantri. But over the years, I can say one thing the Fens got good at was politics. Quite a number o' Fens have risen out o' obscurity an' become nobles! The Batrils, the Spriggs, the Bluebeards, the Beaumarys-Moorkrofts, an' o' course, the most famous name ta emerge from Fenswick, the Hillsburys!
Recent History
Ol' Duke Edward Hillsbury was the first Fenswick nobleman ta rise ta the positions o' duke, an' ta rule his own people! (Previous ta him, Fenswick was ruled by lots o' powermongerin' nobles from the Flaems, or worse, the Kaelics! Nightmarish years!) His daughter, Lady Margaret, was a brilliant politician an' bureaucrat, I hear, an' the Ol' Dragon o' Fenswick ruled with an iron fist. Laws, rules, legislation, taxes, levies, tolls, licenses, permits, papers, forms, warrants-she knew ev'ry bit o' them, how ta get inta trouble with them, an' how ta get out! The only time she e'er softened up, I reckon, was when she was with that Alphatian Prince o' Blackhill, Prince Volospin Aendyr-who, o' course, was married with children!
Well, in back in '11 [AC 1011. Ed.] after the Great War, Duchess Margaret was killed by a black dragon-how these wizards get into one-on-one fights with dragons, I'll ne'er figure!-an' the Fen folk were worried that we'd be passed around again in a game o' musical dominions. But lo an' behol', Lady Dolores Hillsbury shows up, the daughter o' the Duchess Margaret an' the now dead Prince o' Blackhill! (Turns out the rumours that ol' Maggie was infertile wasn't true after all!) An' not only that, but she's bringin' with her the very dragon that slew the Ol' Dragon! The Council o' Princes confirms Lady Dolores as her mother's rightful heir an' also enfeoff Fenswick as a honest-ta-goodness principality!
O' course, nothin' much else has been excitin' since then. Princess Dolores doesn't care for ruling her principality o' sheepherders an' potato farmers much. The few times she goes ta Fenswick Keep, she doesn't even stay long enough for crumpets ta get soggy in yer tea. Then again, things are a bit easier for the Fen folk nowadays, especially without the Ol' Dragon breathing down our backs every minute anymore.
Don't Miss
There ain't much ta see in Fenswick beyond the hills an' pastures
an' fields o' bright county flowers.
There is one place o' interest, partic'larly to those inta arcane
mysteries. If yeh follow the Fen River
northward ta where the nettle grows thick an' deep, yeh can find a clearin'
with strange stone formations. This
Stonehenge is said to be magical, and a replica of the gate that the first Fen
Witches used to travel to this world.
Some say it opens to a fairy realm.
Some say it's used by druids practicing some ol' pagan religion o' earth
worship. Scariest o' all, some say it's
guarded by an evil vulture-headed humanoid-or a flock o' them, some say-whose
very touch rots an' corrupts objects.
No one can tell for sure, an' I haven't been to the Stonehenge myself.