Palatinsk, Barony of
by Michael BerryArea:
392 square miles
Population:
AC 1000 - 1120
AC 1014 - 1008
Villages: (population values are given for AC 1000 and AC 1014)
Zhitomir (224/200): is the main village of the Barony located 2 miles southeast of the Baron’s tower and is the administrative and economic center of the Barony
Narva (128/110): is located in the southwestern hills of the Barony, is an important way station and Caravan outfitter for travelers heading east through the Czaikow Hills
Tarnopol (150/125): is located in the northern hills and is a mining village which supports the lead mine several miles north of the village.
Balta (72/63): is a farming village in a deforested area of the northwestern part of the Barony.
Feodorsita (80/69) and Maruipol (77/71): are small farming villages in the southern part of the Barony.
Ethnic groups:
Boldavian 55%, Flaem 20%, OuterWorlder 15%, Ethengarian 5%, Heldann 3%, Others 2%.
Languages:
Boldavian, Flaem, Thyatian Common
Ruler:
Baron Youri Ivanov (Vampire born 963, M10 3rd Circle Necromancer, AL-Chaotic)
House:
Igorov
Military:
The Palatinsk Guard is a special handpicked unit completely loyal to the Baron who protect his tower. They consist of 20 F1, horsemen (swords, bows, leather). All aspects of Baronial administration are handled in the village so the tower is the personal residence of the Baron and as such no visitors are allowed. Unannounced visitors have their names taken, along with the reason for their visit and but are turned away. Patrols from Fort Tchernovodsk make regular stops in the Barony on their back to and from patrols in the Czaikow Hills.
Food:
Subsistence
Trails:
The Czaikow Road, rated a fair trail by Glantrian AAA, runs east to west through the southern part of the Barony. The road passes through the village of Mircea which sees a fair amount of military traffic. An increase of trade with the Heldannic Territories over the last couple of years has done a great deal to bring increased caravan traffic and gold into the Barony and Mircea. Poor trails lead north out of Mircea to the large village of Palatinsk and south to Fort Tchernovodsk. The village of Palatinsk is connected to smaller settlements in the Barony by a series of trails of bad quality.
Economics:
Palatinsk is home of the horse breeders of the famous Tersk. The Tersks are known for their endurance, demonstrated when several horses were entered in the 192 mile ride, at the Kerendan Day of the Hoof in 1002, and every Tersk finished in good time and shape. They are also very fast and frequently raced against Ylari Stallions. Over the last few years the Tersk, which has always been in demand within Glantri, usually priced well beyond anyone but nobles, high ranking military officers, or rich merchants, has become more in demand in foreign markets leading to a thriving export trade to all points of the known world. Needless to say, Horse Thievery is a Felony (in reality a capital offense in Palatinsk). A good sized lead mine in the northern hills, discovered back in the 980's, has provided the dominion a nice and steady mineral resource, as well as employment for the population. An abundant supply of game and vegetable in the forests and clearings gives the Barony enough food to be considered self-sufficient and even export to more remote communities in the nearby Free Provinces
Palatinsk Monthly Financial Ledger (figures from AC 1000)
Main resources: 1 animal, 1 mineral
6 hexes: forested hills; borderland; pop. 840; tax 42 dc
1 hex: mountain; borderland; pop. 56; tax 2.8 dc
Palatinsk: village; pop. 224; tax 22.4 dc
Total population: 224 rural, 896 borderland
Tax Income: 67.2 dc
Resource Income: 336 dc
Standard Income: 537.6 dc
Council Tax: 188.2 dc
Net Cash: 215 dc
Overhead (35%): 75 dc
Available Cash: 140 dc
With 4839 XP/year, in 10 years the Baron could gain 48,390 XP.
Alternate: 807 XP/year.
History:
Barons of Palatinsk
Moise Kviepoly 829-832
Vlad Kviepoly 832-845
Mircea Kviepoly 845-857
Petru Kviepoly 857-877
Mihneu Kviepoly 877-892
Alexandru Kviepoly 892-901
Radu Kviepoly 901-923
Gavril Kviepoly 923-929
Alberts Kviepoly 929-931
Matei Serban 931-959
Grigori Leon 959-973
Vlasniy Ivanov 973-997
Youri Ivanov 997-
Palatinsk is another of the original dominions created at the birth of the Glantrian Republic. The Barony was awarded to Moise Kviepoly, a brilliant commander under Morphail during the 40 Years War. The Kviepolys, though they had been traditionally a family of fighters, managed to retain the Barony after the Light of Rad decision and continued to rule the Barony for over a hundred years. In 931 the Kviepoly family left the Barony they founded when they won the open Viscounty of Blofeld. Even today the name Kviepoly is fondly remembered in the Barony. The Kviepoly influence on Palatinsk is still strongly felt today and in fact is the source of pride for Barony. The Kviepoly family was a champion breeder of the famous Palatinsk Tersk breed of horse. Over the 100 plus years of Kviepoly rule the breed became synonymous with Palatinsk and other breeders took to breeding these outstanding horses. Continuing the Palatinsk horse breeding tradition even after the Kviepoly family moved on to another dominion. Unfortunately the Kviepoly family dynasty came to a sad ending, not long after they shifted allegiance from Morphail to the House of Singhabad, when the whole family was discovered butchered in their tower. No arrests were ever made.
After the Kviepoly family moved on, the Baronal title passed between several families over the years before finally regaining some stability with the current Ivanov family who have ruled the Barony since 973. The years have been prosperous ones for the Barony. The crime rate in Palatinsk is one of the lowest in all of Glantri. In fact is often said that Palatinsk may have the lowest crime rate in the entire known world. It is true that the people are much happier and much more prosperous than the average Boldavian. The current Baron by all accounts is a thoughtful and popular ruler, a hero to lower class with his reputation of being a successful (long-lived) Vampire Hunter. He is also a sympathetic figure within the Barony after word of his parent’s vampiric nature got out and how he had to destroy them. All those could explain a low crime rate but it really doesn't explain that low a crime rate. That is a mystery that no one has been able to explain to this point.
The recent war with Alphatia brought some changes to the Barony. Increased contacts with the Heldannic Territories to the east led to much more traffic going through the Barony, especially a marked increase in trade and caravan traffic. Unfortunately all that traffic brought a nasty side effect and the plague that hit Glantri, hit Palatinsk very hard. Documents published by the Glantrian Census Bureau estimate Palatinsk lost almost 40% of its population during the war. Most of those due to the plague, and others were lost to monsters the Alphatians conjured and set loose. As such the Baron has put out a small incentive (10 dc per family) for people to settle in Palatinsk. So far the move is paying dividends and the population is almost back to AC 1000 population levels.
Notable sites:
The Double R Bar Horse Farm The Double R is located in the southwestern part of the barony is a large forest and meadow property owned by the noted Priperov family of horse breeders and traders. The finest of Tersk horses are raised and trained here. Guided tours of the facility are given on the second and forth Lunadains of every month. Admission fee is 3 sv for adults, 1 sv for children 6 and up. Admission is free for those under the age of 6.
Two Legs and an Ass This pub in the heart of Zhitomir is renowned throughout northeastern Glantri and is a popular destination for visitors to the Barony. The pub serves 17 types of ales and beers from all over the known world, 35 vintages of wines from Glantri and Thyatis, and some of the most exotic liquors you could imagine. The pub is a working monument to the 40 Years War with artists renditions of the major battles of the war, replica unit flags, and recreations of maps showing the deployments and strategic situations at various stages of the war. The food at 2LnA as the locals call it is the real treasure here. Here you can have what the locals call a hamburger, which is said to be ground beef formed into patties and then cooked just long enough for the outside to turn brown and then served between two pieces of bread. It is said that there is nothing better after a hard day at work than a Hamburger, some thinly sliced potatoes fried up, with a mug of Vestland Dark Ale
Coat of Arms:
Useful links:
GPD – Youri Ivanov by Andrew Theisen
Glantrian Nobility during the years by Harri Mäki
The Economy of Palatisk by Aleksei Andrievski
Glantrian Heraldry by Chimpman
Wiki entry on Tersk horses
