The Colossus Mounts, Free Province of
by Michael BerryAC 1000
AC 1014
Area:
AC 1000 – 4,088 sq. miles
AC 1014 – 3,136 sq. miles
Population:
AC 1000 - 11,480
AC 1014 - 6,249
Ethnic Groups:
Ethengarian 60%, Belcadiz-Elf 20%, Belcadiz-Human 10%, Fen 9%, Other 1%
Selected Villages:
AC 1000
Bramya: (1,500) is the administrative seat of the province and the largest settlement in the eastern foothills of Glantri.
Aguilar: (500) is a large village located in the foothills of the Colossus roughly 16 miles northeast of Satolas.
Bolton: (125) is approximately eight miles to the southwest of Skullhorn Pass camp on the Fen River, this village exists to serve the Skullhorn Pass Camp.
Hornos (350) This village located approximately 24 east of Satolas is main settlement in the area closest to the Broken Lands.
AC 1014
Aguilar: (550) is a large village located in the foothills of the Colossus roughly 16 miles northeast of Satolas. With the village of Bramya becoming a part of the Principality of Bramya Aguilar is now the administrative seat of the province.
Bolton (100) Lying eight miles to the southwest of Skullhorn Pass camp on the Fen River, this village exists to serve the Skullhorn Pass Camp. Daily caravans leave the village every morning to bring the garrison fresh supplies from the heart of Glantri. The town has an overabundance of taverns and gaming houses for the leisure of the garrison.
Hornos: (100) is a village located approximately 24 east of Satolas is main settlement in the area closest to the Broken Lands. It is currently being rebuilt and after being overrun and sacked by Goblins during the Great War. The new village is to be a walled village and has been training a militia of 60 townsfolk that can be assembled and on the walls within 10 minutes of hearing the village’s main bell being rung. The wall around the village is expected to be completed late in 1014. The town is an agricultural base for the southern hills of the Free Province and surplus is usually sent to market in Satolas.
Government:
Propraetor appointed by the Council of Princes, for seven year renewable terms. Seat at Bramya (AC1000-1003). Seat at Aguilar after AC 1003.
Administrator:
AC 1000 Propraetor Hosbayar Borjigin (born 932, NM,AL-L) Appointed AC 980. Retired AC 1011
AC 1014 Propraetor Joséphine Fortescue (born 975, F3, AL-L) Appointed in AC 1011.
House:
Not aligned to any house. Close ties culturally to Alhambra.
Territory:
The Free Province of the Colossus Mounts (CMFP) covers the southern half of the Colossus Mounts and their foothills. The northern border is formed in a line roughly between the Viscountcy of Blofeld to the southeastern corner of the Principality of Klantyre. The Free Province is bordered; on the west by neighboring dominions and the western foothills of the Colossus, bordered on the south by the Principality of Belcadiz and on the south and east by Ethengar and the Broken Lands.
Food:
Surplus; sold to neighboring, agricultural challenged, dominions of Satolas and Glenargyll.
Trails:
The main artery through the area is the Alexander Glantri Memorial Highway. The highway is rated as a fair trail by Glantrian AAA. The trail runs south out of Bramyra through the heart of the southern Colossus Foothills before turning southwest and reaching Fort Monteleone in the Nyra Free Province where it joins an extensive network of trails. In the Colossus Mounts the Skullhorn Pass trail comes from Fenswick up the Fen River before entering Skullhorn Pass. The trail passes under Skullhorn Pass Camp and its defenses and enters the Principality of Bramyra at the Fortress of Skullhorn Pass. Though the military through Prince Jaggar have been clamoring for years for the trail to be improved and paved to help speed troop movements through the pass, the Council has rejected any such notion to this point.
Economics:
The mountains region of the CMFP provides some of the finest fur and animal skins in all of Glantri. Most of those who live in this region are trappers, independent prospectors, solitary wizards who value their privacy, or those who work in supporting the Skullhorn Pass Camp garrison. The southeastern hills suffered badly during the Great War as the first thrust of Thar's armies drew off Glantrian army units leaving this area ripe for raiding by Goblins from High Gobliny. With few forces available to oppose them in this area the Goblins ran roughshod over this corner of Glantri. Now the humanoid threat has been all but eliminated with the depopulation of the humanoid population in the eastern Broken Lands over last years of the war and years immediately after. The Shadow Elves that have taken over the eastern Broken Lands do worry the people of the area but to this point there have been no signs of any hostile intent. All and all the people are upbeat and relieve to be free of the humanoid threat, but still there is always the worry that being close to the border with Ethengar brings but this area has known very few raids over the centuries from that direction. The hills provide a bounty of olives, fruits, and livestock. The rebuilding of communities after the war still continues which has brought a infusion of hard currency to the area and work for those who lost homes and farms during the war. The area will need some years to recover quickly but appears to be well on its way under the leadership of the current Propraetor who managed to secure the funding from the council and has managed the rebuilding of the southern hills and the lives of those who live there.
Notable People:
Propraetor Joséphine Fortescue is a hurricane packed into a 5' tall body. She was raised to the position of Propraetor of the Colossus Mounts Free Province, her first posting as a Propraetor, after showing remarkable tenacity and great ability during the Great War as the assistant to the Director of GEMA (the Glantrian Emergency Management Association). When the position of Propraetor for the Colossus Mounts Free Province came open in 1011, Fortescue was suggested by Princess Carnelia who had seen her work tirelessly to help the displaced and burned out families of the Vesubian Valley who lost everything when tens of thousands of humanoids under Thar rolled right through their homes on the way to Glantri City. A stunning personal interview with the full Council put to rest fears that some on the Council had about promoting someone so young and from outside the traditional Glantrian Bureaucracy for this position and she was selected to be the Propraetor of the province. Since taking control of the region she has worked tireless to put those displaced to work and to make sure the subsidies the Council was giving the province reached the people that needed it. A true rising star in the world of the monstrous and vast Glantrian Bureaucracy she is intelligent enough to know that her rapid rise has made enemies of some, but right now her energies are directed where they are needed most, the people and resources of the Free Province.
Notable Sites: (Editor’s note: locations within the old CMFP will be covered in the upcoming Principality of Bramya entry)
The village of Aguilar is Located in the foothills of the Colossus roughly 16 miles northeast of Satolas. Aguilar is a walled village, sitting on a large hill commanding the surrounding countryside. Aguilar today is the administrative centre of the Free Province and sits upon the Alexander Glantri Highway that connects Bramyra and Fort Monteleone in southeast Glantri. Aguilar is well known for its ceramics, locally produced wine and olive oil, and is an ancient settlement being over 1000 years old and predating even the arrival of the Flaems. The village was built with half an eye to functionality (defense) and half an eye to beauty. The town has several noteworthy attractions for visitors...
The Central Square: The distinctive center of town. The 8 sided plaza hosts farmers markets every morning which draw all the village and people from the surrounding area to shop and socialize. The center of life in Aguilar.
The Clock Tower: The striking clock tower is a well-known and recognized symbol of the town which reflects traditional Belcadiz style and architecture and was completed in AC 71.
Mansion Houses: There are some magnificent and gracious mansions in the town, some of the most impressive are situated in Calle Morelejo and Calle Carrera. These are guarded behind large wooden doors decorated with elaborate wrought-iron carvings.
Soterraño Church: Located just outside the village walls is the fascinating Soterraño Church to Valerias. The original building dates from BC 50. It was designed by Hernan Ruiz the famous Belcadiz architect and is one of his best preserved works still standing. It has not been in service since the Light of Rad but there is a movement to reopen the Church as a place of worship. The town is violently divided as to whether it should be or not. The Propraetor has not ruled on that issue yet.
Castle: Located in a strategic high point of the village is Peñon de Moro; formerly a site of a first century castle. These days all that can be seen are parts of the walls which are the haunts of the famed Cats of Aguilar. Stray cats that over the years that are fed and treated as residents of the town.
Skullhorn Pass Camp is the defensive encampment located in the centre of the Skullhorn Pass. Further details can be found in the next issue of the publication 'The Grand Army of Glantri.... revised and updated' (Printed by the Piazza Press; Glantri City, Glantri)
Useful Links:
none...as of now.