Kronenberg

The Grand Duchy of Kronenberg was once a vassal to the principal kingdom of the Orengaard Empire. Since the empire was shattered, it has pulled itself up from the ruins and become an independent nation, ruled by Archduke Klein Gervild XIV, a direct descendant of the first Duke of Kronenberg, and holds a somewhat uneasy peace with the neighboring lands. Kronenberg is situated between the western shores of the Heartsea and the southern end of the mountain range known as the Crown Peaks.

History

Kronenberg's beginnings lie in the Kingdom of Orengaard, where it originated as one of its outlying duchies. Being one of the original lands in the kingdom that would eventually grow into a continent-spanning empire, Kronenberg has a long and proud history, upheld by its historians as the ideal of an Orengaard territory(although detractors would instead call it unremarkable and lacking in notable qualities). Kronenberg was well-situated and prospered in the days of the empire, and though other Kingdoms would rise to greatness in the Empire, Kronenberg's position as a member of the first kingdom put the ruling Gervild family almost on equal footing with that of kings.

When the Mad Times came, they struck hardest at the western coast, where the kingdom's heartland lay, and so the kingdom of Orengaard was ravaged by chaos. Kronenberg, as one of the furthest east of the kingdom's holdings, was one of the few fiefdoms that avoided the most devastating effects of Age of Shattered Skies, which left most of its western neighbors part of a twisted wasteland. Much was still lost in the years to come, but Kronenberg endured, and when the Mad Times finally came to an end, they had weathered the storm well compared to most other lands, and were able to rebuild and prepare themselves for the new world ahead of them.

It was decided that they would not abandon their loyalties to the Empire, and seek to maintain the honor of Orengaard in the face of this dark age. Rather than claiming kingship, the Kronenberg only took the appelation of Grand Duchy, to distinguish Kronenberg from the meager fiefdoms of those who offered fealty to the rulers of the petty kingdoms which were emerging in the wake of the empire's fall. Neither did they attempt to expand their holdings, although that was as much because after the Mad Times, they simply didn't have the strength of arms to defend any new claims.

More recent history has seen the rise of a growing threat to the southwest over the past century. The goblin nation of Kuurok rose up and began to extend it's reach towards the Heartsea. Their expansion would have continued unchecked if not for Kronenberg seeing the threat they posed. When the Khaaniv-worshipping crusaders marched, they found that Kronenberg's armies had made the trek south to meet them. A short but brutal war commenced, and although the hobgoblins had a truly fearsome military at their command, Kronenberg was able to ally itself with neighboring lands that the hobgoblins also threatened, and with the help of the elves of Yanalaith, the dwarves of Farval, and the arcanists of Thaumus, they were able to stem the goblin tide.

Afterward, Kronenberg hoped to push back and tear down the heathen nation that had claimed the lands of its ancestral liege, but their allies would not commit to such a costly campaign, and the rise of Nineshires to the north necessitated a reallocation of its forces, and so the region fell into an uneasy cease-fire. The lands between Kuurok and Kronenberg remain a wilderness dotted with independent city-states, many of which remain unhappy about the liberties Kronenberg took with their resources during the war with Kuurok. Kronenberg's borders remain strong, but the emphasis on the frontier has left many of their inner holdings undermanned, and the ever-present concerns and dangers of these unstable times are beginning to take advantage of Kronenberg's weakening center.

Government

Kronenberg maintains a semblance of the feudal system that Orengaard once had, with a heirarchy of nobles leading all the way up to the Duke of Kronenberg. Directly below the duke are the counts, each controlling one of the parcels of land the duchy is divided into, with the Duke ruling his own directly. Below each of them are the barons, averaging half a dozen or so beholden to each count to administer their baronies. And below them were the manorial lords, knights and dames and landed gentry. There are also the individual cities and towns, which while often holding the seat of power for a baron or a count, are typically governed in their stead either by a lord mayor or burgomaster, or a council made up of prominent citizens representing various local interests. Duke Gervild is the resident noble of the capital city of Kronestein, and he is advised by representatives who speak for the counts and other important members of the aristocracy. Ideally, the Duke listens to the suggestions of his court, then makes decisions based on their advice, although, being a stern and headstrong man, it is difficult to sway him from a course of action he already intends to carry out.

Society

The people of Kronenberg are proud of their heritage as one of the surviving provinces of the old empire, and it shows. Even the fact that they still call Kronenberg a duchy when it could easily be considered a kingdom in this day and age is proof of their dedication to tradition. It can cause some friction with those of other, younger nations, though, as most Kronenberg nobles see the younger 'petty' kingdoms as less than legitimate, with their rulers claiming titles beyond their true station.

Politics aside, Kronenbergers are for the most part hardworking and honest people. They're not overly suspicious of travelers, foreigners, or other races(although extremely unusual examples will still raise a few eyebrows), and are more concerned with whether someone can earn their keep and pay their dues.

Religion

Kronenberg has no official state religion, but some gods are more widely revered than others. As a primarily human nation, the Ternion is the most commonly worshipped pantheon, with Periarch the most prominent in the cities and towns, Lucenine in the countryside, and Saya Nelene throughout. The worship of Khaaniv was surprisingly widespread among soldiers in the past, for his focus on discipline and skill in war, but his followers have sharply declined since the war with Kuurok, being replaced by Corithion and Valgrimr in roughly equal measures. The other good and unaligned gods hold various niches in Kronenberg's society, such as temples to the Pale Shepherd presiding over the funerals of most who were not devoted to a single god over all others, or Moradin's hammer-and-anvil symbol often being portrayed on the signs of craftsmen. Those who worship evil gods other than the remaining faithful to Khaaniv are rarely public about their faiths, though is always bitter talk from the commoners that some of the nobles must pay homage to Asmodeus and Tiamat, which is mostly just the usual grumbling over the law and taxes. Mostly.

Military

Every city and town has its own force of guards, and nobles can enlist a cadre of loyal knights and conscript serfs into the militia as is typical of most feudal kingdoms, but the nation itself fields a strong standing army of career soldiers, greater in number than any two of the lower nobles' peasant levies and better trained besides. These soldiers are used to bolster the forces of a lower noble's domain, ensure the stability of the realm, and guard the nation's borders against invaders.

Foreign Relations

Dharafi

The southern emirates are a distant and exotic land to most people in Kronenberg. Contact between the two lands is sparing outside of the regular merchant ships taking furs and lumber south and bringing silk and spices back north. Delegations to and from Dharafi find gracious welcome, but even though they were both originally parts of the Orengaard Empire, the vastly different cultures keep them mostly at arm's length, especially when it comes to religious practices.

Farval

Though the Vaultmasters of Farval have remained staunchy neutral since the war against Kuurok ended, Kronenberg still maintains strong ties to the dwarven nation, strengthened the flow of commerce between them as human and dwarven merchants travel to eachother's cities to trade metal and stone for wood and leather, and the finished goods they are crafted from. At least one of the Vaultmasters has sent an expeditionary mission into Kronenberg searching for lore pertaining to the lost Thunderdeep Halls, a dwarven stronghold which once was the center of a vital trading route between men and dwarves.

Kuurok

The hobgoblin military state of Kuurok is always high on Duke Gervild's list of concerns, as rumors are circulating that the Khaaniv-worshipping goblinoids are growing restless and unsatisfied with their current holdings, and may expand into one of their neighbors should any of them show weakness. Due to this, the Duke has been strengthening the forces on the southern border, and the increased focus on the hinterlands has made the interior of the country a bit more prone to banditry and marauding monsters.

The Robber Baronies

Kronenberg and its people are somewhat dismissive of the Robber Baronies when it comes to recognizing the legitimacy of their kingdoms. To them, seeing the lords of the Baronies call themselves kings when the biggest of their holdings are not much larger than a Kronenberg county is outrageously presumptuous. Also, the fact that the petty kingdoms of the Robber Baronies have no ties to the Last Empire(or worse, falsely claim them) rankles the lords of Kronenberg with their distinguished heritages. Thus, the typical relationship between Kronenberg and the Robber Baronies is neutral but tense, with Thelmarl on the positive end of things with their stability and the enduring lineage of its ruling family, while tensions with Nineshires are reaching the breaking point due to their mutually bordering the Freemarch and accusations of supporting its population of brigands being leveled at both sides.

Thaumus

Thaumus is the most distant of Kronenberg's neighbors geographically, but the closest to them ideologically. Both enduring remnants of the Last Empire, the human arcanists of Thaumus share strong cultural ties with Kronenberg, and many children of Kronenberg nobles travel to Thaumus for higher learning and magical tutelage. If there are any sore spots between the two nations, it is that Thaumus is typically looking ahead towards the future in the absence of the Last Empire, while many in Kronenberg still look to the past with hopes of restoring it in some way.

The Vardnir Nation

Kronenberg has had some trouble with viking raiders from time to time, but the Robber Baronies provide much more tempting targets to the Vardnir than the united and well-defended nation south of them. Still, for some Vardnir, that's entirely the point, and they come to prove themselves against Kronenberg's reputation as a strong, proud remnant of the Orengaard Empire.

Yanalaith

The last real cooperative experience that Kronenberg had with the elven bands of Yanalaith was a little over a hundred years ago, when they joined forces against the encroaching hobgoblins of Kuurok. Before and after that, relations have been strained, with the Kronenberg finding the elves insular and slow to act, and while they find Kronenberg's people belligerent and reckless. The growing tensions in Sylthrop also don't help, with the elven nation siding with their defiant kin.


Cities & Towns

Kronestein - The capital of Kronenberg, and the seat of Duke Gervild's rule.

Borderhold - A fortress-city built on Kronenberg's border with the Freemarch.

Brindock - A major coastal trade city of Kronenberg.

Goldbrook - A former mining town with a kobold problem.

Light's Landing - A coastal town known for its church, dedicated to Lucenine, which also sports the largest lighthouse on Kronenberg's shoreline.

Highmeadow - An typical Kronenberg town that is currently dealing with a number of problems, including a sudden loss of contact with one of its vassals, Whitewood Village.

Sylthrop - A booming logging town with growing tensions between it and an elven commune inhabiting the forest.

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