Fiefdom of Aeristhane

The Fiefdom of Aeristhane is a nominally independent duchy leveled political entity, ruled by Duke Aeris II and his council. The population is one of the most diverse in the known lands, with local majorities of Twyst inhabitants in rural areas. The last census reported roughly sixty thousand adult males in the county, with an overall majority of Manfolk.

History
Before the formation of the fiefdom, the area was known to Man as "The Gulley," and was placed under the care of the Fiefdom of Bellewerke in 483, thus incorporating the area into the Teris Empire by technicality.

Colonial Period (483-504)
During the colonial era, many efforts of resettlement into the Fiefdom were conducted to different degrees of success. To facilitate the establishment of a new feudal administration in the area, the Duke of Bellework offered honourary knighthood and monetary reward to any burgher that was willing to lead the initial expedition, and a chance under a new feudal lord for any peasant family. Despite the Duke's offer, initially small amounts of peasants and knights-to-be were attracted to the promise of a new life. Local natives, especially the mountainous kobolds and the swamp creatures made homesteads hazardous and farming next to impossible. As such, only two major settlements had formed by the beginning of the 6th century: Eliasburg and Aerisholm, with the family Elias and family Baerieneson respectively leading each holding.

Treatise of Bowic (504-553)
The Duke, dissatisfied with the poor returns from the colony, began issuing letters of marque to any adventuring group that was willing to neutralise the Twyst presence; this prompted an influx of mercenaries and men-at-arms into the area. Although the military presence was at first welcomed by the populace, the mercenaries were ill-equipped for combating the Twyst and often caused more destruction in the towns that they were meant to protect.Tensions were escalated by the fact that the mercenaries were often indiscriminate in their orders, as they were paid by the head. This meant that the friendly Twyst settlements closest to Eliasburg and Aerisholm were often targeted. It was during this period when many human families began harbouring Twyst refugees, tightening the bond between the colonists and the native races.

The resentment boiled over in the year 504, when a particularly large band of mercenaries raided and exterminated the village of Nova Kloden, which had a mixed populace of halfings, orcs and men. When the wave of protest reached the town council of Aerisholm, they unanimously voted to imprison and try the mercenaries for murder. Bolstered by the council's decision, a mob formed and in the ensuing chaos all of the mercenaries were found and publicly lynched. As if to reaffirm the lynchings, Ser Baerieneson the Valiant, the Knight-Governor at the time issued a decree to expel all mercenaries from the colony. Furious at the proceedings, the Duke demanded that Baerieneson renounce his title and for the ringleaders of the mob be transported to Baulteaux to be drawn and quartered. Baerieneson instead insisted that the ringleaders be tried in the colony, under his jurisdiction. Ignoring the missive, the Duke of Bellewerke sent a Magistrar and his Cohort to carry out his orders.

When the Cohort arrived at Aerisholm, they were greeted by closed town gates and hostile guards. Negotiations broke down quickly and the ducal cohort set up to besiege the town. The sixty four day siege was only relieved when a band of orcish riders sallied from nearby orc settlements. Immediately following the rescue, the Treatise of Bowic was signed, whereupon all orcs within the colony were recognized as full citizens, conferring the right of law but also the burden of taxation upon orc villages. The Duke of Bellewerke, fearing reprisal from the Emperor for his incompetence, requested for imperial intervention.

The exact events that proceeded in the Teris Empire is unknown, but the Emperor ultimately chose to abstain from giving judgement, preventing the movement of the Terian army into the colony. Emboldened, Baerieneson pushed forth with several revisions to the Treatise in the subsequent years, each version recognizing more Twyst as official citizens. By 509, even the kobolds had assented and were to be counted under the population census.

Although news of Twyst citizenship unsettled some prospective immigrants, the peace between the races opened up wide swathes of the landscape for new settlers, exponentially increasing the resettlement rate. Even when the Duke of Bellewerke stopped the monetary rewards, Baerieneson drew upon the colony's coffers to continue to incentive. All of these changes reaffirmed the separation of power between the Fiefdom of Bellewerke and the colony.

Aeristhanian War of Independence (554-556)
By 550, the official census of the colony put forth ninety thousand inhabitants, Men and Twyst. Aerisholm and the Baerieneson family had solidified their dominance in the colony, mainly due to Aerisholm's central location. Relations between the Duke of Bellewerke and Dame Esbella Baerieneson was very strained, and the political status of the colony in frequent question. The problem was only exacerbated in 554 when Baerieneson installed guards on the border between the colony and the Fiefdom of Bellewerke, sparking a series of inconclusive but bloody skirmishes.

The independence was declared in the winter months of 554, when political turmoil in the empire reared its head against Bellewerke: a coalition of dukes petitioned the Emperor to imprison the duke of Bellewerke. In the ensuing confusion, a new banner was raised over the castle in Aerisholm, with all of the knights swearing fealty to the Duchess. To reaffirm the split between the Empire and the colony, Duchess formed a cadet branch from the Baerieneson famly, taking the name of the capital city as the new family name.

The War of Independence consisted of scores of ambushes and skirmishes fought by Aeristhanian Rangers, mixed regiments of light skirmishers that continually harassed the Imperial army. The only conventional engagement, the Battle of the Peat Plains, where two brigades of Imperial men-at-arms managed to force several clans of Twyst skirmishers into engaging on flat ground. Although the death of Duke of Misayl in the melee, leader of the Terian invasion, would disorganize Terian logistical efforts later on in the war, the battle was a clear tactical victory for the Teris Empire, with the complete destruction of two halfling and three orc battalions. After the defeat, Duchess Aeris proclaimed a state of total war, rallying all citizens of the Fiefdom to take arms and repel the defenders. This signaled a turn from skirmishing battles to a true guerrilla war; whole villages were razed by the Terian army in retaliation, but this only served to increase resentment against the invaders, pushing many of the erstwhile loyalist nobles into the independence faction. By 556, losses on the Imperial side was beginning to show and morale had reached an all-time low. Eager to end the conflict and to focus his ambitions elsewhere, the Emperor signed the Treaty of Eastmarch. This peace treaty not only recognised the political independence of Aeristhane, but reorganised the Fiefdom of Bellewerke into the March. In exchange, Aeristhane would become a tributary to the Empire and give free passage to all Imperial agents.

Consolidation to Present Day (556-618)
Duchess Esbella passed away soon after the independence, leaving the newly formed duchy in the hands of a regency council for her heir, Duke Ricard I. The continued bickering and assertions of the council ensured that little was done in response to the growing mercantile presence in the western towns, and by 580 the Kingdom of Lunthorn had secured a monopoly on trading posts in new villages.

The only other worthy event of note is the construction of a new palace in Aerisholm, started by Ricard I and continued by Ricard II. Projected to have enough rooms to staff both the bureaucrats and nobility, it was originally designed as a sign of wealth and turned into an utilitarian building by the successor. Construction is slated to finish by the latter end of 618.

Geography and Climate
Aeristhane is situated in the valley between the Peddler's Summit and the Everpeak Mountains. Much of the melt-flow from the Everpeak Mountains carries down thaumatic infused water, giving rise to a large number of species of altered creatures and elementals. The magical nature is most concentrated in the Peat Plains, and only through the dedicated efforts of the inhabitants have areas been cleared up enough to allow for farming. Almost all runoff is collected in the Serpent's Tongue, the longest and widest river in Aeristhane, which runs westward and empties into the Bosphora Sea.

Weather in Aeristhane is quite variable: the temperature can swing wildly due to weather systems carried from either mountain range, and it is not uncommon to see magical storms in summer, from opposing storm systems clashing with each other over the valley. On the whole, winters can reach as low as negative twenty degrees, and summers as warm as thirty five. Precipitation is common and hard to predict, due to the extremely fast moving nature of magically infused storm fronts.

Politics
The Fiefdom of Aeristhane is ruled by Duke Ricard II, who is in his fifteenth year of rule as of 618. There exist a council of eight, composed of various nobility and burghers. The council's role is to pass new laws, and possess the power to veto the Duke's decision if they obtain an unanimous vote, making the governmental system closer to a parliamentary dukedom. The council seats are for life, and appointments are made by the duke himself. Duke Ricard II has two sons, Leo and Kris, with Leo the heir of the throne.

Actual power is delegated to a large extent; despite the continued efforts at centralization by the duke and the council, many settlements remain secluded or even unmapped, with no roads connecting them to the rest of the world. This means that village elders and local councils continue to hold a large influence on everyday life, with only Aerisholm and Eliasburg under the firm grip of Aeristhanian law.

Aeristhane has had a mixed history with the Empire, and it shows with their relationships: while Terian officials are technically given free reign in Aeristhane and have made several permanent military encampments adjacent to Aerisholm and Eliasburg, in actuality they are often restricted to movement along the main roads. The tribute from Aeristhane to the Empire has remained unpaid for nearly a decade now, with no word on either side.

The Kingdom of Lunthorn also has strategic interests within the Fiefdom of Aeristhane; due to the Fiefdom's proximity to the Everpeak mountains, the magical nature of the environment produces an abundance of ore in mines and hardy forests that make for lucrative trade. So far, Lunthornian trade charters have secured a monopoly to establish trading posts in all new settlements, much to the discontent of the local villagers.

Economy
Aeristhane is a major producer of iron and other working metals; the mines in Lynno, Dejovo and Tiwaldholm are renowned for their productivity throughout the known world. Most of the farming is conducted in the "triangle" of Aeristhane, or the communes between and around the towns of Baywick, Hagrove and Blefield. Recently, more land between Lynno and Eliasburg have been recovered and made available from efforts made by local Eliasburgian alteration casters, which have allowed for Bowic to develop more of an agrarian focus.

New Tessedale and Vladivi are the lumber centres of Aeristhane, and both towns maintain a healthy reforestation program which have gained the favour of the local creatures and spirits, avoiding the usually bloody conflicts that result from lumberjacks and earth elementals that are common in the Teris Empire. Recently however, the Lunthornian trade charter have been making inroads to take control of the lumber industry within the Fiefdom.

Demographics
The Fiefdom of Aeristhane remains a diverse community, despite its bloody and turbulent history. The 618 census reported upwards of two hundred thousand individuals, adult and child. Sixty percent of the population is made of Men of various origins, with orcs as the next largest species with fifteen percent. Notable communities of halflings and dwarves are also present. Kobolds, while technically classified as citizens, rarely interact with the public and have formed enclaves within the cave systems in the Everpeak Mountains.

Racial tensions are still present within Aeristhane, with some Twyst still harbouring resentment toward the ruling class for their complicity in the ethnic cleansing. However, this resentment is more inter-class than endemic, with crossbreeds common in the peasantry. In particular, many farming villages close to the coast are veritable mixing pots, with families celebrating odd combinations of Men and Twyst holidays and rituals.