Routot Confederacy

Routot is a conglomerate of smaller kingdoms, each with its own ruler and operating independently from the rest. They are bound by alliance and confederation, working together for security and prosperity. The kingdoms share culture, language, religion, and together are the largest human realm on the continent. A rich history of conflict and growth has defined them, intertwining them with their neighbours and leaving lasting legacies in their modern politics. The Routot are generally a warlike and ambitious people, and travel widely around the world to various ends.

History

The Routot confederacy was borne out of a need for mutual security. The ancient kingdoms that would become the current bloc were broken and independent, and faced tremendous pressure from larger empires. The Noreya pressured from the north, and after their fall the Arrans pushed in from the west. All of this worked to push the Routot inwards towards each other. Conflict became the norm, forcing the petty kingdoms to become stronger to survive. Ultimately, some realized they were stronger in alliance than as enemies and bound themselves together. These few gathered more and more to their banners, creating the realm as it stands today.

Society

Nobility

The ruling class within the Routot is tits nobility, broken up into several layers. Kings sit at the top of the order, governing each realm largely autonomously. Beneath them are their own vassals; various dukes, counts and barons who owe them allegiance in exchange for land they themselves can govern and rule. Each noble, whether king or other landholder, has in his court various lower nobles as knights. These knights are the lowest rung of nobility in Routot, often holding no land at all. Instead, they pledge their service to a landholder in order to gain recognition and eventually a grant of land.

Conflicts

Archduke

All of the Kings within the confederacy are equal, except for one. This ruler, known as the Archduke, sits above all. Practically, this means very little to most, as his authority only runs as far as the Kings allow, though it does provide a common law and leadership for the majority of the rulers to follow. The Archduke is an elected position, being raised from among eligible Kings in a large gathering upon the previous Archduke's death. The politics of the election process are incredibly intricate, with numerous factors playing into who gets chosen and how. The Kings generally break down into factions, typically around regions or through historical ties, and lobby along those lines for one of their own to hold the title. These factions then plot and scheme together and against one another until eventually a majority is found. Occasionally this process leads to a stalemate, in which case war is declared and fought until the victor is declared Archduke. The entire realm has been engulfed several times in bloodshed, though these occasions are relatively rare. Typically, the process faces a series of intrigues among the political gathering, as factions vie for ascension and victory. Recently, most Archdukes have hailed from the central Kings, with the lords of Houlm having held the title for the past century. Other factions are eager to claim it for their own, however, and have been preparing to claim the seat should the current Archduke fail.

Ambitions

Aside from the scramble for the title of Archduke, the politics of Routot continue to be confrontational at lower levels as well. Kings fight amongst each other to extend their domains, while their vassals vie for ever greater power within the kingdoms themselves. These wars are fought both on the battlefield and in back rooms across the realm, with rivals using any means available to dispatch of their foes. While these conflicts are common among lesser nobility, kings fight more rarely than their vassals. This is mostly due to the complicated nature of their relationships, and also due to the pressure from around the realm to keep some semblance of peace between them. Conflict most commonly flares up around established rivalries, dynasties having developed claims against one another over generations. Aside from this, coveting major centres of trade and economy can push some to war, especially if they sense their target is weak or preoccupied. Caulois is a typical prize these kings desire, having to safeguard itself continually against outside assault. Many of the more powerful lords within the realm must make sure to keep themselves secure at all times, warding off those of their underlings who would try and usurp their position.

Daily Life

Most Routot are similar, and yet also very different. As the population is so large, it encompasses a huge range of people and personalities. Most of them share a similar culture, and religion is nearly ubiquitous across the country. The Routot have largely embraced urban living, clustering together in great population centres across the country. These cities have become a nexus for education and trade, allowing the transfer of information and goods throughout the realm. All of this makes for a very prosperous population, and helps to grow their influence abroad.

Routot society is marked by its relative egalitarian nature. Aside from the barrier between noble and lowborn, there are few social walls to limit personal growth. Even the basest beggar could see himself rise to become a successful burgher given the proper circumstances. This is unusual, especially compared to Arran, where a strict system of classes often limits what one can accomplish. Even the nobility is not off limits, with particularly capable warriors being raised to knighthood at a reasonably common rate. Gender plays somewhat of a role, though even this is considered unimportant if the individual is competent at whatever their chosen discipline.

Notable Factions

College of Caulois

The College of the Arcane in Caulois, known most commonly as simply ‘The College’, is the largest institution dedicated to magic in the human world. Its campus is located within the city itself, controlling a reasonably large stretch of land bequeathed to it centuries before. Here, its students work to advance their knowledge of magic, performing experiments and studying to preserve and teach existing knowledge. Its patron, KIng Jehan, is the ruler of Caulois. He pours a tremendous amount of funds into the college, and in doing so has bought the loyalty of many of its professors. The College offers education to any who have a natural affinity for magic, though even those without such an affinity can find a seat in the college for an exorbitant fee. Aside from magic, the College hosts an expansive library and excellent courses on other topics as well. Its current dean is Berthelemy Auolee, an immensely capable magician from the Routot Marches.

Regional Groups

Circle of Sorcerers

The Circle of Sorcerers, or just the Circle, is a clandestine band of magicians operating within Routot. They function as advisors to Kings across the realm, each serving their ruler in battle or politics as necessary. They are highly educated and valuable courtiers, providing an unusual service to those lucky enough to own their loyalty. Aside from all of this, however, the Circle has an ulterior motive. They are controlled instead by a secretive cabal, who dictate to their members how to best guide and influence affairs for their own benefit. It is said to be centred around the College, with elements within it using the campus as a recruiting ground for their own ends. Whatever these ends are is unknown, as its leaders simply tug at distant and nearly invisible strings. The secretive society is only rumoured to exist, with little evidence supporting such a broad conspiracy could function so effectively. If it does exist, it could not possibly include more than just a handful of magicians.

Notable Places

Borleux

The crown of the border March, Borleux is a veritable fortress. The city has resisted sieges throughout its history, and has been built up even more after every attempt. A stone curtain wall wraps around the city, with palisades and ditches enveloping it further. Farms stretch beyond the walls, with any forests having long since been hacked back to deny enemies materials for siege. Several smaller castles dot the region, acting like outposts for the city proper. The imposing fortress of Morlet stands vigilant on a cliff nearby, guarding the road west towards the Kingdom of Arran. The city is built on the shores of the Tintry, and sees significant traffic across its waters. It is a trade and military powerhouse, occupying a key stop on the main east-west road in the human realms. Queen Marguerite is its ruler, and has done much to secure its role in the region.

Briesen

Brisen is a small rocky city carved into a spur of the Pessamit mountains. Part of the March, it has anchored the southern flank of the Routot for generations. Its fortress is etched into the living stone, and has proved immensely difficult to crack. The old town, where most nobility and older families reside, lies within the mountain itself, carved into caves and other outcrops. There is a smaller town outside the fortress walls, where lower classes tend to live. Brisen is home to an exclave of Wood Elves, who make their home amongst the city. These elves are typically exiles or other outcasts, though some do travel to and through the city on official religious or diplomatic business. Briesen sits near the headwaters of the Poses river.

Houlm

Nominally the capital of the confederacy, its lords have held the title of Archduke for nearly a century. Its occupants consider it to be the beating heart of the country, and few could fault them for that opinion. Standing in its main square, you would be hard pressed to think of anywhere more bustling or important than the city itself. Houlm sits tucked into the crook of lake Tarbel, whose shores boast the most fertile lands in the entire country. Much of the Routot population is concentrated in this central region of the confederacy, providing ample manpower and political strength for its rulers. The city is ruled by the Welf family, whose members are nearly without counting. Each minor branch of the dynasty seems to have some sort of control in the city, and they are rarely shy to exercise it. The urban nature of the city is impressive, with elaborate and fantastic architecture a common appearance. Its cosmopolitan population is nearly as diverse as that of Caulois, offering sizeable neighbourhoods of many races. Its docks bristle with river traffic from locally around the lake, and from Cars and Breige beyond.

Caulois

The largest trading port in the human lands, Caulois is a bustling metropolis clinging to the sea. Its docks host ships from across the continent, while its inns and taverns host sailors from even further. All of this makes the city a diverse and jumbled place, filled to bursting with different goods, styles and traditions. The city is a major gateway to the rest of the region, and so sees a tremendous amount of traffic from every direction. This makes its markets some of the busiest, and has allowed its rulers to make significant money off the backs of their merchants. All of this wealth has attracted several institutions, which have in turn made Caulois an even more attractive and powerful city. With this prosperity, however, has come the unwanted attention of other kings. Each seeks to usurp ownership of the city, though it is a difficult target to subdue. The Kings of Caulois have done their best to make the city defensible, and resist these schemes with every ability they can muster.

Cars

Cars is a smaller city, though still one of the largest in the confederacy. It does regular trade with Houlm and the towns around the Tarbel, and is considered by those kings to be firmly within their sphere of influence. Its own inhabitants reject this association however, instead considering themselves distinct and independent. Cars is the nexus for several kingdoms spreading to the northeast of the region, the largest and most prosperous of that wide swathe of land. The city itself is located along the Bellier river, with canals cut throughout to allow river traffic access. Warehouses line these canals, which back on to various market squares. Caravans leave from the city to travel eastwards, with Cars as the main gateway between the two halves of the country. It houses the most magnificent temple of Offig, a gaudy structure working as the primary mint for the Routot. Ore is mined in the northern hills and shipped downriver to Cars, where it is turned into coins for the rest of the realm. Cars has an annual fair, which is one of the largest in the human realms.

Breige

Located at a fork in the Bellier river, the smaller town of Breige is relatively innocuous. No great fortifications or other landmarks truly define the settlement, instead it is renowned simply for its great beauty. The greenery of its surroundings have infested the town centre, populating it with several parks and gardens. Noble and merchant estates here are quite grand, and many from across the country hold some land here as a vacation home or status symbol. Breige itself is similar to Cars, with canals cut through the city connecting the two forks of the Bellier. The great beauty of the city attracts many artists and performers, known as a centre for culture in the confederacy. The abundance of talent has greatly benefited the temples in the city, each boasting considerable hoards of sculpture and other art dedicated to their deities. There are several schools in Breige which teach bards and other sorts of performing arts, and the competition between them can get quite fierce.

Barda

Far from the rest of the Routot, Barda is sometimes forgotten about entirely. Nonetheless, it remains a large settlement in the far east of the Routot lands. The people here are much more isolated than in the west, with a wide swathe of farmland between them and the major population centres across the Bellier. As far as it is from the rest of their brethren, the people of Barda have turned somewhat insular. The King of Barda, Gonthier, considers his holdings to be independent of the group as a whole, sharing ties only with a few kingdoms in the far east. As a bloc, they tend to oppose the western factions and fight for their own causes. The city sits near the Malada mountains, and faces troubles from the various creatures embedded there. Its attention is often focused eastwards, which has stalled any campaigns for independence from the yoke of the Archduke. Barda is known for being very opposed to non-humans, being critical of all who try to live within the city walls. Halflings are the most common target of this prejudice, considered uncouth swamp dwellers by most inhabitants.

Vanne

On the fringes of the Swidnican steppe, Vanne serves as the most northern of the major Routot settlements. It clings to the edge of the Vigny forest, which crests the foothills of the Blackrock Mountains to the northeast. Vanne is a fairly typical town, offering little that one cannot find further south. Its rulers have found themselves eager to expand further north, however, and have involved themselves immensely in Swidnican politics over the years. This has led to a sizeable population of Swidnicans within the town itself, and in the surrounding kingdoms as well. Another notable aspect of Vanne is its sizeable Noreya enclave, one of the most established in the human kingdoms. Having admitted many refugees shortly after the Aetherbreach, Noreyans have been woven into the integral fabric of Vanne and the other northern kingdoms. The city hosts the chief domain of the Noreyan religious authorities, and what could represent their cultural leadership. There are some tensions between the Swidnicans and Noreyans in the city, though most are used to each other and avoid outright conflict.

Notable Personalities

Queen Marguerite of Borleux, Wolf of Morlet

Marguerite is the ruler of Borleux, a reasonably sized province in the western part of the Routot Confederacy. Considered the largest realm in the March, it borders Arran and has had much conflict throughout history with the neighbouring kingdom. This has forged the domain into a strong military power, and its ruler is no exception. From her stronghold of Morlet, she dominates the region with an iron grip. Over sixty years old, and ruling for more than fifty of them, she has cultivated a reputation for ferocity and strength unmatched in the region. Tall, and bearing several scars from battle, she cuts an imposing figure in her court. She has a reputation for demanding excellence from her household, and her service is known to attract some of the best warriors in the realm. While not their direct ruler, she has an immense amount of influence over the other kingdoms bordering Arran, acting as the chief of their faction within Routot’s internal politics.

King Julot of Briesen

Julot is the ruler of Briesen, an ancient city carved into a spur of the Pessamit mountains. His line has lived in the city since its inception, ruling over the caves in some capacity since that time. Despite his lineage, Julot is not a terribly influential ruler. He has few ambitions beyond his natural home, focusing on solidifying his holdings rather than expanding beyond. His true virtue lies in his loyalty, not to any greater office, but to the March. He has thrown his support wholeheartedly behind Queen Marguerite, moving alongside her in nearly every endeavour she undertakes. His devotion has been rewarded with immense respect from the ferocious queen, who views Julot with a rare warmth. Julot is short and squat, with nearly no neck to speak of. His girth is brought on by a fondness for food and drink, and his hospitality is known to be legendary. He wears furs and jewellery of precious stones mined from his mountains. He is in his early forties.

Archduke Alberic Welf, King of Houlm and all the Routot

The current Archduke, Alberic, is a haughty and ambitious man. He has little time for those who work against him, and tends to be utterly ruthless in crushing their goals in favour of his own. And yet, he cultivates an image of magnanimity, working hard to keep all of his underhanded dealings behind the scenes. He is the most powerful of all the central Routot kings, and accordingly exerts tremendous influence over the entire realm. His stature and importance has greatly enriched the Welf name, allowing the entrenched cadet branches of the family to act far above their station. Little more than counts or barons, they roam the region as petty kings of their own, with few brave enough to stand up to the might of the Welf name. Alberic has done much to further the power of the Archduke’s seat, curbing some autonomous kingdoms and bringing them further under his sway. All of this has sat poorly with some of the other strong rulers, who see him as a threat to their own hegemony. Alberic is a middle aged man with nearly shaved black hair. His face is tight, with small eyes and a pointed nose. His lips are pursed tight, and a cunning frown tends to crease his brow. He is of average height, yet quite thin. Temperance is his main virtue, with a priority on restraint.

King Thiry of Breige, the Gilded Lily

A product of the arts influence on his city, King Thiry is a caricature of a ruler. He cares little for the actual responsibilities of the job, instead using the wealth of his position to fuel dreams as a performing artist. He plays, or tries to play, numerous instruments, putting on all sorts of concerts at his palatial estate. The various colleges all play along with his delusions of grandeur, each seeking out his favour to earn appointments or funding for their own endeavours. Bards, in turn, play the same game, encouraging his mediocre contributions to earn his friendship and patronage. He is very poor with his money, indulging every whim he has to throw extravagant parties. Performers are always welcome at his court, and often receive lavish gifts for particularly entertaining shows. He is in his mid thirties, and dresses in extremely gaudy clothing. He has a twirled black moustache and carefully coiffed hair, with a perpetual smile on his face. He takes criticism poorly, and all within his court have learned it best to avoid spoiling his fun.

Queen Isolde of Cars, Queen of Gold

Ruler of Cars, Isolde is very similar to Marguerite in Borleux. Both are older women ruling powerful kingdoms. They differ tremendously in how they go about it, however. Isolde is no warrior, instead her keen mind for business has allowed her family to grow and prosper immensely, dragging their city along with their prosperity. Directly or indirectly, she has a hand in much of the trade moving through Cars, her warehouses making up a sizeable chunk of available space in the city. Throughout her reign she has resisted the pressures to bow to the central kings, breaking what hold they had over her father. This has caused significant tensions between her and the current Archduke, though the queen has refused to bow to her rival. A shorter woman, she is somewhat portly. Matronly is a good term to describe her, and some unfamiliar with her are often deceived by her unassuming appearance. Yet behind her facade lies deep cunning, her mind untouched by her seventy years. She rules her assets with an iron fist, refusing to delegate much of the day to day activities. She has short grey hair, and remains fairly mobile.

King Gonthier of Barda

Barda is an isolated city, far from the urban centres of the west. This makes it easily the most important settlement in the east, and attracts merchants and travellers in that region to it like a magnet. As the centre of this region, its inhabitants tend to inflate their own importance, buying into some idea of their superiority over others. King Gonthier certainly subscribes to this idea, convinced that he doesn’t need any support from the other Routot kings to be successful. He throws his weight around in the east, a bully to smaller rulers in the area. He has been building a case among the other Kings to make a bid for the seat of Archduke, but as of yet his support seems to have stalled. Gonthier is of average height, a slightly overweight. He has light brown hair, and keeps himself clean shaven. His eyes are small, with a narrow brow keeping them close together. His jaw is wide with a well-defined chin, giving his skull an odd shape.

King Lean of Vanne

King Lean is the lord of Vanne, and the most important noble among the northern Routot. He has strong support within his city and kingdom, having much in common with the average commoner. He makes an effort to appear as a sort of everyman, making sojourns around his domain to help in the fields and lumber camps whenever possible. All of this has earned him a reputation as compassionate and helpful, which has done well to repair the damage of his father’s legacy. He puts much of his political energy towards the Swidnicans, where he works to sway local headmen towards his own cause rather than let them support some upstart within their own realm. This has been partly successful, and he has gradually crept his lands ever further towards the north. He makes an effort to reach out to the Noreyans within his realm, consulting them on issues relating to the north as he would other councillors. Several important religious officials frequent his court, owing much to Lean’s continued hospitality. The king has red hair that he wears short, with a small red moustache across his top lip. He is thin and wiry, though much stronger than he appears. He carries himself with an easy energy, charismatic yet not overbearing.

King Jehan of Caulois

Jehan is a very unique lord within the Routot Confederacy. He is easily the wealthiest, owing to the unbelievably profitable port city of Caulois. And yet, for all of his riches, he is not influential beyond his own borders. In fact, many of the other Routot lords actively work against his plots, seeking to undermine and strip away whatever they can from the King. Despite this, he is a very jovial and helpful man, charitable and generous with his money. All of this belies a vast network of spies and schemes, stretching from his city into his neighbours and beyond. Caulois is wealthy, but also vulnerable. As diverse as it is, it has proven an extraordinarily unwieldy beast to manage, and King Jehan is acutely aware of his unstable support. Using his money to buy the loyalty of mercenaries and others of influence, under the guise of charitable patronage, has allowed him to shore up what was once a great weakness in his realm. As long as he continues with this charity, he is convinced, he can keep the daggers at bay and maintain a grip over his kingdom.