Borleux

The city of Borleux is a heavily fortified capital, ruling over a swathe of land known as the March. Bordering the Kingdom of Arran, the city has had a tumultuous history with its neighbours there, the victim of numerous sieges and assaults across the years. The scars of these attacks mark the landscape and its walls, worn like badges of honour by the citizens there. The vast lake of the Tintry stretches off to the north of the city, with boat traffic facilitating trade with the far shores. The region is dotted by castles and keeps, surrounding the city like a net. Its ruler is Queen Marguerite, known as the Wolf of Morlet, though her son Barnabe is the steward of the city itself. The city stands as a major trade stop between the Routot and the Arrans, and works alongside the mountain kingdom of Briesen.

Politics

Borleux is the largest city under the rule of Queen Marguerite, acting as a nexus for the surrounding countryside. Farms and smaller towns feed into this city, each protected by a careful net of fortifications and keeps that scatter across the realm. These are each ruled by a landed noble, who in turn provides levies and homage to the Queen. Once a year this ceremony is conducted, with each noble arriving in the city to pay his or her rents to the crown. The ceremony has not been overseen by Queen Marguerite herself in nearly two decades, instead her son and steward Barnabe holds court over the proceedings. A major event, a festival fills Borleux around this time, seen as an opportunity to gather the realm together in celebration of their unity. It also attracts unwanted criminal attentions, making the city a mixture of anxiety and joy during its run.

The city itself is governed by Barnabe, who runs much of the kingdom. Empowered by his mother to act in her stead, he uses this power surprisingly well, a capable diplomat and steward. The countryside is pacified largely through his expert handling of his various subject’s wishes and desires, having thus far kept a very stable realm. The iron fist his mother wields is kept as a last resort, a final solution to any problem that most petitioners would seek to avoid. There are some within the realm who seek to further themselves at the expense of the ruling family, and especially Barnabe, though their motives are kept secret lest they be discovered by Marguerite. With her age advancing, there are several elements within the Kingdom waiting for the threat to disappear before making a move against the future king.

For her part, Queen Marguerite deals almost exclusively with problems beyond her realm. She has entrusted much of the more mundane ruling to her son, allowing her to retreat to her fortress of Morlet more often than not. From here she plans to counter attacks from the Arrans, working tirelessly to pacify the region beyond the Poses river. She is a powerful and intimidating figure, who commands the respect of practically all she deals with. This has made her a champion of her faction, the Marcher Lords, made up of her neighbouring Routot kings. Through these kings, Marguerite works to counter the influence of the Archduke, ensuring that her realm and those of her neighbours are put at the forefront of their minds. With no love lost between her and the Archdukes in Houlm, it should surprise no one that she has worked in recent years to establish the Marcher Lords as more independent from the rest of the Routot. The only thing holding them in the confederation it would seem is the greater threat from Arran should they decide to sever ties altogether.

Groups

Border Reavers

While Borleux and the other Marcher lords are currently at peace, there are many within their ranks who do not accept this. The animosity between the Routot and the Arrans is intergenerational, stretching back to ancient times. As such, there are many people, both common and noble, who seek to harm their foes as much as possible. The Border Reavers are the result of this conflict, individual groups of bandits and other ruffians who strike across the poses to raid and pillage Arran lands. Their ranks include dispossessed knights and militia, while also attracting mercenaries and other sorts from further east. They operate lawlessly and illegally, striking out at any they can to try and earn their own benefits. Nominally they target Arran settlements first, but with the fluid nature of the border here, many villages are mixed or with unclear owners. As such, they are seen by many as simply lawless brigands, and hunted accordingly. Nonetheless, they receive the attentions of some more retribution minded Routot nobles, who pay them off to protect their own lands and target rivals instead.

Landmarks

The Morlet

The Morlet is a massive fortification just beyond the walls of Borleux, protecting a ford over the river Allier. It is perched atop a cliffscape, looking down onto the Tintry and its surrounding countryside. A sizeable keep dominates the peak of the cliff, grey and foreboding with its stony visage. Multiple outbuildings also crowd the cliffside; barracks, stables and other important features all accessible. A curtain wall surrounds these, while other walls wind their way down the slope in switchbacks towards its base. A path follows these walls, providing lengthy access to the castle from below. Morlet is the seat of Marguerite, the ruler of Borleux and a powerful Queen within the Routot kingdoms. The Morlet has withstood many sieges in the course of her and her family’s wars with the Arrans, and bears the scars to prove it. Despite this it has never fallen, and Marguerite will not let that change while she still lives.

Personalities

Queen Marguerite, the 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.

Edelene, the Young Wolf

Oldest daughter, and firstborn child, of Queen Marguerite. Edelene is almost forty, and cuts an imposing figure after her mother. Since she was a girl, Edelene has aspired to be like her warrior mother, and the Queen wasted no time in her education. Taught from a young age by the best knights in Marguerite’s court, Edelene has grown to be a capable fighter. She left the realm at the age of nineteen to venture out and earn a reputation, which she did in spades. Tales are told of her exploits across the Routot lands, too many to name them here. When she returned to Borleux, she took a role in her mother’s household as her captain, leading her knights in securing their lands. She has refused to marry, and Marguerite has never pressed the issue with her. The pair together are a fearsome duo, resembling each other more and more as time presses on. Edelene looks nearly exactly like her mother at her age, tall and striking. Her hair is shoulder length and brown. She has lost an eye in her adventures, though it seems to have only made her even fiercer. Her gaze is stern and determined, easily intimidating most who meet it.

Barnabe, Steward and Heir of Borleux

Barnabe is a middle child of Queen Marguerite, though her oldest son. He is much weaker than his mother, having never had a head for combat or war. Much of his youth was spent trying to keep up with his siblings, and aspiring to be a great warrior like those he would see around court. As he grew older though, his limitations became more and more obvious, frustrating him and his mother immensely. An accident when he was fifteen ended any soldier’s career he sought, breaking his leg in several places. The bone healed improperly, giving him a permanent limp. Despite his physical shortcomings, he was found to have an excellent head for numbers. He was given small responsibilities over aspects of the Borleux trade markets, ultimately proving himself capable of running the city entirely. He governs in his mother’s name, though he is careful to always follow her wishes exactly. He is shorter, and of average weight. He stumbles around with a crutch for his left leg, which occasionally still gives him tremendous pain. He is somewhat shy, though confident in his ability to govern. He is a kind and just ruler, content in his role.