Homfe

Homfe is the perfect pastoral ideal for an Arran city, tucked in a wide fold of fertile grassland known as the Karstal. Here life is easy, with few natural threats to the people or their city. Farmland brims with produce, and people are afforded ample room to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Mostly made up of merchants and craftsmen, Homfe relies largely on the willingness of its neighbours to keep itself safe, eschewing large armies in favour of economic power. The Leben river cuts through Homfe, travelling north through the valley towards Werben and Sarzig. A large population of Dwarves calls the city home, acting as ambassadors between the Arrans here and their holds in the Pessamits. Their influence on the city is unmistakable, evidenced in architecture and the goods manufactured here.

Politics

Homfe is a quiet and unassuming city, with the politics to match. Most of the populace, and indeed in the surrounding region too, are content with their lot in life, filled with no ambitions beyond the year's harvest. Known as a relatively soft, if hard-working peoples, they have long been the target of others envious of their easy living. As such, the general strategy of Homfe's Dukes has been one of appeasement, ensuring their neighbours have easy access to the realm's bounty. The rulers of Tauche benefit greatly from this system, granted vast caravans of food to fuel their fight against the creatures of the forest. The Dwarves in the Pessamits as well have good relations with Homfe, with trade advantaging them considerably. All of this sees a ring of strong allies willing to scour the borders of the Karstal of monsters, ensuring the lands within remain free and clear.

Allowed their idyllic and peaceful lives, the city is strangely carefree. Simple pleasures receive abundant attention, with drink and food chief among them. Nobility in the city has grown somewhat complacent, facing few threats to their existence beyond the odd marauding monster. Knights of the region entertain themselves through tournaments, rarely facing the harsher realities their counterparts do elsewhere. Even its peasants face less troubles than the rest of the kingdom, with few worries beyond their own imagined ones. This can lead to boredom among some, and the restless often find themselves urged to leave lest they stir up trouble. Duke Anselm encouraged this complacency, for his own stewardship skills are lacking. A nice peaceful realm he can manage, however, and any who seek to disrupt that are often dealt with by his more competent deputies.

Groups

Merchant Deputies

While the city and surroundings of Homfe are relatively self-sufficient, they do require some form of administration. This falls, naturally, to the Duke, as it would elsewhere in the kingdom. Duke Anselm however, and his forebears for that matter, have primarily abdicated that responsibility to their lessers. For the past century a council of sorts has gained power in the dukedom, supplanting the Duke's authorities with their own. Today this collective, known as the Merchant Deputies, administers all of the practical aspects of the city and its surroundings, dealing with tax collection and other tasks. In word they defer to the Duke, and Anselm is too short-sighted to see their machinations otherwise. This has given them significant power, much to the ire of Anselm's more established nobles, who see themselves as losing ground to up-jumped merchants. The two groups are beginning to politic against one another, though must be careful to avoid the involvement of the Duke. If there's one thing he will fight for, it's to prevent his realm from falling to instability.

Landmarks

Personalities

Duke Anselm

Ruling the lands around Homfe, the region known as Karstal, is a relatively easy task. Little happens in the duchy, as most threats are far away. The odd monster ventures down from the mountains, though it is easy enough to throw adventurers or soldiers at the problem. Despite the ease of its governance, the region has proved to be a fitting challenge for Duke Anselm. A kind and good-hearted man, the Duke is emblematic of the region, caring more for food and song than any sort of vulgar activities like fighting. He is insular to a fault, preferring the safe confines of his own dukedom than making an appearance at court in Werben. His contentedness would be a disadvantage elsewhere in the kingdom, but in the Karstal it is perfectly acceptable. His subjects care little for the affairs of the broader country, happy to farm and live in the peace they are granted. Anselm is a short and plump middle-aged man who lacks the ability to commit intrigue or even difficult diplomacy. His stewards manage the realm, while he simply trusts to their judgements. He is often smiling, and devotes himself to proper hospitality.

Wernher, Duke's Son, 'the Goat'

Duke Anselm has several children, though none give him as much joy as his eldest son Wernher. Taking after his father in most ways, Wernher is slightly different when it comes to statecraft. Unlike his father, or even grandfather, he seems to have a gift to read people, excelling in social tact and diplomacy. While not having to take on the mantle of stewardship in any way, he has nonetheless formed a sort of thorn in the side of the Merchant Deputies, asking pointed questions of them and seemingly accidentally stifling their plans. His current role is as Grandmaster of the Knights of the Goat's Horn, earning him his nickname of the Goat. He seems to have plans for the order, adjusting the structure of their meetings, though to what end is unclear. He obviously shares a love of carousing with his father, drunkenly attending all of the festivals and celebrations Homfe holds. It seems as though Wernher stands at a fork in the road, able to follow his father's steps or become the best statesman Homfe has seen in generations. Wernher is slightly taller than his father, though is already gaining weight around the middle. His hair is thinning prematurely, which he is sensitive about. In his mid twenties, he seems to be only now grasping where his life should lead.

Adel, Merchant Deputy

The Merchant Deputies in Homfe are a curious thing. Slowly they have eked out tremendous power, leeching the authority of the Duke and investing it in their own hands. All of this is done with his complicit approval, unsuspecting that his underlings may be seeking to replace him. The council itself is made up of various powerful men, each holding some sort of monopoly or near to it over some aspect of the realm. A motley assortment, its most influential member is Adel, who controls river trade along the Leben. A bargeman by trade, Adel has travelled beyond the borders of the Karstal, and has been influenced by the schemes and conflicts he saw there. He seeks to build a city without a Duke, freeing Homfe from the yoke of noble governance and allowing them to freely rule themselves. His strong will has found little capable of resisting it among the leaders in the city, even among the rest of the Deputies. A hard man, Adel is tall and thin, with leathery hands and face from years on the river. His eyes are deepset above sharp cheekbones, giving him a gaunt and starved look. His stern manner is unusual in the city, earning him appropriate amounts of fear and respect.