Uldenor
Uldenor is a nation of Men, located in the Crownlands. Once subject to the King of the Sword, the realm is now divided between six principalities, with a certain amount of land in constant dispute between them.
Once, it was a frontier to the Lost Kingdom of the Sword, and before that, it was an elven land, known as the Valley of Dreams. The elves opened their land to the folk of the Lost Kingdom when Crown Cataclysm occurred, leaving countless folk homeless and destitute. After centuries of migration and breeding, the land was overrun with men, and the elves yielded it, choosing to do so narrowly over a campaign of extermination.
Today, Uldenor is a highly insular country. Though much trade passes along the Volodja/Atal river, few traders penetrate beyond the border city of Minasca. Travel within the realm is dangerous, as few regular patrols leave a near radius of the capital cities, and the population of Monsters is known to be considerably higher than in neighboring realms.
On that last point, Uldenor is somewhat notorious. Though many disregard the legends as the tall tales of the Zakony Kurn, few would dare test that theory in a land said to be ruled by vampires, werewolves, and far worse things. It doesn't help matters that the realm is highly mountainous, filled with deep clefts choked with thick vegetation, with forest ceilings that hardly let in a single ray of light at high sun...not that the sun ever shines much through the perpetual fog.
In actuality, Uldenor is a beautiful country, with quiet folk who mainly see to their own affairs. For those brave enough to visit, there are wonders aplenty, that would surprise the most well-traveled bards. As for monsters, well...perhaps it may be better to heed the old Zakony saying: "Stay where there are songs."
Geography
Uldenor is situated in an area known as the Crescent Vale, a deep cleft between the twin mountain ranges of the Crowns. The valley is over 1400 miles long along its arc, but less than 400 miles wide at its widest point near the center. Altitudes vary from over 14,000 feet on the ridgeline of the mountains to less than 7,000 in the depths of the valley, not counting Lake Ludvol, thought to be over 3,000 ft deep. Numerous rivers feed the massive lake, including the Nesric and Stretjic rivers framing the lake's western and eastern boundaries, respectively. From the lake spews the massive river Volodja, also known as the river Atal in Ahrimid lands, which outputs on the Blue Water near Saillonne.
The lowlands in the center of the valley, near Lake Ludvol, are the most fertile and populous region of Uldenor; over 75% of the nation's population lives within 50 miles of the lakeshore, a region generally known as the "central valley". The western valley is more populous than the eastern, with less than 5% of the population living east of the Stretjic water table.
Principalities
Uldenor is not a unified kingdom, although it is still formally considered one, with the monarchical line currently interrupted (the last descendant of Kiernov died decades ago, but it is thought that there is some living scion to be found). Officially, a council of dukes or princes rules in the king's stead, with the Archduke of Uldath taking a executive leadership rule, granted--at least as a formality--by a vote amongst the dukes.
Though the divisions of Uldenor are known as "principalities", it is improper to refer to their leaders as "prince". The honorific style used for these leaders is consistent with Dukes in other Uldennic-speaking lands, thus the term "Duke" is used when translating from the Uldennic Vojvode. The Archduke's title of Kynaz and honorific of "His Royal Highness" would suggest that "Prince" is the most appropriate translation, but the Uldennic prefer "Archduke" to avoid confusion with a scion of the house of Kiernauver.
| Principality | Seat | Leader | Location | Population | Known For | Regional Myth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uldath | Kiernau |
HRH Gaspar Vargaz, Archduke |
Central valley, north of Ludvol |
1,186,000 |
Cultural center of Uldenor |
Vampires |
| Megredzy | Megredzat |
HG Amalia Barovna, Duchess |
Western valley, south of Volodja |
332,000 |
Agricultural center |
The Masked Ones |
| Cresztevy | Volodgrad |
HG Lazar Becket, Duke |
Western valley, north of Volodja |
316,000 |
Military power |
Undead |
| Veldath | Cerenburg |
HG Adrian Tepes, Duke |
Central valley, south of Ludvol |
299,000 |
Academic center |
Demons |
| Bieloszy | Bielgrad |
HG Drell Silvertear, Duke |
Eastern valley, north of Innistrad |
165,000 |
Elf-inspired culture |
Fey folk |
| Innistrad | Sandoval |
HG Sorin Varcolai, Duke |
Easternmost extreme |
96,000 |
Being a backwater |
Werewolves |
Government
Official Government
Officially, Uldenor is a monarchy, although its royal line came to an apparent end with the assassination of Ivan Kiernauver, also known as "The Mad King", and all known royal scions in the various noble houses. Currently, governance of the realm as a whole falls to a council consisting of the six rulers of the principalities, headed by the Archduke of Uldath. Technically, all power is vested in the council, who votes on all matters, with the Archduke's casting a double vote to break ties. He is bound to execute the will of the council regardless of his own vote.
In practice, the tremendous disparity in size and power between Uldath and the other principalities, as well as the inherent flaw in binding the Archduke to execute decrees he disagrees with, means the Archduke can stymy all but the most extreme votes against him, and so, in assuming support (grudging or otherwise) for any of his own motions, he acts largely independently; if he cannot achieve official support for a motion affecting other principalities, he has many means of pressuring the opposition to change their minds. Many consider the Archduke to be the virtual king of Uldenor, and some fully expect him to seize the title soon.
The Lords of Shadow
Even so, it is commonly believed, especially among the underclasses, that true power lies neither with the Archduke nor the Council, but with a secret cabal known as the Lords of Shadow. According to popular myth, the Lords are all either monsters or powerful magicians, all commanding tremendous personal (and, needless to say, dark) power. Some versions of the myth hold that each principality has one Shadow Lord to represent it, in a dark mirror of the legitimate government; others hold that all things mundane, including the division of principalities, is nothing but an elaborate ruse to distract the public from the reality of their situation. Most disturbingly of all, rumors persist that the Lords demand constant sacrifices to quell their wrath, thus explaining the seemingly abnormal number of disappearances and unexplained deaths throughout the land.
Structure of Government
Realm
The realm's rightful ruler is the King of Uldenor, a position currently vacant. In the interregnum, the Council of Dukes serves in his stead; the Archduke of Uldath, their elected executor, acts in many ways like the king, but does not officially hold his power.
Realm-level government is minimal; there is no realm-level army, nor a realm-wide tax. The majority of realm-level government matters concern foreign affairs, most of which involving tariff and trade negotiations with the Ahrimid Empire, the realm's largest trading partner.
Principalities
Each principality is headed by a Duke, who is the rightful lord of the land. All nobles and commoners in his principality are his feudal subjects, and are bound to serve him.
Dukes operate in a traditionally feudal sense: when they require resources, they secure them from their subjects, namely the Ispáns. Dukes also maintain their own personal treasury, built through direct revenues from personally-owned holdings; they have also been known to maintain military forces not loyal to their Ispáns.
Ispáns
Ispáns are lords of individual counties and marches. The title is inherited, and Ispáns are part of the Uldennic peerage. The King has the power to appoint Ispáns as desired, ennobling them if need be, though only to replace a vacant county seat.
Most routine government functions happen on the county level, and are usually delegated to vice-isp?ns, appointed deputies managing a given department, who need not be noble themselves, but enjoy some benefits of nobility while holding the office.
Ispáns are expected to maintain their own resources, including military and economic, without any assistance from their superiors. They have complete authority to tax and levy their own subjects, and serve as the highest court of law for commoners in almost all cases.