Falconhead

(part of the Autia setting)

Nantic nation, mostly Nantic humans. Small, backwater nation. Along with Westphallica and Gabaet, they are attracted to hats, but have lower standards than their neighbors.

General:

Similar to the nearby nations of Westphallica and Gabeat, the people of Falconhead are known for their strange obsession with hats, and convoluted social customs. Aside from this, they are seen as hopelessly backward by other Nantic Empire successor states, and only ancient treaties prevent them from being conquered by either Westphallica or Ercaenmedi. The Amazons of Afrozil and Sparticia constantly raid them, as do other monster races of the mountains and the underworld.

People:

A small nation consisting of a single city state, its surrounding territory, and large stretches of sparsely inhabited mountains, most of its population is Nantic human, but there is a decent number of dwarves as well. Although by no means poor, Falconhead can't afford the glamorous fashions and parties of Westphallica, or even Gabaet, so the middle-upper class of landowners, merchants, lawyers, and skilled tradespeople settle for understated clothing and complex social customs that range from boldly quirky to incredibly subtle.

Religion:

The main gods in Falconhead are Gaelhalla (arts, fashion, social status, hats, courtship), Neir (farming, forests, nature), Gayin (dwarfs, craftsmen, books), Liik (ravens, crows, vigilance, protection, death), Shomdor (manages the punishment of evil souls in the underworld), Ace (minor god of storms), Ayalla (Amazon version of Gaelhalla, worshipped by collaborators with Amazon occupiers)

Magic:

Falconhead follows standard Nantic magical practices, but has few practitioners since anyone with talent goes to Westphallica instead.

Military:

Falconhead has no real military other than the City Watch of Falconburg, and the assorted rural militias. The militias use blunderbusses and crossbows as their main weaponry, though many will carry a pitchfork, wood axe, or hunting bow instead to defend their fellows while they reload. The City Watch uses truncheons for day to day work, but have flintlocks, swords, and pikes for serious work. Anyone with a shred of fighting talent goes to Westphallica unless they are unusually patriotic, so the ruler of Falconhead is often forced to pay tribute to foreign rulers in Westphallica, Sparticia, or Afrozil in return for soldiers when even minor raids by Amazons, undead, or wild fey cause a panic among the population. Adventurous young people sometimes join mercenary groups known as Ti'Eftu to wander the continent in search of fame, fortune, and hats.

History:

When the Nantic Empire fell apart, Falconhead was essentially created from the areas that Westphallica didn't want to bribe or protect. A series of weak royal families have ruled from the city of Falconburg, but are often nothing but puppets for neighboring states. During one particularly long period in which Falconburg was under occupation by a coalition of Sparticia tribes, the mostly rural northern half of the country separated. It went on to become the Republic of Free Men, a haven for anyone with a grudge against Sparticia and/or Afrozil.

Economy:

Much of the country is mountainous, the small population is mostly clustered in the fertile valleys of the northeast, near the city of Falconburg. The city and the nearby countryside is relatively prosperous, but the foothills are poor quality farmland and home to a strange mix of hermits, free spirits, exiled Sparticians, dwarven prospectors, solitary goblins, and strange covens of witches, hags and harpies. The country is fairly self sufficient, and any surplus goods are usually sold to Westphallica for gold and luxury goods.

Miscellaneous:

The hat-centric culture is so strong in those nations that that many choose to join mercenary companies, called the Ti'Eftu, and fight in the service of kingdoms across the continent for the promise of rare and exotic hats.

Government:

Falconhead is theoretically a monarchy, but its territory is much reduced from back when it was a vassal nation of the Nantic Empire, and these days foreigners find the idea of such a small state being ruled by a king or queen as mildly ridiculous. Away from the core region around Falconburg, the nation is split up into sub districts known as shires, of which only four remain.

The current queen of Falconhead is Henrietta Creighton, an amateur alchemist and bastard daughter of the old king, who disinherited his incompetent and eccentric son, and irresponsible granddaughter while on his deathbed. Despite having no real interest in politics, she is fairly popular due to her charming personality, good relations with the Spartician Amazons, and the fact that it is widely believed that her half-brother and half-niece would have done a disastrously poor job.

Real power (what little can be found anyways) in Falconhead lies with the senior appointed officials in each town and shire. Essentially a meritocratic oligarchy, they select new members based on perceived aptitudes and treat each other as equals for the most part. Each shire has a sheriff, which was once an appointed position, but is now hereditary and mostly ceremonial unless the individual in the position is unusually competent. Likewise mayors and reeves are elected, but those who are seen as difficult or naive are usually sidelined from any important decisions.

Senior officials in each shire and town include the Treasurer, Head Magistrate, Militia Captain, and Chief of Public Works. Lacking any meaningful military strength, the officials are skilled at monitoring the situations in neighboring countries, and keeping in the good graces of anyone seen as being on the rise.

Foreign interference is common in Falconhead, usually by Westphallica and Sparticia, but sometimes by Afrozil or Gabaet. Falconhead officials are always on the lookout for wealthy and powerful patrons in Westphallica who will pay for mercenaries and infrastructure projects in the name of Pan-Nantic Unity. The Spartician Mountain Clans are too fractured and small in number to maintain control of foreign territory for long, but periodically stronger clans will band together and put one or more areas of Falconhead "under their protection". This is generally tolerated until the Amazons cross enough lines that Westphallican nobles hire mercenaries to drive them out.

Geography:

Image:Falconhead Map.png (too big to put on the page, but useful for visualizing the geography of the region)

- Falconburg is an old but small city located on the Falcon River. Once capital of a much larger area, these days it relies on a medium sized university and tourism from Westphallica to generate much of its wealth. Generally lacking in the cutting edge technology and magitech found in Westphallica, it is seen as quaint and rustic, and is popular with those in Westphallica seeking to take a break from its extravagant displays of wealth. The Falconburg University has a reputation for being free from the rabid nationalism or radical political ideologies found in many other Nantic universities, and is popular with classical artists, poets, and historians more interested in accuracy than revisionism. The City Watch of Falconburg is fairly competent, but is mostly famous for their extravagant uniforms and unwillingness to get involved in local politics, especially when the Amazons are involved.

- The Crownlands are essentially just another shire, but lack a ceremonial sheriff since they are seen as the direct responsibility of the reigning monarch. Generally the wealthiest and most inhabited of the shires, they benefit from their close proximity to Falconburg, which allows them to get a better price for fresh produce.

- Swizershire and its main town of Cobbleton are often seen as the most boring and quaint region of an already boring and quaint nation. Few foreigners have heard of either, and even the fairly popular brand of ale brewed in the region is rarely encountered further than Westphallica or Afrozil. The sheriff is an 80 year old half-senile man named Sir Humprey of Lancross who gets brought out occasionally for ceremonial events. Most of his children and grandchildren are actually fairly capable, but so far none of them have shown any interest in being the next sheriff, preferring to focus on their personal business and career pursuits, rather than waste their time filling a tedious ceremonial role.

- Abborshire is a fairly dreary area known for its sheep ranches and dry summers. Occasional ghost sightings, or minor skirmishes with rowdies from the Republic is just about all that happens here of note. However, the main town of Vikor is moderately interesting by Falconhead standards. Depending on what direction it is travelling, Vikor is either the last town or the first town after a fairly empty stretch of rail on the Pan-Nantic Express, so foreigners hoping to stretch their legs or get wasted at a pub are a common sight here. Belkan occasionally sends agents here in hopes of demolishing the rail bridge in order to disrupt trade between Ercaenmedi, Gabaet, and Falconhead, but this is rare since trade between these nations is minor and retaliation by the Westphallica based Pan-Nantic Express Company against those that damage their property is swift and brutal. The sheriff of Abborshire is Gustav Bront, a loud-mouthed, boorish, unattractive man known for his uninformed opinions and tendency to wear sexually provocative hats. His "subjects" do their best to ignore him.

- "The Slice" is a wedge shaped shire bordered by the Falcon River's two main tributaries. Its close proximity to water allows for a higher percentage of water intensive agricultural practices than other shires. The Slice has been de facto annexed by minor nobles from Westphallica who have bought up most of the more scenic spots for their cottages. During the summer months when river levels drop, the large beaches of Rivermeet are popular with sun bathers and much of the economy revolves around catering to Westphallican tourists. The Slice has not had a sheriff for over 50 years when the previous lineage died out, and senior officials take direction from an informal coalition of wealthy Westphallican landowners.

- "The Foot Hills" refers to the northeastern foothills of the Spartician Mountains that fall within the boundaries of Falconhead. A sparsely inhabited, overlooked area, it is home to an odd mix of folk seeking solitude, or at least freedom from government interference. It is covered in hills, dry forests and grasslands, and the main economic activities are sheep ranching and subsidence farming. Folk here are generally tougher and more independent minded than those in the more established regions of Falconhead, though a steady stream of hapless incompetents migrate here, generally poor folk from Falconhead that can't afford land elsewhere. Aside from humans, other races are not uncommon, usually dwarfs, harpies, goblins, and Amazons seeking isolation from their own kind. Much like Hagarta, this area sometimes attracts occult magic users like witches and hags, though anyone causing too many problems is swiftly driven out. Organized government is completely absent, but the dwarf clans, the government in Falconburg, or allied Spartician clans will generally step up to drive out any threat the local militias can't handle.

- The Northern Spartician Mountains are a stretch of low, pine covered mountains that serves as the home to a collection of minor dwarf clans who mine gold and iron. They are essentially independent from Falconburg, but still respect its sovereignty based on ancient treaties. Falconburg will sometimes hire mercenaries to protect them against Afrozil and Sparticia, though the dwarfs can handle themselves. Other inhabitants of the mountains include harpies, goblins, and some Spartician clans. The Northern Spartician Mountains are clear of the hostile monsters found in the mountain ranges to the south, and the main inhabitants mostly get along, though often escaped slaves who turn to banditry or renegade Afzen slavers cause problems and are hunted down. Raiders from the fey worlds and the under world are also not unheard of.

- Arhsam Coast is a small stretch of coastline widely regarded as haunted and is usually avoided by all except escaping slaves, and anti-slavery activists from the Republic. The coastal town of Arhsam was once a prosperous resort spot at the time of the Nantic Empire, but one day all its inhabitants disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Even in modern times sometimes those who travel too close to Arhsam will go missing.

- The Indigo Pass is the quickest route through the Spartician Mountains. Once a popular invasion route by Afzen slavers, launching slave raids against Falconhead by Afrozil has been forbidden for over 80 years due to pressure from Alkor, Harlbourg, and Westphallica. However, illicit raids are not uncommon. As a result, there is a standing bounty on Afzen slavers travelling back down the pass with slaves. Spartician clans compete aggressively for these bounties.

- The River Lands is the informal description given to the parts of Westphallica bordering on the Falcon River and its tributaries. Seen as too close to other nations for the real wealthy players to build their homes, it is still home to a number of summer cottages and hobby farms for minor nobles and senior servants of major nobles.

- The March Lands run along the border of the inhabited parts of Falconhead and the Republic. It is part of the Republic, but unsettled as per the old armistice agreements. Occasionally land hungry individuals in the Republic will try to stir up tensions between the Republic and Falconhead, but most people in both nations consider the rebellion to be too far in the past to care about.

- The Dog Lands (from an expression about lazy dog summers) is the closest district of the Republic to Falconhead. Known for being very dry during the summers except right along the rivers, it is one of the poorer parts of the Republic, and sometimes petty thugs and beggars from this region will cause problems in Abborshire and The Slice.

- The Runaway Hills are the southwestern foothills of the Spartician Mountains. A lawless region of dry scrub and thin soil, it is mostly home to former slaves and other malcontents from Afrozil that now make a living raiding their former masters. Afzen and Spartician raiding parties often pass through or clash in this region.

- Vernonshire was traditionally the poorest of the Falconhead shires, but was taken over by an alliance of Spartician clans about three years ago. Its main town is Vernon, a relatively rough and tumble town that traditionally serves as the recruitment area for Ti'Eftu mercenary companies. As is often, but not always the case when the Sparticians take over a part of Falconhead, the Amazon clans were originally hired as mercenaries, in this case to help an unpopular but unusually weathly sheriff subdue her rivals. After the sheriff defaulted on her payments, the Amazons seized her assets, then took over the shire to collect what they feel they were owed via taxes. The Amazons have since then collected much more than the original amount, but have grown comfortable in Vernon, and as long as they rule with a relatively light hand, it seems no one is in a rush to kick them out.

- The Southern Spartician Mountains are the traditional homeland of the Spartician clans. Another set of low, pine covered mountains, the Sparticians are an Amazon race of hunter gatherers with limited numbers, but are martially skilled. A vindictive race, they rarely attack first, but often use old grudges as an excuse for generations of raiding. They have a history of occupying parts of Falconhead to collect debts or resolve grudges, but are much friendlier to Falconhead than their other neighbors since Falconhead has learned not to organize attacks against them without good reason, and keeps them sweet with overpaying mercenary work and other bribes. Sparticians are unpopular due to their association with slavery, but don't practice commercial slavery like the Afzen Amazons. Most slaves are in fact not really slaves in the traditional sense, but just misunderstandings of Spartician culture. Mate slaves are for breeding purposes and are generally recruited willingly, though potential mates must first prove themselves in combat. They are "freed" once their relationship is over. Helper slaves are recruited to help out with domestic tasks. They are recruited from willing individuals who owe debts to an Amazon clan that they chose to pay off via labor rather than money. Only blood slaves meet the more traditional form of slavery. These are taken during retaliatory raids, and are forced to pay off their "debt" to the Amazons in any way that they choose. Since the Sparticians are a hunter gatherer people who can't maintain more than a few unwilling slaves, many of these individuals are sold to other parties like Afrozil, underground races, orcs, or shady Nantic criminal rings.

Images:

Image:Falconhead Map.png (too big to put on the page, but useful for visualizing the geography of the region)