GOVERNMENTGoldenvale is a Feudal Kingdom, ruled by King Ivas, the son of a Half-Elf mother and Eladrin father. The kingdom is split into eight domains:
Farwist, which is from the Western edge of Goldenvale to North Crabclaw and Barlibrook:
Arut Irathmus II, Lord of Farwist, has ruled for 34 years, a small time for an elf. He took up leadership at the age of 103 years, following the death of his father, Arut the Tall (7'3").
His leadership has not been without scandals; following the invasion of Wintercross by necromancers 9 years ago, Arut quickly disallowed passage into his territory via Bogmater. The official claim was that this was to prevent the necromancers from gaining entry into the land and furthering their damage, but some suggest this merely allowed these to gain control of the market via illegality, increasing their income.
Nortith, ranging from Saltshire to the Lake of King's Tribute:
Ruled by Lord Ari the Merciful, a human of a most pious nature, Nortith has a long lasting tradition of respect for the clergy. Ari's kindly nature has seen his people throughout the past 40 years, as the lands have still not entirely recovered from Saltstorms. Without such a leader, many believe the province would have fallen into chaos after the death of his father, Glim the Strong.
However, the lands of Nortith are still very poor, and Ari much desires to restore his people to a level of prosperity. His dream, though dismissed by many as nothing more, may come to fulfillment if he can manage to reclaim the horde of Silyn, the Elder Dragon of the Wasteland.
Nettermit, south of Netherflow and betwixt Baribrook and the Northern Wall:
Lady Magthana Axeager rules Nettermit with an iron fist. Her wrath is brutal against those who challenge her authority, but her attitude toward her subjects is generally one of motherliness.
Suttermit, east of North Crabclaw to the Southern Wall and north of East Crabclaw;
Quoward Stalkingwolf, or the Great Lord Quoward, as his lessers call him, is a military man of 170 years. An elf, he is only middle aged now, and remembers the Saltstorm wars as though they were yesterday. As such, he is still wary of Tidesward, but even more so of Lord Roscoe Ivandir of Depsown.
Quoward has long noticed the tendencies of Roscoe and his family, even before Roscoe came to power. As such, Quoward has a strong distrust of the halfling, which Roscoe returns with vigor. While the two are not outwardly aggressive toward one another, they are constantly vigilant. Should either fall by way of foul play, the forces of Riverdale may be insufficent to prevent civil war between the two provinces.
Estervost, spread from the Eastern Wall to South Netterflow and North Sutterflow;
Inhabited primarily by halfling and gnomish communities, Estervost is known for its extensive use of agricultural magics. Here the communities are overseen by local councils, and the territory as a whole is ruled by a major council elected by the local councils. As such, no official ruler exists.
Freet, from Sutterflow to Goldenvale's Eastern borders;
A narrow strip of land separated from the rest of Goldenvale by the Sutterflow, Freet is subjugated by the elderly Lord Uligard, Defender of the Fringe, 85. Roughly forty years ago, Freet was held by the Waterdread goblin tribe. This tribe was for the most part ignored by the Goldenvale nation apart from meager trading, largely due to their own indifference to the Goldenvale. However, when they aided in the uprising of various other goblin tribes in the Goblin Wars, Lord Alinus of Estersown called for the conquest of Freet to eliminate the goblin tribe.
After the fall of the Waterdread and the conclusion of the Goblin Wars, Half-orc General Uligard was chosen as ruler on account of his great heroism in numerous battles. Uligard maintains the strongest military of all the Lords and Ladies, which many consider excessive. However, if it is his desire, given Freet's small populous, Uligard dares not threaten the other fiefdoms with military action, lest the same return ten-fold on his own head.
Depsown, ranging from Lake Fourstream to West Bogmater;
Lord Roscoe Ivandir, a halfling of 37 years, has taken rulership of Depsown only recently. A member of a wealthy local family, Roscoe has long known the benefits monetary resources can bring. His court works closely with the Thieves' Guild of Goldenvale, as well as several other questionable Valor (pronounced 'veil-or) groups. As the saying goes, if you can pay your way and keep low, Lord Roscoe may have a place for you.
Despite the unsightly nature of many of Roscoe's ways, he does keep order in Depsown, so few will accuse him with poor management of the province. Depsown is the richest of members of Goldenvale, both because of its connection to Tidesward's second largest highway, and the vast income of Depsown's many bounty hunters.
Estersown, which is between Depsown and Freet.
Lord Alinus, Elder of the Council, has been in power more than 60 years beyond that of any other council member. At age 237, as an elf, he is reaching the end of his middling years. Age has not, however, lessened Alinus' tenacity, and he hides poorly his desire to wrest control of Freet from Uligard, though he would not dare make such an attempt while the latter remains in power.
