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| * [[Fort Bellisarius]] | | * [[Fort Bellisarius]] |
| * [[Fort Fatia]] | | * [[Fort Fatia]] |
| Population: 2,203
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| Patrician < 1%
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| Plebeian 80%
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| Serf 15%
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| Slave/Non-Citizen 4%
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| Government
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| Ruler: Count Theodoric Garrius of House Accius
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| Military Commander: Castle Prefect Gerard Leboiteux
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| Senator: Antonius Gaius of House Accius
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| Economy
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| Major Imports: Luxury items, metal ore
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| Major Exports: Foodstuff, metalgoods, slaves
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| Ethnic/Racial Composition
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| Imperial: 95%
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| Narbonese 25%
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| Dracian 20%
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| Mitarian 15%
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| Zetian 15%
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| Other 20%
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| Mabean: 3%
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| Dwarven: < 1%
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| Elven: None
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| Half-Elven: <1%
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| Hobbit: 1%
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| Other: 0%
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| Geography: Fort Fatia is located along the Clodian Way, with Fort Umbrago to the south and Donnegus to the north. The Terminus River runs along the eastern edge of the town, and is surmounted by a high stone bridge constructed by Imperial engineers. This bridge is the most southerly crossing of the Terminus and this fact has made Fort Fatia one of the more successful towns in the Marches. The town itself is nestled close against the walls of the castle, forming something of a fan shape with the castle at its peak.
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| Thumbnail Sketch: Fort Fatia was founded fifteen years ago by the Imperial military due to its defensive position and proximity to the Mabean capital. As a result, it lies in a highly economical position, being the most southerly means across the Terminus river and the last stop on the Clodian Way before reaching Fort Umbrago. Civilian rulership was established about three years ago upon the arrival of the venerable Count Theodoric, though there is some uncertainty as to who shall rule after he has passed. An octogenarian, the Count is of weak physical health and has no direct offspring for an heir. Many in the military assume that the Castle Prefect, Gerard Leboiteux, will reassume command after Theodoric’s demise, but the civilian government in Umbrago may have a different perspective.
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| As a major center for trade in the midlands, Fort Fatia has many items for sale in its small but crowded agora that would be difficult, if not impossible, to acquire elsewhere in the Marches. Though the city once catered to adventurers, a series of taxes imposed by the Count coupled with the influx of adventurers who use Fatia as a base of operations has sent prices of goods such as rations, weapons and armor to extreme levels. Two major adventuring companies, the Band of the Dun Cow and the Regulators have headed north to Grand-Vallon in search of greener pastures in the relatively unexplored Twin Vales.
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| Despite the number of adventurers that call Fatia home, there is said to be a great evil lurking in the hills nearby. Locals tell of a cave wherein an ancient, evil ruler is buried and said to still roam the lonely hills and fog-shrouded moors in search of prey. Afraid of what adventurers might stir up should they locate the cave, most would rather misdirect those in search of the tomb than risk angering the ghost who inhabits it. None have yet located the tomb, unless they did and became permanent residents themselves…
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| * [[Fort Umbrago]] | | * [[Fort Umbrago]] |
| Population: 1, 087
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| Patrician 1%
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| Plebeian 60%
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| Serf 5%
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| Slave/Non-Citizen 34%
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| Government
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| Ruler: Prefect Marcus Basileios of House Accius
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| Military Commander: Legate Belisarius Doukas of House Gabinius
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| Senator: Antonius Gaius of House Accius
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| Economy
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| Major Imports: Luxury goods, masonry stone, food, raw ore
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| Major Exports: Clothing, spirits, furs, wool, leathergoods
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| Ethnic/Racial Composition
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| Imperial: 69%
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| Narbonese 15%
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| Dracian 25%
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| Mitarian 5%
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| Zetian 10%
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| Other 19%
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| Mabean: 30%
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| Dwarven: < 1%
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| Elven: < 1%
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| Half-Elven: < 1%
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| Hobbit: < 1%
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| Other: None
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| Geography: Umbrago lies at the southern terminus the Clodian Way, the paved thoroughfare that bisects the Marches from the Twin Towers in the north. The Greenside Road exits the town from the south, leading to Port Iago and Port Publium. The town crests a small rise of land next to the Terminus River (called the Mabegal by the natives), which runs slow and wide to the east of the city. The Terminus is deep here and although its level ranges about a foot due to the ocean’s tides, it is not salty. The depths of the waters permit even large ships to travel to Fort Umbrago and north to Fort Fatia, though the lack of a dock in the former town means that any merchants who seek trade with the town must either be able to land their boats or carry subordinate craft capable of such a landing.
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| The town itself is of haphazard design, with most shops, major government and religious centers, and the town’s Agora facing the Clodian Way. Behind this main thoroughfare lies the apartment buildings in which the citizens live as well as the ramshackle hovels inhabited by those few native Mabeans who wished to remain after the defeat of their Queen. The Prefect’s Castle lies some quarter of a mile north of the town itself, on a small hillock that once held the Queen’s castle. The fields between the castle and the town are reserved for the few fairs and celebrations which take place in the town, and none are permitted to build there.
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| Thumbnail Sketch: Fort Umbrago is the seat of the colonial government for the Mabean Marches. Formerly known as Riogacnoc, it was the traditional royal seat of the Kingdom of Donnegal for two centuries prior to the coming of the Empire to the region. It was here that Queen Cartimandua, the last Queen of the Mabeans, held court and it was under the shadow of Legate Hill that she died in the Battle of Storms in 1239 I.C. Ruled by the Legate as military governor for ten years, it has only within the last year that the Prefect arrived to take his position as civilian governor. The change of status was an easy one, as Legate Bellisarius is an honest man, though there are some who whisper that he was the better provincial ruler.
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| Umbrago is a fairly small town compared to the other urban centers that the Empire has constructed in the Marches, particularly because its construction was not a well-planned endeavor. It was constructed on this site only because it was the location of the Mabean royal castle and subsequent exploration of the area has revealed that there is little in the way of resources in the surrounding region. As a result, the division between the classes here is stronger than elsewhere in the Marches. Even so, the chance for great wealth does exist and more than a few wily or lucky individuals from more northern Imperial territories have found great success in sheep-herding, cattle-ranching and architecture, the latter of which has become significant due to several major construction efforts initiated by the Prefect’s office.
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| Because of its political significance, Fort Umbrago is a hotbed of political intrigue and outright bush-war. The Narbonese and the Dracian nationals who have come to settle in the city have, for some reason, taken a disliking to one another and compete for trade rights, construction rights and economic control. While the Narbonese have the support of some of the locals (who are hated by the Dracians), the Dracians have their own ambassador and currently have greater economic power. In the territories surrounding Umbrago, cattle-men and sheep-herders are fighting a deadly gang war over the right to use grazing lands. Violence has increased to the point that lawlessness is common, and justice must typically be handed out on the end of a sword. Of course, that’s just how some of these rough and tumble pioneers prefer it.
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| * [[Grand-Vallon]] | | * [[Grand-Vallon]] |
| * [[Lazurbrouss]] | | * [[Lazurbrouss]] |
| * [[Port Iago]] | | * [[Port Iago]] |
| Population: 3,365
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| Patrician < 1%
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| Plebeian 50%
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| Serf 20%
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| Slave/Non-Citizen 29%
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| Government
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| Ruler: Mayor Cnut Tondbert
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| Military Commander: Diomedes Mercurius of House Accius, High Admiral of the Fourth Fleet
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| Senator: Antonius Gaius of House Accius
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| Economy
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| Major Imports: Luxury items, weapons, wood
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| Major Exports: Ships, rope, foodstuffs (fish and shellfish)
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| Ethnic/Racial Composition
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| Imperial: 51%
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| Narbonese 15%
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| Dracian 5%
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| Mitarian 20%
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| Zetian 5%
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| Other 6%
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| Mabean: 45%
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| Dwarven: None
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| Elven: None
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| Half-Elven: 2%
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| Hobbit: 2%
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| Other: None
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| Geography: Port Iago was constructed as a naval base for the newly formed Fourth Fleet upon the ruins of a fishing village destroyed during the Conquest. It rests near the mouth of the Terminus River and at the approximate half-way point of the southern shore of the Marches. It is accessible overland by the Greenside Road, which terminates at the provincial capital, Fort Umbrago, in the north and follows the coast westward to Port Publium.
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| The town itself is drawn close to the ocean, though it has begun to spread inland in a thick crescent shape. The docks are not protected by natural boundaries, but the plentiful supply of armed and manned naval vessels more than compensates for this lack of natural protection.
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| Thumbnail Sketch: Port Iago is believed by most to be the wildest port of call in the Empire, filled with the scurviest dogs and the loosest women. Of course, many who have ported in Aescalapea would dispute this due to the lack of an overwhelming supply of recreational pursuits, but what Port Iago lacks in decadence it more than makes up for in debauchery. It is a haven for pirates (Imperial, of course), brigands and thieves and it has become something of an adage that if you haven’t slept a night on the docks of Iago, you haven’t hit rock bottom yet. Murders occur almost nightly and robberies are commonplace. In stark contrast to the grime and fear that is ever-present in much of the city, the naval yards are clean and well patrolled by soldiers of the Admiral. These two sides of the town co-exist in mutual respect; the criminals know that to trangress in the naval district is met with the severest of penalties, while the patrols avoid going into the rest of the city unless there is a truly annoying (and visible) disturbance.
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| The seas around Port Iago are also relatively safe, with only a periodic raid from the Danemen for the Navy to deal with. The pirates who call Port Iago home know only to attack non-Imperial vessels, as those who attack Imperial vessels are pursued relentlessly, with all the divinatory and physical prowess of the Navy brought to bear.
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| * [[Seaward]] | | * [[Seaward]] |
| * [[Twin Towers of the Cleft]] | | * [[Twin Towers of the Cleft]] |
