Earldoms Of Reddown

Reddown is made up from thirteen individual Earldoms, each of which is an independent and self governing body, answering to the Earls' Council, ten in the lands of Reddown, and a further three (Sigard, Terr, and Werndel) in the territory that was once Sigard. Though the Earls each hold the same title, not all Earls sit on the Earls' Council. Some have permanent seats, some have to settle for sharing a single seat that cycles with generations, and some (such as Havisham) have no right to attend the council at all. Similarly, many lands are larger, more economically powerful, or militarily powerful than others, and the Earls aren't shy about manoeuvring to gain more power and influence at the expense of their fellows. Though they'd never leave tangible evidence of such activity.

Barven


The Earldom of Barven lies west of Shornfar and north of Sherevon, wrapped around the southern edges of the Kerel Bay, and it has grown from an Earldom of fishermen and barge polers to one of the economic powerhouses of Ahlonia. Earl Pieter Tolbren controls both Barven and its western neighbour Marak, and has clearly favoured his homeland over his second territory. Barven stretches from sodden coastal moorlands in the north around the capitol of Barvenham to fertile pastoral land and hilly vineyards of the Barven lowlands around Halvesty.

Darrenshire


North of Maratharn, on the southern tip of the eastern escarpment overlooking the encroaching Forest sits the Earldom of Darrenshire. At the deepest point of the Shen Frier, most of Darrenshire is farmland but the steads are mainly administered by retired veterans rather than wealthy steaders. Thanks to the escarpment and a healthy military, as well as a series of small watchtower outposts guarding the eastern approaches to the earldom Darrenshire is less bitterly embattled than it's southern neighbour. The Earl Dane Dain rules from Dainhold Keep and a few miles north is the Earldom's only major settlement Darrenshire township.

Forthest


Forthest is the westernmost Earldom of Reddown, and was the first place where landsmen came to Ahlonia, and their first ancient capitol. Once it was the centre of the world, now this relatively barren rocky stretch of coastal moorland and marsh is a backwater and repository. Landfall is a broad rocky plateau where the city of Harkfal sits, but Earl Martel Forthest also governs the lesser settlement of Eanseat in his sparsely settled domain.

Galastry


The Earldom of Galastry, home to the Daultin Earls currently reigned over by Earl Sedric Daultin, is the very heart of Reddown. Sitting on the western edge of the cloisters and at the north of Lake Dale, Galastry is home to Daultin, the city where the Earls Council meets and the capitol of the entire realm. Fanning out from here are the settlements of Harbrook, Middale, Forddale and Shaw. Along with Sherevon to the north Galastry is the breadbasket of Reddown, the most populous, wealthy and resource rich land to be had on all of Ahlonia.

Havisham


Havisham is the youngest of the Earldoms of Reddown, broken away from Forthest scarcely a handful of generations ago. It's young idealistic Earl Morgan Havish does not currently hold a seat on the Earls' Council, and yet he reigns over one of the fastest growing Earldoms in all Reddown, the gateway to old Sigard and points south. Havisham's capitol is the township of Dollow, but the steadily growing township of Trelldale threatens to overtake the seat of the Havish Earls any year now.

Kirshire


North along the eastern escarpment of Darrenshire and east of Sherevon, on the boarders of the Forest Kingdom sits the Earldom of Kirshire. Kirshire is peaceful compared to it's southern cousins, and the soil found at the northern tip of the Shen Fier is some of the most fertile outside Sherevon, and is covered in golden crops of wheat and barley and corn. However the true wealth of Kirshire is in timber cut daringly from the edges of the forest and milled locally for export all over Reddown. Kirshire is ruled over by Earl Sedric Kir-Toleman and his family from the fastness of Fort Toleman, which sits a few hours from the Earldom's only notable settlement, Kirshire-town. However thanks to a large collection of small hamlets built to service the large farmsteads of Kirshire, it is one of the most populous of the boarder Earldoms.

Marak


Marak is the lesser asset of it's Earl Pieter Tolbren, who also rules Barven in the east. Physically the smallest Earldom in all of Reddown, Marak lies just north of Forthest. It lost it's ruling line a generation ago, and it's capitol has been renamed to Arinshir to erase all memory of what the Earldom once was. Marak doesn't have the same interest in the sea or it's bounty as Barven, and is a land mainly made up of orchards and vineyards, which surround the inland city of Nathbirn.

Marratharn


Marratharn is the southernmost of the four so-called boarder-earldoms. Ruled over by Boer Marrath, a direct descendant of the first Marath Earls of Maratharn, it is the most heavily embattled of all of the Earldoms, waging an ongoing and losing battle against the combined might of the goblyn tribes of the Forest. With the Shen Fier running through it's centre, the cloisters in the south and the forest bordering the east Maratharn is a land of rich soils and rolling hills. There is only one major settlement in Maratharn; the town of Marratharn and a league west the stocky Marratharn Keep. A smattering of small hamlets exist along the boarder with Galastry, but those who can afford to are steadily draining out of Maratharn as if they sense it's impeding doom.

Sherevon


Along with Galastry and Forthest, Sherevon is one of the three most respected and historic of the Earldoms of Reddown, and one of the three great powers that have most sway in the realm. Located north of Galastry Sherevon is central to Reddown, and all roads pass through this peaceful land, and it's farms produce more than half of the goods that feed the entire nation from Lierkist to Barvenham. There is a gently antagonistic attitude between Sherevon and it's southern neighbour, and the current Earl Shannon Vaun, a member of a long and storied lineage, continues this tradition. Sherevon's towns may not be the largest in Reddon, but they are some of the most numerous. As well as the seat of the Vaun Earls at the city of Sherevon, the townships of Haimvere, Gondale, Milldale and Kondale all fall within the borders of Shannon Vaun's domain.

Shornfar


Shornfar is easily the most prosperous and forward-thinking of all of the boarder Earldoms, in fact it is poised to become a major power in Reddown, and currently it's Earl Henry Shorn holds a place on the Earls' Council. His domain lies on the northern coast of Ahlonia, between the Forest and the combined Earldoms of Marak and Barven, and north of Kirshire. Shornfar is the only place in Reddown where goblyns find a dubious and suspicious welcome, and the creatures work as miners in the Mines of Ahmad, and even have a small permanent trading post outside of the township of Shornfar, watched over carefully by a contingent of soldiers from Fort Shorn. Gata Skar of the Blood Hand and Henry Shorn have come to an extremely mutually agreeable accord, but neither trusts the other enough to so much as glance away from his ally's position.