A note on government: Provinces have maintained a large amount of internal autonomy. The Emperor does not generally mandate the form of government of any individual province, provided that the province sends one representative to the Imperial Council, pays its taxes, responds to army levies, and has a clear point of contact for imperial decrees to be delivered to (and that imperial decrees are executed). Thus, provincial governments run the gamut from traditional monarchies to constitutional monarchies, republics, corporations, and magocracies. Leadership summary: Ishkibbibble: Emperor Martin IV, Regent Grand Vizier Sergio Fairwielder, Mayor Lars Luminbard (half-elf) Ambrosia Trading Company: Chairman Michael Rosner Asius: Duke Nestore Janzek Pentos: Prince Hadir VII, Archmage Stezan Varflood Westershore: Duchess Cilshea, Consul Fonkin "Badger" Daergel (gnome) Cliffhaven: Baron Gery Landereyn Yithiru: Count Segil Browntower (half-elf) Taithar: Prince Jobriath II Freymont: Chairman Jonathan Smith (halfling) Undast: Baron Constantine Beeswing, Prime Minister Zize Morel Shadowlyn: King Vicente Odette Corast: King Alatur Faden Danicul: Consul Perd Fastin Dragonfort: Lord Commander Preston Jorgenson, Colonel Baldwin Darkfyre Eona: King Sinan Moonflute, Jillia Moonflute Ryrankos: King Jokan Krorin ============================================================== Ishkibbibble: Ishkibbibble, the imperial capital, sits on the Bay of Ishkibbibble straddling the mouth of the River Running. Down river from several major northern cities, lying at the terminus of nearly every major road in the empire, and possessing an excellent natural harbor on the Bay, Ishkibbibble has grown prosperous from trade. Ishkibbibble is the home of many of the most talented artisans, weapon-smiths, and craftsmen in the land. Renowned for its architecture and culture, the city of Ishkibbibble rivals Kroma as the gem of the civilized world. The bustling city is not without its dangers, however; although the murder rate is low, robbery and theft is at an all time high; it is suspected that a resurgence of the thieves guild is to blame. Ishkibbibble is home to the imperial palace, an architectural wonder. As per the Treaty of Ishkibbibble, a tenth of the city's original territory, including the port, is now under the jurisdiction of Ambrosia Trading Company. The Ambrosia Zone is separated from Ishkibbibble proper by two walls with a small no-mans-land in between. Three gates lead between the two areas, and there is one gate leading directly out of the city from within the Kromian area. Ishkibbibble also contains a substantial Kromian expatriate population, divided between the Ambrosia Zone and Ishkibbibble proper. The city and its environs make up the province of Ishkibbibble, which is ruled directly by the emperor with the assistance of an appointed mayor. The current mayor is a half-elf named Lars Luminbard. =================== Ambrosia Trading Company: While its origins are Kromian, the headquarters of Ambrosia Trading Company now reside in Ambrosia Zone of Ishkibbibble. Ambrosia owns a large trade fleet and maintains a private army to defend the Ambrosia Zone. The current chairman, Michael Rosner, is a young human man born in Ishkibbibble to Kromian parents. =================== Asius: Asius lies on the southern shore of the Bay of Ishkibbibble. Asius is a duchy. The current duke is Nestore Janzek. His uncle, Dibran Janzek, the previous duke, was part of the Gang of Four. =================== Pentos: Pentos is a prosperous island in the Bay of Ishkibbibble centered around arcane magic. Pentos is not technically part of the Ironian Empire. Instead, it is an independent principality in personal union with Ironia (the title of the Emperor is "Emperor of Ironia and Prince of Pentos"). Around 200 years ago, the Emperor of Ironia was making preparations to invade Pentos. The Archmage of Pentos brokered a deal: the Prince would marry his daughter to the Emperor, and then abdicate in favor of her (the throne of Pentos passes to the eldest *child*, rather than the eldest *son*); their firstborn son would then ascend to both thrones; in return, the Prince got to keep his property and have his heirs on the throne of Ironia as well as the throne of Pentos; the Emperor would appoint a governor to oversee Pentos (by tradition, this governor is always the Archmage). On the few occasions where the throne of Pentos would have passed to a different person that the throne of Ironia, the Archmage arranged for an exception to be made to the succession rules, keeping the thrones united. The succession rules, however, have not been permanently amended. The current Archmage of Pentos is a human named Stezan Varflood, and is known to be a powerful wizard and a shrewd politician. =================== Westershore: Westershore province controls much of the Cape of Ironia, with the capital occupying a strategic location on the Bay. Historically, Westershore was the primary naval power in the Bay. Upon joining the empire, its navy was subsumed into the Imperial Navy, which has, except during times of civil war, mainly focused on fighting piracy in the Bay. Westershore is a minor port when it comes to actual overseas trade, but is the hub of the Ironian shipbuilding industry. Life in the city revolves around the sea, with a majority of the citizens being in some way connected to either the shipbuilding industry, the fledgling Ironian merchant marine, or the navy. It is the primary port of call for the Ironian Navy. The lumber industry is also booming in the province, as lumber is harvested and floated down the Short River for use in ship building. While Westershore is cranking out ships at an good rate, the number of trade ships flying the Ironian Wolf is still dwarfed by those flying the Kromian Centaur. Showing somewhat surprising foresight, the Westershore employs a number of druids to monitor the logging operations to prevent depletion of the forests. Westershore is now a Constitutional Duchy, with legislative power being wielded by an elected parliament, and executive power being vested in a consul who serves as head of government. The Duke is the head of state, and is essentially a symbolic figurehead, although he does retain some powers (such as the power to dissolve parliament and call elections). The current Duchess, Lady Cilshea of Westershore, is a beautiful young maid who is well-loved by her people. Her mother, the eldest daughter of Hadir VII, died in childbirth, and she has held the throne since her father died at the age of 39 two years ago. The current consul is the gnome Fonkin "Badger" Daergel, whose lighthearted demeanor conceals his political shrewdness. =================== Cliffhaven: Cliffhaven lies on the southern shore of Ironia, at the westernmost end of the great southern mountains. The primary industries in Cliffhaven are tourism and fishing. Cliffhaven is a barony. The current baron, Gery Landereyn, was part of the Gang of Four. =================== Yithiru: Yithiru lies on the northern shore of the Bay of Ishkibbibble. Yithiru is a county. The current count, a half-elf named Segil Browntower, was part of the Gang of Four. =================== Taithar: The capital of the province of Taithar is the city of Taithar. Taithar is a principality. The current prince is Jobriath II. His father, Jobriath I, was part of the Gang of Four. Jobriath I was the half-brother (by the same father) of Emperor Hadir and was granted the throne of Taithar when its male line was extinguished. Jobriath I, therefore, is the nephew of the emperor, and is thus considered to directly follow Martin in the line of succession. Northport: Northport is Taithar's primary port city. =================== Freymont: Freymont sits at the confluence of two major rivers, controlling 3 bridges and the river. It has grown affluent through taxation of river trade. Freymont is run by the Freymont Company, a corporation that any citizen of Freymont is guaranteed the right to buy a stake in. Ambrosia Trading Company holds a 5% stake of the Freymont Company. The current chairman of the Freymont Company, Jonathan Smith, is a halfling native of Freymont. One of the towns in Freymont's domain is is named Milton Keynes. =================== Undast: Undast is primarily devoted to mining and lumber. It is rich in minerals from the Iron Hills and lumber and its ready access to the river system have made is a prosperous resource extraction region. Undast is a parliamentary barony, with an elected bicameral parliament choosing a Prime Minister. The current baron is Constantine Beeswing and the Prime Minister is a human woman named Zize Morel. =================== Shadowlyn: The king of Shadowlyn, Vicente Odette, is a cousin of the imperial family. Martin IV fostered here when he was young and became close friends with Odette. =================== Corast: Corast lies on the western shore of Lake Ita. It is one of the largest provinces in Ironia, and used to be one of the most prosperous. Possessing a vast swath of magically enhanced fertile fields and access to a the mineral rich iron-hills, Corast was an economic powerhouse until cheaper trade with Kroma took away much of its market on the coast. Corast is a kingdom; the current King is Alatur Faden. Stoneport: Stoneport lies upriver from Corast, in the Iron Hills. =================== Danicul: Danicul lies on the eastern shore of Lake Ita. Danicul is a republic with an elected Assembly wielding legislative power and a separately elected Consul wielding executive power. The current consul is Perd Fastin. =================== Dragonfort: Originally established by the then-powerful Kingdom of Danicul as an outpost to safeguard against incursions from the savage lands to the East nearly a millennia ago, Dragonfort has since become a powerful province of its own right. Dragonfort sits at the one good pass across the Dark Mountains, and is thus subject to frequent raids by orcs, kobolds, gnolls, goblins, and human barbarians (whichever one happens to control the area across the pass at any given time). As a result, Dragonfort possesses the largest military per capita of any province and its citizens tend to be hardy and warlike; levies from Dragonfort form much of the core of the Imperial Army, although the the Imperial Army has shrivelled to a fraction of its former size. When not fighting them, Dragonfort often trades with those across the pass. Dragonfort contains the empire's only large concentration of half-orcs. The province of Dragonfort is ruled by the Lord Commander of Dragonfort, a military position. The current Lord Commander is Preston Jorgenson, a no-nonsense human man born and raised in Dragonfort. His second in command is Colonel Baldwin Darkfyre, a brilliant tactician who was conscripted into the Imperial Army from Ishkibbibble, rose through the ranks, and was commissioned in the Dragonfort military when he was discharged. =================== Eona: Eona is a primarily Elven forest province. Eona exports "exotic" elven clothes and crafts, and as such, has also been hurt by the coastal regions increased trade with Kroma. The current king is King Sinan Moonflute, who has sat on the throne for 200 years. His daughter, Jillia Moonflute, serves as his chief advisor and envoy. =================== Ryrankos: Ryrankos is an ancient Dwarven kingdom. The region encompasses the mountains and foothills that make up the kingdom's historic boundaries, as well as fertile river-lands that are principally populated by humans and halflings. The population breakdown is approximately 45% dwarves, 25% humans, 15% halflings, 10% gnomes, and 5% other. Before Martin unified Ironia, the Ryranki dwarves were fighting a low intensity conflict with human kingdom of Isnia, and were slowly losing. They had been pushed out of the foothills, and seemed likely to agree to a treaty that established that as a permanent border. When Martin the Warrior arrived, he determined that direct confrontation with the well fortified humans with a large and well trained army would produce enormous casualties and devastate a fertile region he needed to feed his growing army if was to continue his campaign in the East. The Isnians, led by King Ranor Bartomor, expecting victory, refused to negotiate an oath of fealty. Isnia pulled most of their army out of the foothills, trusting that even if the Dwarves noticed that most of the army had disappeared, they would lack the will to break through the force that remained to blockade the mountains. Martin dispatched an elite strike force, the Seconds Sons of Ishkibbibble, as envoys to the dwarves. Magically bypassing the blockading army, the Second Sons presented Martin's proposal to Tagel Krorin, king of Ryrankos: swear fealty to Martin and join him in battle against the Isnians. In return, Ryrankos would be granted control of Isnia, under the additional condition that the existing human inhabitants be neither evicted nor persecuted. Krorin agreed. The Second Sons then engaged in a rapid and extremely effective campaign of sabotage against the garrison force; generals were assassinated, fortifications weakened, forward outposts destroyed. With the besieging army thus weakened, the Ryranki sallied out of their mountains, smashing the garrison and routing them as they attempted to flee through the foothills. Bartomor, seeing Martin's army in front of him, a Ryranki army behind him, and a sizable fraction of his own army routed, decided to lay down arms. In a ceremony held in the fields of Isnia, King Tagel Krorin of Ryrankos bent the knee to King Martin of Ishkibbibble; the two then exchanged swords: the sword presented to Martin was a longsword of the finest dwarven craftsmanship; it is this sword that became the legendary Sword of Martin the Warrior; the sword presented to Krorin was a greatsword forged in Ishkibbibble, and became an important relic of the ruling Krorin family. Unfortunately, both the names of these swords and the swords themselves have been lost in the intervening years. The reigning king of Ryrankos is Jokan Krorin, great-grandson of Tagel Krorin. He has reigned for the last 150 years, swearing fealty to four different emperors of Ironia. He is widely considered to be one of the most fiercely loyal regional lords in the empire. He was the first lord to march towards Ishkibbibble with an army during the Ironian-Kroma conflict. The Gang of Four, however, beat him to the city by a good week. He received word of the treaty when he was still several days from the city, but continued to march. When he arrived, the armies of the Gang of Four were still there, preparing to return home. Only the personal entreaties of the emperor were able to prevent Krorin from entering battle with the Gang of Four for their disloyalty. As two of the Gang are still alive, Krorin continues to harbor deep animosity towards them. Upon hearing that the emperor was on his deathbed, Krorin appointed his son as temporary regent of Ryrankos and set out to Ishkibbibble with his 250 strong household guard. He is currently en route. He has two sons, Kilel, his heir, and Durlond.