Aveice County

Aveice County

Status	County
Vassel Of	Duchy of Volari
Location	Southern Volari
Area
Geography
Population	~180000
Urbanisation
Languages –Common –Folksprach –Others –Literacy	95% 20% 4% 2%
Exports
Imports

Aveice is a County in the Duchy of Volar in the Western Marches. It is approximately 70 miles across and 60 miles north to south. Its total population is around 180,000. Its boundaries are the Counties of Weisbaum, Leodara, Volar, and the Wylan Hills.

Places

Places of Interest

• Aveice (popn 8,000) is the county capital
• Aslim (popn 3,500)
• Cheb (popn 3,000)
• Dimorsee (popn 3,500)
• Esposa (popn 3,000)
• Fearom (popn 2,000)
• Hasen (popn 1,000)
• Larkmoor (popn 1,200)
• Verdona (popn 1,500)

People

Rulers of the Realm

This county is ruled by Count Wilheim Volar, the heir to the Duchy Volar. Until 804WK, it was ruled by his elder brother, Leopold Volar. With Leopold's demise in a raid on the Black Forest, Wilheim inherited both the County and his sister-in-law, the Dowager Countess Madeleine. A power struggle is ongoing between those loyal to the new Duke and those supoprting local interests.

Language

Aveice is the archetypical Volar county. The population is 99.9% human. The inhabitants of most western villages and the area around Aslim primarily speak Volkspracht, and perhaps 20% of the total population are fluent. However Common is the primary tongue of the region. Literary is low, with many nobles and even some clergy being illiterate.

Resources

Aveice is a primarily agrarian county, with timber in the south, and wool in the north. It is slowly becoming automated, with many villages having wind or water-mills. Triennial crop rotation is traditional, and horse-drawn heavy plows common. The first printing press has been set up, in Aveice. Trade with northern Eltrandor occurs via Larkmoor and Kayt's Pass. The countryside is not densely populated despite the good soil - the higher altitude, and slower pace of lifestyle seem to prevent the overcrowding of sea-level baronies.

Culture

The general culture is a little backwards compared with the Southern Baronies. The people have a darker, more isolated, narrow-minded and localised worldview. Strangers are strange, the unknown is to be feared, and change is a challenge to tradition and authority. The enlightenment has reached Aveice County in the last generation, and the establishment still isn't convinced that it was a good move.

Apart from some gentry, the county is not warlike, and relies on local town guards or country militia to keep order. Occasional invasions by the Black Forest Orcs and Kheer Tal Trolls, and more frequent border raids by the southern DeBourgnac lords and their Kipchak allies are dealt with by Church Knights, or more often deceit or bribery.

Religion

In this world of authority, superstition, illiteracy and fear, the church has prospered as an unquestionable moral authority, preserving wisdom and knowledge and ensuring a constancy and surity against the corruption of the secular world. As the only respectable occupation for gentry who prefer reason over violence or agriculture, it has harboured the great minds of the last two hundred years. However, in the last decade, the new Bishop of Aveice has changed the orders greatly. Michael & Raphael are no longer the twin towers of religion. Justice and Education have taken their rightful place amongst the ArchAngels, and even Magic is being tolerated to a large extent.

Magic

Until 797WK, Magic was a burning offense. After several senior gentry were revealed as werewolves, and mages helped to save moer nobility, church-licensed mages were allowed. The licensed mages helped to clear up lingering necromancy and demon worship, and also defended Aveice from the Black Forest Orcs. This has made magic a respectable profession, alongside barbers and wigmakers, albeit mainly practised by keen youngsters. Mages still tend to wear the Gold Star that had been mandatory for licensed mages, but now as a badge of pride. The longest established and most famous magic Academy is at Crefeinn. Aveice also has a magic guild.

History

The County of Aveice was recently invaded by the orcs of the Black Forest and the trolls of Mos Kheer, led by Cain. This destroyed large parts of the countryside, and parts of the towns of Aslim and Aveice. The last few years have revolved around the rebuilding of the towns and revenge on the Black Forest.

Map

Currently only paper maps are available, although there is an electronic copy by Kelsie floating around somewhere.