Crestley

The Barony of Crestley
House Rousselle
Liege	Contested
Resources	Undefined
Population	106155
Income	0 weekly, 0 per annum
Size	3033 km^2 (1171 mi^2)

Geography

Crestley has long stood at a crossroads, for all people travelling by land between the two main parts of the largest island of the Tubori archipelago must go through it. The land itself is also one of two halves, with the north side and the south side of the barony divided by the Ghostbone Hills.

The Ghostbone Hills form a spine along the center of Crestley, running from a start at the mid-north-western side and then widening as they approach (and move slightly into) Norsley. The hills get their name from the sharp, somehow naturally-formed rock spires that dot the tops of some of the hills, which is all that is visible from the mist that seems to arise upon the hills every morning. Local folklore say that the spires are the ribs of the giants that ruled the Urth before modern man existed. There are a couple of settlements in the area, the largest of which around the winter home of the Rousselle family, to which they venture during the stormy season- and traditionally have also used it as a rallying point away from the coast in case of invasion.

The northern side of the barony faces the rough and troubled seas of the Dralth, and is a harsh strip of land. Much of the northern coast is made up of sheer cliffs, the crumbling stone a reddish hue. A few little smuggler inlets dot the coast, giving a shelter from the storms and a brief hide away from the eyes of the waterborne Reeves that police Tubor's waters. There are a few scattered settlements, but nothing larger than a village.

Colloquially known as the Backwash, the southern and western sides of the barony are the home to eighty percent of Crestley's population. Facing the warm waters of the Redwater Bay and the calmer, more predictable weather it carries, make it an appealing area to live. Crops are grown in the foothills, mostly for local consumption and export to nearby baronies, little of it making it to Lithmorran markets. However, the sea is the focus of Crestley as it is with most Tubori. Fish are, of course, drawn from the sea, again mostly to feed the local and nearby markets. But pearls are the star of Crestley and upon whose back their trade economy is built, with their coasts full of oysters and other molluscs which are farmed by highly skilled divers. The rarest of those are the black and red pearls- the latter of which being the source of the Rousselle name.

At the best inlet along the southern coast, where the Flaudine River finishes her journey, the small city of Widderan can be found. Widderan (known commonly as the Withered Lips) is the seat of the baronial family and all baronial functions, where the local Reeves are headquartered and, of course, the largest church is located. It is also the center of trade and industry, with most goods that are due to make their way out of Crestley coming through Widderan at one time or another, where the baron's functionaries gather their tariffs and taxes. A small jeweling industry has also arisen in recent years to make best use of the pearling.

Citizenry

The people of Crestley are a welcoming but proud people. They're accepting, generally, of outsiders but are prickly quick to anger when they feel slighted and it isn't uncommon to see a duel take place in Widderan's main square (Pearlman's Square) amongst the hot-headed young gentry and freemen.

The le Rousselle family has ruled Crestley since before the Consolidation and were one of the early adopters of Davism after the fall of the Grand Paramount. They have at times played mediator between other feuding nobles. They have historically strong ties with the nobility of the throat and Norsley while rivalling with their coastal neighbours in Baigmantown and the Organ Coasts. Due to the lack of importance Crestley places upon her northern coast, there is less impact with their final neighbours in Zataiga.

The current baron is Ferlad le Roussell, a man in his fifties that has slowed down from his youthful activities as age and widower-hood take their toll. He has two children, Paola and Yessra of five and three years old respectively. Less than a year ago, he took a new wife, a young Lithmorran woman from the baronial family of Rosewood. Some would consider it a strange match due to a lack of shared interests between the houses, but the people of Crestley have come to accept their new baroness Margaux, and she is often seen on the streets of Widderan. (Dates are written as of Maritus SC 366)

The sigil of House Rousselle has two fields, the uppermost of which is a cresting red wave on a pale blue background about to crash upon a traditional Tubori ship. The lower field is a white background with three lustrous black pearls arranged in a triangular pattern.

Map of Crestley

           ^^___\_|--                                  MAJOR SETTLEMENTS
  BAIG    ^^/^^^^\ \----  --  --   ----                A: Widderan City
  MAN    \^/^^^^^^\I\----    --   ---    -             B: Coastal Town
  TOWN    \^^^^^^^   \---    __  -- -  --/             C: Coastal Town
    _____/ H^^^^^^^^^^\_____/  \________/              D: Coast-Swamp Town
___/   --\  \ ^^^^^^  ____/J ^      ^^^|               E: Coast Town
  --  --- |F \   ^^^_/      ^^^    ^^^^^\^  ZATAIGA    F: Coast Town
       --  \  \___G/^^^^   ^^^      ^^^^|^^            G: Crossroad Town
        -   \E   \^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^|^^^           H: Border Town 
             |    \_^^^^^N^^^^^^^^O^^^^/^\^^           I: Mining Town
             |Dww ww\^^^/^^^^^^^^^^^^^/^^              J: Cliff Settlement
       ---  / wwwww  \^/^^^^^^^^^^___/                 K: Crossroad Town
    ------- |_wwwww   K^^^^^^^^^^/^                    L: Hill Town
    ----      \ww    / \  ^^^^^^/^^                    M: Border Town
    --         \_   /   \_L^^^^/^^  NORSLEY            N: Amery, Summer Seat
     ---         |C/ \ ^^^^^^^/\^                      O: Mining Town
       ---       \ \  A__ ^^^/^^|                      P: Island Fortress
      --    _     |B / \ \^^/^^  \                     -: Reefs 
           /P\     \/  /__M/^^^                        ^: Hills
           \_ \        \   \^  THE ORGAN               w: Swamps 
             \/    --   \    COASTS                    \: Roads