Eastgale

The Barony of Eastgale
House ab Aguarossa
Liege	Margaux ab Aguarossa
Resources	Undefined
Population	104790
Income	0 weekly, 0 per annum
Size	2994 km^2 (1156 mi^2)

Eastgale is a barony in the Kirulean Coast region of Lithmore, along the eastern seaboard of the duchy. Her southern neighbour is the barony of Hamstone, while to the north are the counties of Amhurst and Sunset. Meanwhile to the west are the Crown Lands and the ancient free city of Loryth, where the first Lithmorran king had his castle.

The land is home to many a river, chief among which is the great and holy Bren herself, but also two of her major feeder rivers, the Tintle and the Vastry. The Tintle emerges from the northern hills in the direction of Amhurst, while the Vastry comes from the soutern reaches through the forests there. The Bren, of course, comes in from the west where it flows from Loryth City. Much of the central lowlands make for good, fertile plains and a great deal of the barony's food is grown and raised here. Of course, the Tintle descends into a swampy valley beneath the hills there, an area known as the Whitmarsh, and has always been a place where criminals have hidden from due justice.

Thick forest graces a large area of the southwestern portion of the land, and has in times gone past been felled for the creation of fleets and is the source of many building materials- wood is highly favoured in Eastgale's settlements. The coasts that lead out to the Kirulean are a far cry from Tubor's golden beaches, instead being a collection of pebble-strewn stretches and eroding clifffaces.

The primary settlement is, of course, Rosgate, settled upon the northern and southern (but mostly the former) banks of the Bren where it opens out into the Kirulean. She is a bustling place, home to a local merchant and artisan class and many a foreign trader- as the gateway to and from the Bren, all manner of foreign ships call in at the city and her tariff offices.

The secondary settlement is the Castle Valorous, set where the Bren and the Tintle join. Central to the town and with a place on a hill is the eponymous castle, where it enjoys a commanding view over the rivers. It has traditionally been the seat of military power within the Barony and serves as the primary residence of the Baronial family. It is named after the Valareaux family, traditional noble scions of the barony from before the rise of Dav.

Other settlements of note are Erring's Port on the eastern coast, which was once a hive of shipbuilding activity, but has now faded from those days. Close by is also Oraphim, up in the hills and overlooking the local pastoral activities and is a known center of a major knight's fort- part of their remit is overseeing the swamp lands. Vastrymoot is a township at the point where the Vastry joins the Bren, home to many logging companies and other businesses with interests in the southern forests.

People and History

The people of Eastgale have traditionally had an interducalist outlook, thanks to the many visitors from foreign lands and their heavy dependence upon the trade (and tariffs) they bring. That outlook tends to lead to a willingness to embrace foreign ideas, and Eastgale City has small quarters containing merhants from each of the duchies (although that of the Fariners is small to say the least).

The further one gets from the cities and the less one's welfare relies upon foreigners, the less likely they are to embrace them and instead regard them with suspicion. It is within these distant and reactionary communities where the Cult of the White Flame is said to have dug in her first roots.

Since before the time of Dav, the lands were ruled by the Valareaux, a noble family that dominated the local lands from their great castle. Their rule was expanded and formalised into what is close to the current borders of the land, when they threw their support behind the foundation of Lithmore as a kingdom. By bending the knee readily to the first ab Harmon, their own claims were supported.

Their rule had been largely uncontested, although they were suspected of being sympathisers with the fleeing merchants that founded Vavard due to their close ties and complicity in allowing their departure. They certainly prospered from the foundation of the new state, capitalising on the new trading opportunities and serving as a go-between for Vavardi and Lithmorran interests that rarely saw eye to eye.

In the events surrounding the Vavardi rebellion, Eastgale's primary ports were busy, building the ships that would be used by Sivernus dul Acris and the Lithmorran forces in subjugating the Merchant State. There was much disquiet at the time, with many Eastgalians concerned of the disruption that the war would bring, fears that were borne out in the short term- it is said that there were riots held against the war and that Baron Alimond ab Valareaux directly petitioned the king against it. In the long term, matters settled out with Vavard properly integrated into the Lithmorran kingdom, although it meant that Eastgale could no longer grasp so greedily at tariffs.

From that point on, the Valareaux had their ups and downs, their share of tragedies and highlights. Like many of the ancient houses, they suffered badly at the hands of the ab Harmon plague, losing many of their extended family line. Their baroness survived, but ventured rarely from Eastgale past that day, instead remaining to build up her barony as a patron of the arts. Her legacy remains in the Boulevard, a stretch of the river front in Eastgale City, lined with well-planned parks, statuary and monuments as well as the Old Gatehouse, a museum and art gallery. Her court, while it lasted, was also home to many a resident singer, poet and artist- although many were consigned to the same fire that burned the Baroness, taken as a sign of moral turpitude and a drifting away from traditional Lithmorran values. With the horrific death of the baroness, her brother and her children, it marked the end of the Valareaux line.

From that point, the land itself was also ravaged by the White Flame, with her people taking the strongest brunt of the unauthorised burnings often targetted at outsiders. Whole villages have been left depopulated, with the people dead or fled to escape the worst.

For a year of chaos rode high, while the lands were only loosely administered from Lithmore as the White Flame Rebellion reached a zenith. With their defeat, the realm's able High Steward, Margaux le Rousselle was appointed as the new Baroness, surrendering all personal claims to the lands of her late husband Ferled le Rousselle.

House Aguarossa

House Aguarossa was established in 370 with two members: Margaux le Rousselle, widowed baroness of Crestley (and sister to Baron Gaven ab Kovar of Rosewood) and her daughter, Voletta le Rousselle. With their installation in Eastgale and with a pointed desire to hew a new and independent path, the Lady adopted the new familial name of Aguarossa.

The sigil of House Aguarossa is an ancient stone bridge over a body of red water. The gap between the bridge and the water is filled with a chained steel portcullis. The bridge and portcullis signifies the part Eastgale plays in inter-ducal trade- both enabling and monitoring, while the water signifies their natural place as custodians of the Bren while the red hue is said to be in honor of the many Eastgalians that lost their lives to the White Flame.

A map of Eastgale and surrounds:

      \       AMHURST   
       \__*__   _
SUNSET /  *  \_/ |__
      / ww*ww     /
     | wwwwwww    \_
  __/ \ wwwwww      | 
     _/  *ww  4     |_____
     \   *           /  ---
      \_ **         /  ---         TOWNS & MAP KEY
LORYTH  | **        | --   K    1: Rosgate
& RYL  _|  *       3|      I    2: Castle Valorous
DMN   /   2*        \      R    3: Erring's Port 
     /  ****         |--   U    4: Oraphim
    / ***  **       / -    L    5: Vastrymoot
    \**  @  **      |--    E    |: Borders and Coast
  /\_/  @@   **    /       A    *: Major Rivers
 |     @@@  5***   \       N    w: Swamps
/     @@@   *  ****1|           @: Heavy Forest
\_@@@@@@@@@*@@     / \-    S
  \@@@@@@@@*@     /   \--  E
   \_@@@@@*@     /         A
     \@@@*@@     /
      \@@@@@   /
       \_@@@@ /
HAMSTONE \@  /  HAMSTONE
          \_/