Ikihel

The Barony of Ikihel
House von Oppask
Liege	Unknown
Resources	Undefined
Population	109760
Income	0 weekly, 0 per annum
Size	3136 km^2 (1211 mi^2)

The Barony of Ikihel is a well renowned province that borders along the frontiers of the Charali plains. Claimed by the Vandagans by its rather extended coastline along the sea, the province of Ikihel granted an extended outlet and access to the sea. The Northern reaches of Ikihel are a complex environment; firstly, the inhospitable landscape is punctuated with a number of mountains to the south that a chain and impromptu border that cuts the barony in half. The lowlands not covered in craggy and ragged rubble from the mountains and outcroppings are nothing more than freshwater marshes. For about half of the year the swamp like ground is frozen soil allowing for the transportation and migration of people around the barony. During the short, barely viable growing season most of the farmable land is on the sides of mountains. Most of the poor are barely able to produce enough food for their families, much less pay their taxes. Due to most of the flatter parts of the province being as much water as dirt, travel occurs mainly after the second or third freezing when the marshes are least likely to suck in the unwary traveler. Most of the coastline is actually sheer cliff faces several hundred feet above sea level, only small, rocky beaches and one major natural harbor, provide direct, natural access to the sea. The southern half of the province is generally far flatter, and far warmer than the northern part, it is a fairly mild climate.

During its time as a fief in the kingdom of Tubor, the barony of Ikihel was a sparsely settled territory, considered to be on the frontier. However its proximity along the coast gave the territory some measure of strategic importance. However the general harsh nature of the landscape would have made the region unsuitable for settlement and may not have garnered any importance at all as a barony if not for the city of Ikihel itself. The city of Ikihel is literally carved into the cliff face, creating a labyrinth of buildings. The city is built in a number of layers with great stone buildings and towers. Most of the construction seems to be literally carved directly into the cave with adornments and engravings from seemingly thousands of years ago trailing along the outside of each building. The complex construction is layered in a number of levels, with the lowest being the furthest out towards the water, while each higher level is built upon the previous, forming a sort of tower like complex that reaches up to the cavernous overhang which hovers over the entire city. Due to the actual creation processes and the difficulty of carving and mining solid stone, the actual city has expanded above, on top of the overhang that shades the city from the snow and cold. A small shanty town is where most of the poorer denizens reside above, living above in barely standing houses that often must be rebuilt during the spring thaws due to the wetlands the buildings are constructed on top of. The city of Ikihel, which the barony is named for is one great enigma for the duchy of Vandagan, the actual creation of the city has been lost to time, though rumors are abound as to what or who actually has constructed the labyrinthine complex. The official story is that before the Consolidation, the Duchy of Vandagan used several thousand slaves to literally chisel away stone to create the city. More disturbing perhaps are the hushed rumors whisper of mages shaping the earth around them to create their own labyrinth complexes. This is obviously vehemently denied by the Baron of the area, though skeptics often quote the fact that the city of Ikihel has the highest per capita burnings in the entire duchy.

Within the past fifty years the nobility of the region have been trying to colonize and settle the southern half of Ikihel, which has had a far more temperate climate. The people settled in this region hail from a number of other duchies, mainly lithmorran and vandagan though a significant minority of Vavardi also reside in the colonies set up by the barony. The generally more productive land and more tolerable climate have been a massive boost for the region. From colonization from other duchies alone, the province's total population nearly tripled. And if things remain constant, the Barony stands to gain further growth in the near future as the land continues to be developed.

House von Oppask assumed control of Ikihel in 367 SC after the previous Baron von Uvarov was deposed by the Crown. Anatoly von Oppask, a renown jouster, is third in line to inherit.