Duchy of Coterii

Overview: Duchy of Coterii
The Duchy of Coterii is a medium region on the west side of the former Human region. With the recent ascension of Julian Domgee and the following military agreement with the Barony of Liefen it is in a period of stability and peace.

Geography and climate
A moist forest with a moderate climate with four distinct seasons. There is snow in the winter and some rain in the summer, with heavier rains in the spring. All but the northern edges of this territory are in the Emerald Ironwood forest. To the southwest this forest ends at the mountains of the Sea'ek Tribal region and to the southeast becomes the plains of the O'lory Entitlement. The portion of this kingdom outside of the Emerald Ironwood forest are rolling hills, small plains and light woods.

History
The Duchy of Coterii was at one time part of the Eastern Kingdoms of Man, with Otore, Rak'ang Ridge, Drald Territory, Gulparia and the Barony of Liefen. At that time, they swore loyalty to the King in Dragonhall, who was under the Emperor. In 4500, the Emperor was killed, but for a time the Duchy of Coterii recognized itself remained loyal to the King. During this time, it commonly known as the Lands of the Emerald Ironwood.

In 4507, Lord Lyus Coterii declared his independence from the King and renamed this region as the Duchy of Coterii. This came as a complete surprise and insult to the king, but at that time, he did not have the resources to wage war. Recognizing the danger which could be posed to his new kingdom, the first Lord Coterii funded the creation of Fort Morland, which at that time was simply a military outpost. Fort Morland was fully operational by 4509.

While minor skirmishes have been fought on west side of kingdom, with both Gulparia and the Drald Territory, no significant or longstanding war has been fought around Fort Morland. As a result, a city has sprung up around the fort.

On the other hand, for the last 50 years, the border between the Duchy of Coterii and the Province of Tilbury has plagued with wars. The first war, later called the Astigani War, started in 4651 when the Duchy of Coterii tried to push it's border to include Roothold, the Astigani territory and Bru'donu. As a result Roothold became an independent city and the Astigani people extended the range they wondered to include portions of the Barony of Liefen.

It ended with a peace agreement which lasted until 4693, the Massacre of Coterii, when the werewolf army of Bru'donu stormed across Emerald Keep and into Castle Coterii. Inside the castle they managed to kill most of the royal family, but where defeated when Gatus Coterii, the brother of the Lord Broten Coterii, arrived with a special force armed with silvered weapon. This promptly ended the incursion and made the younger brother the new Lord. It was later discovered that the rightful heir, the child of the slain Lord, had survived and the Massacre of Coterii had been arranged by the brother become king.

The last war took place in 4714, was a short live border war, sometimes called Domgee's Coronation. It was the result of Julian Domgee's perceived weakness after his abrupt ascension from simple priest of Herew in operating in obscurity to Lord. With the help secured by Bram Rikfeld, the Guardian of Herew, from the Barony of Liefen and the assistance from a small elven army from Kingdom Ir'isi the Duchy of Coterii not only kept its land, but the city of Roothold officially swore allegiance to the new Lord.

Government
The Duchy of Coterii has been a monarchy since it was founded shortly after the death of the Last Emperor. The leader of this kingdom has always had the simple title of Lord, a throwback to days preceding the kingdom, when the first Lord Coterii was subject to the King of the Eastern Kingdoms of Man. The Lord is over the city rulers, Mayors, which are elected positions and these Mayors are responsible for the land surrounding their communities.

The Lordship is passed down the blood line from father to son, with the rightful heir identified with the Amulet of Coterii, a magical amulet which glows when on the Lord. The current Lord, Julian Domgee, was misplaced for twenty years after the deception of his uncle which allowed him to kill the rest of the royal family and make himself out to be the Hero of the war of Bru'Donu.

Military
The military of the Duchy of Coterii reports up to Commander at Arms Nopp, who is headquartered in Emerald Keep. Each of the city commanders report to her and they, in turn, have several unit commanders who report to them.

Most of the time the military handles the day to day policing of the cities, but when needed can pull together to make a fairly effective fighting force. The make up of the army is almost all swordsman, but there are some medics of Tehana and war wizards. These individuals are paid, but joining is completely voluntary. In their first year new recruits are trained at the military school in Fort Morland.

Economy and trade
The principle export of the Duchy of Coterii is the rich green, remarkably hard lumber of the Emerald Ironwood trees. Products made out of this wood can sell for up to twenty times the value of their other wood counter parts. Because of this, outside of the Duchy of Coterii these items are considered luxury items. Additionally, special grants are given for the harvesting of these trees and it is expected to be done in a way to allow natural reseeding. The majority of imports into the Duchy of Coterii are luxury items. This includes silver from the Barony of Liefen, fine candles from Gulparia and expensive wines from the Drald Territory.

Society and culture
The vast majority of humanoids in the Duchy of Coterii are humans, but there are small populations of nearly all other humanoid types in the area. In the Fort Morland area, there is a village of half orcs, one of the few groups which do suffer some discrimination. In Emerald Keep and Roothold there is a significant number of Halflings and Dwarves, which impact some of the food and lifestyles of those communities. Some of the dwarves here claim roots going back before the founding of the Duchy, while the Halflings are largely refugees from the Province of Tilbury.

The one group that faces nearly universal distrust and open discrimination is the Astigani. They are a wondering people who travel in large colorful caravans on the roads on the east side of the Duchy and up into the Barony of Liefen. The Astigani do not see any problem with lying, stealing and cheating to get by. They often park outside of town telling fortunes and selling potions, which do nothing but make you drunk. The men in this culture are brutes and thieves, while the women are crafty and charming leaders. The children are taught to beg and pickpocket.

Religion
The Duchy of Coterii is neither deeply religious nor generally against religion. The leadership has never had, nor offered a religious position in the government. The cities within the duchy usually have just a couple of lightly attended churches. These include churches to Tehana and Nagid in Fort Morland, a temples to Charese and Hoofshaw in Roothold, churches to Tehana and Ktisis in Wylinton and Charese, Tehana, Ktisis and Herew in Emerald Keep.

It should be noted that the Church of Herew and specifically their Order of the Silver Thread have played a distinct role in the current state of the Duchy of Coterii. Because of the involvement of Bram Rikfeld, the Guardian, a paladin of Herew, Lord Coterii deliver a proclamation attempting to shut down the church. This result in his removal and finding of the rightful heir, Julian Domgee, who was previously the head priest of the church of Herew in Emerald Keep. As a result, while it is not the official religion, the popularity of Herew in this area has grown.

Education and magic
Moderate education is the normal aspiration of the individuals in the Duchy of Coterii. The typical attitude toward those who are highly educated is they are not hard workers, this includes those highly skilled in magic or other bookish arenas. On the other hand, it is considered brutish if you do not know how to read.

There is no formal education system. The only school to speak of is the military school in Fort Morland. Primary education is handled either by the parents, or if you are wealthy, a tutor hired by your parents. Your secondary education is pretty much always an apprenticeship learning a trade. This is how they handle everything from farming to accounting. Even in the case of those that show magical aptitude, in order to receive training in the duchy, you need to have a master who will take you on as an apprentice.

It is not uncommon for those truly serious in scholastic pursuits to go somewhere like the Drald Territory to receive a more formal higher education.