Leki Posted October 12, 2014 Chapter one : Introduction Chapter 2 : Meldrim County Dear Master, It has been several weeks since I arrived in Meldrim county. I found a decent inn not far from the Lortia river. From there I have the sight of the mighty mitgardian Demon's Ridge. It is said that without a proper guide it is pure madness to try to cross those mountains, and that, only true Mitgardians can found the treacherous path. Well that should explain why trade road to Valholl go the long way through Hauta and Ferinwald and not straight upon mountains. During the last weeks, as ordered, I have been able to travel through all the county, gathering more information about the geography, history, economy of those lands. I learned the customs, spend a long time in the library to discover ancient text and even have the chance to have a brief talk with the young Asarion. I must say that when you sent me there I was doubtful of the value of my mission : who could be interested by this tiny frontier county ? But I can see now why you give me this task there as I discovered a dynamic county that have asset to rise in the future. So please find enclosed in this packet all the information I have gathered on Meldrim I hope that it will comply with the quality standard of the geography department of the University of Petraea and so with that I will be recognize as a full member. If possible I wish to stay in the northern Avalonia, continuing to cartography frontier lands. By the hand of Quarks. Apprentice of Petraea University. Geography and life in the county of Meldrim From apprentice Petraea geograph Quarks. Meldrim county is one of the furthest north county of Avalonia. Even if not that far from Albion it is harsh to reach those lands from there as between them lay one of the biggest forest of Avalonia and also an immense lake. Meldrim is bordered in the north by Mitgardia and the Demon's Ridge mountains, in the east the Lortia river act as a natural border with Hauta while the Razors mountain in the west separate Meldrim from Oros. In the south the influence of Meldrim stops with the Aryth river which cross the Natals forest part of one of the primary forest of Historica. One of the best know landmark of Meldrim is the mighty Mystara mount, one of the most sacred place for Meldrian. Thanks to the mountain in the north and west, and with the wind coming from the sea which temperate the temperature along the Lortia canyon conditions are not that hard as expected. I found some number about the temperature in the city of Meldrim to illustrate this : The south of the country is a little bit warmer in the east and around the Saphir Lake whereas it is a bit colder in the west at the foot of Razors mountains. Almost all the inner lands are suitable for agriculture as the county is blessed by abundant source of water. In the north and east the Lortia river which runs till the sea irrigate the Golden Plains whereas the Aryth river flowing both till the inner Avalonian sea and Saphir Lake and the multiple streams coming from Razors mountains contribute to keep the grass always green in the so called Green plains. My best estimation of the size of the country is about 1023km². I managed to draw an approximate map of the area base on my own observation and old map found in books. I wished I had one of the Rakath mountains griffins used by the university to draw an accurate aerial map. Even if the formation of the county is young, those lands have a long history. During my stay in Meldrim and Mygalos i managed to meet some scholar who were able to help me to get a more precise picture of what happened. Unfortunately a lot of document disappeared in the midst of the time and during the recent wars. I tried, as learned under you wise guidance in the University, to do the difference between the fact and the legends but I'm afraid that I got only a fragmentary vision of the past. Very few reports exist from the ancient time. All I managed to discover is that some elves where living in the Natals forest as far as the written traces exist. It is also said that the Malthyr abbey has been constructed on an ancient altar of the Druids. There is almost no insight about what happened during a long period till around 150 years ago with the rise of three factions : In the north the house Qiliel with the city of Meldrim as its stronghold who share some bonds with first pioneer coming from the north and original local Norsemen. In the south the house Mystara who claimed to be blood related with the ancient Druids and established their domination from the city of Mygalos In the western forest, which covered much more land that nowadays, the heir of the original elves. At that time a lot of skirmish happened between those factions, but also with men coming from the north trying to spread their domination outside the Demon's Ridge, without any factions taking advantage. The fragile balance was shattered when North clan unify to eradicate the three old factions of the county. It is only thanks to that fear of being wipe out by the northern tribe that the Qiliel house, the Mystara House and the elves from Natal's forest join forces inside what have been called the Meldrim alliance. It seems that this treaty has been signed in that city. The three factions united manage to win a decisive victory at the Moraelin pass which act as the trigger of the creation of the Meldrim county. During several days, outnumbered elves have held the pass against the Norsemen before the arriving of a backup troops leads by Mellar of Qiliel. Even then, the odds was still in favor of north tribes, but inspired by Mellar behavior, his troops manage to resist and kill the main troops of the enemy. After this battle the initiative and moral was alongside Meldrim alliance and it took only a few weeks to end the war. Both north tribes and Meldrim alliance agree that the Lortia river would be the border between their countries. And since then they were no major conflict between Meldrim and the future Mitgardian tribes. Even with the peace and the old bond between Qiliel house and north tribe the war has dug a big gap between the two cultures which still now affects the relation with Mitgardia. After this treaty, the three factions realized that fighting alongside have forge strong bond between them and that they can protect themselves against external threat only as an united country. So with unanimity it was decided that Mellar will be the first count of Meldrim advise by an High Council where each faction has a seat. Under the impulsion of the elves it has not been long before Meldrin join forces with the raising power of Avalonia. The rule of Qiliel house transformed the county into a booming country and a lot of immigrant coming from the south settled in. During several decades the worst crisis were some raids from renegade North tribes. Even when tensions raised dangerously with Mitgardia because of dwarves mining dangerously close to historical Natals elves lands both part managed to solved the problem peacefully in forbidding mining along Meldrim border. But under the rules of Adrian, third count of Meldrim, Revolworld took power and brought chaos to all Historica and Meldrim was no exception. The county suffered a lot of destruction in the initial elemental assault but thanks to the help to magical power of the Malthyr order, Mygalos and Meldrim held against those old power. I noticed through several texts that till this time magical powers were not in high esteem when related to battle power in the county. Magic was seen as something which should be used only to heal and far too dangerous to be used to destroy. Since Revolworld, battle wizard have been integrated to all county forces as the High Council of Meldrim realized that without them it is almost impossible for the steel to beat the magic. Aldrian in person leading Meldrian forces with his eldest son Leki took part, and fall at the battle of Cedrica. His brother in law, Herith were also killed a few days later during the last fight around the city. Protected by his uncle Yörgl, Leki now count of Meldrim, managed to make it back alive to Meldrim to regroup his weakened armies. Revolword was defeated but at a high cost for the county a large part of the population died during elemental attacks or the reconquest of Historica. Inheriting the crown at a young age Leki came back to Meldrim to rebuild its land. Some voices raised to say he was not fit to rule, especially after his controversial decision to send some Natals Rangers help to fight the Black Spire. But after some time, the county managed to heal its wounds and Leki prove to the doubtful lords his valor by leading numerous time with success Meldrian army against the Drow invasion in the south of Meldrim. At dawn of new trouble at his northern border with Mitgardia, it seems that the county is ready to protect itself, once again united. Due to history, and contrary to other countries the count of Meldrim do not held an absolute power over the land. Inherited from the system decided after the Moraelin pass battle the political system had slightly evolved to reach the actual form. Through discussion with Asarion, the youngest brother of the count, I managed to come up with an accurate view on how the administration and military power is working and what each member of the High Council is in charge of. The county has been united for more than 130 years and the confrontation is now more political than on military ground. Several new power have risen as the Ayash Family and the growing influence of Malthyr Order. I gathered some element on the most important faction or military order of the county. House Qiliel : Color : Blue and Black Sigils : Falcon Leader : Yörgl (The head of the house is traditionally different from the count) House Qiliel would come from the northern part of Historica, from what is known as Mitgardia now, probably from somewhere around the bay of Storms. Originally known as the "Hawk tribe" the tribe took the name of Qiliel house when it settled in the Golden Plains. As fierce warriors and with tight bond between them they managed to gain some influence onto elves and Mystarian territory. At that time only winter bring some kind of peace between factions on those lands. But if steel allowed Qiliel house to gain some territory, only trade with his neighbor help to develop the prosperity of their land. With time the influence of their Nordic origins almost disappeared as they learned new knowledge and customs essentially thanks to the elves and the Malthyr order. Since Mellar, the house is recognized as the leading house of the county without any contestation. And the following count continued the path it had traced by enforcing bonds between old factions. Nowadays Qiliel and Mystara houses military forces have almost disappeared in favor of the regular army of the county. Only a few elite forces are remaining under Qiliel colour. House Mystara : Color : Black and red Sigils : Dragon Head Leader : Blaeric Inside the Castle of Mygalos House Mystara like to call them "true heir of the Druids". If it is true that they were the first non elves community to settle south of Mystara mount it is highly improbable that they are really blood related to old Druids. A much trustworthy version of the history is that Mystarian Lords come directly from the Lord of the (at that time) small fishermen village of Mygalos. It is highly probable that during this old time they had some contact with the last Druids, and even maybe received their benediction and advise. Anyway till recently they share the domination of those lands with the Elves : the forest were the realm of elves and the plains the realm of humans. Skirmish was common but not that bloody. It is only with the arrival in the north of house Qiliel that Mystara lost almost half his territory. If Qiliel choice as dominant house for Meldrim county was widely accepted at the creation of the county with each new count Mystarian house try to get the power, especially when Leki gain the title. He was really young, whereas Blaeric was a veteran. The county was close to civil war, but Yörgl manage to rally all faction, except Mystara, behind his nephew maintaining the unity of the county. For now, and due to two good first year of reign it seems that Mystara is once again a loyal member of the county ! Rangers of Natals : Color : Dark green and gold Sigils : various Leader : Haevin Ranger patrol near Ryet Natals Rangers are the heirs of the former elves who lived in the western forest. Nowadays pure elves have almost completely disappeared in Meldrim as they chose to go back to the Mystic Isles. But still to be part of the Rangers you have to be somehow blood related to elves. The rangers are an elite corps, of course they are emeritus archers, and often used as scout or for stealth mission as their blood elves give them better abilities in those fields. Due to the history they have a seat to the High Council and assumed the security of the western and the south border till Delund. Normally watch tower along the border are manned by regular troops but Mellar gave them the responsibility of the Moraelim watch tower and since then they assume the watch, controlling the way to Oros, one of the main economic road for Meldrim. From as far as I found reports they are always been wary of the northern dwarves and their thirst of wealth. This antagonist still play a great role in the somehow chaotic diplomatic relation between Meldrim and Mitgardia. Elves are the only original faction to have kept full force of their old military power under the group of Natals Rangers Malthyr order : Colour : White Sigils : Unknown Leader : Unknown, their High Council member is known as Patriarch Caïus Malthyr order is a religious order known for their knowledge in healing fields and claiming to follow the old Druids wisdom path. They are easily recognizable as they wear only white. Medical services of the county are almost always assured by member of the order. But if it is not rare to see lower member of the order dispensing medical help even in remote area, higher rank member stay most of the time inside their abbeys. The main one being the one in the Mystara Mount. Till the Revolword uprising they were considered as a pacific order, but when Meldrim lords fought against elemental forces it has been Malthyr monks who provide the adequate magic to deal with elemental magic. Adrian of Qiriel realized at that time that Meldrim was unprepared to face heavy magic attack and that Malthyr order seems to be much more knowledgeable in this field than expected. Thus one representative of the order has been appointed in the High Council as an advisor for magical matter and the order has been responsible for training some battle wizard for Meldrim military forces. With the rise of the trouble throughout all Historica it is not rare now to see the healer of the order protected by monk soldiers. Most of them are recognizable due to the giant hammer they carry everywhere. Some voices among the three historic faction of Meldrim asked for a deeper control of the order as its last actions prove that they are a much more powerful military forces strength than expected. But till now they haven't done any attempt to gain any bigger political influence. Ayash House (Merchants) : Colour : Gold and Yellow Sigils : none Leader : Hazolim Came a few decade ago from Kephalin, those merchants has risen into importance when they developed the trade of iron and copper found into Mystara mount. Recently they gained a seat to the High Coucil due to their economic importance into the county and also as a thanks when they opened their safe to avoid the starvation after the destruction of all the crops by the elemental war. This action has gained them a tremendous respect in the population. Even if they do get a private militia to protect the transportation of their goods they are rarely involved in military defense of Meldrim. They prefer to take economic action to influence decision and as they like to say : "Who needs steel, when he has Gold ?" Ayash house held the power on most of the main trade road especially on exportation of cereals and ore. They also provide almost all the weapon of the county. All those resources are ensuring them unlimited found which provided them an huge political weight especially considering that Meldrim still need a lot of rebuilding. Silver Drake : Colour : Gray and White Sigils : Grey Crown Leader : To be appointed Fighting the Drow ! Silver Drake is an order of heavy armored cavaliers inspired by the glorious avalonian Flight of Dragons order. Famous for their shining gray armor they are seldom seen since the battle of Cedrica where most of their member died. The remaining members are for now scattered through the county helping to slaughter any Drow incursion. Some rumors have been heard that the High Council wish to appoint a new "Master of the Silver Drake" in order to reborn the strength of the order. It appears throughout my search that every details about the Silver Drakes are surrounded by mystery and it is really hard to have trustworthy information. Oh of course a few pint in taverns will get you a lot of tales about how strong the Silver Drake are, how they can fly just thanks their mind or that they ride real silver dragons... but in truth they were already considered as a secret order before their fall, and now it is rare to found someone whom have actually seen one of those famous chivalry. But one thing is certain without a strong silver flight Meldrim has virtually no heavy cavalry and so is really vulnerable. In those time of trouble it is doubtful that the High Council let that matter as it is. Regular County Army : Color : Dark green / Sand green : Avalonian colors. Right after the foundation of Meldrim county border watch was assumed by old factions armies, but little by little those forces have merged into a unique force without faction distinction. It has been decided that this force would take Avalonian color as a symbol of both interior and exterior unity. Little by little this military corpse rise in power, first it was mainly dedicated to guard border watch tower and was tiny compared to faction personal guards but with time it has now grow to be the main forces of the country. Directly under the control of the High Council, the count cannot use those troops without the approbation of the majority of the council. Apart for protecting Meldrim county troops are also deployed against Drow incursion or send to help allies outside the border. Lately they did take great part into Cedrica battle or to push back the Drow invasion of the Green Plains. The regular forces are composed mainly of footmen and few medium and light rider as the heavy cavalry formed the Silver Drake corpse. Militia / Town watch : Directly paid by each city council they are seen only into the biggest cities : Meldrim, Mygalos and Cisar. The town watch perform police duty and are rarely engaged into direct battle against enemies, even if they did take part to the defense of the realm against the elemental. Their presence is an heritage from northern influence and so even nowadays their outfit reflect this old relation Even if Meldrim county forces have suffered great hits those last year they are still relatively powerful, all the more that they can use a lot of fortification and watchtower around its border. Lately it seems that the Count Leki is looking to reinforce bonds with Avalonian neighbor province. Even if Meldrian forces have been dispatched to go against Black Spire into Nocturnus it seems that they won't be involved further into this civil war as the county never had really deep bonds with eastern people. For now, the main subjects seem to secure Meldrim territory from the Drow threat, and reinforce the northern border as mitgardian dwarves tend to forget the old agreement concerning where they have right to settle ore mine and of course continue to rebuild the country and its economy. Meldrim economy is based on non manufactured goods, except for weapons. The county produces principally woods thanks to the Natals forest, provide iron and copper to nearby realms. Thanks to the mine of Mystara mount, Meldrim county has also developed his expertise in weaponry and armor smiting. The north and the golden plains are fertile plains where it is easy to make grow wheat and barley and so some fine beer are brewed in the county like the famous "Dragon of Mystara" made in Mygalos. The south is more dedicated to cattle breeding. You also find some sheep farm around Delund which provide some fine wool. Thanks to the dynamic agriculture (more than 55% of the land can be cultivated) Meldrim had almost never suffered from starvation, even during the worst winter where the cold coming from Mitgardian mount can bite crops as soon as to mid august till end of may the county can still rely on fishing from the Saphir Lake, cattle and hunting form Natals forest. Meldrim is a relatively wealthy county (especially due to cereals, ore and weapon exportation), but is somehow lacking from refined goods. Even being far from the main major trade road they managed to received goods from lands caravan as far as Petraea or from Oros where ship unload their goods to a land caravan which reach Meldrim through the Moraelim pass. Even if Meldrim city do have a small harbor it is really difficult to do any trade due to the geographic situation. The only possibility is to go all the way till Mygalos harbor on the Saphir Lake but the navigation is dangerous and only trade ships led by an experimented captain can found their way. It is quiet common to see some boat clashing into the border of the canyon. For Meldrim they are two major trade road : In the north the land road through Moraelin pass till Oros and its harbor on the sea. This road is vital to import and export a lot of goods required or sold by the county, and so Meldrim must keep good relation with Oros at all cost. In the South the road who join the major trade axe <Vahol - Albion - Petraea > used by land caravans. Some adventurous merchant choose to take the shortest path to Mitgardia through the north road and along Mitgardia coastline but the path is treacherous and unsecured. Only if the speed is vital could justify its use, or of course a surprise invasion ! Thanks to all those ressources, Meldrim can sustain a decent population. After the last trouble Meldrim county administration evaluate the inhabitants around 26 139. With only a density of 25.6/km² those lands can still welcome a lot of immigrant. But if historically some tribes from the north have made the trip till Meldrim since the time of the "foundation battle" relation with the north have been at best average, and it seems that most of the immigrant are now coming from the south. It could be expected to see some refugees from Nocturnus but for now they are quiet rare, maybe because except for human and elves all other races seems to be suspicious to the majority of Meldrian, even if of course according to the count everyone is welcome in the country. Well I guess that rumors spreading everywhere from war and illness would make any population suspicious towards outsider. I did retrieved some studies from before the Revolword done by the local administration about the composition of the population : More than 70% are human, mainly in the northern and eastern part of the country. 19% are elves (It seems that by Meldrian standards everyone who has elves blood is considered has elves, pure elves are quiet rare) they are of course essentially present in and around the Natals forest like in Ryet or Luros. Dwarves (or blood related) are the only visible minority as they represented around 9% of the population essentially around Adas and Cisar as they work in the mine. The 2 last percent are composed of diverse races, living often far from the main cities and village in little hamlet or scarced farm. Main cities are : Meldrim the political capitol. Mygalos the biggest city where is the only real harbor of the county. Cisar where all the ore trading takes place and seat of the Ayash family. Luros, built on one of the oldest elves settlement which was at the heart of the Natals forest at that time. Other village can be found along secondary roads and small hamlet have risen close to the watch tower. Originally only soldiers were living there but with time those place grow in importance till reach the size of 100 inhabitants for the biggest. OOC : Thank for reading ;-p Some "behind the scene tought" Temperature are based from Glasgow city in Scotland. After checking all the culture quoted fit the weather of Meldrim. When I tried to figure out how to populate a realistic middle age real I came across this article , which I found really exciting and give a lot of ratio. I really like the table where to find, by example, how many inhabitants are necessary to found one inn in one city... I also use some name generator to have inspiration The geography of the county is not perfectly realistic but still good enough to be believable I guess. C&C are welcome Leki Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alfadas Posted October 12, 2014 Wow! Love the time you spend on this. Also all those figs are great! Like that you included some vikings as town guards, they are still my favorite. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lord Vladivus Posted October 12, 2014 Whoa, that's awesome! An incredible amount of information- I love how much time and effort you've put into this! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cesbrick Posted October 12, 2014 You got my jaw dropped... Awesome work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
-Carson Haupt- Posted October 12, 2014 This is incredibly detailed! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bregir Posted October 13, 2014 This was well worth the long read! I like how you included both history, myths, politics, geography, economy, etc. This must be the most detailed description of any county in Avalonia! I like the maps and charts, as well as the small builds - you've got some really cool minifigs in there too! If anything, I might suggest a few more builds or charts to break up the long text, but overall, this was very informative and interesting. I will be looking forward to hearing more of these lands and seeing some amazing builds I wonder if you will be able to build up all the cities over time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
narbilu Posted October 13, 2014 What a great backstory and detail on your country... proud to be a fellow Avalonian Welcome to GoH and godspeed on your MOCs Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
soccerkid6 Posted October 16, 2014 Really neat how unique each group of figs is And it's easy to see you put a lot of work into the backstory Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kerntechniker Posted October 16, 2014 Jesus Christ, this puts Task 3 to a new level. Congrats to this awesome entry! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gideon Posted October 16, 2014 Wow! That's something like a whole Wikipedia article for your county, great job! And the digital and plastic illustrations are working very well to illustrate it. Keep up the good work! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leki Posted October 19, 2014 Thanks for the feedback I wonder if you will be able to build up all the cities over time Well it depends how long to you consider "over time" to be ! Leki. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bregir Posted October 19, 2014 Thanks for the feedback Well it depends how long to you consider "over time" to be ! Leki. A never ending story! Are you going to register the settlements here? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leki Posted October 19, 2014 A never ending story! Are you going to register the settlements here? That's the goal to manage to build all the cities of the county but well... it will take time Leki. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bregir Posted October 19, 2014 That's the goal to manage to build all the cities of the county but well... it will take time Leki. Great! Can't wait to see more In time... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Adolfo Posted October 19, 2014 Jesus Christ, this puts Task 3 to a new level. Congrats to this awesome entry! You got my words. Excellent introduction! Congrats for your work with minifigures, pictures, text, graphics and maps especially. Awesome! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
