 THE FLORENTA BOOT
The “Boot” is the last remnant of the Empire, and is a rich and fertile land of vineyards, orchards, olive groves, sheep & goats, cattle, horses, wheat, vegetables, mills and wineries. Dotted with a hundred small, unmapped villages and narrow provincial roads. Gentle weather. Each city on the Inner Sea has a prosperous fishing fleet. Each village has at least one small church. Wine: The greatest wineries ever known are in the Boot, but each village bottles its own regional wine and nearly every house bottles its own private stock. Frequently, bottles of wine are used in place of coins.
Each village maintains a loose militia of locals, usually led by a retired soldier from the Pass Wars. Cities have garrisons and units of professional troops. Main roads are patrolled by Imperial Cavalry.
Most (95%) Florentians follow St. Cuthbert. Other religions are looked upon with disdain, scorn or are simply ignored. The Castillian faith (Order of the Blessed Virgin) is viewed with curiosity…it is essentially the same faith, but the Castillians see Cuthbert as an earthly saint, and his mother (The Blessed Virgin) as the actual deity. The Castillian version has more complex rituals and firmer consequences for violation of the faith’s tenets.
THE IMPERIUM
There was a time when the Florentian Emperor was as all-powerful as a Caesar…no longer. Now, the empire is so much smaller than it was (with loss of resources) and the empire is so in debt to the merchants from funding the pass wars, that it is a shadow of its former self and the title of emperor is often no more than a figurehead.
The last 100 years has seen a string of poor, ineffective or outright incompetent emperors. At present, the emperor is “Francisco VII, Lord of the Imperium, Defender of the Faith.” He is an eight year old boy. Francisco’s father, Aristus III, was a drunk and a whoremonger who died of syphilis when Francisco was 3. His mother died 2 weeks later of a “fever” which many believe was an assassination. Francisco is served by a Steward until his 16th year, when he may rightly take the throne. That steward is Lord Franco, quietly called “The Hammer,” a 10 year veteran of the Pass Wars now turned diplomat/politician. From one of the most prominent baronies in the Black Forest, he was named steward “just in case” by Aristus only 6 months before his death. Interestingly enough, the House of Franco is next in line for Emperor should the current emperor die without siring an heir…
Prior to her own death, Francisco’s mother made a secret arrangement with the Church, which would take effect within the hour of her own death. Within that hour, a squad of (4) high level Paladins led by a Hierophant showed up at the Imperial palace to fulfill their holy oath as Francisco’s sworn protectors. They accompany him everywhere, and the Hierophant has become a father figure to the boy over the last 5 years.
Administration of the Imperium is up to Lord Franco, and he is a no-nonsense ruler. Although on the surface he has absolute power, in reality he is forced to have frequent meetings with the Church (who must officially give their blessing to any major undertaking) as well as receive counseling from both the Merchant and Scholar communities. The Pass Wars are a drain of men, supplies and treasure. Incursions by Nessia stretch things tighter, dwarven trade has ceased, and increased caravan raiding in the Hardlands has been costly. The Merchant Consortium is growing more aggressive in its demands for lower taxes. Several of the Noble houses have begun to “soften” (losing their taste for war, lowering their commitments of troops to the passes, hiding in the Black Forest as losing themselves in noble decadence.)
Lord Franco has his hands full.
There are many who believe the Imperium will not last another decade.
The forces of The Grimme are a major problem. If the empire surrenders the passes, goblinoid hordes will quickly sweep down into the soft lands and all will be lost. Every faction understands this, and so they support the wars in their own ways.
FLORENTIAN NOBLES: It’s not just a matter of the bloodline, though that’s a prerequisite. To be truly part of the noble class, each member, male and female, must…
- Follow St. Cuthbert (even if only through lip service.)
- Pay an annual tribute to the Imperial House.
- By their 21st year, must personally lead a force of no less than 100 troops during a 1-year tour in the Pass Wars.
Those of noble houses who are too young to have gone to the Passes are called “Princelings.” Those who fail to lead their troops into battle by the end of their 21st year (regardless of ability, physical or emotional illness, etc,) are either shuffled off to remote monasteries in quiet disgrace, or are formally cast out of the noble house, with no future entitlements to any aspect of the nobility. A few of these turn into wandering adventurers.
The requirement to lead troops into the Passes for 1 year is a deadly proposition, so noble families breed early and have as many children as possible to ensure their bloodline. More than a few idiots and no-talents have been sent off to the wars, some as young as 13. A successful tour brings glory to the individual and to the house, and earns that noble the right to wear the Golden Spurs, a sign of station. Most nobles (who survive) do one year and come home. The better respected do multiple tours. Some have even done tours in younger years, returned to the baronies to raise children & look after estates, then returned to the Wars in their later years after the children have grown and taken their rightful places within the families. These few are rarities, and usually are the generals, being wise, experienced and highly respected.
There have been some cases of young nobles successfully serving tours in the Passes, then returning home only to find there are too many siblings ahead of them to ever achieve anything of value. These generally turn to wandering and adventure, retaining their noble birthright but often keeping it a secret.
* The Merchant class absolutely cannot understand this harsh requirement of the noble class, and view repeat tours of duty as madness…they simply see no profit in it. |
