Plains Baronies

The plains Baronies are in a majority human area that has a long and sordid history of war, betrayal and exploitation. Fertile almost to the point of overproduction, if not only feeds the Barons' armies but gives them enough of a surplus to hire mercenaries from all over the continent to join their campaigns. Almost the entirety of the area is given over to farming, which means even after armies have marched and fought there is plenty of food remaining to be harvested come Autumn.

Ancient History
The blood-letting has gone on for as long as human history records. Families have risen and fallen and titles fought over, lost or invented. What records remain are of little use as they reference settlements and landmarks long ploughed under or renamed. Even the rivers have changed course, often in the aftermath of flooding, so the tantalising glimpses are hard to map onto the current geography. Why the rulers of these fiefs started to take the title of 'Baron' is not known, but it has stuck.

The Doomed Campaign
A little over ten years ago, the yearly fighting took a dramatic turn. Ambitious bandits from the north encroached into baronial territory, displacing a large community of beastlings on the way. The bandits were being manipulated by a mixed force that tried to take the entire plains area. The massive army stamped its way through most of the baron's forces, burning several towns and castles. Its real destination was Praeter Sylvanus, however, as a stepping stone to the Empire itself. The army was stopped in the famous Battle of Lhun, where Arpad's rag-tag army scored a devastating victory and stopped the enemy in its tracks.

Several well-established baronies were destroyed, and the area as a whole is still recovering.

Current Geography
Although the exact make-up of the plains baronies is liable to change at any moment, the current political situation is as follows.

Central Area
The bulk of the fighting takes place in the central plains. Politics is cut-throat to the point of insanity. Land changes hands between barons several times a year, and the most brutal fighting takes place here. Any Baron who can survive for more than a couple of years is either an accomplished general or a Machiavellian genius. The largest river, running south to north, is the Vagta.

Notable Baronies and locations under their control:
 * Baron Borbely
 * Baron Fazekas
 * Baron Miksa
 * Miksa's Redoubt
 * Traitor's Crossing
 * High Vagta

Western Fringe
As the plains give way to foothills and, eventually, mountains, the Baronies becomes more stable and less actively involved in the yearly fighting. The forest on the foothills had been home to beastlings on an exodus from their homes in the north, but now they are largely deserted. The farms are gradually encroaching onto the hills as the local Barons experiment with sheep and goat farming.

Notable Baronies:
 * Baroness Terez

The Forest Intrusion
Several hundred years ago, a forest grew up over only a couple of days in one part of the plains. According to the records held by the elven court residing there, this was a deliberate act by elves and beastlings to reclaim some of the farmland from the humans. Not, as the humans believed, out of acquisitiveness, but a forlorn attempt to stop some of the fighting. It was a partial success, as the eastern portion - Praeter Sylvanus - is a lot less lively and bloody than the larger area to the west. After the Doomed Campaign, many elves moved away to more secure courts.

Praeter Sylvanus
The area of the plains baronies that was separated from the rest by the Forest Intrusion. These fiefdoms were unable to participate in the yearly fighting for some time, until a road was forced through the forest. Many of the baronies have pledged allegiance to the Empire, styling themselves duchies.

Notable Baronies:
 * Duchy of Lhun (defunct)