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[IronyOwl]

Why would my list of people to execute and foreclose upon have to have an end, just because it has an order?

This is an amazing villain quote and I'll grant it as a coherent strategy.

However, I don't think it's a wise strategy. Most of the power we want or have access to comes from awesome people liking us, and isn't really transferable or reproducible via aggressive consolidation.

If all you really mean to be arguing is that we should spend a little time - weeks, not months - getting to understand the political balance of the country before upending it, I do not think there is actually any substantive disagreement between the three of us. Certainly I did not interpret mightymushroom as saying, as you seem to have, that we need to behead them all by lunchtime tomorrow. However, we should start planning our upending immediately, and we should take opportunities to curtail their powers as they come, especially when those opportunities offer us plausible deniability. Your argument has given me and probably mightymushroom the impression that what you meant was "we should bide our time indefinitely in order to avoid upsetting the big scary bear" - in no small part because preliminary planning and information-gathering is exactly what we both want to do that you seem to be arguing against doing.

I admit I phrased this badly and should more precisely have said "will not lose power until they are acted upon". However, quite frankly, I do suspect they will continue to gain more power, since they seem to be shrewd operators. I do not in any way claim that they will grow in power at a constant rate or will never experience plateaus, and I don't know how to help you if you got that impression, since none of the actual words I wrote necessitate it. On the other hand, I do think that they are a growing cancer we need to deal with now rather than later, before people get too used to de'Ville rule - but "now" doesn't mean "yesterday", just "promptly as opportunities arise and without distraction". I'm not recommending going off half-cocked either, and I don't know why you and Powder both seem to think I am given that I've tried to be quite clear about plans being medium- to long-term.

The impression I got was that we needed to murder and replace our council as an immediate threat to our reign, which seemed to imply a high level of concern and haste. If you meant we should look into destroying the De'Villes the way PM wants to look into getting married, you probably should have clarified that as distinct from our current ponderings.

Likewise, my understanding is that the current votes for placing Andre as marshal are intended for immediate use, not weeks-later scheming.

It does, but it doesn't necessarily speak to ideas about how powerful kings should be within their realms, as opposed to ideas about how far those realms should stretch. I take it the opposite way you seem to - smaller realms are usually more centralized, and the very fact that a monarch controlling a lot of land is seen as dangerously powerful could imply that monarchs are expected to have substantial immediate control over their land.

I'll have to acknowledge being unsure about this one. I feel like actually managing a huge yet feasibly subdivided realm would require a fair bit of decentralization, but on the other hand the king needs either personal holdings or the ability to usurp said holdings in critical areas for the new kings to rule from.

I started to reply to this part, but then I stopped, because I realised we have totally different definitions of what we're talking about here. I'm not looking for an autocratic Tsardom (although I would call it a modern myth that such a centralized system is in some practical way inferior). What I want to know - and I'm not even saying anything about what I think the system IS, only that we don't have enough information yet - is whether this is a system where members of the court traditionally serve at the pleasure of the King, or vice versa. Both have existed in human history and several people, including you, are operating under the assumption that it's the latter.

I'm not just arguing against official Tsardom, but also the underlying philosophy and strategy of brutalizing rivals and targets of opportunity in order to enrich and protect ourselves.

I am likewise not arguing that we probably can't replace council members at will, but that doing so is likely to offend a major support base we currently enjoy. I've yet to hear of any system in human history where kicking somebody out of a position of importance and prestige isn't seen as a slight.

[Powder Miner]

Those places were all completely different, though. The HRE isn't even really relevant since it wasn't a unitary state - the individual German states, which had different power structures among them, are more important to the question of monarchical primacy than the often-figurehead position of the Emperor, whose powers were circumscribed precisely because he was not the ruler of most of the land. Spain and Russia didn't even exist as such until the 16th century; the monarch's powers in Castille were not even the same as the monarch's powers in (the predecessor states) Leon or Asturias or Galicia, much less in Aragon.

You are absolutely correct with this observation, and that is exactly the point that I am making. Monarchies, even those with wildly differing power structures -even those going well into relatively modern eras- default to a balance between nobility and monarchy as an absolute monarchy is something that takes a lot of doing to accomplish. Russia is a striking case of this - I would myself probably term Catherine as the first proper absolute monarch in Russia - or at least maybe the one to approach it.

The point of listing these nations is to argue that you were not correct with the statement that balance between monarch and the nobility is specific only to Britain, and that it instead proves the rule rather than the exception. The wild variety of these various states backs this claim up.

If all you really mean to be arguing is that we should spend a little time - weeks, not months - getting to understand the political balance of the country before upending it, I do not think there is actually any substantive disagreement between the three of us. Certainly I did not interpret mightymushroom as saying, as you seem to have, that we need to behead them all by lunchtime tomorrow. However, we should start planning our upending immediately, and we should take opportunities to curtail their powers as they come, especially when those opportunities offer us plausible deniability. Your argument has given me and probably mightymushroom the impression that what you meant was "we should bide our time indefinitely in order to avoid upsetting the big scary bear" - in no small part because preliminary planning and information-gathering is exactly what we both want to do that you seem to be arguing against doing.

A significant movement exists to make drastic removals from the council this turn, which is not preliminary planning and information-gathering. That is what I am arguing against. I want to make these removals in two or three turns (possibly replacing or just making redundant the spymaster as soon as next turn, as we need a good spymaster to make that happen, but I want Kane and Kaylee to bring their list back to use). There is an extremely clear difference between removing the deVilles in 2-3 turns and removing them right now, mechanically - the actions we take in thread matter.

[Fluffe9911]

Russia is a striking case of this - I would myself probably term Catherine as the first proper absolute monarch in Russia - or at least maybe the one to approach it.

On a related note here is a neat vid about Russian authoritarianism (and monarchy power structures in general to a degree) if your curious quiet a good watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8ZqBLcIvw0

[Maximum Spin]

You are absolutely correct with this observation, and that is exactly the point that I am making. Monarchies, even those with wildly differing power structures -even those going well into relatively modern eras- default to a balance between nobility and monarchy as an absolute monarchy is something that takes a lot of doing to accomplish. Russia is a striking case of this - I would myself probably term Catherine as the first proper absolute monarch in Russia - or at least maybe the one to approach it.

The point of listing these nations is to argue that you were not correct with the statement that balance between monarch and the nobility is specific only to Britain, and that it instead proves the rule rather than the exception. The wild variety of these various states backs this claim up.

I think we have been operating on totally different understandings of what we're discussing.

Yes, there is "a balance" between nobility and monarchy in any state with both nobility and monarchy. There are a lot of different potential balance positions, though, and the states you have mentioned all picked different ones. My interest is in which balance is being struck here. You did not say "a balance" before, though, you said

Monarchs depended on their vassals extensively to be able to administer their kingdom on even a basic level, and in many cases kings didn't even have real control of their supposed vassals. Politics in the golden age of the monarchy was overwhelmingly based around this balance between the king and the nobility - the king was every bit as beholden to the nobility as the other way around.

Which is certainly not universally true, and, I would argue, is not especially accurate for any medieval polity that did not have a Magna Carta. In fact, I think it's almost insane to say "politics in the golden age of the monarchy was overwhelmingly based around this balance between the king and the nobility", since the thing the power of the king was really being balanced against was generally the church, for example, in the region that is now Germany, or the region that is now Spain.

ETA: To sharpen the point and also get things back on the track of this thread, the key point in the balance of power that we want to know about right now is whether it's perfectly normal for a king to appoint friends and confidantes to vicegerent positions, or whether the occupiers of those positions expect to hold them as birthrights and would consider being replaced an abuse of power justifying rebellion. The answer to that question has varied among both European and other states, including the states you, Powder, listed before. It is not a certainty. I would like to know which custom pertains.

[mightymushroom]

It appears I have not communicated well, and I apologize for that.

Allow me to try again. I'm not going to dive into the related (and tangential) historical debate because I will get my butt kicked and I know it.

Currently I am voting to get rid of Horton De'Ville. This is colored by previous reports of his family's ambitions, yes, but the choice of a target is due entirely to his conduct during the council meeting. He insulted our mother, crassly pointed out that his father is rich rich rich and we aren't, and implied that the impoverishment and "breaking" of our Mahallo subjects would be a net gain for the kingdom. On the last point I have not detected any any desire to tolerate such biases, only a matter of timing to address them. Given Horton's manners, I believe now is a suitable time. I am not in a "rush," I am taking the opportunity at hand.

Currently I am voting to keep Mathias Deville in some position on the council, though not spymaster. Most likely steward in place of Horton by default. I don't recall if the other two De'Villes have been named yet, so I suppose I am willing to keep working with them until circumstance changes. The motivation to move Mathias away from spymaster is due in no small part that our attention has been drawn directly to choosing a new spymaster, rather than a new council as a whole. Leaving three DeVilles in place would mean not replacing the marshal, and in case it wasn't clear before -1 to Andre as Marshal. I don't believe Andre is a good candidate and I see no reason at all to push the De'Villes any farther than the Horton business. Thus leaving the family with a significant presence on the council but not in charge of (one of) our information gathering networks.

I am currently voting Kaylee as spymaster. She is part of our childhood circle, she has connections in the merchant families, and it is strongly implied that giving her a position keeps our friend Keanu nearby as well. It is also implied that this may be a limited time opportunity lest they depart to become travelling merchants and I frankly have no idea what our "turn" schedule looks like.

I want to make these removals in two or three turns (possibly replacing or just making redundant the spymaster as soon as next turn, as we need a good spymaster to make that happen, but I want Kane and Kaylee to bring their list back to use).

I find the bolded part interesting because I have difficulty imagining what or whom you might expect to find on that list that would be better than a known friend who already explicitly placed herself on that list. (And after arguing with me about inferring information for good choices from the lists of brides, though spymaster is perhaps less critical than wife.)

------

For completeness's sake I should say I am also voting Juliette for wife, however I am quite resigned to being outvoted on this one.

Queen Mother Anne as Lady of the Court (a role she is expected to concede to your eventual wife)

My own preferences to fill the role of mother of our children, council member, and someone I expect can take charge of things at home in the very likely event that we will be out campaigning on one thing or another are, in order: Juliette, Luanda, Kamea. None of these capable, workaday women are gaining any traction whatsoever in comparison to those with more powerful magic/destiny associated to them.

Halia at least sounds like a better adventuring / campaigning partner in comparison to Marion, who kinda just is. I feel sorry for Marion, but not enough to marry her.

[Powder Miner]

That was certainly a hugely important balance! But that focused primarily around matters such as investiture and what the basis of legitimacy was for a ruler, and NOT primarily around administration - churches did not at all perform the bulk of administration and rulership (after the Merovingians, anyway), and I think it's not accurate to portray this particular balance as the primary one, no matter how prominent it is in popular culture, because when it came down to it, the matters the church was involved in were separate from the matters of primary administration performed by the nobility - they were considered different estates (and this is not something unique to France) for a reason. The infrastructure (physical or bureaucratic) for a monarchy of any size to perform administration entirely on a central basis basically didn't exist until the modern period, and for that reason, nobility did the administration, with the exception of a few fields the church or burghers did have control over. Back then, as is it is now, any ruler's regime is defined by the mechanisms that allow them to rule - although the monarchy-church balance was defined first and foremost by putting the monarch into power (of course a greatly important aspect), the monarchy-nobility balance was defined by actually getting things done and STAYING in power, which is going to be more important most of the time.

I don't know why you're even mentioning the Magna Carta. It's not some sort of universal framework that a kingdom had to have - it's just one example of how one kingdom reformulated the privileges of its nobility in a way that would have a lot of important consequences down the line. Kingdoms in general had noble privileges that were put out in a variety of legal frameworks, and I don't see the Magna Carta as constituting anything but one particular position on the monarchy-nobility balance. It's not even the most extreme by any means - if you want to see a really batshit insane one, look at the Sejm.

(Also - this doesn't really have anything to do with birthright positions or even strict legal frameworks but rather political realities. If you're trying to blatantly shuffle the noble family that's just seized effective control of the kingdom out in one go, they might in fact be able to stop you, and will certainly WANT to.)

Mushroom: Somebody with training, basically

[Maximum Spin]

passim

Okay yeah it's clear that we're talking past each other. I'm just going to drop it for now. To give an example: I didn't "mention[] the Magna Carta", I used it as a synecdoche, which is why I said "a Magna Carta". Everything you said in that paragraph is not only known to me, but was essentially my point in even bringing it up. This clearly indicates highly incompatible rhetorical styles and possibly even epistemologies.

If you're trying to blatantly shuffle the noble family that's just seized effective control of the kingdom out in one go

I wasn't, I just want to know how often we can get away with removing one person and/or moving positions around. All anybody wants to do in one go, as far as I have seen, is get rid of the Steward.

My own preferences to fill the role of mother of our children, council member, and someone I expect can take charge of things at home in the very likely event that we will be out campaigning on one thing or another are, in order: Juliette, Luanda, Kamea. None of these capable, workaday women are gaining any traction whatsoever in comparison to those with more powerful magic/destiny associated to them.

I am extremely willing to support Kamea, although I'd like to know a little more about her, since she didn't really even get a list-blurb. Luanda is probably fine too. I do not think Juliette is a good choice for a young royal in our position.

[VoidSlayer]

Maybe we should meet with the elder De'Ville and see if we can come to an understanding first?  Basically they align with a lot of our plans (improve economy, maintain imperial ties, build new army) and if we can have his chosen successor be someone with our interests in mind and willing to follow our lead on leaving the Mahalo culture alone and focus on building up rather then monopolistic taking, we can move in smoother.  Certainly better then suddenly firing a council member without talking to his family first.

[King Zultan]

Sounds like getting rid of the Steward is the best thing for now, also I don't think any of the imperial brides are any thing we need.

[mightymushroom]

Mushroom: Somebody with training, basically

So a resumé that lists a degree from Mahallo Merchant Spy U.? 

I jest ... but, yeah I think this points out the difference in our positions this round. You are justly cautious of what is unknown, but I cannot comfortably play the game with the same degree of weight given to the value of future information. Our point of dissent is hardly about the power of the De'Villes, present or future; it is about the power of Arawn, present AND future. You build up a scenario in which it is irrecoverably dangerous to act in this turn because Arawn has incomplete information. Then you write that you want to act as soon as 2-3 turns from now when you expect Arawn to be properly informed to navigate the minefield. I am unwilling to credit the decisiveness of what we may learn while waiting – in De'Villes, brides, or spies – to be so much greater than the information already at hand.

-----

I am extremely willing to support Kamea, although I'd like to know a little more about her, since she didn't really even get a list-blurb.

If you think you know a way to convince others, go for it. For my part, I believe myself and the rest of the thread are operating on such different points of value that repeating my arguments will only extend my frustration.

Re Juliette: I will say, Arawn turned down a canoe-ful of willing teenagers. Are you quite certain that he's not looking for someone more experienced?

-----

Maybe we should meet with the elder De'Ville and see if we can come to an understanding first?  Basically they align with a lot of our plans (improve economy, maintain imperial ties, build new army) and if we can have his chosen successor be someone with our interests in mind and willing to follow our lead on leaving the Mahalo culture alone and focus on building up rather then monopolistic taking, we can move in smoother.  Certainly better then suddenly firing a council member without talking to his family first.

It may be possible to pull this off.

I am not convinced that being handed a replacement De'Ville who is more diplomatic than Horton is a more positive outcome than demonstrating that we do not tolerate being bullied in a public meeting. Ideally Burt would be as wary of crossing Arawn as we are of him; I fear missing our roll on an appeal to him for direction leaves us at his mercy more than succeeding builds a respectful partnership.

[Powder Miner]

I’ll caveat that I don’t actually necessarily expect to be able to act completely as I’d like to in 2-3 turns, but we should at least be able to start making progress in shifting the balance of power to ourselves by that point. My goal here is to pure imperial influence and centralize under arawn - but to find a path of lesser resistance to do so.

[Weirdsound]

Alright. I go out and party on the Strip for a few days, and come back to this. Love the engagement, but yikes, that is alot. Anybody care to sort through and help me count votes for spouses/council replacements?

Incidentally, Weirdsound, what do these council positions all actually do? Are you working (as I kind of assumed) off the Crusader Kings standard? I assumed so because the choice of names for the positions is otherwise totally ahistorical and senseless, but I'm not willing to assume that they are identical.

Yeah. Vaguely crusader kings flavored. At some point I might do a non-turn update that is a deep dive on the mechanics of the state. We'll see.

[Fluffe9911]

Oh boy lets see

Spoiler: Votes (click to show/hide)

Spouse Votes:
Stall/Meet Brides First: 4
Marry a Druid: 2
Juliette: 1
Marion: 2

Council/Cabinet Reshuffle Related Votes:
Have Keanu act as an unofficial envoy of ours with the Merchant Families: 3
Cabinet Reshuffle: 4
Make Andre our Marshal: 0 (Got -1)
Shuffling Mathias and firing Horton: 1
Kaylee for Spymaster: 1
Wait for Kane and Kaylee to come back with their list of spymaster candidates before making any changes: 1

Misc:
Anders cut back on public priestly aspects: 3
Anders to cut back on the illicit magic for a while: 1
Get a report on our military strength and capabilities: 3
Open the floor to discussion. Encourage the councilors and audience to speak: 1

Things we should to do in the future:
-Look into the military and economic power of the Devilles in New Mahello: 1

-Send a letter to Pennete, ask how she’s doing in the nameless city and a basic check up: 3

-Build a positive sibling relationship with our younger sister Anne II: 3

Think I got it all although may of missed something if someone didnt bold what they wanted for some reason so feel free to double check if you wish.

[Powder Miner]

I guess I never did actually bold waiting for Kane and Kaylee to come back with their list of spymaster candidates before making any changes.

[Weirdsound]

Proper updates likely resume tomorrow. For now, have this blurb on kingdom status and geography.

The Petty Kingdom of New Mahallo:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Capital: Bride Price

National Government:
Monarch - Petty King Arawn Volcanique
Income - <------>
Military Might - <*----->
Succession: Imperial Partition (Eldest son inherits. If realm is large enough upon death of the monarch, it is split between all valid male heirs. Imperial Clerics decide when partition is appropriate, and solve all other succession disputes)
-No first born son. In case of death, the clerics will pick a valid heir. Likely heirs include Princess Pennete, the sister of the King, and Prince Alan, the legitimate son of Queen Mother Anne. Anders of Stonebrook, the illegitimate eldest son of Queen Mother Anne is a dark horse candidate for heir, as he is one of the clerics who would be involved in the selection process.

Lady of the Court - Queen Mother Anne Stonebrook <****--> (Loyalist)
Court Mage - Anders of Stonebrook <*****-> (Loyalist)
Realm Priest - Bishop Guthrey <*****-> (Unknown Political Stance)
Steward - Horton De'Ville <> (Aligned with De'Ville Interests)
Spymaster - Mathias De'Ville <> (Aligned with De'Ville Interests)
Marshal - Horton 'The Younger' De'Ville II <> (Aligned with De'Ville Interests)
Chancellor - Mateo De'Ville <> (Aligned with De'Ville Interests)

Region of Moon Valley:

The region of Moon Valley is small but fertile area between the Moon and Lower Frontier rivers. To the north is the Region of Frontier Road. To the west and Southwest are the forests of the moon elves. To the south are the Inner Hotlands. To the east is the Inner Savannah.

The City of Bride Price sits at the northernmost point of the region, where the Frontier River splits into the Moon and Lower Frontier. The Frontier River Highway terminates at the city gates; Transportation in the region is handled by canoe and foot. The valley is flat, easy to traverse, and the space between the rivers can be covered in two and a half days by a pedestrian at its widest.

Merchant families set up their compounds along the Banks of the Lower Frontier. Raider Clans live along the banks of the Moon. Farmers work along the banks of both rivers, and land in-between them; A few of these farms are large and sophisticated, but most consist of a single lowborn family trying to eek out a living.

Regional Infrastructure - <**---->
Regional Prosperity - <***--->
Military Potential - <***--->

~A good chunk of this region is controlled by Mahallo Raid Clans, who are traditionally exempt from most Mahallo laws and practically more loyal to the Archdruid and your neighbor King Penteram than they are toward you!
~The city of Bride Price is insanely corrupt. Local businesses pay more in protection to the crime families and the Bleachedkin Vampire Brood than they do to the crown. The city guard regularly fights among itself, as different interests own different officers.
~Imperial Crusaders are settling in this region, creating an influx of able-bodied men willing to work for cheap. These newcomers are undercutting the employment market as they are willing to work cheap, and many are strict adherents of the Imperial Religion and thus prone to causing trouble with the Local Mahallo.

Region of Inner Savannah:

A wild and untamed region slightly to the East of most New Mahallo Civilization. Below the split in the Frontier River, the Lower Frontier marks the border between Moon Valley and Inner Savannah. Above the split, the border between Inner Savannah and Frontier Road is poorly defined in terms of days traveled east of the highway. The natural range of the Joshua Tree defines Inner Savannah's southern border with the Inner Drylands. Inner Savannah's eastern border with The Land of Ruin is typically defined by the foothills leading up into the Bloodstone Plateau, but as this landmark does not extend too far north or south, much of the border is guesswork.

Brave families willing to deal with the Savannah's rough wildlife maintain homesteads and ranches here, and the Mahallo Druids keep several lesser temples and holy sites in the region as well. The Grand Temple of Bride Price will regularly help the impoverished of Bride Price start anew by settling the frontier.

As far as the crown knows, the farms and ranches of the Frontier generally provide enough for their inhabitants, but little in the way of excess wealth. Some citizens of this region will travel to Bride Price to offer the occasional tithe to the grand temple, but beyond that most in power assume that sending out tax collectors to roam the poorly organized and documented Inner Savannah would yield a net loss.

Regional Infrastructure - <*----->
Regional Prosperity - <>
Military Potential - <>

~This region is poorly documented and virtually untaxed.

Region of The Land of Ruin:

A region of Savannah decorated by ruins. The foothills of the Bloodstone Plateau mark its Western Border with the Inner Savannah. The Titanlands rise to the north. To the south, the Inner and Outer Hotlands are separated from this region by the natural range of the Joshua Tree, and from each other by the Blood River. To the East, the natural range of the terrifying Dire Zebra marks the boundary between The Land of Ruin and the Outer Savannah. The Bloodstone Plateau sits in the center of this region, sorounded by the Land of Ruins on all sides.

The Land of Ruin was once home to thriving and constantly warring Orcish and Pre-Imperial Human civilizations, fed by the mighty Blood River. This all changed when Agusta took control of the human settlements in the area, held them under a series of tyrannical governors for a few decades, and abandoned them upon her ascension to godhood.

Destabilized by the invasion and occupation of the Imperials, the humans of the River Blood fell to the orcs city by city. Only the fortress atop the Bloodstone Plateau stood against the onslaught, defended by tough terrain and maintained by a magically sourced spring. Over time the people of the Plateau, isolated from the rest of humanity, began to interbreed with their Orcish neighbors.

Eventually your great-grandfather Geralt swept through the frontier, enacting what is considered the most complete Orcish genocide in human history. But like the Orcs who tried before him, the heartless King was unable to topple the fortress on the plateau, which had since spread underground and become a fairly populated city. The bold residents now boast that they are the only humans in the region to survive the post-ascension collapse AND the only orcs to survive the wrath of King Geralt.

Today the Land of Ruin is the Land of untapped potential. The lands around the Blood River are more fertile than those of the Moon Valley, and the ruined cities on its bank would make good foundations for future settlements, however living peacefully in the region will likely be impossible so long as the fortress atop the Plateau remains in hostile hands.

It is known that the ruined cities of this region are often inhabited by spellcasters looking to experiment in isolation, far from the judgmental gaze of Imperial society. You personally know that the Bleachedkin hold a small compound in The Lands of Ruin, where exposed vampires can lie low for a few decades until their faces are forgotten.

Regional Infrastructure - <>
Regional Prosperity - <>
Military Potential - <>

~This region is poorly documented and virtually untaxed.

Region of Outer Savannah:

The Easternmost hinterlands of your realm. The natural range of the Dire Zebra marks the western border of this region with The Land of Ruin. The natural range of the Joshua Tree marks its southern border with the Outer Hotlands. To the north and far to the east this region terminates at the Titanlands.

This region is almost completely untouched by civilization, as the wildlife is too intense for most to handle. Dire Elephants and Dire Rhinoceros possess physical strength that could match the dragons of old. Manticore, Brush Daemons, and Worgeyna are deadly hunters that see humanity as easy prey. Even the 'humble' dire Zebra is large, common, and ill tempered enough to prove a major hinderance to travel.

Druids and hunters will sometimes wander to the Outer Savannah to experience nature at its most wild. Merchants occasionally try to push convoys trough this region; It is possible to reach the Imperial Kingdom of Lower Vinyard by traversing the Outer Savannah, crossing the Titanlands at Balrog Pass, and passing through even more untamed wilderness on the other side, but it is generally safer and quicker to reach other Imperial settlements on the Frontier by skirting the edge of the great desert. Such routes have also historically been unprofitable, as with the exception of some stolen elf goods and exotic crops produced in small amounts by druids, New Mahallo produces little that can't be found in other human states with access to the frontier.

Regional Infrastructure - <>
Regional Prosperity - <>
Military Potential - <>

~This region is poorly documented and virtually untaxed.

Region of Frontier Road:

'The Frontier River Highway' is a notoriously poorly maintained network of roads that run parallel to and alongside the Frontier River, connecting the Petty Kingdom of The Titan Canyons and the City of Bride Price. The region's western and northern borders are defined by the difficult terrain of the Titan Lands and the Moon Elf Forests. Its eastern border is poorly defined, but most regular travelers agree that if you leave the road and travel East for Two Days you will have entered the region of Inner Savannah.

The road, and thus the region, are sparsely populated. There are a small handful of inns and villages between The Titan's Maw and Bride Price. Several raider clans also inhabit the banks of the Frontier River just north of the city in the southern extreme of this region.

Regional Infrastructure - <*----->
Regional Prosperity - <*----->
Military Potential - <**---->

~The southern portion of this region is controlled by Mahallo Raid Clans, who are traditionally exempt from most Mahallo laws and practically more loyal to the Archdruid and your neighbor King Penteram than they are toward you!
~Highwaymen are a significant problem here. Bandits based outside your jurisdiction in the Titan lands patrol the northern parts of the highway, and it is widely understood (but never proven) that raiders living in the compounds north of Bride Price will moonlight as thugs from time to time.
~The Rich Crusader Burt De'Ville owns much of the land along the highway, and is trying to establish a new City called St. Arawn about halfway between Bride Price and your border with The Titan Canyons. Burt's effort could bring control and development to the region, but he is a potential political rival. Many Mahallo speculate that his project will fall to the first serious raid from The Bloodstone Plateau that it encounters. Many merchants suspect that Burt's men moonlight as Highway men, attacking Mahallo convoys but leaving Imperial merchants alone.

Region of Inner Hotlands:

The Hotlands, or the northern most and just about habitable bits of the great desert, make up the southern borderlands of your realm. When King Geralt claimed his portion of the frontier and drew the map of New Mahallo, he divided the Hotlands into two districts using the Blood River as a border between them. The Inner Hotlands runs from New Mahallo's Southwestern Border with the Moon Elves to the Blood River south of the Land of Ruin. The natural range of the Joshua Tree defines the region's Northern Border with the rest of New Mahallo and its Southern Border with the rest of the great desert.

The only settled portion of the hotlands can be found directly south of Moon Valley, where the more adventurous merchant operations set up their headquarters on the banks of the Lower Frontier. The most commonly employed path from your lands to The Nameless City follows this fork of the river until it dries up in the desert.

Regional Infrastructure - <*----->
Regional Prosperity - <**---->
Military Potential - <*----->

Region of Outer Hotlands:

The portion of the Hotlands that lies East of the Blood River. This region stretches east for weeks, terminating at Point Incubus, where the Titanlands dip south to touch the great desert. Its northern border with the Outer Savannah and the Lands of Ruin, and its southern border with the rest of the great desert, are both defined by the natural range of the Joshua Tree.

The Outer Hotlands are generally considered unsettled and beneath the notice of the crown. Rumors persist that some merchant cartels and criminal organizations maintain storehouses east of the River Blood where the taxmen of New Mahallo would never venture. From your own upbringing with the merchants, you know the rumors to be true in their case, although you doubt there would be much hidden surplus to take in these mean times of the blockade.

Regional Infrastructure - <>
Regional Prosperity - <>
Military Potential - <>

~This region is poorly documented and untaxed.

(Note: <> = Unknown Value. Apparently putting 3 question marks together creates an emoji here.)