Ruler: Viscount Velen Felusko

Naming Convention(s): Vaguely South or Southeastern European

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Capital Description: Corontiz is the largest city of the vast eastern hinterlands of Styria known as the Narze. Unlike the people of the Azure Sea, who tend to settle and build cities near the mouths of rivers, the Narzefolk traditionally founded cities on higher and more defensible ground. Corontiz is no exception to the Narze standard, and is built upon the slopes of a tall, rocky hill situated in the middle of the Selako Valley with houses and terraces carved out of the crumbly stone. Like most settlements of the Narze, Corontiz is a walled city, though the fortifications are quite crude compared against those of Ospria or Talins, being little more than retaining walls made of up of local stone supporting terraces elevated some ten or fifteen feet up above the surrounding countryside. Corontiz relies more on its elevated terrain for its defense than its fortifications.

Blacksmiths, glassworks, tanneries, olive mills, and creameries are some of the notable industries of Corontiz. Because Corontiz is an inland city without sea or river access, trade goods from Corontiz tend to have a high value to weight ratio in order to justify the higher expense of overland trade. Goods from Corontiz, especially olive oil, blown and cast glass, leather goods, cured meats, and cheeses are highly regarded across Styria for their quality and craftsmanship. One particular style of cheese - a hard blue called Tipori - is a staple at royal dinners from Talins to Affoia.

At the summit of Corontiz, above the factories and houses squeezed onto crowded terraces carved into the hillside, is a squat, stubby tower of a keep that serves as the city's seat of power. By opulent Styrian standards, Corontiz' citadel is a pitiful thing, paling in comparison against the stunning palaces of Visserine and Affoia. What the Corontiz citadel lacks in architectural daring, it makes up for in history; the Corontiz citadel is believed to be among the oldest structures in all of Styria, built during in ancient times when the the predecessors of the Narzefolk were Styria's only inhabitants.

History: Corontiz means "Gold Hill" in the nigh-forgotten language of the Narzefolk of eastern Styria. Legend holds that a keep was built atop the hill of Corontiz in ancient times when gold was dug from a crag in the in hillside. Whether this legend was true, or if it was just a legend circulated in order to motivate workmen to excavate rock from the hillside, is unknown. Silver is mined from nearby deposits, and gold and quicksilver are known from other sites in the Narze, so it is not unreasonable to believe that Corontiz was once a gold mine in the most literal sense of the word. Gold or not, Corontiz and its environs are valuable indeed. This wealth has incited conflict and enticed invaders for as long as men have inhabited Corontiz.

Even in ancient times, when Narzefolk were the sole inhabitants of Styria, Corontiz and its neighboring lands were the site of extensive conflict. Petty kings in other settlements of the Narze - such as Cebila to the north and Tura on the coast - waged war with Corontiz in order to wrest control of valuable mines. The arrival of the Sea Folk - the forebears of the Talinese, Osprians, etc. - in Styria only increased the frequency and magnitude of conflict in the Narze.

Invaders occupied Corontiz and attempted to impose a Azure Sea-style city state in the Narze. Early attempts to govern the Narze proved short-lived, and the native Narzefolk soon resumed control of Corontiz - only to resume fighting with their immediate neighbors and failing to learn anything from the ousted occupiers.

After several cycles of conquest and revolt, Narzefolk dynasties eventually did establish themselves and ruled Corontiz and the Narze as a true city state. This was when the first roads were built in the Narze - hundreds of years after road networks had been built across the Azure Sea region. Guard keeps were also built and served to safeguard traders and travelers. Hilltop semaphore posts allowed for timely mobilization of against rebels, bandits, and pirates. For a time, it seemed that Corontiz had finally matured into a cohesive city-state.

The Talinese, always seeking opportunities to expand their sphere of influence, saw opportunity in the nascent Corontiz state. The Talinese threw their support behind Abri Sebero, a warlord among the pirates infesting the islands east of the Narze. With the support of Talins, Sebero organized the pirates and sea people and landed at Cebila before marching against Corontiz. Corontiz offered stiff resistance, but Talinese arms and mercenaries gave Sebero a decisive advantage. With a cohort of Talinese condottieri at his back, Abri Sebero cast Lord Adrian Felusko off the tower of Corontiz' citadel and became Lord of the Narze.

Under Lord Sebero's rule, Talins began harvesting gold and silver from the mines of the Narze. Talinese galleons laden with gold and silver left regularly from the port of Cebila and sailed the pirate-infested waters around the Narze unmolested by strict order of Lord Sebero. Alarmed by the Talinese presence in their backyard, Ospria and Affoia began supporting a disorganized but spirited Narzefolk rebellion led by the sixteen year Velen Felusko, who wanted only to avenge his father's death.

With support of the southern cities, Velen and his forces fought a savage guerilla war against Lord Sebero and his Talinese advisors. Galleon-bound caravans of gold and silver were frequently ambushed and the mines were raided and vandalized whenever possible. Gold and silver output ground to a halt, which prompted Talins to redouble the number of men committed to backing Corontiz. With small armies of Talinese condottieri patrolling the Narze, Velen Felusko petitioned Ospria, Affoia, and other states for more backing. What began as a small rebellion escalated into over a decade of savage proxy warfare across the Narze. Condotierri from across Styria served on both sides of the conflict. After all the raids and skirmishes, it was often unclear who the victor was, but the peasantry - the common folk of Corontiz and the Narze - were always the defeated.

Seventeen years after Lord Sebero had assumed rule of Corontiz, his reign came to a bloody end. Velen Felusko had succeeded in luring much of the Talinese garrison out of the city by burning a Talinese galleon at anchor in Cebila and surrounding a large contingent of Caprilese condotierri at the harbor. With most of the garrison out of the city to relieve Cebila, Felusko and his Narzefolk began the long-awaited assault on Corontiz, dodging Talinese-installed ballistae on the ramparts as they scaled the walls. Sebero's men fought viciously to repel the attackers, but the fury of the Narzefolk could not be matched. After seventeen years of fighting, Felusko entered his father's citadel and had all of the Talinese advisors and courtiers thrown out the windows of the keep. Because the citadel was not particularly tall, the defenestrated Talinese often survived the initial fall, only to carried back up to the top of the keep and thrown out again and again until they expired.

When Abri Sebero was captured, Felusko had him bound at the wrists and his bindings were tied to the saddle of his horse. Before the battle for the city had even ended, Felusko mounted his horse and set off at a gallop for the coast, dragging Sebero behind him by the wrists the entire way. A bloody smear ran down the road from Corontiz all the way to the sea at Cebila, where Felusko unceremoniously cast Sebero's mangled and ragged corpse into the waves, back into the sea from whence the pirate warlord came.

With a hostile new lord in command of the war-ravaged Narze and no more gold or silver to reap, Talins' meddling in the region has stopped for now. Battle-seasoned mercenaries and condottieri from across Styria return home, bringing their experience and animosities from Corontiz to other conflicts on the continent. With Talins gone, Osprian and Affoian forces remaining in the Narze are viewed with suspicion. The populace of the Narze is war-weary and disillusioned with their governors, and will offer little resistance should pirates or brigands step in and assume control.

Lord Velen Felusko has spent all of his adult life fighting and knows little else. Now that Lord Felusko has avenged his father's death, now he must rebuild Corontiz and fend off those that would seek to mete out the same fate as his father.

City-State: Sipani

Her Most Serene Dogessa, inheritor of the city from her father, Doge Mikkle Therene, has ruled for some 8 years, though the Masters of the Banking Houses claim she has ruled for no less than 15. Doge Mikkle was feeble of mind for a long period of time and Mahria was able to manipulate her father into giving her command of the local militsia, the citizen levies. Long neglected in favor of expensive Talins mercenaries, court gossip saw her as a tomboy with ambitions beyond reality. There was even talk of supplanting her for the young prince Giovan when she refused to give up her military ways, but fate intervened when Giovan was struck down by the pox.

Mahria Therene ascended the throne at the age of 25 and immediately used her loyal militzia to secure the fealty of the Banking Houses and the lowland villages before launching a period of sustained combat and siege against the Highland lords and their fortresses. The banking houses saw she was capable of destroying the brutes in their forts and opened their pocketbooks to finance a true war to secure the city of Caprile.

Today, Mahria reigns in a shaky but largely independent city. The Banking Houses enjoy a new era of profits but quietly whisper and plot while the Dogessa remains unwed and has been dismissive of marriage prospects.


A colony of Talins in all but name, Caprile's architecture reflects this in the everyday streets and stately buildings across the city. The Doge's palace is less a castle and more a manor home with minor fortifications and can only be spotted on the horizon from the stargazing tower, built by Doge Rian "The Mad" a century ago. The common folk's dwellings reflect the more stoic, basic needs of the people. Often made from heavy and plain stone to resist the sea gales that batter the coast, few dwellings rise above a second floor.

The Banking Row and its great houses, with their domes and windows of colored glass, line the dockside. Fitting, as they make their fortunes on which ships come to port and which sink at sea.

The Arsenal lining the river is the city's strongpoint. From here, every man and fit woman in their eighteenth year receive training with the militzia, with pike, crossbow, and sword and shield.



Long a vassal of the great city of Talins, Caprile's hill clans have served as mercenaries and brute enforcers for the greater city-states of the West while the mercantile interests in Caprile City have made small, incremental moves to secure more liberty for themselves and their city. The traditional hill-folk long dominated the politics of Caprile by dint of their mercenary ways- the survivors would bring back coin and loot from their ventures in trade for an arm, and eye, or a leg. Whenever Caprile's Doge tried to bring them to heel, the clans could retreat into mountain castles in the Fang Peaks until, waiting for their neighbors to answer the call and repel the lowland levies. The merchants of Caprile watched as their chances for independence and greater wealth came and went with every decade, feeding the city of Talins. Sitting at the mouth of the Capra river, the entrance to the Loranar valley- the great trade route to Borletta through the Fang Peaks, and with fertile pastures to the south to nurture the wool and textile trades, Caprile's greatness was always within its grasp- it needed only to break the dominance of the hill clans to seize it.

It took the wars of Lucius and Westport to break the impasse.

Called by the promise of plunder and pillage on a scale not seen in a generations, a full third of the highland clans marched to join the bloodbath. The merchants of Caprile realized that their chance had come and did not let it pass again. With a combination of men-at-arms, citizen levies, and Talins mercenaries, Caprile brought the lowland and highland villages into the fold of their new city-state while fending off opportunistic ventures from neighbors. The Highland clans returned from Westport to find the border closed to them- creating a stateless horde that was denied the food and fodder.

The past five years have seen sweeping changes come to Caprile. The mountain clans have been broken, with many descending to the lowlands for the promise of wealth through pasturing. Their mountain holdfasts have been seized by the Dogessa and turned into watchposts for the citizen-militia military. A fleet of trade-ships have been contracted to bring Caprile wool to workshops across the land, though the primary buyers are in Talins and Jacra.

To most of the other cities in the realm, Caprile is a subject of Talins that has grown into wealth and prestige- but still a servant to its more powerful master. The fortifications being raised along the Capra river and the development of a standing army in service to the Dogessa signals ambitions for true independence. It's only a matter of time before Talins must re-assert its dominance or suffer the consequences when the Dogessa publicly refuses a command from the Grand Duke...

Borletta, the City of a Thousand Vices

This city by the sea has more than earned its enticing epithet. Its streets are infested with temptation, enough to make even the most pious of men buckle, and the most debauched blush. Its architecture, dominated by beautiful, white travertine stone gives the place an ironic, angelic appearance, which the historian Ardito Montagna remarked on in his work, A History of Borletta, and Her Sins:

"The city itself is beautiful beyond compare, the gem of the Azure Coast. Looking upon the city, and her brilliance can invoke in a man the feeling that he is looking upon the domain of angels, but that impression is false. For upon entering the walls of Borletta, you are accosted by pickpockets, and whores (often one in the same); you are bumped and jostled about without the slightest hint of remorse; and you are lucky to find yourself only penniless, and bruised before night's end."

Despite the harsh words Signore Montagna had for the city, Borletta remains a beloved destination for many travelers, especially Styrian nobles looking to leave their clean, and respectable courts behind for a time to indulge in the many pleasures the city has to offer. Borletta's main exports among the Styrian courts are fashion and beauty trends. New hairstyles, new dresses, new make-ups, new perfumes, all of them that matter come from Borletta's salons, workshops, and laboratories. While certainly being the most progressive of cities in regards to such matters, the same cannot be said for the matter of slavery. While most Styrian cities have long since outlawed the practice, Borletta has bucked that particular trend, instead wholeheartedly embracing the institution. Slaves can be found all over, from burly dockworkers heaving crates of goods, to petite, finely groomed and oiled servants waiting on the beck and call of debauched noblemen. Wherever you go in Borletta, the sound of chains follows you.

The Mad Duke

The Grand Duke of Borletta, Duilius Bulgarelli di Borletta, age twenty-two, is the black sheep of the family. From an early age, Duilius had a penchant for violence, and a fascination with pain, suffering, and power. He took well to lording his noble status above the servants, slaves, and paupers he considered below him. Apart from his 'quirks', as his mother insisted on calling his sadistic inclinations, Duilius appeared to be a model young Borlettan noblemen: bright, handsome, well-organized, witty, and stylish.

The second son of the former Grand Duke, Maximianus III, Duilius was slotted for a military career, his older brother - and only sibling - Maximianus IV was destined to follow in his father's footsteps, or so it seemed. Unfortunately, the Grand Duke's heir apparent fell terribly ill one winter when the city had become afflicted by a plague of consumption, which Maximianus IV soon succumbed to. This fateful death left the future of the city in the hands of Duilius, at the time only sixteen. The plague had also taken his mother, who the Grand Duke loved dearly (and who Duilius cared little for), leaving the already fleeting monarch weak, and in a state of despair. Less than a year after Maximianus III had lost his eldest son, and beloved wife, he died attending a summer feast under suspicious circumstances. While no evidence exists to indicate that Duilius had anything to do with his father's demise, that has not kept many among the courts, and among the citizens, from speculating.

Duilius was granted the title of Grand Duke of Borletta at the age of seventeen, and has spent the past five years working tirelessly in the pursuit of aggrandizing his city-state, and himself, with the ultimate goal of expanding beyond his current borders. The process of doing so has earned him no friends among the noble houses of his neighbor-states, especially that of the "Boar of Styria", who Duilius often refers to as a "boorish oaf", a vitriolic play on the warrior-duke's nickname. Relations are equally poor with the nation of Sipani to the south.

A Recent History of Borletta

Upon Grand Duke Duilius assuming his father's place in command of the city, he immediately began the arduous task of winning over the members of Borletta's noble assembly. Through raucous parties, underhanded donations, and less-than-subtle threats, he has managed to bring most of the city's politicians under his wing, though a few dissenters remain. The most notable of these is Cloelius Fermi, the head of the shipwright's guild in Borletta, and one of the richest men in the city. Duilius' father killed Cloelius' brother in a duel many years ago over a dispute of honor, and evidently the man holds a grudge. Unfortunately for the Grand Duke, the guildmaster's wealth affords him much sway among his fellow noblemen, allowing him to block the Grand Duke's proposed measures on a number of occasions.

Apart from this minor hiccup, everything has been smooth sailing for the Grand Duke, domestically, at least. Borletta continues to flourish, mountains of denarii flowing into the city's coffers every day, the result of an expertly managed, albeit entirely corrupt, system of taxes and tariffs placed upon every good and service imaginable, from wood and marble, to rum and whores.

The recent history of the city has not always been so fortunate. It was only six years ago that Borletta was ravaged by a rapacious and all-consuming disease, taking with it slave and nobleman alike, leaving few survivors. The effects of this plague were far-reaching, though a quick, and well-planned quarantine of the city managed to keep it within the city's walls, it took a heavy toll on Borletta's economy. The quarantine disrupted trade for nearly a year, leaving the city in a sorry state, one which it's former king was unwilling, or possible unable, to cope with. Upon Maximianus III's demise, and Duilius' ascension to the throne, the new Grand Duke's skill with decisive, and often unforgiving management strategies led to the city's economy recovering, and coming into it's current "boom" state.