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Vosgaard » Melyy

					Melyy Ruler Tsor Ivan Polavich Alignment Neutral Capital Rodina Population 37720 Government Monarchy Religions Kriesha Exports Silverware, raw silver RP Income 19 RP (Province 11 RP; Law 8 RP) (Tsor Ivan Polavich) Treasury 22 GB (Tsor Ivan Polavich) Acc. Regency 90 Armies Irregulars (x3), Mercenary infantry (x1), Scouts (x1), Keelboat (x3), Drakkar (x1), Longship (x1)

Introduction

Status: Recommended for players

Small and unobtrusive realm of Melyy recently underwent an amazing metamorphosis. Most of its farmers and fishermen have abandoned their occupations to seek silver in the Orlenaskyy Mountains. Farms quickly became grubstakes and fisheries shipping agents as silver fever swept the land. The sudden wealth has also drawn a substantial number of immigrants seeking their fortune by means both honest and otherwise. Melyy gained its independence from Velenoye only 20 years ago. Until then, the realm was known as vassal state whose sole purpose was to provide the food for Velenoye's troops.

Life and Society

Melyy is no longer known as a farming and fishing realm. Mining camps have sprung up all throughout Buzu and even in the hills of Lukzor and silver fever fills the settlements of Temir. Many farms have been sold or abandoned by Vos peasants eager to search for silver.

Lukzor and Temir remain under the control of the tsor. No one has yet claimed rulership of Buzu.

Lawless mines and mining camps owned by the Hook River Guild dominate Buzu. Any man or woman arriving there can work the mines or camps (according to personal talents and preference) as long as they supply themselves and pay 80 percent share to the guild. This usurious percentage hardly daunts those who come to the area, as many believe they can strike it rich quick, pay off Jana Kuruven, and get out fast.

The Land

Geography

Climate

Protected from the coldest north winds by Orlenaskyy Mountains and the tall trees of Grovnekevic Forest, Melyy has a fairly moderate climate most of the year. Winter lasts only four or five months and the summer growing season can stretch from three to even four months.

Topography

Flora and Fauna

Buzu

Buzu

Lukzor

Lukzor

Temir

Temir

History

Tsor Ivan Polavich gained fame as a warrior in the wars between Velenoye and Sword Rust Tribes. He became such a respected leader that, when he lost his left foot in the battle, Velenoye's former tsar awarded him rulership of tiny, unimportant Melyy as a reward rather than following the ususal Vos practice of slaying or abandoning crippled warriors.

As already mentioned, Melyy's sole purpose for existing was to provide food for Velenoye's troops. The tiny fishing village of Rodina had a small garrison of soldiers dedicated to raiding the countryside periodically as a form of taxation. Ivan changed that. He encouraged his troops to protect Melyy's peasants from predations of Sword Rust Tribes and other creatures from the mountains, and to help settle disputes between landowners. Melyy began, very slowly, to grow and prosper. Still, even a single bad winter or vicious raiding party would have spelled disaster.

Then one of Ivan's old soldiers, looking around Buzu for a farmstead he could settle after his retirement, discovered silver near the base of the eastern Orlenaskyy Mountains. He brought the word back to Rodina and, within a few weeks, the sleepy realm of Melyy turned into a land teeming with prospectors. The tsor, much to his dismay, has had to come out of retirement in a desperate effort to maintain - some would say "restore" - order in the realm.

Though Melyy has not become directly involved in the torva vs. nona struggle, most people believe that the tsor would side with the progressive nona faction if the situation demanded an alliance. Currently, silver fever claims more attention in the realm than any struggle for political identity.

Political

Allies: Velenoye was considered Melyy's fatherland until recently, and should (but might or might not) be its closest ally. This friendship has not been put to test recently, and the raiders of Velenoye may develop taste for Melyy's silver.

Enemies: Melyy once supplied Velenoye with food and other goods so that its raiders could concentrate on business and fight the occasional war against Sword Rust Tribes. The orogs and other humanoids of the mountains have not forgotten this. In addition, they can't be happy about the Vos pulling tons of silver out of "their" mountains.

Army/Navy: Until recently, the tsor had little need for an army. Fortunately, he hasn't had any trouble raising a small one: 3 units of irregulars, 1 unit of mercenary and 1 unit of scouts.

His navy includes ships used by the Hook River Guild for the export of silver and import of men and supplies: 3 keelboats, 1 drakkar, 1 longship.

Important Figures

• Ivan Polavich, Tsor of Melyy
• Lida Marnorin, Winter Witch of The Temple of Might
• Jana Kuruven, leading trader and guildmaster
• Lenora Wolfskein, first lieutenant
• Luther Weissbaum, second lieutenant
• Yuri the Elder, first silver seeker of Melyy
• Yuri the Younger

Rumors, Secrets and Plots

Facts

Any regent who collects GB from province taxation or guild or temple collection in Melyy can go boom or bust, depending on the output of mines. If the regent rolls the maximum result possible on a roll to collect GB, the mines in that province (or near that holding) have experienced a boom. The regent rolls again, adding the new result to the original roll (only one bonus die roll is allowed). So, if Tsor Ivan applies moderate taxation to the province of Temir (5), he rolls 1d6+1. If he rolls a 6 (for a result of 7 GB collected), he may roll again and add the result to the 7 GB. If he rolls another 6, he gains a total of 13 GB.

If the regent rolls the minimum result possible, the mines experienced a bust. No GB are generated by the nearest mines this domain turn, so the regent collects no GB. The regent also risks a 1-level reduction in the holding or province he tried to collect from (since people have abandoned their daily lives to work the mines). There is a 10% cumulative chance that a holding will drop one level; if the mines go bust on a consecutive turn, the chance increases (after six consecutive turns, for example, the chance increases to 60%). Level 0 holdings are not reduced (destroyed) in this way, and levels can be restored through normal means.

A taxation or collection roll has the possibility of generating 0 or negative number (because of modifiers) cannot go boom or bust.

Rumors

• Yuri the Elder has found the "mother lode" somewhere in the eastern Orlenaskyy Mountains. Unfortunately, a band of orogs has found him and is currently torturing him to find out the location of the mine. Yuri the Younger needs help to rescue his father, but Jana will help only if the son reveals the mine's collection. She has kept Yuri from appealing to the tsor so far.

• The same rumor as above, but the tsor and Jana's roles are reversed. The tsor doesn't want word of the mine leaked out - he fears that more treasure hunters will invade his kingdom. Jana wants to help resue Yuri in the hope that he'll share some mineral wealth.

• Both Jana and tsor favor the nona faction that is slowly and secretly winning over Melyy's people, but each wants to be proclaimed the favorite of the progressive Vos - or to make the other look bad.

• When Melyy and Velenoye broke off their official vassal-overlord relationship, it was not without hard feelings. Melyy had suffered several winters of barely supporting itself, much less being able to contribute to Velenoye's coffers. Tsor Ivan proposed that Velenoye send Melyy a "peace chest" - a small treasury of GB and emergency supplies the tiny realm could use to get back on its feet and maintain itself. The current Tsara of Velenoye refused and told Tsor Ivan that he and his people could fall off the Lutkhovsky Peninsula; Velenoye owed nothing to Melyy and vice versa. This breakdown occured mere weeks before Yuri's silver strike. Now, the Tsara of Velenoye wonders if Tsor Ivan planned the whole thing. Tsor Ivan and Jana Kuruven have both heard that Velenoye's raiders plan an attack on Lukzor ana possibly a naval assault on Rodina. They've kept this rumor quiet so far (fearing a panic), but they desperately need a solution.

Domain Holding Table

• Law: Tsor Ivan Polavich took over Melyy's rulership nearly 2 decades ago, when hardly more than two dozen families lived in all three provinces. Now the tsor, crippled by a battle wound, tries desperately to rule a tiny realm nearly a hundred times its former population.
• Temples: As sick as Ivan was of war, he was even sicker of war priests. He actively discouraged the founding of temples in Melyy and was, until recently, successful. Now the Temple of Might, led by the Winter Witch Lida Marnorin has moved into Melyy.
• Guilds: Jana Kuruven must have some Brecht blood in her - at least that's what her detractors say. She established the first mine at the source of the Hook River only a few days after a lucky prospector found the first silver; now she controls virtually all trade within the realm.
• Sources: The dread Firosk Slecktra of Grovnekevic controls the only source in Melyy and, much to the realms relief, seldom visits her holding.