Nyurskyy

Witness3

The mountains of the Northern Range encloses fully the north border and reconnect in the northeast with the Eastern Range, composing a natural border against the confining realms of Daikhar Zhigun and Hjorig. The mountains lower down to hills in the southern area, which lowers even more to plains when reaching the south and western borders.

The mountains are rich in ore, however a strong dwarven community still lives here, and has made clear to Zhupan Leonid Nyur that trying to seize the mines will trigger a war with Daikhar Zhigun. Such dwarves live in relative harmony with the human villages in the mountains. This is the only known area in brechtür where a special type of Varsk - the Black Varsk is bred. Such creature is no really better than a regular varsk but its lucid, black fur is researched among the nobles.

Most of the hills are covered in olive trees, and all belong officially to the Nyur family, who grant the use to the farmers in exchange of a quota and the right to muster troops. All the farmers are of the serf class, the Wartosz, and slavery is generally rare in this province - the land provides enough to escape servitude. This, along the fact that the province's communities are the most ancient and conservative of all Rhzlev, to the point that 97% of the population is brecht, may be the root cause as why the Grovnikken Stohlevvskyy has not being able to put its foot in the province up to now.

[hide][top]Krajoud

Krajoud (/krajʌud/, CHRY-ohdd), literally ancient village, is one of the oldest towns in all Rzhlev, dating its founding back to the first brecht colonies before Deismaar. The village started as several farms built together along a square which become the main center of life; A second square, where the market is held, was then built alongside the first one, and then a fort was built in imperial times facing the northern mountains, to prevent invasion from the dwarves. The only battle ever fought was the vos conquest, and the fort is now known as the residence of the Nyur family, or Nyurburg. The defensive walls are long gone and only the northwest tower remains, used to spot activities in the mountains on clear days, as a warehouse for grain in the winter.

The Nyur family is of Nona vos descendancy. In summer, everyone must reap grain and fruits; in autumn, the strongest partecipate in radis to Hjorig or (sometimes) even Lazzgrad; in winter, the survivors reap olives and produce oil, something that often generates disputes and challenges on which family has pressed more oil. Raids and conquest are part of the agricultural cicle of life, as they are a mean of both survival (when the harvest is bad) or defense, as often bandits from the Kobar region of Hjorig come down the mountains to raid the country.

The Nyur family has become the guardian of such rites, even the old patriarch Viktor Nyur participate in harvests and the gathering of olives, whereas is harsh son, Leonid, is more prone to battle. It saddens the patriarch that between Lenoid and his sister Maria Nyur runs bad blood, to the point that sometimes they organize raid to each other's province. Such raids are more than welcomed by Belinik's priests, who are often seen in the land preaching against the Nyur as they have closed more than an eye in the growing cult of Ayairda, as their philosophy is more in line with the population's lifestyle.

[hide][top]The red incident

In the last year Leonid has captured a red headed bard, Melisande of the flame, guilty of being the storyteller between Nyurskyy and Nyurehv, but instead of turning her to the Executioners, he kept her as a slave. They secretly fell in love, and Leonid has decided to put his judgment on the Ayairdan Vierklevven on hold. On the other hand, Melisande knows that her rightful place is in Nyurehv, as the Sage Mischa Yourinovisk told her.

[hide][top]The well

The Well is a 3m (10') diameter marble well about half an hour north from Krajoud. It's a dwarven construction but no one, not even the dwarves, know what it was about. Nobody knows how deep the well is. At night, a weird green luminescence seems to come from its bottom. The well seems dry but its appearance is so gorgeous that it seems unlikely that it was used for water. It used now for public executions, as unjustified murderers, thieves or poachers are sentenced to death by jumping down the well. Little Maria, the baker's daughter, has told the people that by pressing a special stone hidden in the grass something comes up form the well, but it was a bunch of skeletons. Nobody believed - or wanted to believe - her.