Steppegrad

Witness3

Steppegrad is a province in Rzhlev. The province takes its name from its biggest settlement, the town of Steppegrad. In ancient times, the province was once a second gulf, however, after the the great earthquake of 513 Ma, water slowly retreated, and the great valley in the Rzhlev range was formed. For this reason, it is not uncommon to find seashells or remains of the sea floor in the plain, often used as charms or necklaces, and the people of the plains have become famous for bearing such garnishments.

When the Vos conquered the valley, most of the farmers fled into the mountains, helped by a dwarven community still present in the province, so the valley is now mostly run by Vos farmers who introduced many typical vos plantations along with varsks. when the Stohlevvskyy guild came in recent times, the conquest moved over the mountains, forcing the people to pay hard taxes in the form of slave labor in the mines.

The Brokeslav family was rewarded this province, and Galina Brokeslav rules as Zhupan. her cousin, Nikoli, left the province after he became Warmaster of the church of Belinik Tsarevic. The law of the tsarina here is brutal, second only perhaps only to the capital city, and many try to flee, only to be caught and become slaves. Tsarina Marisha spent most of her younger years here, first by becoming a varsk rider, then by exploring the caves, in search of ancient dwarven treasures. It is said that a whole dwarven city is hidden in the Range, remnant of a lost time where the dwarves where the only presence in the realm.

[hide][top]The Town of Steppegrad

Steppegrad (*city of the valley*) was founded in the late days of Roschlöwen by uniting several farms in the valley. It is located at the center of the northen side of the Range. Not much of the old brecht settlement remains, and is now one of the biggest vos settlements of the realm, second to the City of Rzhlev only. It retained the same strategic value, however: the town is a central point for the farmers of the Steppe to trade their goods with slaves and tools brought by the mountains, is a trade point in the Granite Road, and is in intense trade with the Gray City of mount Edar. It is also the gathering point of the troops of the province, with the Brosklav family hold, the Brokesburg, being located at the entrance of the town.

[hide][top]The Steppe

The Steppe is the great plains formed between the range, in what whas probably a gulf similar to the Dwarfhame. Many farms and housesteads were built or taken from the brechts, and the vos introduced their own plantations, expecially rice, which is grown in the central depression, where the land tends to get swampy. Vos also brought Varsks upbringing, and while they are not as prestigious as Nyurskyy or Nyurehv, they are proud to say that tsarina learned her way as a rider in the Steppe itself. Most of the plantation nowadays are mantained by slaves, and the harsh life they are put on makes rebellion and uprising a common occourrence in the plains. Owners had made an agreement of helping each other in case of rebellion, but that idea was heavily ostracized by the Belinik Tsarevic Priests as it would break the right of might.

[hide][top]The Range

The mountains are part of what is called the Rzhlev Range, and the mountains are rich in ore and salt, which is a currency on its own as it is very precious. Similar to other provinces of the Range, A lot of old dwarven mines were re-opened by the Grovnikken Stohlevvskyy, leaded by the dwarven wizard Eberk Glössevik. At first the guild used the same business model as always: a fat share of the profit to the zhupan in exchange for more sentences to slavery. When Nikoli Brokeslav became War Master and her cousin Galina became zhupan, there was a slight reduction in this policy, however the business did not suffered. It is said that Eberk found a lost dwarven city, where he learned the secrets of stone slaves, able to work without getting tired.

[hide][top]Plarzskyy

At the feet of the southwestern hills of the province, looking directly at the Black Ice Bay, there lies the village of Plarzskyy (/Plaʐkʲɨ/, *Plar-sh-key*), A mixed village between vos and brecht. There is an intense trade between the villages and the southern farms of the province, so much that the zhupan's presence is somewhat felt as an inconvenience more than protection, and often priests of Belinik push Nerina Brokeslav, daughter of a minor branch of the family, to agitate rebellion towards the law. The town is often attacked by pirates - sometimes brigands from Ilfressen, more often raiders from Duarlavka itself, so Nerina has often her hands too busy to incite a revolution. A legend often told by the old brechts is that, when the sea retreated, an ancient temple was discovered in what is one of the hills, a temple built by the mysterious sea people. Tsarina Marisha Rodelovisk, traveling here in her youngest days, concluded that either the legend is wrong and the temple was more like a place to harvest mebhaighl from a sea source.