Thanks to Owen Cooper and David Rauscher for there work on the Border Princedoms
BACKGROUND:
The Border Princes are made up of a number of tiny princdoms that populate the lands between the Badlands and Black Mountains. Each Princedom is little more than a keep or border fortress with a few towns located near by. This section will try to cover the larger principalities.
History of the Border Lands
Because of their vicinity to the surrounding Dwarf holds, ringed roughly by Barak-Var to the south, Karak-Hirn to the north, and Karak-Izor to the west, the Border Lands are steeped in the culture and influences of the Dwarfs. Dwarf stonemasons, miners, and blacksmiths are a common sight throughout the border lands. Much of the language spoken, particularly in those settlements near the Dwarf city of Barak-Var, is a mixture of human and Dwarf speech. Indeed, it is common to name one's children after great Dwarf heroes. At the same time, however, their need to protect themselves and survive in the woods bordering the Black Mountains have created a communal spirit between the Border peoples and nature. The muted earth-tones common of the wood-elves may be found in the lands west of Black Fire Pass, especially among the towns bordering the Vault.
Border Princes are adventurers who have made names for themselves exploring the ancient ruins of the Borderlands. Those who travelled here, and survived, built their keeps and manors in the borderlands. People flock to these keeps, seeking protection or some small amount of the gold and glory that each new prince has commanded. Over-time, these keeps became permanent settlements, though there are always new princes moving in to clear the land of orc and goblins and establish their own principality.
Most of the Borderlands is largely unpopulated and untamed. Human settlements are often days apart, but the majority of the human denizens live in towns within a day or two of the keeps of the Border Princes. Because of the constant threat of invasion, and the regular raids on the more outlying villages and towns, messengers and groups of Rangers are kept in most villages, to send word for assistance when necessary, and to track and destroy the smaller raiding parties that harrass farms, often isolated from the scant safety of even the villages.
Princdoms
Kingdom of Dolgany
Princedom of Waldovia
Princedom of Molachia
Switzer Cantons
County of Zleeania
County of K'asos
County of Transmontania
Duchy of Vardanos
Duchy of Arnalos
Hellenic League
Duchy of Larkoras
Ducht of Thessos
Realm of Ealindil
Count of Kruezdreg
Duchy of Bravokia
Freehold of Akendorf
Freehold of Mortensholm
Duchy of Grunwald
Baronary of Flusslaufen
Barony of Szolnokea
Govina Marches
Fell Keep
Fell Keep
Lying in the shadow of the Vaults is Fell Keep. Fell Keep was originally established by the adventurer Talis Wolf-Follower, who came through Black Fire Pass shortly after the Orc and Goblin campaigns seeking gold and land on which to create his dynasty. Through his escapades and adventures, Talis found himself with an army of followers and a massive fortune. With the help of Dwarf stonemasons, he built his keep in the woods beneath the Vaults, and created the first principality of the Border Lands. Since that time, the first sons of the Prince of Fell Keep have been its heirs and the protectors of the many villages and towns which have grown about it. The first trade routes between the Border Lands and the Empire developed here, protected by the rulers of Fell Keep. The Border Prince, Quintaine Irontalon, is the current Prince of Fell Keep.
Princedom of Dolgany
During the age of the three emperors, their was a great civil in the Dolgan tribes (to the east of what is now Kislev). This civil war is said to be what triggered off the rise of the Hobgoblin Hegemony as many Hobgoblin slaves escaped from the Dolgan returned to their people, bringing the higher nomadic civilization of the Dolgans to what had been fairly-standard Hobgoblins and Goblins.
At the end of the war, the factions left there lands packed their possessions aboard their wagons, struck their yurts and herded along their finest bloodstock as they set out, looking for a new homeland under the leadership of their revered king, Etzel. They are said to have followed a mighty white stag through the Empire across the Black Mountains into the area now known as the Border Princes.
Once through the perilous Black Mountains, the Dolgans found themselves on a large plateau between the Black Mountains themselves and the Karpath Hills. It was very like their long-gone homeland, except for being inhabited by scattered settlements of farming folk whose feeble attempts to defend themselves were swatted aside easily by the Dolgans.
The Dolgans took control of their new homeland. Over the centuries, the Dolgans learned much from their subjects and from neighbouring peoples. Since their subjects' languages varied greatly, sometimes from village to village, the Dolgan language eventually became the main speech of the new Princedom of Dolgany. As the Dolgans learned from their subjects, their subjects learned from them, adopting their riding skills as their bloodlines mixed. Today, almost any Dolganian has Horse riding skills and many can also do tricks.
Eventually, the Dolgan nobility forsook much of their former nomad culture, settling in towns and castles such as other folk used, but they kept up their cavalry tradition. Unlike other countries, the armies of Dolgany are almost all horse-mounted archers; the high nobility and royalty wear plate armour more as a mark of status and rank than for protection, and the common soldiers are content with leather. Intermarriage and concubinage also changed the Dolgans into Dolganians; today they are physically almost indistinguishable from other Old Worlders, with only occasional high cheek bones or slanted eyes whispering of nomad heritage.
The Dolganians love their plateau homeland, but have never seen why they should content themselves with it alone; they have invaded the southern Empire several times in the past and their quarrel with the Dual Principality of Waldovia-Molachia over the region of Transmontaina bids fair to go on forever.
They have fought frequently with the goblinoid bands that spill over into the Border Princedoms from the Bad Lands, even making common cause with Waldovia-Molachia when things looked bad. Several combined armies from Switzer, Waldovia-Molachia and Dolgany have penetrated deep into the Bad Lands to teach the gobbos a lesson, and between the sturdy Switzser infantry, the Dolganian light cavalry and the Waldovia-Molachian heavy cavalry and infantry, the gobbos have learned to fear provoking this response.
Dolganian Society Today
Today, the Dolganians are best-known for their high quality cavalry; Dolganian mercenary cavalry units are in demand throughout the Old World, and individuals from Dolgany can always get work related to horses. They are also known for their spicy native cuisine; a good Dolganian restuarant with spicy goulash and good Tokay wine is guaranteed patronage anywhere, partciularly if the wild fiddle music and dancing brought by the original Dolgan conquerors is also featured. Other exports include high-quality breeding stock (horses, sheep, goats, cattle), leather goods, and the famous paprika spice that will grow nowher else.
Dolgany is ruled by Kiraly Stefan II, of the line of Etzel-Wittelsbach, from his capital town of Byda. The original clansmen who followed Etzel and the White Stag are memorialized in the names of the noble clans; typical examples of clan names are Gyurmek (children of) Bela, Gyurmek Laszlo, and Fiu (son of )Imre..
By now, the majority of the people speak Dolgan. The major exceptions are most of the Transmontanian peasants, who speak Tilremian, and a large Reikspiel-speaking business class. Although most of the upper classes speak Reikspiel and other Old World languages, they are very proud of their own difficult language, which has changed little from steppe days. Dolganian interpreters are in demand among those who must deal with the Dolgans themselves.
A generation or so after their sttlement, the Dolgans abandoned the worship of their steppe spirits. Embassies into the Empire and other countries brought back tales of the wonders of their temples and the powers of their priests; compared with the Grand Temple to Sigmar in Altdorf or the great Temple in Middenheim, the Dolgans' own native spirits seemed poor things indeed. Today, the Dolganians mostly worship as do other Old Wolders; the Old Fairh is strong among the peasants. Worshipping the Chaos Gods is punished according to old steppe law; the offender is tied between four horses and pulled in four different directions in honour of his worship of chaos.
There were and are no nonhumans in Dolgany; some of the villages existing in the Dolganian platuau when the Dolgans first got there were Halflings, while Gnomes were in the Karpath Hills, and elves were in the forests here and there. Dwarves are rather rare, being mostly exiles from the Empire or the lost dwarven cities in the mountains. Much of the place in society that Dwarves fill in the Empire is taken by Gnomes.
Some of the goblinoid incursions left traces behind; the forests of Transmontaina and the lonelier parts of the ruggesd Karpath Hills have evil reputation, due both to goblin and orc infestation and mutatnts.
The Switzer
The Switzer is a loose confederation of cantons located in The Vaults, with a culture that draws from both Brettonia and The Empire. The Switzer's main export are its famous bands of mercenary pikemen, found in armies across Albion and the Old World. These troops are highly professional, very expensive and will not fight against other Switzer mercenaries. Famous mercenary regiments include Emmerich Zoller's Black Berets and Stelnmann's Storming Band.
Switzers make an excellent choice for bodyguards of the nobles of teh Border Princes, as they possess more backbone than the average 'spear-carrier'. They are notorious for their zeal - many a town has been rebuilt after receiving their attentions. As a result, Switzers are ideal for any land-owner that wants to keep his feudal serfs underfoot. These can be used to create an impression of a town under military rule, if your noble uses them as a garrison in an unruly town.
Border Princedom of Waldavia-Mollachia
The Border Princedoms are a rather interesting place; they have been called the refuge of the defeated and the last resort of the outcast. One of the lesser-known, but still interesting, ones is actually two principalities under one Prince: Waldavia and Mollachia. They are currently in control of a third principality, Transmontania, but they have often lost control of Transmontania to their neighbours and bitter rivals in Dolgany, a Border Princedom settled by exiled Dolgans who imposed their language on their subjects.
Waldavia and Mollachia were originally settled by Tileans, around a thousand years after Sigmar Heldenhammer's time. The language spoken there still has strong resemblances to Tilean dialect; it is called Tilremian, and characters who already speak Tilean or Estalian learn it more easily than others. However, there have been many influences on Tilremian, from languages as disaprate as Arabian, (the Arabians conquered the area and held it for a while) Dolgan, Kislevite and Reikspiel. The society is strongly feudal, with a nobility holding all the land. The frequent wars with Dolgany, not to mention incursions from the Badlands and other things, have kept the country poorer than it needs to be; the soil is rich and fertile, the rocks are full of minerals, and the people themselves are industrious and hospitable. In general, Waldavia-Mollachians seem rather rustic to Imperial citizens or other people from outside the Border Princes, which they rather resent.
The current ruler's name is Waldemar III, known as The Cruel to his enemies, but The Defender to his own people. He punishes crime harshly enough that, as a proof that theft has been eliminated, he sometimes puts gold cups out for common use at village wells---and nobody dares to touch them!
The national religion is very similar to that practiced in the Empire. The Chaos Gods, of course, are hated by all right-thinking folk, and although there are many Khainite cults about, belonging to one will get you a short trial in front of Prince Waldemar, followed by a slow, painful execution. The Old Faith is practiced outside the towns. The most popular deities are Taal, Myrmidia (who is often called Mirimidiaula in Tilremian) and Ranald in his aspect as The Protector. Cults of Lawful gods are nearly illegal, following a rebellion raised by some followers of Illuminas some years back.
The population groups in Waldachia-Moldovia are most easily told apart by their native languages. The majority population speaks Tilremian, and calls themselves Waldavians or Moldachians, depending on which of the dual princedoms they come from. One quick test is to ask the name of the country... a Waldavian always calls it Waldavia-Moldachia, while a Moldachian calls it Moldachia-Waldavia. Other than that, there is almost no difference between the two, and intermarriage is very common.
Minority populations include a large enclave of Dolgan-speakers, or "Bogzori" in Tilremian. Despite the fact that they are culturally very similar to their neighbours, they feel very different, and look down upon the Tilremian-speakers. At one point, much of what is now the Dual Principality was under Dolgan rule, and the Dolgans are remembered as harsh masters. The Dolgans are mostly concentrated in the disputed area of Transmontania, in an enclave surrounded almost entirely by Tilremian speakers. There is also a population of Reikspiel-speakers, or "Fritzies," as they are called, and even a scattering of Ormuzd-worshipping Arabians left over from the conquest. Almost everybody in the Dual Principality knows Tilremian, though; the Dolgans are about the only people who refuse to learn it, and not all of them do.
The capital city is called Brasov, and is in Waldovia. The current Prince is from a Waldovian family, despite his Reikspiel name, that name has been widely used in Tilremian-speaking areas for a long time.
Waldovia-Molachia is located in the Border Princes. It begins at the Blood River, and is bordered by the Karpath Hills line, the black Mountains, and the third river to the west of the Blood River flowing into the Black Gulf. It does include all of the long, skinny peninsula sticking out into the Black Gulf.
The Fallen Keep of Felahg-Duhr
The history of the Borderlands and the Border Princes is largely one of battles lost and one. Of these many battles, however, the most important in recent history was the battle for Felahg-Duhr, a small Principality established by "Black Prince" Vingamon, a noble who had fled the Empire after a bitter feud of succession. With his personal army, family, and other loyal supporters, he established what was to become one of the most beautiful towns in the Borderlands. His keep prospered, and he quickly became a powerful voice among the Border Princes. As his keep and town grew, it became the closest thing to a city in the Borderlands, becoming a center for trade and the arts. It was also a fortress - subject to ever-increasing raids, Vingamon hired dwarfen stonemasons, and created one of the greatest walled fortresses outside the Dwarfen holds, which were built straight into the rock. Vingamon pledged his fortress and himself with the duty to protect the Borderlands, to ever be the first line of defense against invasion. A shining jewel in the Border Princes crown, warriors and adventurers flocked to pledge their loyalty to him.
However, years before Vingamon came to the Borderlands, he had sold his soul to the dark powers. Hidden in his study, he performed the black arts of necromancy. Never a truly powerful wizard, he was trapped and brought under the control of the very dark magics he sought to use for himself, and his soul was twisted, and made evil. He was forced to swear oaths, and bind himself to his possessors. And all those who came to serve him were, in turn, bound by their oaths to Vingamon, the Black Prince, though to an evil of which they were unaware.
As the Undead hordes travelled North, from the deserts toward the Borderlands and the Empire, the population of the Borderlands fled into the keeps and towns. As the first line of defense, the Border Princes sent much of their armies to Felahg-Duhr, hoping to crush the invasion in one might blow. Vingamon's elite personal guard were assigned the duty of protecting the main gate, and vowed not to leave the gate alive. As the advancing undead approached, Vingamon cast a spell on his guards, using his limited powers to control the undead as the basis for controlling the living. Vingamon's Gaurd opened the gate, and led the destruction of the city and all within. Felahg-Duhr was torn to the ground, the Undead army stopped only by a forced and protracted assault by a joint dwarf / empire force.
As Felahg-Duhr fell, the dark lords controlling Vingamon slew him. The Black Prince's death released the Vingamon's Gaurd, who awoke from their trance to find that they had killed their own families and friends, and nearly destroyed the Borderlands they were sworn to protect. They vowed vegence on the forces of the darkside, they became the "Oathbreakers".
Naggrund-Dum
A great rent in the earth lies at the base of the Vaults. Leading down into the earth, the tunnels are said to lead toward the lower regions of the Vaults, and then still deeper into the earth. Years ago, when the Dwarfs first settled in the upper Vaults atop Copper Mountain, they came upon an abandoned dwarf fortress, largely destroyed
For centuries now, a joint dwarf and human force have guarded the entrance to a dark cave leading into the vaults atop an abandoned dwarf fortress known as Naggrund-Dum. The dwarfen warriors, drawn from the warriors of Karak-Izor, with a small contingent of men from the realms of the Border Princes, stand atop the ancient dwarf walls looking down at Naggrund-dum.
The Dwarf fortress Naggrund-Dum (known by men as "The Black Guardian," but literally "an area of devastation and doom") once guarded the only source of egress from the Vault. Now it lies largely abandoned by Dwarf and Men, a dark empty shadow but for the small dwarf and man contingent, who keep bonfires ready in case the evil which tore down the walls of Naggrund-Dum reawakens. To this day, even the great Dwarf sages do not know what befell Naggrund-Dum, or of what evil lying in the Vault had required.
Nagrund-Dum's construction. No records exist, past or present, as to its history or purpose. Some of the sages suggest that whatever battle was fought at Naggrund-Dum also destroyed the evil in the Vault, for it is known that men live amongst the mountains, crags, and gullies. In quiet, however, many whisper in the shadows that what came before might come again.
Long since razed by some unknown excursion from the Vault, the tall towers of Naggrund-Dum are home to the Black Mountain Eagles. At any time, the great shapes of the Giant Eagles, as well as the lesser silhouettes of smaller hawks and falcons, can be seen flying about the towers of Naggrund-Dum. The main tower is now called the Great Aerie, the roost of the great eagle Greywing, oldest and wisest of the sentient birds of the Old World. No men but the Rangers and Prince Quintaine Irontalon are allowed to the Great Aerie.