New Dauntless
| New Dauntless | |
|---|---|
 | |
 New Dauntless' location (dark green) within the Amasynian Peninsula (light green), relative to Regal Province of Trae Kelsa (blue). | |
| Information | |
| Type | Territory |
| Description | Prosperous former colony |
| Region | Trae Kelsa |
| Subregion | Amasynian Province |
| Population | 123,200 |
| Area | 2,200 |
| Capital | Edirne |
| Demonym | Dauntine |
| Government | Monarchy |
| Ruler | King Kyliss Taliaferro |
| Currency | Trae Kelsan Shilling |
| Religion | One True Faith |
New Dauntless (formerly Novaya Neustrashimy), officially the Suzerain Kingdom of New Dauntless, is a coastal region in the north of the Amasynian Peninsula. It is bordered to the south by Thessilane, Derry and Myrken Wood, and to the south-west by Amasynia.
Contents
History
Origins
The founding of New Dauntless dates to 1163 AI with the arrival of Prince Kazimir of Neustrashimy at the head of a fleet of colony ships from across the Beradt Sea; barely half of the fleet completed the voyage, most being lost to pestilence and poor weather; the survivors found themselves on unknown and as-yet uninhabited shores, and soon established themselves in the region's eastern lowlands despite harsh winters and difficult harvests. Kazimir's heirs prospered, after a fashion, as the land was brought under the axe and plough and the colonists settled into life in a new land.
The Expeditionary Armada
In the spring of 1233 A.I., a fleet of warships from Regal Province landed on New Dauntless coast, disgorging soldiers and cavalrymen belonging to House Taliaferro of southern Trae Kelsa; following a brief military campaign pitting trained and well-equipped soldiers against the hastily-conscripted peasant-army of the Kazimid throne, the old ruling class of New Dauntless was efficiently removed and replaced by Taliaferro nobles.
The Amasynian Period
In 1270 A.I. the Eighth War of Salvation brought the recently-established Taliaferro Dynasty into conflict with the Kingdom of Amasynia as it sought to expand its holdings over the Amasynian Peninsula. Remarkable for its extensive use of naval warfare (including the decisive Battle of Hexal), the conflict was brought to a close when Amasynia landed a force of three thousand men on the coast and marched upon Edirne while the main body of the New Dauntless army was fending off an invasion force from the border with Thessilane. The King surrendered following the capture of his capital, and was required to abdicate in favour of his son, who was believed to be more sympathetic to the goal of a united Amasynia.
Government
Politics
Law and Order
Towns and cities are managed by a sheriff, who is often personally appointed by the prince of the region and thus carries considerable influence in local matters. A sheriff is permitted to appoint deputies as needed. There is little trouble in New Dauntless, as the nation is surprisingly united; theft is often a trouble in times of shortage, but far less than might be expected.
Military
New Dauntless has long and proud military tradition dating back to the days of the Amasynian Kingdom and beyond. Despite its relatively sparse population New Dauntless maintains a large standing army, predominantly recruited from the north of the region, in particular the rugged and isolated lands of Northern New Dauntless. The cost of maintaining this strong military is often defrayed by allowing regiments to hire out as mercenary companies, on the conditions that they take no contracts against the interests of the governments of either New Dauntless or Trae Kelsa, and that they return to New Dauntless when required. This results in the New Dauntless military containing a sizeable proportion of experienced and veteran troops, even at times when New Dauntless itself is at peace.
The current head of the New Dauntless army is Prince Rayin Taliaferro, son of King Kyliss. The chain of command is straightforward, consisting of regiments of between 600-1000 men, each led by a Hauptman (captain). The preferred weapon for the infantry is the pike, although veteran soldiers prefer more specialised weapons such as the two-handed sword, halberd or billhook. It is also not uncommon for New Dauntless regiments to compensate for losses by recruiting from foreign lands or among the ranks of defeated foes. Many prefer to join their former enemy than be executed on the spot, since only officers and members of the nobility are taken as prisoners to be ransomed.
Geography
Gently rolling terrain stretches from the shore of the Beradt Sea in the east, though the northern coast becomes considerably more rugged and uneven, broken up by cliffs and steep-sided fjords which make landing a boat difficult in the extreme. The Afanasiy River forms the southern border with Thessilane, and the Sikasoon Mountains separate New Dauntless from Derry. The central region is dominated by the Belogorskoi Plateau, an arid area remarkable for the massive petrified trees of the Silver Forest, whose trunks tower scores of feet into the air, creating an eerily beautiful landscape of silent and leafless trunks. Further west the landscape drops again until it sinks into the foetid swamplands of Ghreu Fenn, which forms the region's southwest border with Myrken Wood. To the west the broad estuary of the Posehabnak River divides New Dauntless from Amasynia, and the natural barrier of the Spinster Mountains stretches towards Northern New Dauntless.
Cities
The capital city of Edirne lies in a defensive location protected by a coil of the Ippolit River, and has been home to the Kazamid kings and to the Taliaferro dynasty which supplanted them.
Travel
The Dauntine Road forms one of the few safe paths through the swampland of Ghreu Fenn to the southwest, meeting the North Passage Down to connect the capital of Edirne to Myrken Wood, and from there allows travel to Amasynia, Heath and Xanth Grange. The Truedrift serves as a road across the Sikasoon Mountains into Derry, while several bridges span the Afanasiy River into Thessilane. The coast of the Beradt Sea also boasts a number of ports in the southeast, most prominent of which lies at the mouth of the Ippolit and carries river traffic to and from the capital.
Climate
Economy
For a time New Dauntless was the Amasynian Peninsula's foremost shipbuilding region, having extensive docks and shipyards along the eastern coast; this industry has gone into decline following recent hostilities with neighbouring Thessilane, with farming and fishing instead becoming New Dauntless' main source of revenue. The eastern lowlands are primarily suited to arable farming, while livestock is more common in the northern highlands.
