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The Lands of James Meredith Pollack d'Hudson

  1. Politics
    1. Internal
    2. External
  2. History
  3. Points of Interest
  4. Dramatis Personae

Politics

Internal

With the possible exception of Lethbridge -- and that not by design -- Hudson is unquestionably the least organized of all the Duchies of York. Officially, all land is owned by the Duke, and it is not divided into the customary counties or provinces or anything else. Scattered throughout the duchy are a series of city-states, each being completely autonomous with the single exception that they all owe fealty to the Duke.

Each town large enough to require a separate person to run it is assigned a Burghermeister by the Duke. The role of Burghermeister is not hereditary, and therefor is not technically nobility. The only true nobility in this Duchy is the Duke himself.

Taxes and troops are levied by the Duke on the cities. Where and how they find the resources to pay for such is up to them.

Laws in Hudson fall into one of two categories. The first are those things which everyone assumes (illegality of murder, that sort of stuff) while these laws can be found in all areas of this duchy, the punishments vary wildly from city to city. Other laws (such as guild requirements, all penalties, definitions of major and minor offenses, about 90% of all law) are set strictly by the cities. The variation between places is quite wide.

Now, it may seem that Hudson is one big chaotic mass. And, so it would be were it not for a long series of extremely capable dukes. For generations now, it has been the policy to only appoint to office people who were the most capable and most loyal available (loyalty taking precedence over ability). So, while there is not much central control in this duchy, the unswerving loyalty of the Burghermeisters keeps it a unified whole.

External

The Duke of Hudson (like his ancestors) has always been strong a supporter of the confederacy, and of keeping it a confederacy. As such, he acts as a balance in most of the political maneuvering. He will swing sides on any given issue based not only on the merits of the item at hand but also on maintaining the balance of power. As the swing voter, he holds much sway in council since it is more often than not his vote that determines the will of the council.

Since it is known his primary concern is the well-being of the confederacy, and seldom his own station, he is well respected in council. He respects with Devonshire and Chesterton, as their loyalty to the realm is unimpeachable. Chesterton, however, considers Hudson's situational ethics to be equivalent to no ethics at all. Lethbridge, as well, thinks very highly of James. James, however, does not think very highly of Harold due to the obvious use of the arcane by his family -- but often supports him on council strictly because that is the only way to maintain the balance of power. Most of the Dukes of the west coast do not like Hudson, and the feeling is returned. To them, he is an obstacle in their road to more power.

History

Hudson holds the distinction of being the family that drafted the Ducal Pact. It should come as no surprise that when the possibility of joining under a single king was being debated (very hotly since no one at the time wanted to be the one who wasn't king), it was the Duke of Hudson at the time who proposed a compromise. The notion of local control with just enough federal power to insure a common bond was his. All his descendants take great pride in that fact, which partially accounts for the extreme measures they have been known to go to to maintain it.

Points of Interest

1. There is a small area in the far northeast section of Hudson (where the diamond narrows about 3 hexes north of a centerline) that is basically rolling hills, with one particularly large one. At the base of the largest is a weathered shrine where nearby villages bring food and offer sacrifices to the dragon gods. People in this area are extremely religious. There is a reason why these people are so devout. The top of the hill is enshrouded in a thick mist, but every so often the sun will shine through just enough to see the outline of some sort of structure. It is generally believed that this place is the burial crypt of Ohramin, the priest and founder of the church hand-picked by Bahamut himself. Either way, rumors tell of a man and a dragon being seen in this area. No one knows who they are but it is believed by the people that Bahamut walks the lands near the burial place of his old friend and servant Ohramin.

2. Ship captains with much experience usually try to keep their men on ship when they must stop at a coastal city in south Hudson. The bay is ideal with two great arms of land protecting it from storms and waves. However, it is also the home of a large band of thieves and many `o seaman has found himself without his pay. Enough have disappeared as to make the captains complain but the city government seems unable (or unwilling as some rumors go) to take effective action.

3. As with most of York, the really remote rural areas have a sort of offshoot religion which does not conform to the usual Dragon Church. It is polytheistic, with human principals. The worship of the Old Gods, as they are called, has been outlawed by The Church but an effective method of enforcement for such remote areas has never been devised. Now, in the areas surrounding the capital city of Hudson the dragon temples are finding a resurgence of this banned religion. People are outwardly respectful, but seem to be actually following the Church less and less. The people seem to be using a token they call the "eye of the dragon". The church is in a quandary as what to do. The tokens show a dragon and were introduced by a priest yet the affects seem to include more heresy by the people. After the rumors of what has happened in Waltham the church hierarchy within Hudson has tried to keep the situation quiet and controllable. The Claw, while universally feared, does not have an extremely strong presence in Hudson. Even if it did, the people are respectful of the priests, and the token is ostensibly in keeping with the Church.

Dramatis Personae

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