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The soil in Lethbridge varies fairly wide in texture and fertility. In the west, nearest the massive iron vein that spills over from Tudor, the soil is mostly red, acidic clay. This soil can support some growth, but the plants have to be particularly hearty to cope with both the acidity of the soil and the extreme hardness of it when dry. The red clays in the west fade into dark, black soil in the middle and eastern parts of the duchy. This soil is much more fertile. The dark, rich soil of the southern reaches predominates. In fact, the fertile soil, the long growing season and the rich variety of crops in Lethbridge are making it a contender for "breadbasket of the Realm".
About 80 percent of Lethbridge is covered in forest. Trees include numerous species of hardwood and softwoods: red oak, laurel oak, orange, apple, fig, plum, peach and a half-dozen varieties of pine wood can be found indigenous throughout the duchy. The remaining acreage, when it is tilled, is a home for corn, peanuts (<B>lots<P> of peanuts), hay, potatoes, pecans, and cotton (more cotton even than peanuts). As a player footnote, here, remember that cotton is not only used for clothing (one of Lethbridge's best trade items) but cottonseed oil is used in cooking.
Indigenous animal species include rabbit, deer, fox, gopher, mink, muskrat, possum, otter, raccoon, skunk, squirrel. The rivers and lakes of the duchy are particularly rich in game fish: all varieties of bass, perch, catfish, and freshwater eel. Oysters and shrimp are found along the coast. The one thing missing that we think of often is trout. Trout require colder waters year-round than Lethbridge has to offer. Poultry, pork and cattle are not uncommon. Sheep, on the other hand, are rare.
The largest city in Paddington is Farnham, which sits directly on the Ahia River. It is a trading port and the provincial capital. Connecting Farnham to Trent is the Alapaha River. The Alapaha is both wide and deep, sufficiently so for all but the very biggest of ships to navigate with ease.
The border of Westover with Tudor is one of the quiet little coups that Lethbridge scored early in his career as Duke. The border here between Westover and Tudor had been in dispute for some time -- Lethbridge wished to claim the tail end of Tudor's famed iron vein, Tudor wanted to claim it all himself. Lethbridge gifted Tudor with a passage down the river separating them and a port (which Tudor had never had before) and in doing so stabilized the border. The new border includes what is now a sizable mine in Lethbridge territory. The mines here produce mostly iron. However, significant veins of gold and silver have been discovered recently.
The largest city in Westover is Trent. It is also the capital of the duchy. Trent is the closest thing to a port city you can have inland. Trent sits at the head of the Silver River. Fed by massive underground springs, the Silver is wide enough and deep enough (even this close to its origin) to handle all but the very largest of ships. While many ships stop and unload at the other end of the river in Farnham, many others complete the journey to Trent. Being the capital city and all, there is plenty of wealth here and the trade usually makes it well worth the trip (much easier than carrying all of this stuff overland). Players familiar with the Silver River in Florida will understand how the Silver River in Lethbridge works: Take a hundred or so large natural springs, with a combined output of several million gallons per day, and you come up with a long, deep river. The water, especially up here in Trent, is a uniform 34 degrees (max. density). Pressure underground and heat above ground keep it from freezing, but hypothermia is common among swimmers who are unfamiliar with these waters.
The lands of the Earls are further doled out to Barons. At this level, the population makes it hardly worth doling any further. Towns are run by Burghers, who are considered nominal nobility. That is, common folks treat them like nobles, but most of the nobles treat them like commoners.
At the Ducal level, there are two offices of note: the Marshall and the Regent. The Marshall is the commandant of the Duke's personal troops. While both he and the troops owe their allegiance to the Duke, it is commonly the Marshall who actually commands them. The Regent is the man who effectively runs the Duchy when the Duke is away or otherwise unavailable.
Most of the things that we think of as being part and parcel of any government are missing in Devonshire. Bureaucracy and paperwork make little sense when over 90% of the population are illiterate. The difference here is that the Duke keeps a small corps of advisors -- men he knows to be completely trustworthy -- to keep track of what is happening in the Earldoms and to advise him as things occur. They are empowered to make decisions and decrees, within narrowly defined boundaries. This group of people, and their messengers, are the larval beginnings of a government beyond Ducal fiat.
The bourgeois class of Lethbridge is small. But, it is growing rapidly in both wealth and size.
The Duke must approve the transfer of lands from any one person to any other person. After the coup attempt four years ago, this is a task which Harold takes very seriously and never delegates.
One of Lethbridge's first acts was to extend to right of the hunt to all people on his lands. This went over with barely more than a few raised eyebrows until he saw an Earl punishing a peasant for killing a rabbit. Harold asked, "Are you, by any chance, suggesting your lands to be separate from mine?" The peasant was released, the Earl was flabbergasted (but put like that, had no other recourse). That Earl, the late Earl of Westover, is no longer in power.
The one notable exception to all this peace and harmony is clerical rather than secular. Operating within the bounds of the duchy is one particularly rabid order. It is, thankfully, a small sect headed by the Baron Bishop Auschlander. Auschlander has been passed over twice now for Cardinal in favor of men he considers to be heretics. He's not a happy fellow. However, having seen the treatment the Claw has received lately and knowing that he can do nothing if his little cadre is suddenly disbanded, he's laying low and not doing anything that would get him into trouble.
Harold's support may be waning however with the advent of the Morkons. Seizing an opportunity, Harold was among the first to begin trade with the Morkons. It has been his intent from the start to avoid a war with them if at all possible. This peace, however, does not have the support of Devonshire or Hampshire. Hudson has remained silent on the issue, just as Harold has remained silent of the interdict currently in place in Hudson. Some have tried to read meaning into the absence of an official condemnation of Hudson for converting away from the Church of Bahamut.
Lethbridge is very friendly with the elves.
Relations with portions of the Church, however, are less smooth. Lethbridge supports the reform movement within the Church whole-heartedly. It was he who gifted the Helm with a sizable chunk of the Stanley family lands outside of Trent. Harold is friendly with the Cardinal of Lethbridge (Carter McRoy) and has very good relations with that side of the Church. The more conservative members, however, have a much bigger problem with Lethbridge. Harold's liberal leanings, connected with the banishment of the Claw from Lethbridge until at least YR 234, and his son's Foundation, leaves Harold as about their least favorite person in the world.
Beneath the nobility are the land-owners and merchants. These few folks represent the middle-class in Lethbridge. Merchants are typically found only in the cities. Communication delays alone contribute to the fact that land-owners have considerable power within their holdings. The merchant class, with the recent trade explosion, had been growing both in number and in power. Finding a merchant in Farnham who is wealthier than most of the nobility in Eaton is no longer difficult. This causes no small amount of friction between the group in question.
The lower class in this duchy are represented by the tenant farmers and indentured servants. Lifetime slavery here is illegal, by decree of the Duke. Indentured servitude is limited to three years and an indentured servant may not be sold. The designation and class of tenant also applies to the vast numbers of people who merely farm the land or herd the animals as they have for generations without regard to local land owners or some such.
Eaton is composed primarily of herders and miners. The local craftsmen are very good. That is, items made here are typically very sturdy and well designed. However, the crafts of the area are not widely sought after as they are very strictly utilitarian. Frilly, artsy work is looked down upon by the locals as "frivolous".
Breighton is mostly various forms of farmers, with herdsmen predominating. A good number of fishermen can also be found along the long coast of Breighton. Bryton, on the other hand, has few fishermen. Most of its people are farmers, and woodsmen and woodworkers predominating near the cedar forests. Wood workers can also be found in numbers in the towns, especially in the harbor town of Patterson. Paddington and Westover are dominated by farmers.
Cotton is also a big export, but not nearly so important to the overall economy as food.
Most notable among these is a trade agreement with the Morkons. Lethbridge's merchants can be heard loudly complaining about the taxes imposed by Hudson. And even louder about the restrictions in Devonshire and Hampshire. No official statement has been made, but people in the know think it is just a matter of time before someone commissions an expedition to find the "Northwest Passage."
The Morkons are also known to have sent emissaries to the Foundation in Trent, "that our peoples may learn one from another."
Another notable agreement lately is the agreement Harold has struck with the Elves. Trade with the Elves is difficult and shaky. There seems to be so little that humanity has that the Elves want. However, a recent agreement, struck with Windwalker (Ambassador from the Elves). The Elves will also be participating in the Foundation.
The Shadows have a number of tasks. First is to provide information to the Lightning Guard relevant to the safety and well being of the ducal household. This is their most common role, and it is highly preferred that the Lightning Guard and the palace guard take any overt actions required. As such, The Shadows are trained to be undetectable. While this often involves stealth training, it is a well kept secret that it more often involves misdirection -- nobles tend to ignore servants, and servants are trained to be easily ignored in many circumstances.
The truth of this matter is that you are looking at a small contingent of women -- exclusively women -- who are known personally and trusted by Judith McKitrick. They stay invisible and undetected simply because in a society like this, the "ladies in waiting" are the last place one would look for someone of this caliber.
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