| The Barony of Destine
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Duchy: Draught
Leaders: Baron Regent Chase Stevens
Population: 300,000
Lordships: Omenal, Moria
Known For: Navigation, Astronomy, Spices, Commercial Enterprise
Major Towns and Cities: Harlan's Observatory, Moria
Characters of Destine: Here
Description:
The land is full of education and superstition, legends and festivals that reach from the arcane depths of time try to superimpose themselves upon healthy debate and quasi-democracy stemming from a fairly well educated population. Astronomers complain of astrologers taking their work and turning it into mysticism, while astrologers claim right back that astronomers take all the spice out of science. Capitalism is key here, especially in Omenal, where everything has its price whether it's in gold or good will. They've turned the market into an art and a science all its own. If you meet a merchant in Omenal, you might find yourself going home with some contrivance you never knew you needed. Or a dozen of them.
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| History
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As far back as Destine history goes, the barony has always been in possession of the Lieberman family, the last few generations mis-managing funds and people in their rule. The last of the Lieberman bloodline to hold the lands was the youngest child, Erich. The Baron was not without his own infamy because of his sexual deviance and favor for male flesh. In November of 502, he wed Isolde Lieberman in a whirlwind elopement. The former Marchioness was not without her own scandal and hard choices, for the next month Erich died from a drug overdose. It is common knowledge that his parents were giving him Stillwaters and the dosage was rather high, leading to his death.
The Baroness was called before Ducal council and it was there that the barony was given to her, in her name and not just that through marriage affiliation. That started the turn of the tide in Destine. Known for her political savvy but also her rash decisions, Destine began to flourish under the leadership of Baroness Isolde, who did gain some measure of acceptance and approval from her people, including the gypsies in Omenal.
Late in 507, Destine's fortune began to shift. Without warning, an edict came down from the Keeper that the Gypsies of Destine, centered primarily in Omenal Province, were to discontinue being lawless renegades and declare their fealty to him. At the same time, a group of Knights made landing in the Omenal area and quite simultaneously almost any trace of Gypsy existence seemed to disappear. To date, only a few prominent Gyispes remain, having heeded the Keeper's edict and avoided disappearance. In this, an entire culture was lost and a sad day befell Destine. It would not be its last.
Soon after the disappearance of the Gypsies, Baroness Isolde Lieberman and her children also seemed to vanish without a trace. The barony of Destine found itself with a child heir too young to take the seat, Grant Lieberman. It was decided by the Duke and Duchess that Lord Chase Stevens of Omenal should be placed in his stead as Baron Regent. The changes in leadership were stark, as Chase began to take a more business-like attitude to running the Barony. He increased training of the constabulary through the training facilities he created at Port Omenal, trying to tie everything together with the Baronial Guard and create a more cooperative, streamlined force. It also led to the return of former Gypsy Solphin Acaran as Chamberlain of Destine.
The greatest disaster yet to befall Destine would occur in the Fall of 508, when a disaster of epic proportions would cause the southern coastal portions of the Isle of Draught to crumble and fall into the sea. While Moria was largely unaffected, a large portion of the Omenal Lordship was lost, including the Omenal Capital and Commercial Center at Port Omenal. The fallout from the failure of Terra Firma is still rippling through the Barony, with Omenal Lordship's capital being temporarily moved to Agraria further inland and people still trying to pick up the pieces and discover what is still there much less trying to rebuild what has been lost. Lives and Livelihood, Commerce and Knowledge, Destine finds itself in a position of taking stock in so many ways. Culturally, Spiritually, who are they and where are they going from here?
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| Politics
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Politics always is a hot item. Destine is filled with those that desire progress and those that are in favor of traditional roles. They border on democracy as much as the social structure can allow, housing intellectual debates on issues. They are, as the rest of Draught, a barony of educated people. The barony is composed of educated theories, unaligned philosophies and superstition, thus politics of Destine need to tread just right on the political line. It is all in the presentation of the material.
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| Succession of Barons
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Content to follow.
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| Geography
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Content to follow.
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| Economy
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Destine is driven primarily by Capitalism and a thirst for knowledge. Merchants here are like nowhere else. They can take items from one region and sell them to another through Destine, making much of Destine's economy derivative upon simple economic activity alone. Port Omenal was crucial to this success. However, this was not the only source of income for Destine. Engineers would be working on new ship designs, some of them manufactured at Port Omenal. Alchemists and Chefs would work with some of the spices being grown in Destine and elsewhere, coming up with new formulas for everything from Saunder's Glue to Chicken Solana. And no one could find better navigational instruments or maps of the stars to lead them by than they could in Moria. Applied Knowledge is Destine's trade, more than anything else.
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| Culture
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Religion
The people of Destine are far less religious than their neighbors in the Barony of Ethos. The belief is heavy that if you foster progress and prosperity, Providence will shine upon you. Some citizens have turned that into a religion all its own.
Holidays
April 20 - Enlightenment Holidaze - This is an annual festival in Destine. It is one that could be the oddest to those outside of the isle. Bards flock to the isle for this day and there is a set up near the baronial estate. This showcases all sorts of bards and storytellers from Draught and other isles. Outsiders are welcome to this festival as it is truly the love not war time. The other thing to note is it is a perpetual high. If you are sober, you will be looked at funny and even mocked as not being patriotic. This holiday is completely about who has the best drugs and prices lower to almost free, if not free, for this holiday. However, the prices increase shortly thereafter when the addiction sets in. Many sit in a large field sharing their drugs and listening to the bards (who are also normally high) sing their songs. There is a peace time called for this day. No one would think of breaking the peace without being ostracized by the entire community.
October 23 - Invention Day - This is the day that those intellectuals of Destine gather to build a better floatation device. They are allowed only to use materials that are natural and weigh less than five pounds in total weight. They are not allowed to construct hydropower or pumps or engine types onto the design. There are many categories depending on the age of the participate. They are allowed a week to construct their vessels and then they float them upon the water in a boat race. The one that wins is then elected for the year as Invention Master and may use the title at will. While there is no monetary compensation, it is a great honor to be named in ones division of Invention Master for that year.
December 15 - Stars Night - This Destine Holiday incorporates all things with the night sky. On hand there are those that predict the future doing readings by starlight. As well as there is always a large constellation show put on by the Conservatory in Moria. It is an amazing spectacle and many throughout Draught travel to Moria to see it. The day is spent with art work, lectures and just street performances in relation to the stars. It is the only time that the Conservatory is open to the public. There everyone dresses in star theme and there is normally a large masque and pyrotechnics that light the sky to signal the end of stars night.
Half-Year Celebration - This celebration is for the baby who has reached six months of life. It is also valued on Draught perhaps more on other isles as it is when they typically start to use two syllable words such as baba, dada, mama, etc. It marks the first show of personality, expression and in Draughten terms, intelligence. Children are normally given books at this point and other means of childhood toys to foster more academic progress. Blocks and shape toys are normally given as well as wooden flashcards to learn more words. Now this celebration is not just for the child, as by now the children are sleeping through the night. The night of half-year, the parents are taken out by other parents. It is a night to share the stories up to now and to share what is next to happen. There are also many drugs given freely, most are intellect boosters or drugs to inspire euphoria.
First Teen Day - This celebration is for the boy/girl who has reaches thirteen years. It is huge among the populace and many a child waits to be this delightful 'teenager' year. This year marks the milestone of putting away more childhood things and focusing to become an adult with the freedom of expression granted to youth. This is not so much what the teen looks forward too. They look forward to their first taste of drugs. The youth is pulled out of primary learning for the day on their first teen day. The first part of the morning is spent learning the names of the various drugs and learning the safety aspects. They are taught how to administer the drugs and how to figure the correct dosage. This takes them to midday where they are given lunch and then a test on what they learned. Those that pass (which is most all of them) are then allowed to choose four drugs; one drug for each barony that composes Draught. They spend the night on their education 'high'.
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