| The Barony of Dragon Lake
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Duchy: Mists
Leaders: Baroness Regent Serenity Guybrush and Baron Regent Gareth Guybrush
Population: ??
Lordships: Fang of Imperius, Shadrach's Folly
Known For: What're we known for?
Major Towns and Cities: Polaris Port
Characters of Dragon Lake: Here
Description:
Colors: ?
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| History
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Held for more than four centuries by House Devonshire, the most populous barony upon the isle of Mists requires more than an iron fist or a polite smile to govern. (More details)
The Devonshire house's dominion drew to an end with the marriage of the ruling baron, Raziel Devonshire, to Meredith Ravensford, the only sister of then Baron Moonshadow, Drake Ravensford. In a stroke of a pen and sealing of vows, the wealthiest barony allied with the largest on the island. They established a powerful political bloc fit to challenge ducal authority itself. Many Mistians shook their heads in incredulity or dismay when Duke Lazarus Karaganinas announced his retirement from public life. Officially he was claimed to be in ill health and sought a quieter life removed from constant political upheavals and challenges.
Virulent rumours circulated for weeks that the upstart Baron Dragon Lake with his new baroness all but forced the Duke of Mists from the throne through blackmail or a clandestine coup supported by shadowy factions upon the isle. Their fears were partially realized when the Emperor appointed Raziel as regent over the vacant duchy, a decision reaffirmed upon the birth of the dowager duke's son Solomon Karaganinas. In obtaining the role of Duke Regent, Raziel relinquished all right to Dragon Lake and, as he had no natural heirs, it passed into vacancy.
Phoebe Forester briefly served in a stint as the regent over Dragon Lake. (More details needed.)
On 22 July in 505, the Duke Regent proclaimed his adoptive daughter Nina Snicket as the baroness of Dragon Lake. As she had not yet reached her majority, her regent was named as Bailey Guybrush, former Lord Shadrach's Folly.
Aveley
Perhaps best known of all the manmade landmarks of Dragon Lake, Aveley is the name of the keep constructed almost two hundred years ago. Called the Drowned Castle from its turbulent end, it has been a favourite landmark for visitors to approach by boat as it emerges out of the fog commonly occluding the shoreline at dusk and dawn. Traditionally, it is rarely seen by foot except on specific holidays. None dwell any longer upon it, though it was not always so.
Its chequered history described a period of severe turmoil between the family that owned it. Ambitious social climbers, their star rose and fell precipitously over the years as grasping members sought nobility. A suspicious death of the chatelaine and a fire which destroyed half the building were not enough to see this great home fall, and Aveley was faithfully reconstructed and a center of great scheming. Visitors to the small but lavish parties claimed the place haunted by no less than two spectres, and often reported wild, skirling pipes playing late into the night from no obvious source. Eventually the family did in themselves by alliance with a failed coup to place a new candidate into the barony; unable to escape justice, they were eventually forced to flee and their property seized.
A final blow was delivered under a shroud of mist one moonless night in a conflict that sank half of Aveley into the lake, submerging the outbuildings and the picturesque gardens into the rocky bottom. Today the ruins of Aveley still mark the much diminished island, connected to land by the long stone bridge that approaches the main gate. Occasionally statues or artwork washes ashore as far as the beaches of the Fang of Imperius traced back to Aveley's deluged halls.
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| Politics
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Being the barony to contain the capital of the Isle, suggesting that this area were rife with politics would be a serious understatement. Opinion in Dragon Lake tends to run the political gamut, due to a variety of factors. In the citizenry itself, there is a great spectrum, ranging from those in the capital who are very involved with the workings of the lordship, the barony, and the isle to those like the citizens of the Folly, who want nothing more than to have control of their own destinies and to be left alone. When coupled with frequent upheavals in the nobility and the high concentration of authority figures in one place -- the Baronial family, the Mogur Imperius and High Council, the office of Magistrates and scores of influential and wealthy individuals -- all pushing their own political agenda, it creates a vibrant and rich tapestry.
A tapestry with a very, very complicated pattern.
Navigating the political waters is something that seems simple enough to learn at first, but it can take years to master. In the Fang, especially, the whole of the game is about who one knows and who owes favors to whom. There's much wheeling and dealing, and certainly much of it is openly acknowledged to occur in back rooms and private studies. It is this sort of behavior that only further isolates the capital from the rest of the barony, who find the system generally broken and corrupt but also unchangeable and -- in its way -- necessary.
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| Succession of Barons
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July 22, 505 – Present
- Baroness Nina Snicket (b. 501)
- Regent: Bailey Guybrush (July 22, 505 – ??)
- Regent: Serenity Guybrush (?? – Present)
- m: Gareth Guybrush (b. May 20, 484)
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| Geography
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Dragon Lake
Dragon Lake is a body of freshwater situated in the eponymous eastern barony of Dragon Lake upon Mists. Its primary outflow, the River Tayalloch, drains directly into the Sea of Veils. It is the third largest lake in the duchy, and features significantly in Mistian literature and art from the earliest times of human settlement.
Its name either originates from the popular fable of a dragon dwelling in the depths of the lake in ancient times, or its distinctly serpentine shape nestled by steep hills on all sides. Though shallow in places, constantly influxes of sediment and debris from tributary creeks and lakes present a hazard in the lake.
Treacherous dropoffs concealed from sight by clouded water or plants have an unfortunate record of claiming fishers and swimmers venturing accidentally across them. Dragon Lake reaches unknown depths in places due to the constant changes to the bottom. It can freeze over completely in exceptionally cold winters.
Four small islands lie at the eastern end of Dragon Lake. The largest of them, Thearne, is the site of a ruined settlement built in 388 for a wealthy elementalist seeking to escape scandal in Polaris Port. Another twelve are scattered across the lake proper, the most famous being Aveley.
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| Economy
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What do we sell?
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| Culture
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Like its politics, the culture of Dragon Lake varies greatly between the north and the south of the barony. From Fang of Imperius to the heart of Shadrach's Folly, the people grow increasingly less metropolitan and more rural and isolationist. The highly sophisticated business and social of the cities fades to a culture that places more emphasis on village priorities and folk stories.
All seem to agree, however, on the importance and beauty of Dragon Lake. With less draw than the Fang of Imperious, it is still a major draw of tourists from around the isle. Naturalists and artists flock to take in the breathtaking views of Dragon Lake at night. Renowned painters compiled sketches and landscapes of the still, mirror-like moonlit waters to fill multiple galleries, and the most famous hang in halls and drawing rooms of the great luminaries of the land. Moon-viewing parties are a common occurrence in the late spring through summer along the eastern approaches where tradition dictates the finest panoramas are to be found, and several established trails provide land access to ramblers eager to visit the waystations and cairns looped for leagues across the rolling hills and small beaches.
Around the lake, in particular, there are numerous folk stories. Will-o-wisps and moon-motes are both claimed to float across the surface or flicker in the woods like lanterns, emitting soft hints of music or snatches of conversation to befuddled bystanders. Both manifestations cause no harm but can greatly disquiet those who claim to witness them. Among the most persistent and oldest stories tells of the malicious Nevararne, a waterhorse which roams through the surrounding forests or plains in the shape of a pony of horse. The Nevararne reputedly rides any hapless riders into the depths of the lake, drowning them and devouring the corpse's flesh.
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| Bestiary
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