Narbonne
Narbonne was one of the few client states of the Great Empire that retained its monarchy, though that monarchy was historically very weak and controlled by the nation's nobility. During the Dark Times, the Dacourt Dynasty was founded when one of those powerful noble families converted to the Koramian Heresy and took the crown in a brief and almost bloodless civil war. The most recent scion of that dynasty, King Phillipe II Dacourt, is a young, vibrant and generally admired King who easily commands the loyalty of his subjects. Narbonne is again on the rise in Aurea, the flower of chivalry and one of the most influential cultures on the continent.
| Narbonne |
| The Kingdom of Narbonne |
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| Geographic Info |
| Continent: Aurea |
| Location: On a peninsula on the eastern coast of the Aurean continent. |
| Government |
| Government Type: Imperial Monarchy (King, Archduke, Duke, Count, Viscount, Knight, Mayor) |
| Ruler: King Clovar V Tuepierre (Ftr 8, Nob 5) |
| Arms: Azure, the cross of vortumnus gules jessant-de-lis argent |
| Coinage: 1 Denarius (1 sp) = 10 Siliquae (cp); 1 Double Denarius (1 ep) = 2 Denarii; 1 Aureus (1 gp) = 25 Denarii, 1 Solidus (1 pp) = 4 Aurei (Mythus: 1 Denarius = 10 BUCs) |
| Capital: Grischamp (pop 23,450) |
| Alliances: Imperial Dependency |
| Hostilities: None |
| Society |
| Population: 1,852,600 (95% human, 5% other) |
| Languages: Narbonais, Zetian |
| Important Persons: The Episcopus of Vortumnus, various powerful nobles |
| Religious Info |
| Pantheon: Imperial |
| Patron: Vortumnus |
History
The nation known as Narbonne was officially established in 373 IC when Domitian of House Manilius, sent to suppress Narbar aggression into Medalia, instead granted peace and territory to the Narbars so he could contend for the Imperial throne in the Second Succession War. The Narbars were a light-skinned, fair-haired race of humans who were migrating northward from the region now known as Mitaria, apparently due to attacks from the Valtang across the Valtaani Sea. When they first began attacking the Empire, they already had a fairly complex society based on the powerful cavalrymen who composed the noble class. They worshiped a god that they referred to as Cambre the Hunter, which Imperial scholars quickly realized to be an aspect of Vortumnus, God of Chivalry. After the Narbars officially became a recognized dependency of the Empire, priests of Vortumnus quickly began to assimilate the religious practices of the Narbars into their own religion, the combination of which survives today in the Empire.
When Narbonne was Imperialized, the Narbar people themselves had no centralized rulership. They were instead composed of several tribes and clans which were directed by individual noble families. The society as a whole was directed by a Council of Lords, which met four times a year to decide international policies. Eventually, however, it was decided that a central ruling family was necessary to interact with the rest of the Empire on behalf of this council, and the Tuepierre family was elected to this position by the Council. The King, however, was given little in the way of real power. It is his purview only to handle international affairs, with the individual nobles settling their differences as they saw fit. The Tuepierre family soon realized that it had lost power by ascending to a royal throne, and attempted to appeal to the Emperor for succor. Unfortunately for House Tuepierre, the Emperor ignored his requests for increased power, and the noble families of Narbonne still retain much of the power in the nation, with the King being little more than a figure-head.
Economy
Narbonne's economy is based heavily on trade. Being one of the major cross-roads between the southern reaches of the Empire and Zeth, there is never a dearth of goods to be had. Four times a year, trade festivals are had in various cities throughout the nation to encourage merchants to stop and sell their goods. During these festivals, taxes on foreign goods are heavily relaxed, and the noble who is throwing the festival is responsible for setting up the entertainment, tourneys, and games. Even the winter festival, which was viewed as a crazed attempt by the king to attain greater power for Grischamp and himself, has experienced great success in recent years, with even southern merchants braving their inhospitable winters for the chance to make a profit trading with the north. Narbonne is also known for its fine smithies, and the blue-tinged steel of Garonne is prized throughout the Empire as material for swords and, in rare cases, full suits of armor.
Religion
Narbonne officially observes the same range of deities as the rest of the Empire, but Vortumnus, is, by far, the most favored by the populous, though not by the range of social classes that is enjoyed in Koramia. Even though Narbonne does officially decry the Koramian Heresy, no other Imperial state keeps closer ties with the government and clergy of that nation than Narbonne. Despite the great distance between the two nations, trade and communication is maintained between the two. Dagonian deities are proscribed, of course, but the Narbonese hunt the followers of those deities more actively than most in the Empire. The clergy of Vortumnus has recently created an order of holy knights based on the Koramian Order of the Red Band, the Order of the Blue Garter, which is charged with locating and destroying those sects worshiping Dagonian deities. Though they are mainly active in Narbonne, these fanatics are certainly looking to expand their range of activities.
| This page has been identified as needing a map for clarity. |
| This is a thumbnail description and is scheduled for expansion at a later date. |
| This article is part of the Player's Guide to Aurea | |
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Introduction · Economics and Trade · Legends and History · Religion · Regions and Realms | |
| Regions and Realms on Aurea | |
