Sabadell
The region of Sabadell (pronounced: sah-bah-DELL) is a lush green haven for the farmers and merchants who live just outside of the great city of Gelene and the suburban Gelene Outskirts. It is for the most part a very peaceful land, and that attitude has meant that over the years very little war or strike has touched the region. Sabadell itself is a large division of land, but the populace is sparsely spread.
It offers only average output of food and gold, but what it does contribute to the realm is of the highest quality. What the region lacks in production, it gains in character and beauty - the Mountain of Woe can been seen in the distance by the peasants farming, and is a perfect backdrop to the bluebell meadows and rolling green seas of grass.
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Climate
Sabadell is an inland region that has historically enjoyed warm and fresh weather. The sun maintains hot weather in Sabadell for nearly seven whole months each year. Summers are prosperous - warm and rainy conditions allow the local farmers to enjoy great crops and have no difficulty with famine. The excellent irrigation allows the water to leave the region through ditches, creeks and small rivers to nourish the bordering regions.
While the summers are extremely pleasant, as the seasons progress and autumn and winter arrive, the region does get bitter cold at times. For the most part, however, Sabadell is a temperate region that experiences very few extremes which would be considered harsh weather - thus its people tend to be happy and healthy, often more than their neighbors. Sabadell often attracts people from the surrounding regions who are looking for respite away from the scolding hot summers experienced in Gelene, or the violently cold and difficult seasons seen in the mountain ranges.
The main good produced in the north is wheat, as the rainfall through winter creates a perfect ground for the plant to take hold and grow fruitfully. Thanks to the warmer summers the south is rich in vineyards like its neighbour Ammando, although the relatively high amount of precipation provides grapes of lesser quality than the east of Ammando.
Geography
According to a local legend the region owes its name to a giant who ruled the southern part and protected his people against monsters from the mountains in the west. When he grew old, he desired to continue to protect his tribe and changed into a hill, so the monsters would change their trajectory. Thus he could protect his tribe for all eternity. The hill, however, also changed the course of the rivers, so the people grew angry and planned to remove it. Ionia and Etrani, the daughters of Sabadell, were torn with grief due to this ingratitude and rushed up the hill, where they shed their tears for their father and thus they changed into rivers, which provided the lands behind the hill again with water. Their tribesmen honored the daughters by planting vineyards along the Etrani (her favorite fruit) and trees along the Ionia (she always loved to have animals around her).
The forest around the Ionia seperates the region into a north and south part. The most important town is Jonaford, which is situated where the northern road crosses the Ionia. The hill Sabadell also belong to the jurisdiction of Ionia and used to be te residency of the counts of Sabadell, from which they exacted toll from travellers passing north or south of the hill. It is because of this that the north and south became one region despite their differences. After the collapse of Astrum, the hill was deserted and the Westgardian senators seated in Tranchester, which was much safer.
A trade route from Gelene to Eidulb largely follows the Etrani, which has hardly seen any monster incursions. So compared to the north there are quite a few larger towns. From east to west: Etranbury, Langing, Espring, Dyzig, Vinstow, Ackey, Tranchester, Burnsted, Ashsted and Wesbury. The chiefest of these towns is Tranchester, which is the starting point for the road north and was the seat of the Westgardian senators, until the northerner Meginhard Brennaborg became senator.
On the north side of the forest is the plain of Northrich. Thanks to the Mountain of Woe the land has many creeks, the most important one being the Gelene, which flows to the city that bears its name. The Brenna starts at the southern foothills of the Mountain of Woe and flows into the Gelene. The Kowmer starts at the north of the hill of Sabadell and flows through the south of the plains into the Gelene. Finally the Liger forms the border with Forguthrie and Zereth. The most important towns of the north are Brennaborg (build at the junction of the Brenna and the Gelene by orders of Senator Marcus D Luffy to protect the north against raids), Esquery (a town of masons at the foothills of the Mountain of Woe) and Ardast (where the Kowmer meets the Gelene).
Native Plants and Animals
The region of Sabadell is home to a great number of plants, birds, beasts and animals of all colors shapes and sizes. While the region does not command as much plant life as many of its neighbors, it is home to one of the most beautiful landscapes: the bluebell meadows in the north are a famous feature of the land, causing many a traveler to lose their breath as they look upon the rolling blue sea. Outsiders have been known to mistake these fields for gentle oceans, until (much to their embarrassment) they approach and find that the blue is but plant life swaying in the gentle breezes of the countryside.
The most prominent creatures found in the countryside are small field mice, as well as the falcons that prey on them. When walking across the great fields of Sabadell, it is easy to see these two icons of the land - mice gathering food, and falcons soaring overhead looking for a nice lunch. There are a great deal of other creatures that call Sabadell home, but most are small animals that scavenge for food. The forest in the centre was originally only home to deer and foxes, but Meginhard Brennaborg also released hogs in the western forest. There are no large predatory creatures roaming the land.
Economy
Farmers make up a majority of the population in this region, and tend to trade amongst themselves for goods and services. Sabadell is a self sufficient region, and rarely needs to rely on any surrounding areas for their livelihood. Trade usually passes through: in the south between Gelene and Eidulb, in the north between Gelene, Shrine of Seeklander and Gaston. What little trade is done in Sabadell mostly happens at farmer's markets in some of the southern communities near the border of Gelene Outskirts, Ammando and Eidulb Outskirts. People from the towns bordering the great cities have been known to come to Sabadell looking for some "local flavor", returning with some of the farmed goods sold at these markets.
Sabadell is not a major source of agricultural products and rural goods, but what it produces, Gelene needs. Lumber from Ionia and stone from the the foothills of the Mountain of Woe make their way to the great city in the east. Also the wheat of Northrich is needed to feed the city. It is said that the combination of these materials made Westgard particularly keen on keeping the province, while neighbouring regions were abandoned after the Westgard/Great Rush West.
In the south wine is produced at a large scale, but wine from Ammando is more popular. Meanwhile hunting is done in Ionia and attracts rich young men from Gelene, who enjoy the sport. Merchants who try to sell wine from Sabadell do this by claiming it has a 'wilder' taste than its Ammandan counter part.
People
Sabadell is a relatively pacifistic region. It is made up of mostly farmers and traders, and there is no long standing militaristic culture here. As such, its citizens are not particularly good infantry soldiers or bowmen. Those soldiers that do call Sabadell home are good people, loyal to the army and follow orders diligently - they simply do not have any great skill that sets them apart from their peers. The peaceful nature of her people has been attributed to the lack of any real military threat in Sabadell's history. The major danger the citizens faced were the roaming hordes of monsters plaguing the west. In the past these beasts largely ignored the farming population of Sabadell, instead focusing their blind rage on the mountainmen further west. As the monster threat grew and spread, it overran the mountains and descended into the plains below. The locals lived in constant fear of monster and undead uprisings, until the military reforms of Marcus D Luffy, who enforced training with the bow among all men in Sabadell.
Culturally the people around the Etrani have a lot in common with the people of Ammando. The count of Sabadell, however, could control this trade route between Gelene and Eidulb, which caused the area to go a separate course. The trade route mostly follows the river, which has most of the large towns of Sabadell, the most important one being Tranchester, which also lies at the main road to the north.
The people of Ionia are very distrustful to outsiders, but Gelene needs its lumber, so traders have become resourceful in breaking the outer shell of these people. It does not house many people, but it is believed that these are the descendants of the original inhabitants of the region. It is said that once you win the heart of an Ionian, you will never loose it again.
The people of Northrich have more in common with the people of Aquitain than the people from southern Sabadell. The harsher life in the north causes the northerners to look at the south with both contempt and envy. The northerners often consider the southerners if not outright lazy at least not as hardworking. The north used to be richer, because it profited from the trade between Shrine of Seeklander, Gelene en Gaston. Now Northrich is a rough borderland.
Politics
Despite their loyal nature, the people of Sabadell can be a fiercely independent group when their lord neglects his protective duty. A number of times in its early history, the region decided that it wished to rule itself, and thus expelled the rule of the local Lord, in favor of local peasant rule. Under Westgardian rule the area was secured against monsters and the rebellious attitude has since subsided.
Everguard Period (April 23, 2008 - May 17, 2009)
Arthur Spindle was the first to settle on hill Sabadell and commenced to exact toll from people passing his hill. The following day his tax collectors were, however, killed by insurgents, who assembled and attcked the hill a day later. Despite being outnumbered, the self declared count easily beat the rabble and continued building his castle. Three days later, however, a newly assembled mob succeeded in routing the count and Sabadell regained its independence.
On June 21, 2008, Inagon II Gamgon reclaimed the region for Everguard. He crushed an initial rebellion, but when he was out on an expedition, the peasants took possession of the fortifications on the hill (July 14, 2008) and declared themselves independent again.
On October 9, 2009, the region was part Everguard again. The name of the count is not found in the records of Everguard, and it is assumed that he was a local ruler, who voluntarily joined the realm, because the trade with Gelene was beneficial to Sabadell. This would explain why there are no known insurrections in that time.
When Astrum started to gain territory on Everguard, it was feared that the local lord of Sabadell wold change sides, so he was repleced with Loki Ravenwulf on March 2, 2009. Although Loki succesfully increased the defensibility of the region, he was ousted on May 17, 2009, with the help of the local populace.
Astrum Period (May 17, 2009 - ???)
On May 17, 2009, Channing Harte was hailed as a liberator and succeeded in wresting the territory from Everguardian control. Under Astrumese leadership the castle on Sabadell was finally completed. The Astrumese also brought Sanguis Astroism to the region, which helped pacify the region further.
As a remote border region, Sabadell, however, did not receive full attention from Astrum and historical accounts were not kept by counts who were sometimes not much more than robbers. Because of this, it is not clear how long Astrum controlled this region, but at a certain point in time, monsters started to become more prominent in the region and were attracted by the castle, clearly visible on the hill. Eventually Astrum was forced to pull back and the locals destroyed the castle to prevent a renewed habition from attracting monsters.
Westgard Period (December 6, 2015 - present)
Initially Westgard had a hard time to expand outside Gelene, eventually Sabadell, however, became a solid Westgardian border region - even after the collapse following the Great Rush West.
Paradoxically, Sabadell became more peacefull when the monsters became more dangerous by learning how to swim. This meant that monsters, normally directed at Sabadell, now had other targets to go to. Westgard expanded westward and Sabadell became a safe province.
Due to the Gold Sea Conflict and ensuing civil strife, Westgard shrunk and Sabadell became a border region again. The north suffered a lot because of this and lost much of its economic significance. During the tenure of Marcus D Luffy reforms were enacted to regain the north, the most important ones being the building of a fortress in the plains and enforced training with the bow for all men.
Lords who have ruled Sabadell
- Count Arthur Spindle of Everguard - Ruled April 22, 2008
- Anarchy - Peasant revolt and control - April 23, 2008
- Count Arthur Spindle of Everguard - Ruled April 24, 2008 - April 27, 2008
- Anarchy - Peasant revolt and control - April 27, 2008 - June 21, 2008
- Count Inagon II Gamgon of Everguard - Ruled June 21, 2008 - July 14, 2008
- Anarchy - Peasant revolt and control - July 14, 2008 - October 9, 2008
- Unknown of Everguard - October 9, 2008 - March 1, 2009
- Count Loki Ravenwulf of Everguard - March 2, 2009 - May 17, 2009
- Channing Harte of Astrum - May 18, 2009 - Unknown
- Senator Marcus D Luffy of Westgard - August 8, 2022 - October 18, 2022
- Senator Meginhard Brennaborg of Westgard - October 18, 2022 - present
