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THE FOUR DUCHIES : NORLAMON

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MAIN ENCLAVE MENU

1/GEOGRAPHY OF THE ENCLAVE 2/HISTORY OF THE ENCLAVE
3/RELIGION IN THE ENCLAVE 4/THE FOUR DUCHIES : a- MORANON
4/THE FOUR DUCHIES : b- GORVANON 4/THE FOUR DUCHIES : c- NORLAMON
4/THE FOUR DUCHIES : d- BALLAR 5/ARGYL, THE GATE TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD
6/OTHER INHABITANTS OF THE ENCLAVE : NON HUMAN AND GREYS 7/KUZDALITAR : THE DWARVEN KINGDOM
8/URBELINDEL : THE ELVEN KINGDOM 9/MAGIC IN THE ENCLAVE
10/FAMOUS PLACES AND PEOPLE IN THE ENCLAVE 11/CAMPAIGN NOTES: HOLY WAR IN GORTINA

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4-c/THE DUCHY OF NORLAMON

Located in the north east part of the Enclave, the duchy of Norlamon is the least populated and poorer in terms of trade and production. It has also the doubtful reputation to be home of the Elven kingdom of Urbelindel although no one in Norlamon would want anything to do with the elves and they tend to be considered as mythical creatures since they are nearly never seen, staying in the deep forest of Urbedron where human seldom venture. People of Norlamon take a great pride in the fact that they hate non human and thus resent the fact that folks of Gorvanon dare to trade with the dwarves who live at their border. This is the main reason for the long enmity between the two duchies, along with the fact that Gorvanon is obviously richer than Norlamon, and populated with peaceful farmers whereas inhabitants of Norlamon have to stand a slightly more rigorous climate, less fertile lands and place physical exercise and army training to a foremost importance. Norlamon folks are hunters, and therefore considered as barbarians by people of Gorvanon and Moranon.

Norlamon is the largest of the duchies. But a great part of it is composed of hills and steppes. Agriculture is much more rare than in the other duchies, and the steppes are home to big herds of woollen buffalos, called GONTAS, and raised for their wool, meat and milk. (Anyone in Gorvanon or Moranon though would tell you that Gontas milk tastes like urine and smells worse. But it is a major part of Norlamon's diet and a potent alcohol can be made with the fermented milk.) People in Norlamon also raise small quick horses with long hair and use them to cross the step and go along the herds.

There are only three real cities in Norlamon : EMENIR, the capital, is a heavily fortified city, stern and dark, with a great cattle market that has been placed downwind, but gets upwind one day of the week when the FIROS wind blows from the Asyr. Then the stench gets hardly bearable in the wide city and its narrow streets.It has a population of 20000. This is where the palace (Fortress would fit better) of the duke stands. The duke is currently ARGON IV, a serious man with a hot temper who has often expressed the desire to clean his country from the elven trash that gives it a bad reputation. FANDUR, on the river Vonir is a quiet town, important market between Ballar and Norlamon, where most of the goods that are not produced in the duchy come from, people in Norlamon preferring to trade with those of Ballar than with these snobs of Moranon or dwarf lovers of Gorvanon. Fandur is the only mjor agricultural community in the duchy, caring for wide fields of corn that color the land in spring and sway slowly in the northern wind, the BOROS. ESGETH, on the outskirts of the Ermin Boros hills is the most interesting city of the duchy. It is a great congregation of the nomadic families of Norlamon and is composed for two thirds of big tents that cover the area of a wide city. These tents were erected only in winter at the begining, but now stay all year long and are cared for by slaves and servants when the core of the family is away on the steppe. A great basilic and a fortress rise among the tents composing the major solid buildings in the city. They are both erected on different hills, as the city is formed of a flat land surrounding  six hills on which the stone buildings are built. Esgeth is the sacred city of Norlamon and the duke spends in fact more time in his castle there than in the capital.

The people of Norlamon have a great nomadic tradition and live mainly in tents they erect on the steppe. They learn how to ride at a very young age and have to spend two years of compulsary military duty in the army. The army of Norlamon is split in many small factions, each controlled by the Lord of a Clan. These Clans are great families, composed of hundred souls, under the rule of a patriarch. The patriarch has also the function of religious leader, although each clan will have several priests attached to it to perform the mundane religious duties. Once a year in winter the great assembly of the clans takes place in Esgeth.

Norlamon is also the only duchy where slavery is tolerated. It is not strictly forbidden in the other duchies but people have stopped this practice as there are no conflict or invasion that would allow to take slaves among the losers. Slaves in Norlamon are born slaves for most of them, being offsprings of the first slaves brought in the enclave a thousand years ago. They are also criminals or people banished from their clans who thus lose their status of freemen, and, in some cases, captured Greys. They are quite a rare commodity and are quite well treated since it is not so easy to get new ones. They will very rarily be emancipated and only for the greatest of deeds.

Products of Norlamon come mainly from hunting and cattle raising: wild game, hides, Gontas wool meat and milk, alcohol, horses and some craft : weapons, music intruments and little items made of bones stone or wood. Trade is mainly conducted through basice exchange of goods more than with coinage. There are a few mines though that produce silver iron and gold. 

 

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