The Duchy of Kindleford has a long and varried history.  It was begin with the once popular city of D'Mirin, which, in those days, was far to the west of where it is now.  D'Mirin, the story goes, was founded as a lumber cutting city built to supply the army of Banyon Brock with supplies for a war machine effort.  This army was eventually defeated by armies from the North and Banyon Brock was absorbed into the nation of Samia, and it's lumber supply city along with it.

Another story tells us that D'Mirin was lost in those early days.  the first city was built and swallowed by the Creeping Woods within a generation, never seen or heard from again.  A new city was built farther away from the Woods and exists till this day.

Whichever is the case, D'Mirin has been the center of Kindleford since it was recognized as a Duchy over a century ago.  Before that it was a no-man's land with Danforth and Wall claiming parts of it.  The city of D'Mirin was granted a Duke's title and the surrounding lands as part of a lumber supply deal in which is supplies the lumber for the majority of the large cities in Samia.  In a few short years several other cities sprung up in the area, but it was the founding of the Knidleford National Academy that aparked true greatness.  With it came shcolars and students well versed in music, history, art, and other sursuits.  One of it's distinguished alumni is said to have founded the city of Flying Waters, now thought ot be the artistic capital of the world, despite it's distance from civilization.   After the repopulation of the formerly abandoned city of Gromen Vek to the region, Kindleford became a Duchy of value to the kingdom. 



Kindleford

Area: 41,000 sq leagues
Population: 835,000
Official Language: Meiren
Other Languages: Borrsta, Molvari, others by race or creed
Duchy Seat: D'Mirin
Largest City: Flying Waters
Grand Duke/Duchess: Lord Rain
Primary Imports: grains, oil, salt
Primary Exports: lumber, gems, minerals, rare herbs, tea
Important Locations:  D'Mirin, Gromen Vek, Flying Waters
Lesser Locations:  Dragonshome. 


Culture

The people of Kindleford are a wild mix of refined and simple, or hard working and lax, of rich and rural.  Thanks to it's massive export market of valuables Kindleford is a very wealthy dutchy.  However, many of it's citizens live very simple lives along the edge of the creeping wood, or along the north edge of the Kinnua's Children, and as a result they want for very little. If it were not for the harsh weather, the area might be called idyllic.  The population of Kindleford was mostly human and dwarven until the addition of the gnomish city of Gromen Vek to the population (the few dwarves who remained in Gromen Vek after the war mostly left for parts south to repopulate their families in Droven Stracht).  The population is now largely human, a few leftover dwarves, gnomes, and the occasional elven family (these are mostly in Flying Waters). 

The people of D'Mirin are great lovers of history, art, and physical excess, as demonstrated in sich activities as snow wrestling (where large men wrestle in bitterly cold snow wearing very little), reacher races (a bit like a rowboat that moves on land manned by many powerful men), and power contests (where contestants compete in a wide variety of strength and endurance contests).  They usually end any of these contests with a feast, a dance, and a collection of people singing songs and telling stories well into the night.

By contrast the people of Flying Waters are a people fond of their art.  They have many galleries throughout the city and the city ofices, court, and even the jail double as art galleries.  The central buildings of Flying Waters have large ramps alongside them up to the rooftops, there the city hosts a regular open air market (rain or shine).  The most prominant feature of Flying Waters, however, is the Flying Falls:  a river that has been magically upended into the sky.  It's contents are lifted into the air many hundreds of feet and come crashing back down on the other side.  Underheath this magical wonder is the city's art institute and most famous gallery, which hosts many priceless works of art and history. 

The city of Gromen Vek, with half it's city above ground and half it's city below ground is often thought of as one of the strangest cities in the nation.  It's people are a strange mix of cultures and races, all of which bleed into one another.  People of Gromen Vek are fond of smaller indoor sports as well as poetry and debate.  they value fine craftsmenship and, oddly, have a preoccupation in their folklore for zombies and werewolves, though there is no record of any overabundance of these things in the area. 

Climate and Travel

Winters, and indeed even Summers in Kindleford can be harsh.  In the warmer months the combination of moisture and growth make those with allergies want to seek refuge elsewhere, and the mosquito population becomes practically life threatening.  In the winter the snow drifts pile up so high that it becomes all but impossible to travel.  Rumor has it that the risidual decay energy of the Kinnua's children kep things in that area a bit less frozen, but still dangerous and uncomfortable (to say nothing of the fact that it is no safer to fall into filthy water in the frozen winter than it is to trudge through teh snow). 

Speaking of trudging, travel in Kindleford is easy if you are sticking to main roads.  From Banion Brock to D'Mirin, Flying Waters, or Gromen Vek is an easy trip.  Moving about among any other the other areas is both dangerous and often slow.  Mud, rot, snow, wind, and hilly all compete for the most agrivating detriment.  The only real exception is travel between D'Mirin and Dragonshome, which is made easy by way of a new road laid in recent years by the Dragonshome band, a mercenary group of moderate reputation.  This group also communicatios occasionally and travels via a small number of wyverns raised ion site and trained as mounts.