Reikland Map
The Duchy of Saponatheim is one of the largest provinces in the Reikland, nearly all its land is densely forested, leaving it largely untouched by human hand. Barring the occasional ruin or heavily fortified population, most of the duchy is left to Beastmen, Bandits, Greenskins, and other terrible creatures that haunt its misty depths. It’s only in the south, where the treeline of the Reikwald breaks to the fertile Vorbergland and the land is tamed, that civilisation can be claimed to rule. Here many towns, villages, and farms dot the rolling foothills leading to the Tauzück Hills in the south, the largest of which is Bögenhafen, one of the richest towns in the Reikland.[1a]
Graf Wilhelm von Saponatheim from Castle Grauenberg rules the majority of the province. The duchy is divided into a patchwork of fiefs, which are parcelled out to lesser members of the family and favoured supporters. These titles are always granted as lifetime holdings, rather than hereditary positions. This means they return to the graf ’s gift on the holder’s death.[1a]
This allows the graf to maintain a tight control over his family, though earning himself little loyalty. There are only two permanent fiefs left in Saponatheim: the County of Kleinwald and the Barony of Stürmdunkel. The rest were disbanded over two centuries ago during Magnus the Pious’s reformation of the Empire. The duchy lacks the rich mineral deposits of other, wealthier provinces, a source of much irritation to the graf. Trade is the biggest source of income, but the Saponatheims have little control over Bögenhafen’s merchants. The talk of court is that he is beholden to his common-born tenants, lacking the strength to bring them to heel.[1a]
Another notable settlement where the graf has no control is the fortified town of Kurtzehre, which lies just to the south of Bögenhafen. It is home to the Duchy’s greatest concentration of Dwarfs, and is where the Dwarf masons who constructed, and still maintain, Bögenhafen’s sewers reside. They avoid Bögenhafen itself, disliking the ‘manling stench and their shoddy work’, and have rebuilt what was once a small village of the Empire in stone. The handful of Humans and Halflings who reside in Kurtzehre now do so at the sufferance of renowned stonemason Gudruk Stonebeard. He is in charge of the town, no matter which of the graf ’s ineffectual relatives are granted nominal control over the area for this generation.[1a]
The County of Kleinwald[]
The County of Kleinwald lies on the eastern border of the Duchy of Saponatheim. While many trappers, charcoal burners and other peasants call it home, there is little of note in the area. A small range of densely forested hills, the Heuvals, are bifurcated by the region’s eastern border with the Duchy of Midwald. While there are a few copper mines in the area, they all lie on the wrong side of the border, meaning no revenue passes through Saponatheim coffers. Noble twins Laurenz and Leota Kleinwald rule the county. The siblings are famed for their debauchery and disinterest in matters serious or devout, just like their cousins Gutele and Boniel von Bruner of Ubersreik. They make no secret of the disdain they feel for their ‘little lands’ in Kleinwald and do their best to avoid spending time there. Their long suffering mother, Heidi (from House Bruner in Ubersreik), recently passed away, leaving control to the twins. Thus far, they have shown no interest in taking their responsibility seriously.[1a]
The Barony of Stürmdunkel[]
To the duchy’s south and west lies the densely forested Barony of Stürmdunkel. It is ruled by Baron Hiedemann of House Stürmdunkel, the last of the illustrious bloodline that used to rule all of Saponatheim many centuries ago. As part of the deal the Stürmdunkels made with Emperor Magnus the Pious, Hiedemann also commands over half the Duchy of Saponatheim’s State Army, an honour in which he revels, and one the graf of Saponatheim would happily wrest free from him. Hiedemann maintains a number of regiments, as well as ensuring that the citizenry are well drilled should they be called up to serve in free company militias. Though much of the land has been cleared of the densest forests, a number of patches are maintained despite being home to the usual array of Beastmen, Mutants, and Greenskins, providing Hiedemann's forces ample opportunity to hone their skills. The River Bögen is especially misty near Castle Hohenwand, his official seat, and the baron regularly drills his troops in these bewildering conditions. Hiedemann splits his time between Castle Stürmdunkel to the south of the Barony and Castle Hohenwand to the west, barring the occasional visits to Bögenhafen, or to his liege at Castle Grauenberg. Hohenwand is an imposing fortress.[1a]