The Barony of Somerset

The rich and noble populace of Banes is given to many leisure activities, which fuels the local professional district. Artisans create fine goods to sell to the rich, and a free market has caused a recent influx of craftsmen of all types. The population is increasing rapidly, which is causing some problems with overcrowding and lack of new land/space in the cities. Banes began as a town where the owners of the various mining claims would reside, outside of the dirty and busy Caralis. Over time, the owners became rich, and the City of Banes grew in wealth and prosperity. It sits on the edge of a riverbed that feeds the trade for the area.

Caralis was founded when large deposits of various precious metals were found the area, and immediately workers moved in and began mining tin, gold, silver, and copper from the ground. The industrial district of Caralis, in the north just across the river from Caer Leon, smelts many different metals which are mined locally in the foothills of the Spinebreaker Mountain Range. These are generally sold to other lands as raw materials, but a small measure is used to supply local artisans with plenty of material for luxury goods, especially jewelry. Farmland is scarce, however, so food, wool, and leather are imported from the north.

The two major cities of Banes and Caralis have nearly grown together; only a few miles separate the two metropolitan centers. In these cities, the population is quite densely packed; in major contrast to the rest of the land of Somerset.

Aside from the ridge of the Spinebreaker Mountains, there is a large forest which extends into the range along the northern side. The southern part of Somerset is mostly rocky wasteland, with no tillable land or notable resources. The small village of Avon sits on the Cetina River near the southern border of the land, but it serves only as a way station for those traveling to the lands beyond Caledonia.

For the most part, the climate is mild and rainy in Somerset. Deciduous forests abound, and winters bring the occasional light snow. The terrain is mostly flat, with the occasional low hills. This has allowed for an extensive and advanced road network, connecting everything to everything else. To the east rise the Spinebreaker Mountains, beyond which is terra incognita. Recent scouting sorties ordered by the Baron have found a vast desert beyond the mountains, but very little is known about this desert or what may be occupying it, if anything.