Ortolan

“Freedom? Ha! That is not something to fight for. 
That Creation is in bondage is not for lack of freedom. We are all free.
And for the moment the free choice of Creation is to submit rather than to die.   
- Manosque Viridian, 
before slaying High Freebaron Brightplume Olivar of the True Free Ortolan Legion. RY204.

History

Ortolan is a Threshold kingdom of the South, located southwest of Paragon. In the early years after the Great Contagion, the kingdom arose around a camp of soldiers, some survivors of armies affiliated with the Seven Tigers destroyed for standing against the Scarlet Empress. With a few Dragonblooded carrying legacies of power during the Shogunate, joined by some horrified by the loss of freedom occurring in Paragon. Both the Empress and Prefect had reason for concern, but Ortolan did not stabilize as a permanent thorn in either of their sides… sects and factions within the kingdom held strong to disparate views, unified by calling for freedom rather than the oppression of Realm and Paragon rather than bonds of state or shared administration. Civil conflicts were constant and dangerous, quickly reducing both the supernatural bloodlines and meagre stockpiles of Shogunate weaponry found in the kingdom.

This state of affairs was brought to an end through personal intervention of young Manosque Viridian, early in the second century of the Scarlet Empress’ rule. While the Realm and Paragon had commenced preparations for a campaign to suppress Ortolan, Viridian was impatient with the slow progress and political maneuvering. He journeyed alone through the kingdom, challenging any who opposed him to single combat, slaying each in turn and claiming rulership over their followers. Many did not accept Viridian’s claim… he slew these as well. When Imperial and Paragon troops moved ahead of schedule in response to reports of an emerging warlord in the kingdom, Viridian had already accepted the submission of the largest groups, impregnated the daughters of those he had slain, and moved on towards the East. The formation of the kingdom into a satrapy was a simple matter, and House Manosque took the reigns. The presence of large numbers of much-sought Savoury Buntings in the kingdom, gathered by local trappers, provided the House with a tidy profit through exports to the Blessed Isle.

When that House was put to the sword for treason, the ruling line of Ortolan, infused with their blood, was made to join them, and the kingdom eventually fell under control of House Ledaal, which used it as a launching point for Scavenger expeditions in the South. The Ledaals also developed the profitable Bunting export industry on a systematic scale, expanding markets to include Threshold nobility as well as the Dynasty and introducing new methods for capturing the birds. This exploitation on a mass scale reduced their numbers until, by RY655, the Savoury Bunting was practically nonexistent in Ortolan, after which House Ledaal had little reason to pay attention to the satrapy.

Economy

Ortolan is a fertile land, though it begins to become arid towards its Southern border as it approaches the deserts of the South. Its western side is more hilly, known for millet and grapes, most of which are used for producing wine of middling quality. Its eastern side is flat, producing large crops of maize.

Since the near-extinction of local Savoury Buntings, the major source of wealth for the kingdom, economic hardship has increased. While Ortolan continues to export foodstuffs to less fertile lands further south, the royal palace and government structures built during its times of wealth (decorated with ornate carvings of buntings) are wearing down after a century where funds have been insufficient to repair them.

Religion

The Immaculate Order has had a presence in Ortolan since it first came under control of the Realm, and the gods within the kingdom have accepted a passive existence. Several grand Immaculate temples were constructed by House Ledaal in centuries past, and while they are home to far less monks than they once were they continue to be maintained by the Order, still standing as the only glory left from a now-faded past. A cynical observer would note that the Order has used this imagery to spread its appeal through the local population.

One of the greater concerns of the Immaculate Order in Ortolan is keeping the kingdom free from the machinations of the Court of the Orderly Flame, whose message has appeal to some local spirits unhappy with their circumstances. The Immaculates, being well aware that spirits take advantage of suffering populations to extort greater prayer and temporal power, take a hard line against Orderly Flame agents in Ortolan.

Politics

Ortolan is a kingdom, ruled by a king selected by the Realm from amongst the local nobles. The noble families of Ortolan once had a strong current of Dragonblooded blood, from the original survivors who founded the country and the contributions of Manosque Viridian, but these promising lines were largely purged in its early days, and House Ledaal saw little reason to marry into the line. Instead, Exalts in Ortolan were largely adopted if from amongst the nobility, or drawn into the Immaculate Order if they emerged from the peasantry.

The Ortolan satrapy is held by House Ledaal, which once considered it a holding of some import. With the loss of the Savoury Bunting population, the House removed much of its investment, the post of satrap going either to unExalted washouts from the Thousand Scales or sorcerers seeking lairs away from the Isle where they might conduct their experiments.

An Imperial Legion garrison, consisting of local auxiliaries backing up a small number of regulars, has long been stationed in Ortolan. Most recently, these were drawn from the Tepet-sponsored 5th Imperial Legion, which held small stations across a number of Southern satrapies, assignment perhaps meant by the Scarlet Empress to antagonize House Ledaal. These troops were withdrawn to join the War with the Bull, and while nominally the garrison is held by the 16th Imperial Legion, that force’s only permanent presence is a liaison officer to the office of the satrap.

Instead, House Ledaal enforces tribute collection by way of a warband of the Diriyya tribe, nomadic Austrech raiders who had often raided the kingdom through the preceding centuries. These, officially dubbed as satrapy-supplied auxiliaries to the Imperial Legions, receive a share of the tribute they collect from Ortolan. Raiders are not ideal tax collectors, often engaging in looting and violence to increase their own takings, and while their worst excesses are being curbed by direct intervention from Immaculate clergy this state of affairs is raising resistance from the local noble and commercial classes.