The Duchy of Vaerikland is a duchy in the Lord Paramouncy of Thyllanor. The second-youngest autonomous region in Thyllanor, Vaerikland has always remained close to Thyllanorian ideals, and fiercely patriotic.
Vaerikland was named for the legendary Thyllanorian king Vaerik Karth'maere, who united nearly a third of Andoras under his banner at the peak of his reign in the Thyllanorian kingdom. It was this particular duchy named such because the region of Vaerikland, and on a deeper level, the city of Vaerik itself, is purported to be the birthplace of Vaerik, or the place where he began his conquest -- sources and scholars differ, but it is known that the region was the site of a great beginning for the king, and as such, Vaerikland uses this as a ploy to gather citizens, claiming that their life will have a 'new great beginning'.
Climate[]
Vaerikland is very mountainous, with the majority of the duchy being within the mountain range of the Moonlyt Peaks. The city of Lionden, to the far west, lies on the other side of the mountains and is in a swamp-like region, owing to the fact that it directly borders The Wetlands. Vaerik itself lies within the mountain range, much like Highmountain in the Lord Paramouncy of the Moonlyt Peaks itself. To the east, about 25% of the land is arable farmland, with temperate seasons as would be expected. The duchy is long enough vertically for there to be a physical difference in weather from the furthest southern point to the furthest northern; in the south, it tends to be warmer and winters are shorter, while in the north where the province borders the Moonlyt Peaks, a temperate season takes a reduced role, while snow is common for at least six months of the year. This is not as extreme as, perhaps, the Duchy of Dimlight, however.
Per capita, Vaerikland is also the most militarized of any internal territory of Thyllanor, aside from Fort Norvo. About 6% of the population is enlisted in the military; this in part to Vaerikland being very protective of Thyllanor, and martially inclined in general. Most of the remaining population, however, farm for a living, leading Vaerik to be one of the poorer territories of Thyllanor due to its nature to provide for itself, rather than produce exports and goods.
History[]
Present Day[]
Following a change in state laws due to the relatively new conventions of the Thyllanorian government, Lord Paramount Vicede II Karthmere was forced to renounce the lands of the now-Duchy of Vaerikland, as the Paramouncy underwent a dramatic period of decentralization. It was no longer deemed necessary for the paramount to directly rule so much land, and so he was pressured to give it to someone he deemed worthy. Maderec II Keswyck, grandson to the esteemed diplomat and King's Council member Maderec I Keswyck, was given the title, for his intelligence and administrative sense. The current Duke Galwey II continues this, as the great-grandson of Maderec I.