Pallavia is an absolute monarchy. The current King is Edward Bissett II, son of Matthew Bissett I. The academics say his power is derived from popular support, military leadership, and his ability to form a coalition of barons. Most peasants say his power is simply hereditary.
King Edward II is the third monarch of the Bissett family, which has been in power for almost 100 years. He is a renowned healer and diplomat, having kept his country unified through two wars and completed its transition to the official worship of Seredozhia after the Marcusis Heresy.
The reigning monarch is always the honorary head of the Medicum, a royal order of healers that operates throughout the country, independent of all religions. In the case of King Edward II, his magical healing prowess makes him a very functional head for the order as well.
The administrative regions of Pallavia are termed Baronies, thanks to tradition and the first of the Bissett kings. The central Thalis-on-Dove area is controlled directly by the king and all other areas are ruled by a baron.
Baronies are subdivided into governorships at the will of each baron. Most governors oversee a single city and its surrounding area, but this varies widely throughout Pallavia. Smaller towns and villages are sometimes governed by a mayor appointed by the presiding governor or baron.
The biggest city of a barony is usually its capitol, with the baron’s castle lying somewhere nearby. Smaller and poorer baronies like Wilkshire rarely have more than this one city, though a town or two are likely easy to find. Larger baronies like Mazzerland might have an additional city in addition to the capitol and several towns.
Most of the country’s land is dotted with settlements. Villages tend the fields everywhere crops can grow and hamlets tend the orchards wherever there are trees. It rarely takes more than a few hours to walk between these settlements. The dense forests to the north and west are worked for wood and hunting, and the king keeps a country estate near the western Ganhigh mountains for liesure.
| Capitol | Thalis |
| Known For | Education, Trade, Art |
| Size | Small |
| Wealth | Extreme |
The central Thalis-on-Dove region is home to Thalis and a number of gateway towns which sit on the country’s major roads. It’s exactly as wealthy and powerful as is expected for the king’s home.
| Ruler | King Edward II |
| Population (est.) | 40,000 |
| Known For | Trade, Art |
| Attractions | College of Balie Row |
The capitol of the country as well as of Thalis-on-Dove, Thalis itself is Pallavia’s only truly large city. It is home to a great many institutions, including the renowned College of Balie Row. The city center is surrounded by high walls, but a large number of wooden houses and other buildings has sprung up outside the walls during the last period of peace with Bocham.
Dunerreped is one of the major gateway towns around Thalis. It straddles the Eastern Way and is named after the paved road it sits on. In the past, the paving only extended from Thalis to Dunerreped, making the town a very welcome sight for wagons from the east.
The town is home to a large fortified garrison and impressive shrine to Seredozhia.
| Capitol | Great Dunmow |
| Known For | Trade, Lumber, Stone |
| Size | Small |
| Wealth | High |
Caresia is a wealthy barony to the west of Thalis. It controls the middle portion of the Ganhigh mountain range, including the lucrative Nerry pass. Besides trade, the barony produces lumber and high quality stone.
| Capitol | Derreysville |
| Known For | Stone, Metal |
| Size | Medium |
| Wealth | Medium |
Derreysdown is a decently large barony to the northeast of Thalis. Though it controls a large portion of the Cholesny mountain range, it does not have any easy passes to Terel.
| Capitol | Daj Kapi |
| Known For | Ore, Food, Trade |
| Size | Medium |
| Wealth | Medium |
Geatland is the barony directly north of Thalis. It controls the great dwarven road of Mura-kan under the Cholesny mountains, as well as Lake Soben and many old dwarven settlements.
| Capitol | Ellesmere |
| Known For | Fuel Wood, Metals |
| Size | Small |
| Wealth | Low |
Liguria is a small barony to the southwest of Thalis. It controls the lower half of the Ganhigh mountains, including the treacherous Chaimes Gap. Though travel through the mountain is easier from Liguria than most places, the passage is fraught and unpopular with merchants.
| Capitol | Hewcourt |
| Known For | Food, Hides |
| Size | Large |
| Wealth | High |
Maramir is Pallavia’s breadbasket. Its farms and orchards produce the majority of food for the kingdom and its southern port has a direct connection to Thalis thanks to the river Dove.
Ashacre is a smaller town in Maramir that lies along the Dove river. It’s positioned significantly toward the coast and is the first convenient spot for trade goods to reach the barony’s farmland. As such, it’s become a small merchant town. Barges travel regularly from Ashacre to Hewcourt, bringing grains north and manufactured goods south. Sea ships also pass through on their way north with exotic cargoes.
Ashacre gets its name from the large ash forest that surrounds it. The town’s surrounding hamlets produce wood and fruit crops.
| Capitol | Vinderberg |
| Known For | Cattle, Horses, War |
| Size | Large |
| Wealth | Medium |
Mazzerland is the largest barony in Pallavia, encompassing all of the land east of Thalis-on-Dove to the border with Bocham. It has many more towns than other baronies, all of which are heavily fortified and ready to house a garrison of soldiers. Villages in Mazzerland tend to cluster near the towns for protection.
| Capitol | Ramsgate |
| Known For | Fish, Boats, Trade |
| Size | Small |
| Wealth | Poor |
New Rocland is a small barony to the west of the Ganhigh mountains. Its relatively arid climate prevents large-scale farming, forcing its residents to rely on food from the sea or imported from the other side of the mountains. Still, the city of Ramsgate is an important port of trade on the ocean.
| Capitol | Royston |
| Known For | Fish |
| Size | Small |
| Wealth | Poor |
Strandagland is an arid barony west of the Ganhigh mountains to the south. Though technically it can trade with Liguria, that route is treacherous and rarely used.
| Capitol | Vestberg |
| Known For | Stone, Ore, Metal goods |
| Size | Medium |
| Wealth | High |
Tewdentia is a medium-sized barony bordering both the Ganhigh and Cholesny mountain ranges. Its barony seat of Vestberg is an old dwarven city that lies partially underground. The mighty forges and mines of Tewdentia bring it great wealth.
| Capitol | Kennebrook |
| Known For | Bricks, Pottery |
| Size | Small |
| Wealth | Poor |
Wilkshire is a tiny, poor barony bordering the fens to the southeast of Thalis-on-Dove. Its hard-packed soil makes for good bricks and clay goods, but bad farmland.
Fort Varays is the only other large settlement in Wilkshire besides its barony seat of Kennebrook. The fort guards Pallavia from the bandits and bog-creatures that live in the fens.