Redholme

Geography

Encapsulated by impressive mountain ranges, Redholme has always been a geographically isolated province. The ruthless rough country of the Rustwood combined with numerous natural chokepoints gives the province an appearance almost as though it were engineered for defense. The Rustwood extends far to the south and west bleeding through into Aedenshyr Province and access to the mighty and impressive trees contained therein forbidden by the Venerated Republic, leaving them inaccessible to all but the most bold of poachers.

The natural climate preserved in the rural areas of Redholme is a temperate one. The fresh air and mild seasons allowed for prosperous  agricultural trade in the early history of the Province. 

Within the sprawling cityscape that takes the province’s namesake, however, the last several decades have led to a choking smog from industrial machine shops, factories, and power generating plants. Due to the geography of the province, the run-off from Redholme’s booming industrial sectors has led to the tainting of once pure waterways that ran through the province. Likewise, the smog, carried by wind fronts off the coast, has come to settle in low-lying farmlands leading to a mass-exodus from these rural municipalities.

In the man-made hills of the Redholme City upon which gated Prelacy communities and government facilities dwell, power is dealt in lavish comfort. Powerbroking is the chief sport among the Redholme Parishes, and it is often whispered among the civilian and citizen classes that the lives of men, even whole cities and Legions are moved about as carelessly as pieces in a game of checkers.

History

In the foundational days of the Republic, when the First Apostles still walked upon the soil of Vitaveus, Redholme proved an instrumental foothold. The wealth of natural resources contained within its valley-esque geography made it the principal engine of industry and war during the Reckoning. Since that time, the descendants of many Prelates have established their Parishes in Redholme, making it home to some of the oldest and wealthiest families in the Republic. High Society of Redholme is touted as hosting only those of the purest of lineages who have always been able to date their lines back to the First Landing.

A thoroughfare for colonization, Redholme has always been a melting pot of the Republic. Displaced peoples from the western and midlands were often shuffled off back towards the Eastern Baronies, especially Redholme wherein they were forced, sometimes by economic pressures and sometimes by more literal means, to labor in the workshops, logging operations, and deep mines of the territory even before the technological revolution of the late 13th century.

Due to spiraling debts, the descendants of many of these displaced emigres persist in this system even to this day. Their great-great grandparents who labored in the dangerous and unpredictable Rustwood logging operations were often contracted to pass their debts on to their descendants, owed to a variety of Parishes. Many of these Parishes have made themselves into industrial magnates in the current era, using indentured servitude in their factories.

Today, Redholme is one of the last shining beacons of the might of the Venerated Republic. The city on the hill which takes the Territory’s namesake has found itself the political capital of the Republic since the fall of Tor.

Torment

The mountain passes, immense dangers of the Rustwood, and narrow chokepoints have made securing the province a thing of relative ease in a cooperative effort between the official soldiery of the republic and the small private armies held in the pockets of the multitudinous Prelacy Parishes.

Entry to the province for those not fortunate enough to be a blooded member or treasured servant of a Prelacy Parish, however, is a trial which most fail. Having instituted a strict overland Quarantine, entry to the province without the appropriate paperwork is restricted to hikes through the treacherous Rustwood or mountain-climbing attempts which rarely result in success.

More so than even its natural defenses, its strategic importance ensures stalwart and continued military support by the Venerated Church. Some even say that if Redholme were to fall, the Republic would follow soon after.

Day-to-day life in Redholme is significantly more stable compared to that of other territories as the wealth of natural material and ocean access by the large ports down-river of the Redholme City there have been no shortages of materials as other provinces have seen.

All is not well in the City, however, as the old-blood Redholme Parishes look on in horror as they watch fellow Prelacy and even Citizens flood in from other Territories. Not because they fear their own mortality but because they recoil at the thought of allowing destitute, deluded bloodlines from less prominent Territories into their High Society.

Meanwhile, tensions are high in the overcrowded civilian neighborhoods and refugee shanty towns that sprung up before border crackdowns. These conditions leave room for criminals, revolutionaries, and fanatics of all kinds to infiltrate the city and grow their followings.

Points of Interest

The Rustwood

A great temperate rainforest made up of large redwoods, their rust-coloring has given the land its namesake. During the warmest months of the year, a thick fog from the south makes the forest difficult to navigate. If the threat of poachers and pagans do not deter entry, it is most certainly the fear of forced conscription into the Apothecary’s many alleged field camps if caught trespassing, as its acreage to this day is still controlled and regulated by the State. 

In the time of the First Apostles, it is chronicled that The Rustwood made up the entirety of the territory, and provided lumber to the budding Empire. The Republic seized control of the region and restricted access for reasons of triage to stop the spread of a deadly, contagious plague in the 8th century known as Woodsmen’s Rot. Theories as to the plague’s origins varied, some saw it as a targeted attack from the pagan tribes seeking to push the Decusians out of their lands, others saw it as having ventured too deep into the forest and becoming exposed to new miasmas.

Nonetheless, the Parishes whose wealth depended on the managing of the Rustwood redirected their heavily in building infrastructure for the Venerated Apothecary Corp in the region to combat the outbreak.

In recent times, the Foundry has sought to once again utilize the forest to fuel its industry as Torment threatens its lumber supply chains in the Midlands, where the Apothecary sees the forest as potentially holding medical breakthroughs from the expansive biodiversity that could combat Torment.

Redholme City

Upon the official quarantining of the First Province in 1342, the Republic Senate, The College of Bishops, and other major Factions relocated to Redholme from Tor, repurposing The Pontufex as the new seat of Government. This transition brings political tensions, as the Vicars who represent Redholme City can operate with the full might of their influence now that the bureaucracy has taken residence within their borders. 

The largest city in the Eastern Baronies, Redholme City is located where the Dray River meets the smaller Aldor River. In the early days of settlement, this spot where the rivers met was utilized to transport logs downriver to the coast to supply the budding Decusian Empire with ships and materials to continue their conquest westward. 

After the Rustwood was seized by the State, the wealthy Parishes shifted focus into venture capital wealth reaped from lumber operations into the development of industry and trade in nearby territories, and with those profits began investing in their future; putting both large sums of money and blooded Prelacy into the ranks of the Apothecary and Foundry. 

This financial stimulus from the city’s Prelacy class has transformed the city over time into becoming a major center of scientific pursuit and technological advancement. To many, the city is a glimpse of what the future held for the Republic before the emergence of Torment; electric street lamps luminate the majority of main streets and plumbing is a required amenity within the city limits.

To others, Redholme represents everything wrong with the Republic, the egregious wealth flaunted by Prelacy class as civilians waste away in crowded, impoverished neighborhoods having to subject themselves to horrible work conditions in the city’s factories in order to survive.

With exception to those refugees within the shanty towns, the average citizen of the city is generally out of touch with the situation throughout the rest of the continent.

Pontufex Hill

The Pontufex is an independent city-state surrounded by the municipality of Redholme City with full ownership, exclusive dominion, sovereign authority and jurisdiction solely under the Venerated Archbishop. With an area of 151 acres and a population of 501, it is considered the smallest province in Vitaveus.

The city-state contains religious and cultural sites such as the Castrum Lucius, Salvatorem Nostrum, and museums. Vitaveus’s most famous paintings, sculptures, and scriptures are protected within the city’s vaults. Its unique economy is supported financially by donations of the faithful and Prelacy tithes. The Pontufex has no taxes on property nor sales of any items.

Castrum Lucius is the archbishop’s palatial residence. It initially was planned as a summer palace for Lucius Randamus V, fourth emperor of the Venerated Empire. Built in early 6th century design, it is a series of self-contained buildings within a courtyard surrounded by an outer structure. The palace houses residential and support offices of various functions as well as administrative offices not focused on the life and functions of the archbishop.

Salvatorem Nostrum is a cathedral built to replace the aging Castrum Lucius and to serve as a site for religious function. Construction began in the mid 8th century, paused for the outbreak of Woodmans Rot, and was finally completed within the early 9th century. Currently it houses administration chambers for the Venerated Archbishop and Council of Bishops.

Decusian tradition holds it is the burial site of early prelacy and many venerated archbishops as well. It was a famous place of pilgrimage for Decusians and would draw annual audiences of 125,000 in years prior to the initial Torment outbreak of 1313. Access to Salvatorem Nostrum was restricted shortly after the outbreak and then completely prohibited with occupation of the Venerated Archbishop and Council of Bishops.

University of Arbitrium

Located on the outskirts of Redholme City, this is the Seat of the Venerated Apothecary Corp.

Originally built in the 8th Century in the time of the Rot, the Abritrium has been on the forefront of academia for centuries; its proximity to the Rustwood provides them a natural breeding ground of diseases for study. It is rumored that the privacy of this restricted land also harbors many an unsanctioned labor camp wherein civilians are conscripted to be forcefully exposed to contagion, as well as subject to other more sinister medical experimenting.

In recent years many scholars from Aetherun’s Monastic regions have relocated here in recent times to continue their fight against Torment. Moreover, the introduction of the fifth humor has caused a stir in the recent decade, inflaming debate again over whether or not science would go too far.

The Redholme University of Medicine and Disease

Established in Redholme City in 1327 A.S. in what is essentially the Foundry’s attempt to establish a foothold in medicine to capitalize on their more recent scientific advancements. Where the Apothecary’s University of Arbitrium focuses on the theoretical, Redholme University focuses on vocational concepts in incorporating what the Foundry is known for; standardization and regulation.

Some of their methods would be towing the line of heretical by the Apothecaries’ teachings, as their official stance on humors is that they paint a partial picture of a whole that needs to be further investigated to be understood. 

Thus, the University requires a reference from the Venerated Apothecary Corps to be permitted to study at the establishment. Though many in academia grumble that this is all just pageantry to stay a step removed from any scandal should the public turn on the institution for their philosophies, as the politically savvy could point out the same Parish families who quietly back the University financially hold seats on the Apothecary’s Third Panel.

While their methods are allegedly more effective, they are often met with suspicion due to the harsh realities of what it takes to save a patient coupled with the more expensive cost of service when compared against the Apothecary Corps medical services.

The Republic Sentinel

Established in 1210 A.S. The Republic Sentinel serves the Republic nationwide from its headquarters in Redholme City. In recent times, the Sentinel’s reach to those outside of Redholme has been erratic and infrequent – pockets of civilization can be in the dark on the national scene for months to years due to logistical nightmares surrounding the Torment.

One of the most popular sections that rarely circulates outside of the city proper is the Society Pages. Its reporting centers on the lives and social gatherings of the Prelacy Class, with names partially deleted by dashes and reports mildly satirical. In its infancy, the reporting was first met with outrage, followed by subsequent stages of curiosity and amusement, and finally embraced as a means of self-gratification.

Sources for the Society Pages range from servants to heads of Parish Houses, all looking to use these pages to control public perception; rehashing their parties and outings as on behalf of charities and stability of the Republic. To the Parishes in high society, it informs everyone who is or is not considered to be in the most elite circles at any given time.

Inspirations and Influences

England, western Europe. Traditional example names such as James, Winston, Ashley, and Mildred are common for those hailing from Redholme. Prelacy families hailing from this region exclusively have latin naming conventions.