A New Beginning – Faedrun – OLD WORLD
As the undead rampaged across the continent of Faedrun, the Kingdoms knew that they may need to search for a new land and try to evacuate to that location. The leaders of each nation knew that if the war did not go well, starting over again may be a last resort. This is when the effort to build ships, find a new land, and begin to settle it became a priority.
It took many years to build seaworthy ships and explore the waters. Numerous boats left and never returned. Several boats came back with only reports of small islands or returned with nothing. Then in the year 250, a boat returned with information and a route to a massive continent that was found. The sailors named it Mardrun and the kingdoms began to send supplies and colonists to build a new life in a new world.
The Colony of Newhope – Mardrun Colony
The first colonists arrived and began to build in this strange new land. Expansion was fast and boats arrived steadily with workers, colonists, and guards. The colony of Newhope was born.
It didn’t take long for the colonists to discover the Mordok. Suddenly they had an unyielding adversary that attacked their borders. The guards kept the people safe and Newhope defenses were built. Then the Ulven were discovered and tensions between the colonists and the Ulven were high. It finally came to a boil and a bloody conflict started between the Ulven and the colonists. Even though the Ulven outnumbered the colonists immensely, the formation tactics and heavier armor combined with years of fighting experience against the undead and penitent allowed the colonists to repel attack after attack. The Ulven’s hit and run tactics against the colonists could not break them. A number of each side were killed until a human champion and an Ulven warleader honor-dueled to a draw. This act encouraged the formation of a truce and the fighting stopped.
Now, the colony of Newhope and its leadership works closely with Clan Nightriver. Branthur Nightriver, Clanleader of Clan Nightriver, gave them land to form their colony. Now the colony of Newhope has grown quickly and the colonists have learned to live peacefully alongside the Ulven. Protected by high wooden walls and watch towers, life flourishes inside the colony. The streets are safe, the City Watch fair and vigilant, and the markets busy with buyers and sellers of wares. Refugees from different kingdoms, human and Syndar alike, have carved out small areas of the colony and continue some of the traditions of their homeland. A beautiful Syndar tended garden grows in one sector, a rowdy street full of bars and arenas are frequented by mercenaries of the Richtcrag nation and the unique style and traditions of the Nara Pentare transform an entirely different area of the colony into a unique homage to their late kingdom. All manner of people live inside Newhope, it is a melting pot of numerous factions of both the humans and the Syndar and also of Ulven who have decided to live or visit the home of the colonists.
The colony needed leadership to continue progress, so a number of nobles, barons, and political figures with any resources were pooled together to form the leadership of the colony. There were 10 nobles and barons total that controlled Newhope; each noble was allowed a vote in topics and debates were settled through democracy. Each leader was expected to maintain a manor or estate and had a sector of responsibility in the city equal to all the other nobles. They policed crime, maintained their share of the City Watch guards for their area, and kept track of taxes and funding. All the nobles maintained an equal amount of power until the year 264. Amidst a great deal of turmoil caused by the escalating civil war and bogged down by the bureaucracy of a ruling council, the nobles of Newhope decided to hold an election, choosing a singular leader from among their number. A close race between Baron Richards and Baroness Catherine ensued, each rallying support from the other nobles and the populace alike. In the end, with Catherine unable to retake her town of Daven’s Reach from the bandits which had invaded, Baron Richards was able to claim victory and donned the mantle of Lord Baron. The other nobles from the Council of Ten still hold a great deal of sway in the city, however, and many are still appointed in their original roles, albeit now in the service of Lord Baron Richards.
In the year 253, when Faedrun experienced the beginning of The Fall, the survivors of Aldoria and their leadership and the surviving Prince Aylin arrived to claim their place as rulers of the colony. The colony leaders banded together and refused him, telling him that they have the right to continue governing themselves. The nobles and authority that backed Prince Aylin and Aldoria’s colonization efforts lobbied for a heavy response, to use soldiers to take the colony and its rule by force. The colony of Newhope and the survivors of Aldoria mobilized for an attack but Prince Aylin’s young wisdom prevailed. He respected the wishes of the Newhope nobles and left with the other Aldorian survivors and created his own settlement. Even though conflict was avoided, the soldiers of New Aldoria and the City Watch of the colony have been borderline hostile with each other ever since. It was shortly after The Fall when the boats started dwindling down and then eventually stopped altogether. The colonists live in fear as the news that each boat brought with it was dire and grim and then ceased completely.
The leaders of Newhope knew that going back to Faedrun was suicide, so they tried to focus on the colony. Some colonists spread out and began to build new settlements and expand human territory. It was at this time that tensions began to mount again between Ulven and colonists. Now, the colony is in the background of a brutal Ulven civil war. If Clan Nightriver and their allies lose, there is nothing standing in the way between the Newhope colony and the anti-colonist Ulven that want them dead or sent back to their homeland. The leaders fear that dark times are ahead and have been pushing for a stronger and more centralized leadership of the colony. Now, each leader is vying for more control as it is expected that the most powerful and influential noble or baron of the Newhope’s leadership will be crowned King or ruler of the colony.
About 10,000 colonists live throughout the 10 sectors of the Newhope colony and have made it their home. Each Baron or Noble supervises roughly 1,000 colonists. There are more colonists on Mardrun, but this is the number of people that the colony can support. Numerous farms and smaller settlements have spilled out into the countryside around the colony as well. Newhope is nothing if not a melting pot among the colonies. Syndar representation among the former Council of Ten piqued the interest of the Syndar not disenfranchised with the humans’ political structure, and many who survived the crossing were quick to join with the Celestial Arragones in the colony. From Dominet Martingale’s scandalous parties to Duke Ventrini’s obsession with Ulven culture to Lictor Mary’s distaste for politics to Baron Montesque’s insistence on working the fields with his farmers, the nobility of Newhope reflects the same ideals inadvertently advertised by the city: it truly takes all kinds.
Despite their numbers, Newhope has struggled proportionately compared to New Aldoria. Though they have done well economically and agriculturally, the red tape of multiple equal leaders has bogged down their ability to capitalize on opportunities as New Aldoria can, though their slow and measured response has earned them a great deal of respect from a great number of the Ulven Clans. Many are eager, as well, to see the changes brought upon by the election of the Lord Baron Richards, and if he will continue to steer Newhope with a level head, or if he will grow ambitious with his newfound power and hope to rival Prince Aylin in the risks he takes.
People of Interest:
CITY-STATE COUNCIL
Recent/Current Events:
264:
This was an important year for Newhope. Governed since its inception by a ruling Council of Ten, the city decided this year to elect a single leader. Baroness Catherine and Baron Richards were the two favored candidates from the start, due to their records as leaders and popular support among the settlement. When Baroness Catherine failed to retake her town of Daven’s Reach from the invading bandits, however, her ability to protect the people of Newhope was called into question, and Baron Richards was chosen to lead. Taking on the mantle of Lord Baron, Richards made it a point to show his support of the Coalition, sending aid to the troops in the Pass and giving a surprising amount of supplies to the war effort. This later proved to be problematic for the colony, however, as their stockpiles of food for the winter were severely diminished in their effort to quickly end the war, forcing them to swallow their pride and ask for help from their allies.
266: The City-State of Newhope is officially formed.
272:The City-State has continued to grow over the years, though it’s council has shrunk to only 5 members through a series of deaths, departures, and executions.