Eastern Holds / Velyav

Overview

The Eastern holds are a collection of petty realms, a patchwork of small lords and other nobility vying for control and influence.

Government

The Eastern Holds are not a single kingdom but a patchwork of noble realms, each fiercely independent yet bound by blood and gold. Dozens of barons, dukes, and self-proclaimed kings rule fertile valleys and walled cities, some by ancient right, others by sheer coin.

Once united under Imperial administration, the Holds fractured after independence from the Empire. Now they are governed by The Concord of Banners, a ceremonial assembly of peers in Stragovia where alliances are negotiated and broken in equal measure.

Society

Society in the Eastern Holds is deeply shaped by lineage and wealth. Noble families dominate political life, often tracing their claims back centuries, though many fortunes were made more recently through trade, war, or opportunism during the region’s turbulent independence.

Urban populations are significant compared to many neighboring realms. Merchant houses and patrician councils in cities often rival the nobility in influence, leading to a complicated social landscape where wealth can rival birthright.

Rural populations, however, often live under heavy taxation or military levies imposed by their local rulers. Peasant unrest and banditry are common in the more contested regions.

Economy

The Eastern Holds possess a diverse and vibrant economy driven by trade, agriculture, and mercenary activity. Fertile river valleys produce grain, fruit, and livestock, while the region’s cities serve as hubs for long-distance commerce between east and west.

Merchant families dominate the financial life of the cities, funding expeditions, caravans, and military ventures. Coin and contracts carry enormous influence, and many rulers rely on loans from powerful financiers to maintain their armies.

Mercenary companies are another major economic factor. The Holds produce skilled soldiers and commanders who often sell their services across the continent.

Culture

Culture in the Eastern Holds is shaped by hardship, local loyalty, and centuries of political fragmentation. Identity is tied first to house, valley, or city, and only loosely to the idea of the Holds as a whole. Rivalries between neighboring lords can last generations, and the shifting web of alliances often matters more than distant diplomatic agreements made in Stragovia.

The language of everyday life is Common colored by strong regional dialects, while the older Velyan tongue survives in folk songs. Oral tradition remains strong: tales of ancient wars, wandering heroes, and cursed bloodlines circulate through taverns and village gatherings.

Festivals tend to be communal rather than courtly. Harvest feasts, winter fires, and local saints’ days bring villages together, often accompanied by rough music, strong drink, and displays of martial pride. Honor, reputation, and the ability to defend one's land remain central virtues in the culture of the Holds.

Religion

During the centuries of imperial rule, the Imperial Lunar Religion became the official faith of the Eastern Holds. Temples, monasteries, and clerical courts were established in major cities, and many noble houses adopted the faith as a symbol of legitimacy and political alignment with the Empire.

However, imperial influence was never uniform across the region. In the southern valleys, forests, and remote settlements, older religious traditions endured beneath the surface. These practices, often collectively referred to as the Velyav Faith, predate imperial authority and remain deeply woven into local culture.

The Old Faith centers on reverence for ancestral spirits and the unseen forces believed to inhabit forests, rivers, storms, and hearths. Sacred groves, roadside shrines, and village rituals remain common in rural communities, where seasonal festivals and offerings are meant to maintain harmony with these spirits.

In practice, many inhabitants of the Eastern Holds observe both traditions at once. A village might attend lunar rites in a town chapel while still leaving offerings at ancient woodland shrines. Though the clergy officially discourages such customs, local lords often tolerate them to maintain peace among their subjects.

Geography

The Eastern Holds are defined by rugged landscapes of forested hills, river valleys, and scattered mountain ridges. The land is fertile in places but difficult to control, broken by dense woods, marshes, and winding rivers that divide territories into natural strongholds.

Settlements tend to cluster around fortified towns and hilltop castles, where local rulers can defend their lands against rivals, raiders, or rebellious subjects. Outside these centers, villages are often isolated and self-reliant, connected by rough roads that become treacherous during winter or heavy rains.

While the region contains productive farmland and trade routes, its geography has historically favored defense and autonomy over wealth and central authority. This fragmentation is one reason the Eastern Holds have never fully unified under a single crown.

Just off the coast, east of Stragovia, there's the island Morensk, which counts itself as part of the Eastern Holds.

Neighbours

The eastern Holds border Zyquash in the south, Drosenne in the west and Thessarn in the north. These are mostly natural borders, separated by the Khuldric Spine and the Thessarian Mountains alike.

Significant People

• Grandfather Filipovich?