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History of Cordor: The Baronial Age

The Baronial Age

"Confusion and Chaos" By Cuchilla Arndt. Seamstress, Councillor of Lord Vetinari of Cordor.

The era of the barons in Cordor followed when the fourth senatorial election was wracked with controversy and intrigue. The solution was to split Cordor into five baronies, each ruling according to the needs of their specific district but always under the direction of the unifying voice of the Duke, former lieutenant Galverson of the Elite Cordorian Guard.

The Duke appointed Barons over four of the five new districts within Cordor. An Amnish Embassy opened, maybe to avoid Amns annihilation of the entire island. Each barony formed a court, with knights, guards and bureaucratic administrations.

Soon it was clear that each barony pushed a different agenda. Specifically, there arose a quarrel between Merchant District and Lower Cordor with regards to guard policy and slave trade. But although the Temple District and Outskirts tended to side with the Merchant District, they could not avoid that Lower Cordor employed the "Dogs of War", a division of Stonehold to strong-arm the citizenry into obedience to districts laws.

Few were able or willing to stand up against Lower Cordor. Those who did vanished, or were exiled to other cities, or even scared by beheadings of opponents. Only when the slave trade caused an alliance between Myon, Wharftown, Bendir Dale and Brogendenstein, the slave trade finally stopped. Galverson appointed a new baron. Lower Cordor calmed down, though the thieves and thievery remained within the district.

The Temple District saw a rapid change of barons. Many of them were popular Cordorian citizens who rapidly got frustrated and resigned. Merchant District was the most corrupted of the Districts. Lead by various baronesses, who got involved in dubious love affairs, numerous intrigues and manipulated by weird and evil mages. Meanwhile, The Northern Outskirts managed the farm lands well enough, keeping food shipments steadily and without much delay.

The rapid change of barons and baronesses meant that no continuity of any kind could ever be established. Though really no worse than the constant change in the Senate, which saw an equal if not greater amount of corruption, confusion, and chaos, for the citizens of Cordor, it meant weakening of the infrastructure, commerce and unity. Instead of taking care of the inhabitant's interests, the barons and baronesses spent time on intrigues, corruption, endless political discussions and meetings, and internal disputes.

This anarchy and chaos, though nothing new to Cordor's history, also meant a loss of skilled Cordorian crafters; many honest citizens and warriors went to Wharftown, Bendir, Light Keep, Myon and other surrounding communities of the island. Like under the previous reigns of Cordor, the era of the Barons was as much filled with both tyranny and bloodshed. What began as a hopeful change ended, with corruption and greed eventually overtaking what began as the best intentions of honest men.