Gargoña (Baronia de)

Location: West of Gulf of Hule, north of Almarrón, south of Narvaez, and east of Saragón.
Area: 7,468 sq. mi.
Population: 14,000, including 11,700 in Ciudad Real.
Languages: Slag Common (Espan Dialect).
Coinage: Real (pp), oro (gp), dies (sp) and centa (cp).
Taxes: 20% income tax, 5% sales tax.
Government Type: Independent barony part of the Treaty of Tampico and Signatory Council.
Industries: Arts (music, poems, painting and sculptures), diplomats and political advisers.
Important Figures: Baronesa Esperanza "La Ilustre" de Sotto y Rivera (baroness, human, female, T12).
Flora and Fauna: Standard for its warm temperate climate, including kudzu, tomatoes, potatoes, maize, alligators, plains grasses, deer, armadillos, prairie dogs, turkeys, and eagles. Dangerous monsters include various giant lizards and undead found in the swamps of la Delta de Pozaverde. Normal animals with Legacies can also be very dangerous.
Further Reading: The Savage Coast online document.

Description: by Hernando Cagliostro

Gargoña is recognised as the centre of culture in the Savage Baronias, a fact affirmed by the situación [location. Ed.] of la £nica universidad [unique university. Ed.] of the coast within its borders. Admissión to this grande universidad is free in return for una promesa [a promise. Ed.] of future tithes to la nación [nation. Ed.] of Gargoña for the rest of your working life. Since Gargoña is generally viewed as politically neutral, its renown scholars and graduates are found throughout most of las nacionas [nations. Ed.] of the Savage Coast as advisers or teachers.

The Land

Although about the same size as any other baronia, Gargoña actually has poco [little. Ed.] land for its people to live on. Almost a third of la baronia is inhospitable swampland located at la Delta de Pozaverde, the mouth of the famous Río Copos. On the bright side, this swamp makes approaching the towns of Gargoña from the sea very difficult, preventing attacks from the Sea Baronias.

The Río Copos crosses la baronia from west to east, and most of the towns and casas [homes. Ed.] of the people can be found along its shores. After about 15 kilometres (10 miles) from the shores, dense bosques [forests. Ed.] dominate, and they are sparsely inhabited by any locals. These bosques cover about one half of la baronia, and serve as borders with friendly Almarrón and the religious fanatics of Narvaez.

Ciudad Real is the capital of la baronia, and is located just after la Delta de Pozaverde, where el Río Guadiana merges with el Río Copos. Skiffs powered by oar ply the waterways of the delta, ferrying commerce to and from seagoing ships, allowing access to the lucrative sea trade.

The People

Gargoñans are typically poets, artistas, and scholars. Many dream of adventure and excitement, but only a few actually give it a try (and most give it up after their first). Those that do adventure are some of the most swashbuckling souls in las baronias. They are easily offended when people claim that Gargoñans cannot fight and are eager to prove them wrong.

To Gargoñans, the Red Curse is a dreaded disease which must be stopped. Many, especially those with an Afflicted in the family, try to raise money to fund research into the Curse. Luckily, the few clero [priests, or more properly clerics. Ed.] found in Gargoña are devoted to stopping it and they use their spells to keep the number of Afflicted very low within la nación.

Recent History

The history of Gargoña, like so many of the other baronias, is sad and bloody. Originally part of la baronia de Narvaez, the southern half of esta [that. Ed] nación separated and formed a new Baronia de Sotto in AC 913. Ciudads [cities. Ed.] of this Baronia de Sotto soon declared their own independence, causing a civil war. Riviera (which included Ciudad Real) won its bid for independence in AC 926. Gargoña (which only included la Castillo de Pardalupe) finally declared independence itself in AC 934.

Sotto retaliated and invaded Gargoña. By AC 936, Sotto was soundly defeated and Gargoña had conquered it's parent Baronia. Gargoña released its claim on Sotto, and la población [population. Ed.] reorganised themselves into la Estado de Almarrón. In AC 977, Almarrón again went on an spree of conquest. Gargoña merged with la nación de Riviera, keeping the name Gargoña, and was able to repulse the invaders in AC 979.

Baronesa Esperanza was crucial in negotiating a peace treaty with Narvaez during the war of AC 1006 so that las baronias could fight off Hule. The fact that her daughter is married to the son of the racist [this is the opinion of the correspondent. Ed.] Don Hugo of Narvaez helped in los negociaciones.

As with the entire Savage Coast, the Red Curse spread through Gargoña in AC 1009 during the dreaded Week Without Magic.

Gargoña has thankfully agreed to la sanción [sanction. Ed.] of selling smokepowder to Narvaez, yet la baronesa is unfortunately trying to negotiate another solution to la problema.