Places of the Steel Realms

Most places of the Steel Realms refer to locales on the primary settled continent. The King of Gladnor in The Noble East is the preeminent ruler there, in addition to the holding the title of High King of the Realms. Several reasons make this territory as important, but over the years, the title has come to mean less. However, the coordinated defense of the realms on both continents of Ustermaya and Sayvalod (less since its collapse) is their duty still, and the high king and his designates still hold the most power of any single lord over the largest territory. Generally Speaking, locations/places are broken into fiefs of specific classifications.

Norms Shared by Places

Place Classifications

Kingdom: A sovereign state encompassing fiefdoms:

Duchy
Grand Duchy: Part of the greater realm of the High King.
County/Earldom
Barony
Grand Barony: Part of the greater realm of the High King.

Territory/Freehold: Areas designated and recognized by the High King. A territory has a central seat of government, but the highest office (governor) is held through elected process – backed by a council reprseenting the interests, towns and cities – these may be titular and/or hereditary. The governor holds all the ability of a Viscount and/or Sheriff. Territories are designated for the space of 300 years then reviewed by the High King; those deemed non functional are usually broken into smaller fiefs, parceled to neighbors, or simply dissolved into the components, each as a free standing entity.

Protectorate: Individual towns, cities, or tracts of land can be under a protectorate – a decree by the high King of direct control by a specific individual. Protectorates are usually a temporary assignment, until a permanent solution can be found. Some are longer lasting; it is often used to remove a contested area from being fought perpetually over – in such cases a neutral party from further way is granted the protectorship.

Free City: All the term free city means is a large enough city, with enough resources and military to take and hold a large surrounding territory, sometimes up to 50 miles away. Those territories are ruled over by the rulers of the city. The city is recognized as a governing entity, though the exact claim of territory is up to the city to hold. The High King decides which free cities are to be recognized as sovereign territory.