| The Barony of Crescent Coast
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Duchy: Mists
Leaders:
Baron Dyonith Zeloral
Population: Estimated 13,125 (Pre-Schism)
Lordships: Eleki Beach, Kraken Shoals
Known For: Beautiful Beaches, Tourism, Sea Components, Port at Diuturnal's Cove
Major Towns and Cities: Esperion, Eleki Beach; Coral Landing, Eleki Beach; Diuturnal's Cove, Kraken Shoals
Characters of Crescent Coast: Here
Barony Colors: Black, Red, and Gold
Description: In a place of myth, legend and beauty, Crescent Coast is a deceptively soothing and beautiful place on Mists. A stretch of silvery beaches, beautifully created homes and crafts, a generally amiable population and full of delight, prosperity and wealth, it's often times a wonder how a place could exist on the isle. Yet, even a land of serenity and riches has a dark side, rumored families of scandal, natural disasters and deaths aplenty, Crescent Coast is a vacationer's delight. As long as you make it home, afterward.
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| History
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Crescent Coast was formerly ruled by the prominent (if somewhat questionable) Rosal family. A family of stark differences, it was not uncommon for siblings to cast themselves to extreme opposites for one reason or another, while at the same time seeming oddly similar in some perplexing manner. The last of their line was composed of Baroness Lily Rosal for many years and rumored to be a very prim and somewhat demanding figure who at times conflicted violently in opinion with others of her rank and status. Her death brought about the rule of her younger brother, Baron Jayden Rosal. In classic Rosal style, being a 'spare', he had very little actual training in what must be expected of a Baron, beyond proper etiquette and which fork was used for salad. He was virtually a ghost for the decade before coming to the seat, quietly practicing his magic and training to become a great mage.
The Rosal family was killed in a peculiar magical accident in the year 503, and the Barony remained vacant for nearly two years before Phoebe Forester, formerly Baroness Regent of Dragon Lake, was elevated as Baroness of Crescent Coast in August of 505. The frosty queen of scandalous means, the Baroness first became betrothed to Guardian Lord-Heir of Knife's Edge, Garett Lytton, who would die later on September 5, 505, protecting the Baroness from an ambush. Three months later, she would become betrothed to investigator, Matthew Wyndham, and married him on May 12, 506 in an impromptu ceremony the baron may or may not have known about.
Later in 506, the Port in Diuturnal Cove, Kraken Shoals, was completed and created some stir. Especially when the Baroness petitioned the Emperor to have the currents shift from Polaris Port to Diuturnal Cove, going as far as to offer a Unity Coin in return.
January 507, the Baronet, Chandra Forester was born with little fanfare. She proves to be an eerily quiet baby.
In August 508, there was an explosion of the Forester and Eilian households on Mists, the Baroness, Baron and her newborn twins completely vanished without a word while Chandra remained on Gateway. Soon after, Phoebe Forester was stripped of all lands and declared guilty of treason in a plot to murder the Crown Prince Jordan Caprios.
In the place of the Baronial couple, Lord Dyonith Zeloral and Master Ansel Tyce are elevated as Stewards to the barony under the order of Baron and Baroness Moonshadow, acting in place of the imprisoned Duke Mists, Raziel Devonshire.
After the Great Schism, Emperor Rourke makes a Proclamation stating a day of mourning over the deaths of 'misguided heros' who attempted to close the Gateway. Among them, he posthumously pardons Phoebe Forester of her charges. Her husband is found soon after, wandering through the streets. The twins are never found.
Instead of taking his place once again as Baron, Matthew seems content to allow the stewards to rule in his place, until a Regent is set in place to watch over Baronet Chandra. At least until the Great Ritual on Mists after the Great Schism, when suddenly, the Baronet's name is quietly never mentioned, again, without any explanation.
The Great Ritual to cure the isle and save her people seems to strip the eastmost lordship, Eleki Beach, of all magical taint, leaving component gathering useless, but the water and land useable.
In late February 509, Duke and Duchess Regent Mists announce that Lord Dyonith Zeloral has been raised to the position of Baron Crescent Coast. They also announce that the new Baron is betrothed to Miss Ellie Clapton of Gateway, with the wedding to follow in six months's time, on the morning of the Double Eclipse.
April 17, 509, the Duke and Duchess Regent announce that they are dissolving the Lordship of Enchanted Coral and dividing it amongst the two remaining lordships of the Barony.
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| Politics
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While the recent leadership has been prone to a number of wild rumors and controversial behavior, politically, Crescent Coast has always seemed to straddle the line between being incredibly self-involved and incredibly selfless. Sometimes fluctuating between strained and good relationships with their fellow Baronies or the Ducal House, the lording families beneath Crescent Coast seem to unwaveringly support the decisions of their barons. At least, publicly.
Most subjects that have caused outrage in the past have been largely selfish seeming, while at the same time offering words to bolster the isle as a whole and offer support. This sometimes leads to suspicions from the other nobles in the isle, wondering just what side they're playing on, but such is the joy of politics.
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| Succession of Barons
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February 26, 509 - Present
- Baron Dyonith Zeloral (b. September 23, 483)
December 02, 508 - February 26, 509
- Stewards: Lord Dyonith Zeloral & Lord Ansel Tyce
October 22, 508 – December 02, 508
- Baroness Chandra Forester (b. January 507; d. ?)
- Stewards: Lord Dyonith Zeloral & Ansel Tyce
504 – October 22, 508
- Baroness Phoebe Forester (b. August 23, 476; d. October 22, 508)
- m: Matthew Wyndham (b. December 17, 475)
500 – 503
- Baron Jayden Rosal (b. 477; d. 503)
490 - 500
- Baroness Lily Rosal (b. 475; d. 500)
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| Geography
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Cradling the majority of the northern coast in Mists, the beautiful silver sands of Crescent Coast roughly form a crescent moon shape for which is it named. Those unnaturally beautiful sands pulling inland to rich forestland and meadows as it moves inward, it is sometimes wondered just how such a luxurious Barony could possibly belong on Mists.
Composed of two lordships, in the east rests the popular vacationer's retreat, Eleki Beach. The length of those stretching, famous sands pulls a very successful living from their lands, though much of it has been mysteriously stripped of all magical content and poison, rendering the water and land both safe to use. Borrowing the calm rolling hills and the lush green meadows of Dragon Lake before sinking into the foreboding land of Dark Waters in the south, Eleki Beach also features the City of Glass; a natural phenomenon as a stretch of beach seems to draw lightning to it with unusual frequency, creating naturally occurring glass when the lightning strikes.
Stretching toward the middle of the Barony is the now dissolved lordship of Enchanted Coral, now stretched and shared between both remaining lordships. This area plays home to the magnificent coral reefs that stretch the coastline in brilliant colors and fashions, creating a solace for a number of reef creatures and coral that is harvested for components. The beaches here are powdery and soft and offers the most extensively inland beaches before contacting the River of Stars and verdant green forests on the east end while grazing the beginnings of foothills that would grow into mountains at Gryphon's Reach in the south.
The west belongs to Kraken Shoals, the site of the new port as Diuturnal's Cove and some of the most lush and adventurous land on the coastline. Paired against the mountains of Gryphon's Reach and the romantically mysterious and tangled Wraith's Watch to the south, Kraken Shoals borrows from both of these to yield some of the most interesting green hills stretching toward the west peninsula. The sands here start silver in the west and eventually fade into a powdery, romantic white as it cradles Diuturnal's Cove.
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| Economy
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Beautiful silvery beaches, fascinating wild life, awe inspiring coral reefs; it's no wonder that Crescent Coast became synonymous with 'vacationers delight'. Tourism is one of the greatest draws to this barony, locals inviting tours of the lands, 'adventures' in the sea and a generally relaxing and beautiful area to take holiday, its draw isn't restricted to Mistians, but entrances the whole of the Empire. This draw only grew stronger with the vanishing of the dangerous Breath of Imperius after the Great Schism, no longer threatening to poison the visitors or chase them indoors at night, leaving an open market to night time events, parties and festivities.
A land cannot survive off of tourism alone, and with the second port built in Kraken Shoals, Crescent Coast flourishes more than before, able to transport the rare components and crafts they offer all over the isle with greater ease. Coral components from the reef, tortoise shells from Kraken Shoals, silver stained sands of the beaches. There was a slight hiccup in their trade when the port was damaged after being crushed by a renegade tidal wave after the Great Schism, but the decision was made to rebuild quickly after.
They were confronted with a conundrum in 509 when all the magic seemed to drain out of much of the land in Eleki Beach, rendering anything there moot of magical ability and losing them their component trade. They are now looking toward new ways to supplement this lost in economy.
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| Culture
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Unlike the other three baronies of Mists, there is a noticeable lack of bogs and swamps in Crescent Coast and its lordships. Silver and white sands soak inward to lovely green forests, hills and mountains; it may appear harmless to those who know nothing of the dangers that lie across the lands of Mists.
The people here are surprisingly amiable considering the rumored reclusive nature much of Mists is infamous for. Much of this is based around the fact that in a land that revolves around tourism and finding a new sucker patron to keep your business rolling, to make up for much of the stigma built around Mists and mages, one needs to be as friendly as possible to stand a chance. Friendly, they're also rather business savvy and slick, able to talk someone into a neat tortoise shell rattle for their niece that isn't born yet, or some amazing little coral nick-nack that does nothing but sit on your shelf and gather dust. But it's from Mists!
When relating to one another, there is a healthy dose of business rivalry and competition, but there's also a level of camaraderie that comes with that competition. It's not unheard of for a family who's spent the last two generations methodically breaking down a competitor, to suddenly turn around and protect them from a third business butting in. It's almost a spin off of the familiar 'Nobody picks on my sibling but me!' mantra. Even on an isle not heavily invested in the family ideal, there is some level of loyalty.
Some places are known for being more cut-throat and business savvy than others, and depending on which lordship you're speaking to, you may get a different definition as to what the ideal vacation means, but the one thing that can be agreed upon with the people here is that they all love to have a good time. Businessmen, servants or nobles, their levity is well-known and noted as something of an anomaly considered the somewhat reclusive nature of the majority of Mists.
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| Bestiary
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Giant Tortoises
Giant Lobsters
Giant Crabs
Fire Flies
Reef Snakes
Magic/Dark Wisps
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