Blackstone
A southern province of the Empire, it was recently annexed in the last great military push.
Blackstone is a small province, consisting of two cities. One the heavily fortified city of Blackstone, which is the main trading depot in the small province. Nearly all shipments to and from the province come through this city. The city of Blackstone is the capitol, home of the Klaus family.
The Klaus royal line is new, only going back to the generation before the current ruler. The first Klaus, Hendrick, recieved his 'kingship' in the time when the human settlers were still visciously fighting against the native elves. The posistion was given due to his military experience, and his ability to rally the men in defence of Blackstone. Sadly he never had the men, money, or weapons to really push an effective offense.
This all changed with the rise of the current monarch, Lord Alchest Klaus of Blackstone. Rather than lead an offensive against the elves, he instead volunteered to strike a peace accord with them. Through negotiations, it was agreed he would marry Lady Kilkithane, a noble in her own people's right. Though there are rumors of certain, actions, that were taken before the marriage, these are of coruse evil, poisonous false propaganda with no basis in reality.
In the end, the marriage brought peace to Blackstone, as well as establishing an heir to the throne, the half elf Herridan Klaus, as well as another son, Richard Klaus, who is currently studying the sciences in the empire.
Herridan Klaus is beloved by the elves of Blackstone, though most of the human population fears for the king's health. They recognize that Herridan is a weak, soft, stupid, spoiled kid, who would make a poor ruler.
The land of Blackstone are relatively small. It could be crossed in a day by a fast moving crawler, perhaps half a day by flight. However the land is broken and rugged, covered with stone peaks black as night. Blackstone has always been rich in mineral wealth, though until the marriage of the Lady Kilkithane and Lord Klaus, there was too much hostility to get mining operations really going. Now mining in in full swing, and the Lord is trying to get the country industrialized, instead of needing to depend on outside foundries.
Blackstone's population is split 60% elf, 37% human, and 3% other. The official language of the state is Common, as spoke by most peoples. Few in the province outside of the merchants or nobility know or speak Holdine. The disparity between classes is immense, with most belonging to the noble/merchant class, or serf like peasants that work the mines or what few feilds they have.
