On the south-western shores of Enterin, warm ocean winds create a mild climate throughout the year, a rarity in the frozen lands of Vester, where winter storms choke out all forms of life on the surface in the coldest months of the year. Two peninsulas stretch out in a semi-spiral pattern from the mainland, forming large natural bays where nautical trade remains fruitful despite the rough waters that render most of the ocean impossible to navigate. Vineyards and olive presses are scattered across the landscape. Once controlled by landed nobility and tended to by a serf class, there has been a gradual shift to trade leagues taking ownership from the nobility and hiring free workers, often drawing from the original serfdom.
This decline in nobility has been a gradual process for several centuries in the Almadé region. Before the fall of the Enterin Empire, this was one of the most developed of the Enterin colonies. Imperial tutors and missionaries found great success in converting the people here to the Enterin culture due to numerous reasons. But unlike other Enterin colonies which picked its leadership based off of magical ability, the Almadre convinced the Emperor to grant them a democratic vote after a two year embargo on any exports to the capital in Marin. Wine was distributed to the poor for free to prevent export, ships were scuttled in the nearby Verna river to create a perpetual traffic jam, and lesser Imperial officials ignored arrest warrants when they smelt the potential for their own profit if provided with more autonomy. All of this to force the Emperor to make a choice, send in the military to his most prosperous colony or grant concessions to those who run it.
Instead of provoking a full scale revolt. The Emperor at the time met with the Almadre leaders and negotiated a compromise. All land owning citizens were granted a number of votes in proportion to the people who lived on their land. They would then elect the governor of the region from the local population who would then answer directly to the Emperor. While this seems like a mockery compared to contemporary democratic principles, it was a stunning victory for the Almadre who were used to despotic noble rule and set an odd precedent moving forwards.
After the Enterin Collapse, and the destruction that ensued with the Glass Plague, Almadé was devastated. It’s vast farmlands and interconnected vineyards provided a perfect catalyst for the proliferation of the plague. For the four centuries, Almadé remained abandoned as people migrated north towards the Deep Woods or east to the Verna river in search of fertile land. It would not be until Ashe Lothian, a doctor from Atrila discovered a method to neutralize the Glass that the Almadre were able to restore their homeland.
But what would this new land be? Would they restore the old nobility and reinstate the Enterin laws? Would they start anew and find a new path for their home? Or did the answer lie in that frustrating middle ground of compromise?
The answer came in the form of the aforementioned trade corporations, allies within the rebuilt cities united their companies and used their positions to further spread their influence across the region. Often times these companies could trace their wealth back to noble lines, but as more and more commoners made their fortunes on the open waters, they began to establish competing companies or usurp power form the original noble lines. While the Republic of Greyden waged a bloody revolution to abolish its nobility, Almadé accomplished a much more peaceful abolishment by making the nobility obsolete.
This would all change when Lord Karis the Great came to power in neighboring Atrila in response to the Greyden invasion from the north. In desperate need of soldiers and funds, Karis gave the trade companies an intriguing offer. Join the new kingdom he was forging and gain exclusive shipping rights for all nautical trade with the added expense of complying to royal taxes to fund the war effort. The Almadre agreed and began financing Karis’s war. Afterwards, Karis would uphold his end of the bargain, but he also reinstated the nobility in Almadé lands, appointing those he trusted most to check the power of the trade companies. By this point they could not refuse their new king, his armies were too strong and his popularity was too widespread. But there would always be a longstanding tension between the new nobility and the old trade companies.
Today, Almadé remains one of the three duchies of the Kingdom of Estrelin and it is the undisputed wine capital of the south. Though animosity between the companies and the nobility may be prevalent, open conflict has not been an issue since the Shattered Crown period in the 1270’s. Many of the trade companies are now recognized as household names within the entirety of the Twin Realms after expanding their operations to land and sea distribution.
How long this period of stability lasts is a constant topic of debate between scholars. Some believe it will last until the theoretical wine bubble bursts, others think it’ll last so long as the Verna flows with water. Which may come to an abrupt halt if the Almadre ever decide to pull another blockade again.
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