Retainers and neighbors galore:
Retainers of the Emperor:
The Wasps' Nest: Held by a (distant) branch of the imperial family itself, it is almost due southeast of the Pale City. A fast road connects the two; it serves as the departure point for imperial messengers to Surotsi. The approaches to the city by water are narrow and somewhat treacherous, thus the dock only serves imperial message boats. Held by the House Kyun, whose arms are a golden coin on a pale green background.
Castle Inther: on a small promontory in the far east of Luseysi's Fist, its lands are rocky and barren. Essentially, nothing of importance has happened here, except for a few Esurkish raids, most of which were turned back. Nowadays, Inther is a little dilapidated the Inthers supported The Forgotten One nearly to the end, and have paid dearly thus. House Inther owes fealty to the Emperor himself; its arms are a horizontal band of white on a violet field.
Castle Dulchir: Similar lands and stories to Castle Inther, though Dulchir is located inland, astride a relatively small river. A small trade town with a mill grew up around the city, the inhabitants taking refuge here whenever Esurkish incursions proved to be a problem. House Dulchir's arms are a crimson serpent on gold.
Castle Niami: At the head of the Dead Firth, Castle Niami is a black and brutal place; its walls rise from a towering bluff, its dungeons extending deep within. Arms: a white bat on a black background.
Castle Hirau: A pleasant place of orchards and fields, Hirau was burned repeatedly in the War of the Pale Brothers. The current iteration is full of new construction, though rather lacking in comforts for its lords.
Benefry: The largest city on the Blessed River west of the Pale City itself, it is well, was a bustling town, its markets a busy place for the exchange of wines and grain. After the war, it has been an etiolated cluster of houses, clinging onto life. Many of its inhabitants fled to the Pale City, and many of those never came back. The rest are still trying to rebuild the trade that ruled their lives. This area had the worst of the War of the Pale Brothers, and its effects are still showing today.
Castle Imry: A castle between a bend in the river and an oxbow lake, Imry is an old, old castle, one of the oldest in the empire. The lords Imry used to collect tolls going up and down the Blessed River, but they have been stripped of that privilege lately. Arms: white horse on red quartered with gold horse on blue.
Castle Ess: This castle used to guard an important road between the Pale City and Vemeer. That road fell into disuse sometime during the Solemn Age, meaning the Barons Ess had little reason to be. But, like most noble families, they clung onto life. Arms: golden sword on puce.
Independent Lords:
Castle Cairne: Northeast of the Pale City, Cairne overlooks a pleasant wooded valley, and secures a toll road leading along the coast to the north. The Cairnes are relatively new nobility. House arms, a stone of veined jadeite on black.
Castle Serray: Tantalizingly perched on a narrow spire of rock on the coast, Castle Serray overlooks a small fishing village. The Viscounts Serray hold the whole of the south coast from The Wasps' Nest to Castle Tanticre. Arms: an azure bend sinister on a gold field populated by deer.
Castle Tanticre: Built on a gentle, sweeping bay, Tanticre is built largely of sandstone... a fact which meant the west wall was easily undermined in the War of the Pale Brothers. The repairs can still be seen in the slightly different section of the wall. Baron Tanticre owes his allegiance to the Viscount Serray, though the Lord is more usually in the Pale City than in his own castle or Serray. Arms: A bloody finger on a gray field.
The Counts Shael:
Vemeer: A trade town on the Blessed River, third largest. It acts as a hub for the entirety of the upriver traffic. Compared to Benefry, it has had a rather easier time coming out of the war, and shows it with numerous new constructions.
Castle Shael: A rather major castle on the upper reaches of the Blessed River, Castle Shael sits between the largest two branches of the river. With bridges to both the town of Vemeer and the Kyre, it controls the river traffic in all directions, and thus its betrayal of the False Stone in the War of the Pale Brothers was a major turning point in the final campaign. The Counts Shael are probably the most powerful in the Blessed River valley, aside from the Emperor himself, of course. Arms: A bleeding moon on white.
The Kyre: A large tower on the south side of the Blessed River, connected by bridge to both Vemeer and Castle Shael. Ruled by a cadet branch of the House Shael.
The Welshrine: Perched near the source of the Blessed River, the Welshrine was originally simply a shrine near the Welsprings which were hallowed as far back as the Rayaaki times. The castle sits around a few of these springs, and its straightforward supply of water allowed it to famously withstand siege in the War of the Pale Brothers for four years. House Welshrine was killed to a man; the Castle is held by yet another cadet branch of House Shael.
Castle Cavarnance: The key to Yael Lake, House Cavarnance holds all the lands from the beginning of the Little Blessing (southern branch of the Blessed River) to the northwest mountains. Granted, these lands are somewhat hilly, and the soils poor, so this is a mixed blessing. Swears fealty to the Counts Shael. Arms, a pure white eagle outlined against a red sky, blue waters below.
Endelhom: A prominent castle on the road between the Pale City and the far west, the Lords Endelhom protect all trade traffic and levy taxes on it as well. They swear fealty to the Counts Shael. Arms, golden spurs on green.
Monasteries:
The Church at Heaven's Gate: A monastery in the high hills, named for the spectacular natural Heaven's Gate rock formation nearby. It has housed a number of monks since nearly the beginning of the Solemn Age, and is one of the oldest and most respected institutions of its kind in the realm.
Selbrook Monastery: A quiet little monastery, up a little stream from the Blessed River, built at the very end of the Solemn Age. Its neighbors include a number of mills and breweries. The difficult terrain and relative worthlessness of the lands meant that it emerged mostly unscathed from the war.
The Shrine by the Lake: An out of the way monastery, bordering the vast waters of Summer Lake. Huge catacombs stretch through a series of caves beneath the monastery, where the peasants for hundreds of miles have been bringing their dead for centuries.
(I'll probably do a map of the Pale City later, after some update work of my own.)