Brighton

"''The world is too loud sometimes, but seldom here. The visitors realize how much they love their busy lives in the west, and the ones who settle realize how little that busy life matters. To live and die the noble life of a simple man, unburdened by the stress of bestial survival or overwrought society: what more could a man want?" - Count Maximilian III Blaxton, Count of Brighton''

The County of Brighton is one of the nine constituent states of the Placid Realms. It is bordered by the March of Halynd to the north, the County of Cybel to the northeast, the County of Hersek to the southeast, the County of Göle to the south, and the Verdant Realms to the west. A stepping stone between the Placid and Verdant Realms, Brighton is an ocean of tranquility for the most part, usually the first encounter foreigners have with the greater region.

Gatekeepers of the Empire
During the time of Suel, the Bandon of Bratan was the staging ground for the imperial expansion westward. After the settling of the Theme of Placitum, westward expansion was only logical, and the relative calm of the Bandon of Bratan made it ideal for sending off expeditions into what would later become the Theme of Veritum. It's swamps were fewer and less foul than most, as were the monsters and savages, and decent amounts of open space allowed for animals to graze, be they the wild horses native to the region or cattle brought to be farmed. When the Theme of Veritum was established, as well as the further western territories of the Suel Empire, Bratan remained a quiet province, more a way for goods to pass east into Suel coffers than anything else. During the Great Collapse, news reached the Theme of Placitum through Bratan first. Little changed, and the final Komes of Bratan, Julius Blaxton, became Lord Julius Blaxton, Count of Brighton.

Gateway to the West
Since the Suel era, the County of Brighton has been extremely quiet. As the Placid Realms tend to deal more with one another than anywhere else, traffic between Brighton and any realm further west is less than in antiquity. Still, the occasional merchant caravan or diplomatic mission passes through, and Brighton welcomes them in a sleepy, calm way. The County Guard puts down the occasional threat, be it tribes of goblinoids, gnolls, or orcs, or something more exotic like a roaming giant, sometimes alongside some Kordian hero. The wild horses still ride, and are broken to be sold, and the cattle live and die as always, stocking the larder with beef and tallow, keeping butter and milk fresh, and providing leather for all needs. The last 2,500 years have been peaceful, with the brief exception of the Great War Against Tiamat. During the conflict, a single horrible blue dragon by the name of Huzar was harried by the County Guard the whole length of the realm, as a storm began forming from out of nowhere. Suddenly, during the peak of the tempest, a barrage of meteors rained down and struck Huzar from the sky. As it turned out, the dragon had angered a particularly tranquil grove of druids who did not appreciate the famed serenity of the realm being disrupted, and they restored it through magic: by summoning all manner of foul weather and celestial projectiles. Annually, this is remembered through the festival of Huzarsnoc, where people collect as many fireflies as possible in jars and strap them to a large dragon puppet, which is paraded down the main street, usually dancing and with music accompanying it, before the fireflies are released, the effigy burned, and a feast shared.

During the Great River War, the whole of the County Guard deployed to join the Armies of the Placid Realms. While the war was barely fought in Brighton, the county still felt the repercussions of the conflict. As the war ground on, the steeds and steers the people had relied upon were in higher and higher demand, either to be rode into battle or eaten by those fighting it. By war's end, there were scores of abandoned villages in Brighton, usually because too many inhabitants, who had become the feudal levies that joined the fight, had died and left a shortage of hands to herd the cattle or break the wild horses. Few have returned in the weeks since war's end, and the few who have often find overgrown grasses and wild herds roaming far and wide.

Religion
The County of Brighton is majority Kordian, with a smattering of religious minorities sprinkled throughout. Pelorites and Cuthbertines from the west, Fharlanghnis from the east, and devotees of Obad-Hai, Ehlonna, and other faiths fill in the majority of the religious landscape. Brighton has never had a reputation for being particularly pious or impious, nor have any major religious movements or uprisings had any great relevance to the region. Brighton is not a place of religious conflict. It takes a strong man to hunt a bison or break a stallion, and the god of strength is a good patron to pray to for such challenges.

Culture
Brighton is best characterized as a sleepy province with little excitement, which is exactly what the inhabitants like about it. The majority of their knowledge of the wider world comes from bards and travelers, as few bother to travel further than the nearest city to conduct business. The eastern fringes of the province are swampier, and thus have a touch more in common with the neighboring provinces, but even they are calm beyond compare. Even those who grow bored of the quiet life seldom leave, but rather take up adventuring, helping the towns of their area hold back savage threats. Between these freelancers, local town guards, and the roaming County Guard, little threatens the average subject of Brighton. Especially in the west, the grasses are many, and the herds plentiful, so herding comes naturally. Small cattle drives happen regularly, where all the herds of a town are driven to the nearest city to be slaughtered and processed into leather, beef, and tallow. While a small town may have someone who knows how to process an animal, only the towns have skilled folk in quantity to handle the dozens that come with each drive.

Politics
The County of Brighton has enjoyed the uninterrupted rule of House Blaxton for millennia, and looks forward to continuing to do so for centuries to come. The Count has done what is necessary to maintain peace and serenity for ages, keeping the taxes and tariffs at acceptable rates, and limits which towns may graze where to keep the Circle of Laurels happy. While many would consider this a lowly caretaker position, it is exactly what the people of Brighton want: an unobtrusive government. Foreign relations are amicable, trade fair and flowing, and treaties of mutual defense maintained to prevent foreign aggression, a policy that proved effective until the Great River War. With the declaration of war by the Kingdom of Fife, the County of Brighton engaged in the first act of aggression in its history. While this was quite the disruption to the status quo, it was quietly accepted; the maintenance of friendships was worth having to finally play at war. Both the Count and his subjects have come to realize, especially with the signing of peace, that the status quo may finally have changed.

Ecology
The County of Brighton is much flatter and more open than the rest of the Placid Realms. While the eastern reaches of the realm are marshier, the majority of the province is grassland, with scattered forests. It makes for ideal grazing land for cattle, which are farmed, as well as wild bison that roam the plains. Bison, boars, and horses thrive in Brighton, often wild in herds numbering in the hundreds. Tribes of goblinoids, orcs, gnolls, and kobolds are scattered about, but contact is limited, as their territory is usually on the farthest edges of grazing land. Grasses and grains of all kind flourish, which keep the herds hale and hearty. Brighton bison are furry and fleet of hoof, and integral to local economy and agriculture.

Economy
The County of Brighton relies on agriculture for the majority of its wealth. The many wild horses in the region are both valuable as beasts of burden, and worth plenty of gold for sale. The County Guard of Hersek and the March Guard of Debrecin prefer Brighton steeds for their strength and speed. Brighton is home to a unique breed of cow, known as a Brighton Bearded, and joking called a "dwarven steer" for its stouter than average build and thicker hair, which often grows to include a small beard from the chin. It was bred from many generations of crossbreeding regular cattle and local bison, and is renowned for having superior leather, exceptional meat, and rich milk compared to normal cattle. The Brighton bison is a prize to hunt, for it produces all manner of superior goods, from superb meat to fantastic coats, with the durable leather and thick fur providing excellent protection against the elements. Boar hunting provides another source of food, and the final pillar of the great local meat industry. Brighton is home to a thriving culture of butchers, especially in the larger town. Apprentices, known as dressers, handle the trimmings and rendering of fats, while the more seasoned butchers can fully disassemble a beast and turn it into all manner of cured meats, sausages, and other preserved foodstuffs. Cured Brighton meats can last for over a year, and are often traded to travelers as an extremely durable foodstuff. In addition, dairy gets processed into all manner of delicious cheeses. The majority of these exports go to Hersek, where the local halflings appreciate the variety of delightful foodstuffs. However, even as far as the Sigmarite Empire and Carthage, these wares find purchase.

Military
The Brighton County is a respectable, if unremarkable, fighting force. The majority of the ten companies are armored in chain shirts and wield short swords and small steel shields, and a light crossbow when a threat becomes apparent at a distance. The Brighton County Guard 1st Company, known as the Fringe Riders for both their finely tasseled bison waistcoats as well as their efforts keeping the edges of grazing land safe, are a cavalry regiment that utilizes full suits of chainmail, longswords, large steel shields, and light crossbows to provide a heavier form of support when necessary. The Fringe Riders are either the first contact against a particularly aggressive tribe of savages spotted in the region, or timely allies to smash an entrenched camp of such foul brigands. During the Great War Against Tiamat, the Fringe Riders kept the foul wyrm Huzar occupied in a chase across the county, allowing the rest of the County Guard to mobilize. During the Great River War, the bulk of the Brighton County Guard marched alongside the Armies of the Placid Realms as dependable troops, with the Fringe Riders serving as valuable scouts.