Göle

"'The Church of Kord teaches that the meek are those who temper their strength with restraint, and it is they who inherit this land. Kord's will be done, we shall be the beacon of righteous might to the world.' - Count Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya"

The County of Göle is one of the nine states comprising the region known as the Placid Realms. It is bordered by the County of Brighton to the north, the County of Hersek to the east, the March of Debrecin to the south and southeast, and the Verdant Realms to the west. As the religious center of the Church of Kord, Göle is a province full of pilgrimage sites and zealous champions looking to spread the spirit of The Brawler across the land.

On The Shoulders of Giants
The area that would become the County of Göle was originally the Bandon of Gol when it was administered as a territory of the Suel Empire. A land rife with giants, savages, and beasts, it was a difficult province to tame initially. The Suel Empire gave up on the project of defending any but the most valuable of roads and sites for a time, leaving the greater settling and pacification of the realm as an afterthought. Many thought that it would forever remain a sort of badland, not by lack of flora, but an abundance of deadly fauna.

This status quo was challenged by Carolus Valens, the first High Atlas of Kord. Originally a simple priest, Valens felt a calling to shepherd the weak, and did so the only way his god taught: the righteous application of strength. According to legend, he traveled from the city of Suel across the Theme of Placitum until arriving at the Bandon of Gol, and declared he was on a divine mission. To this end, they say he challenged a mighty giant named Ferrigno to a duel. Ferrigno was said to tower above Valens and even surpass other giants in size, wielding a blade that even a troll would have needed two hands for as if it were a dagger. The battle raged for over an hour, with Ferrigno pushing Valens further and further back until they had moved from the woods to the outskirts of the provincial capital. Accounts of witnesses say that when he realized that the strength of the wicked would overpower the innocent weaklings, Valens was filled with divine purpose and bested the giant. With newfound might, Valens dove his hands beneath the toes of the giant and flipped him into the air, and his blade landed on the ground beside him. Valens took the enormous sword and wielded it deftly despite it being a greatsword even for an ogre, and climbed the shoulder of the dazed Ferrigno. Witnesses and apocrypha say Valens delivered a stirring benediction from atop the giant, in a voice filled with holy vigor that echoed for leagues, before decapitating Ferrigno. He consecrated the ground beneath him and blessed all who were there with the blood of the giant that day, and took the title of High Atlas of Kord. The Church of Kord as it is today was established after that fateful battle.

With Valens' rise came a total regional transformation. Gol became the heart of a church on a meteoric rise, and the witnesses of his mighty battle became his first apostles. The regional military governor, Komes Mátyás Szűrös, endowed the whole of his personal fortune at the time towards the construction of the Grand Gymnasium of Göle, built directly atop the site of the great battle with Ferrigno. To this day, his descendants are ardent supports of the church, whose generosity and zeal have been a part of regional history for millennia now. Worship of Kord spread far and wide as soldiers emboldened by Valens, as well as regular folk touched by his heroism, took it upon themselves to exterminate the greater threats of the region. Gymnasiums were set up all over Gol and later the rest of the Theme of Placitum, and with faith came holy fury. By the time of Valens' death, Kord had become the preferred god of the majority of the Theme of Placitum, and bolstered the local legions. For the next four centuries, the Church of Kord would bring together Suel legionaries and local do-gooders alike to cull monsters in Gol and beyond.

Rock of Faith
After the fall of Suel, the last Komes of Gol, Lajos Dinnyés, became Lord Lajos of House Dinnyés, 1st Count of Göle. With the collapse of Suel, and by extension the organizational structure of the Theme of Placitum, Göle did not truly decline, but simply ceased to progress. While pilgrims still traveled far and wide to visit the Grand Gymnasium and pray before the Tomb of the High Atlas, the great monster hunts across the realms were a thing of the past. Noble houses rose and fell, heroes came and went, but the status quo endured.

During the Great War Against Tiamat, Göle became a surprising rallying point for noble souls. The call to such a battle against evil was a righteous and holy endeavor unlike any the world had seen before, and faithful from across the Placid Realms congregated at the Grand Gymnasium to pray before setting out. Famously, the High Atlas at the time, György Gedó, issued a rare General Benediction declaring that any who took up arms in the coming war were to be considered blessed by Kord. Heroes from across the Realms would still seek their own local Gymnasiums or even the Grand Gymnasium before departing, venturing off into the west especially to slay dragons. The few who remained found little to do or fight beyond the ordinary, though a few errant dragons were dutifully slaughtered.

Since then, Göle has been largely untouched by the wider world. Many faithful still make pilgrimage to the site of Valens' triumph, and the High Atlas remains the key religious authority. During the Great River War, Göle contributed not only their County Guard and conscripted soldiers, but also a disproportionately high number of adventurers and clerics that, while mostly inexperienced, still were a valuable asset. The High Atlas of Kord, Ronald Kohlman, issued a General Benediction over the armies of the Placid Realms within three months of the beginning of the war, and personally maintained a massive seminary for the duration of the war to train new clerics, as many found themselves cut down, and those that remained could hardly keep pace with the injuries to be treated after.

Religion
The Church of Kord reigns supreme in Göle, and is present in most aspects of life. Every settlement from the largest cities to the smallest of hamlets has a Gymnasium, a Mortifactor Lodge, or in some cases both. The Grand Gymnasium is a humongous building, filled to the brim with holy relics. The High Atlas preaches from a pulpit built atop the skull of the giant Ferrigno, and his word carries to all the Placid Realms. The Church enjoys the continued patronage of noble houses from the days of Valens and Suel, as well as the generous donations of pious adventurers. The local Atlas still invests most nobles into office and baptizes most newborns, and part of the prestige of the Count of Göle comes from the fact that the High Atlas has officiated the coronation of every one except for during the Year of Four Counts, where István II of House Dobi was slain by a giant on his way back from the countryside to be crowned, as was his son István III.

The Church of Kord maintains amicable relations with other faiths, and thus, while Göle might be almost entirely religiously homogeneous, clergy of other faiths are encountered surprisingly often. Most common are the clerics of Fharlanghn, who often form beneficial adventuring partnerships with Kordians, and the crusading faithful of Pelor, Heironeous, and Saint Cuthbert. The faithful of Kord and Fharlanghn find each other complementary, one providing might and the other direction, while the crusaders of other faiths find Kordians to be stalwart allies, if a touch lacking in zeal.

Culture
Göle is a land of pious heroes, and it shows. Almost every settlement has some small statue of a hero of old, or a well kept memorial. Valor is expected, and adventure held up as the most noble pastime. The people of Göle believe in hard work, not for the sake of toil, but for improvement. While the vicious creatures of the region may be a constant threat that locks settlements into a sort of stasis, people are expected to always be improving, and striving for more. The idea of a life without some attempt to be excellent is alien, and thus they are a proud people. Even if they work simple trades or professions, it is expected that they give their all. Killing the next bigger troll and raising the next best chicken are considered equally praiseworthy, so long as there is a sincere investment of effort to improve.

Politics
Göle has historically had more dynastic upheavals than other realms due to the Kordian belief known as the Mandate of Might. According to Kordian orthodoxy, it is not only the divine right, but a holy obligation for the strong and worthy to rule. Hence, while traditional modes of inheritance are observed, an unfit Count can expect to have his rule openly challenged, with the High Atlas usually (but not always) endorsing such challenges and accepting their results if asked. There are multiple noble houses that have claimed the title of Count in the past, most notably House Dobi, House Szűrös, House Dinnyés, and House de Nagybánya. In general this is considered a positive political system, fostering an appropriate amount of competition for good rulers to emerge. Currently House Nagybánya has been in power for the past three centuries, successfully defeating two challenges of their Mandate.

A political challenger may issue a challenge to their local ruler in a time of peace, and the challenged party must accept or automatically admit that they have forfeited the Mandate of Might, and thus their right to rule. During times of trouble or war, such a challenge is disallowed for practical reasons except in the most extreme of cases. Furthermore, a challenge may not be issued frivolously; there must be a genuine belief that a ruler is unfit, not simply that there may be a better candidate. Traditionally, the challenge is resolved through a trial that tests the three Kordian Pillars of Strength: physical, mental, and spiritual. The highest ranking available Kordian clergyman will set the terms and rules of the challenge, which typically is more difficult depending on the title; someone vying to be mayor of a town may be expected to arm wrestle, recite poetry, and fast, while the fight to be Count could consist of combat with wild beasts, composing a panegyric to one's own glory, and undertaking a trying pilgrimage.

The County of Göle enjoys esteem among the Placid Realms as a religious center, but not any sort of political authority. While the Grand Gymnasium and the High Atlas are in Göle, they are politically independent entities that do not bow to the whims of the Count. Relations are warmest with Hersek in the east, whose position as the seat of a major faith (The Church of Fharlanghn) is rather similar. Debrecin is also a slightly friendlier neighbor due to the large amount of traffic from Göle through Debrecin on the way to adventure in the perpetually warring Mercurial Realms to the south.

Ecology
The County of Göle is slightly less marshy than the rest of the Placid Realms, with slightly more woodlands and marginally more open plains. However, this has not translated into much greater agricultural yields or usable timber due to the abundance of lethal native fauna, most especially giants. Göle is home to a higher volume and variety of giants than any of the other Placid Realms, including both "true" giants as well as "lesser" giants such as ogres and trolls. Half-giants are a relatively common sight compared to other Realms, though still a slim minority, usually the product of generations of descent from captives held ransom, or more rarely the giant that chooses to integrate into civilized society. As such, many half-giants do not exhibit the tell-tale signs of a particular giant bloodline, but are rather muddled, looking simply like substantially larger and sturdier humans, though some may look more brutish or regal than others. Clear sign of a particular type of giant often means that one has a giant as a parent, which can occasionally be cause for distrust.

Half-trolls have proliferated in some reaches of Göle, but never in civilization, as have half-ogres. The ill-begotten get of ogres and captive humans are often sold into slavery to orc tribes or goblinoid chiefdoms, or worse yet into the Underdark. Trolls, possessed of little in the ways of impulse control or scruples, will spawn all manner of disturbing hybrids. The proliferation of their regenerative bloodlines attracts a decent number of gnomes and dwarves looking to cull them.

Economy
Göle manages to produce mild surpluses of certain goods, allowing for limited trade. Grain and timber are plentiful enough that both the products thereof are more common (with bread as more of a dietary staple than other Realms, and wood a more common building material), and small amounts of exports are possible. Modest iron mines and the natural aging of draft animals produces just enough metal and leather to meet local demands, which are higher than average due to the abundance of adventurers. Pilgrims bring much money into Göle, travelers looking for lodging or adventurers looking for provisions, which is often invested in religious endowments or starting a career as an adventurer. Many adventurers native to Göle started out with either the generous gift of a local Gymnasium or funds earned from a family business to purchase their starting gear.

Military
The Göle County Guard is considered a safe career, at least compared to adventuring. Many adventurers who either could not initially afford starting equipment or felt unprepared have started out as Guardsmen. Companies typically use splint mail and two handed weapons, though one company to the next may be different; the 3rd Company, for instance, uses greataxes, while the 5th Company prefers falchions. None of the eight Companies use polearms, as they relish the thrill of close combat, and their shortbows are carried reluctantly and usually reserved for hunting for food while on patrol. The elite Göle County Guard 1st Company, known as the Göle Greatswords, seek to emulate Carolus Valens by being the only Company to use greatswords, and those are of masterwork quality as a rule. They also prefer banded mail for superior protection.

Many Guardsmen serve the minimum term to collect payment, then leave to adventure independently, but the Göle Greatswords are career guardsmen sworn to the office of the Count (rather than the person, which can shuffle). All eight regiments are technically garrisoned in Göle, however, due to regular deployments in response to monster and giant sightings, they are almost never stationed at full strength together. During the Great River War, the Göle County Guard was deployed in full against the Kingdom of Fife, proving to be a stalwart, if somewhat tactically inflexible, asset. Companies assigned to one of the three Armies of the Placid Realms found themselves used as a hard hitting force for plowing through conscripted infantrymen, but often lacked support or were harassed at range before major engagements.