Borca (BOR-ka) is a beauteous domain scarred by betrayal and ruthlessness. The domain lies along the northwestern edge of the Balinok Mountains, in the rolling dales that stretch out beyond the icy crags of Mount Gries. Borca is a green, fertile land blanketed with wild flowers throughout the spring and summer. Ancient, verdant forests cover much of the domain, overgrown with tangled brambles and twining ivy. The trees and shrubs are heavy with nuts and fruits, and the ground is blanketed by spongy little toadstools. Most of these morsels, however, ooze with sweet-smelling toxins, a notorious feature of Borcan foodstuffs fortunately betrayed by a telltale purplish tinge. The domain is also known for its geothermal activity; hot springs bubble up from the ground everywhere, spewing steam and sulfurous fumes into the air. The Luna and Vasha Rivers flow gently east through the realm, fed by the crystalline snowmelt of the Balinoks.

Homes and shops in Borca are broad, massive buildings of plastered and whitewashed brick. The abled rooftops are shingled in thin, charcoal-gray wood and topped with slim, knobby spires. Wooden trim of dark green or blue, caved with stylized vines and mushrooms, graces the doors and windows. Small, white marble statues of the goddess Ezra stand serenely at the entrances of many homes. The smooth stone streets of villages are narrow, shaded by the overhanging upper floors of buildings. Borca has a temperate climate, leaning toward severe winters and cool, pleasant summers.

Major Settlements

Levkarest (pop. 8,500), Lechberg (pop. 5,500), Sturben (pop. 2,000), Von Ziyden (pop. 1,200)

People

Population: Humans 95%, Halflings 4%, Other 1%

Languages: Balok*, Mordentish*, Falkovnian, Luktar, Halfling

Religions: Ezra*, Hala

Borcans have average, athletic statures. Although blessed with delicate hands, Borcans seem to age quickly, given their harsh environment, with skin tones ranging from fair to creamy tan. Hair and eye color ranges widely, but dark brown is common for both. Men of all classes keep their wavy hair at a medium length, allowing it to grow wild and roguish. Women grow their hair quite long, adorning it with thin ribbons and wooden or tortoiseshell combs. Clothing is utilitarian among commoners, with men dressing in loose shirts and trousers and women in blouses and medium-length skirts. Dull earth tones are the norm in such humble garb. Nobles, on the other hand, dress in baroque Dementlieuse fashions, though they shy from bright colors, preferring a black and white scheme accented with silver jewelry. Commons and nobles alike don more colorful clothing exclusively for festivals.

As a people, Borcans have a sullen air about them, an attitude that has permeated all aspects of daily life. This is largely due to the crushing taxation most folk endure, combined with the cruel, arbitrary rules of Borca's mistress. The oppression has worn down what was once a lusty, life-loving attitude among Borcans, leaving a defeated people who go about their business with a resigned fatalism. A weary, pained look clings to their features; they shuffle through their tasks as if afflicted by a numbing poison. Their only respite is the grace of the goddess Ezra, whose largest and most influential sect of clerics goes forth from the Great Cathedral in Levkarest.

The Law

Borca is a psuedofeudal despotism. Ivana Boritsi, commonly known as the Black Widow, is the current mistress of Borca. Having inherited the rule from her mother, Camille, who met an unexpected death, Ivana's only political interest seems to be indulging herself at her subject's expense. Her sobriquet is derived from her infamous fatal romances, as Ivana's lovers have a habit of ending their lives in her bedchambers. Although the realm is ostensibly governed under a feudal system, Ivana is the only true landowner, with all citizens in direct vassalage to her. Borca's prominent aristocracy is a mere plaything for Ivana; nobles enjoy their status only as long as it pleases the Black Widow. Ivana grants and revokes noble titles erratically, creating a perpetual flux in the makeup of the Borcan nobility.

Ivana demands severe taxes from her nobles of the moment, who in turn demand tribute from the commoners. Prominent nobles retain enforcers to collect these taxes, but it's the notoriously corrupt forces of Ivana's cousin, Ivan Dilisnya, that maintain order in Borca. Ivan is the only noble who seems to resist Ivana's cruel whims, and the only Borcan who truly holds his own estate. Curiously, however, there is rumored to be little love lost between the cousins.

Little more than glorified thugs and leg breakers, Ivan's enforcers never pass up an opportunity to extort the meager funds Borcans have to their names. Protection rackets are an epidemic, with payment required from anyone unfortunate enough to run into a roving band of Dilisnya enforcers. Bribery is required to merely prevent a business from being vandalized or to keep enough food to live through the winter. There is virtually no criminal or civil law in Borca, save what can be bought through dirty coin.

Trade and Diplomacy

Resources: Wheat, rye, corn, potatoes, apricots, sheep, cattle, chickens, beer, wine, timber, iron, copper, lead, salt, marble, leather goods, usury, culture

Coinage: nightshade (gp), hemlock (sp), foxglove (cp)

Despite the corruption that plagues Borca, the realm is politically and culturally active. Although it's not the cultural equal of Dementlieu, Borca does export its rich traditions of visual arts, music, and architecture to other realms. Ivana has overseen the establishment of a trading alliance with the neighboring realms of

Dementlieu, Mordent, and Richemulot. This has kept foreign wealth flowing into Borca, and thus into Ivana's coffers. The four realms have also arranged a mutual defense pact to protect against the military aggressions of Falkovnia to the north. Borca is further plagued by clandestine incursions of Vistani-hunting mercenaries from Invidia. Although the gypsies aren't loved in Borca, Ivan Dilisnya has warned that further threats to Borcan sovereignty results in armed retaliation.

Magic

Bards and clerics tend to be the premier spellcasters of the land, which produces few sorcerers or wizards.

Classes

Borcan heroes are most commonly Bards, Clerics, Fighters, or Rogues.

A character native to Borca is considered to be proficient with firearms and black powder weapons.