Greetings! After talking with my King Arjen he has graciously allowed Merry and I to step out from under him and settle our own independent Duchy in an unclaimed area, under the Council of the Crowned.
By moving out from under the Kingdom of Ertia, we would maintain our ranks as Duke and Count, respectively; we would remain duke and count of our holdings in Ertia, but would also work to establish a new Duchy under the Council.
To this end, I contact the Council with the hope of securing permission to found the Duchy of Laval - and possibly expand its borders in the future - here:
This location has been carefull selected in order to allow us to remain relatively central to Imperial activity at the Imperial City while also enabling me to maintain strong ties with Ertia, and, most importantly, to allow for plenty of breathing room and room for expansion between Laval and its only relative neighbor, Count Aered.
Here is a more detailed map of the region outlining tentative counties and plans for construction. Apologies for my general lack of paint skills and for leaving the amidst icons on:
An explanation of the labels:
County #1 - Limoge: This county will include the Duchy capital, the city of Gallen. It will be a large port with docks, markets, many houses, and industry in the form of the beacon mines, an industrial technique brought to the new land from Goldcrest.
County #2 - Bernen: This county will be the region's militia hub, with a fort that, strategically placed on the peninsula, will overlook trade passing through the tentatively-named Emerald Sea. It will also include barracks and docks.
County #3 - [Unnamed]: This region has been tentatively layed out as Merry's county, but that may very well change as he decides what region he will prefer. In any case, a third county will be Merry's most likely including a smaller, possibly agricultural village or town.
These are our plans! I look forward to community of review of them, as we are eager to get construction underway! Thanks all.