The Baron of Axa and his Family

The mining town of Kalash was created on land given to the first Baron of Axa in reward for his services to King Castor the Serendipitous. The town owes the current Baron a collective rent of 23 redare per annum, more than he would easily profit by working the land himself, in exchange for which the townspeople are allowed a fair measure of self-governance. This includes their own administration of justice in small-scale local affairs, though the crown (in the person of the royal justices) is the ultimate authority and may intervene to handle serious crimes.

If Kalash were suddenly to become prosperous, the current Baron of Axa might want to revisit this agreement. He might also try to claim any unusual artifacts found in Kalash as his own hereditary property.

Kalash would have to appeal to the favor of the Queen, in the hopes of being granted a royal charter, or find some other way to keep the Baron out of its affairs….

The crown is perpetually concerned both about the power of the barons, as a potential check on royal power, and about granting too much independence to towns, thereby creating new political players who act and negotiate in their own, rather than in the kingdom’s, interest. It’s bad enough that some of the Arasterian trade guilds are growing so powerful; no need for a similar disorder in Reda.