Meanwhile, in Neurac

[Yvain Wintersong]

Neurac. Five thousand years ago, it and Ynnraile were part of the same Duchy of Goldshire. But their histories have long since diverged. Ynnraile is an out-of-the-way land of high mountains and deep woods. Neurac is a centrally-located land of broad plains and bustling towns. While the descendents of wild warrior Tristram Wintersong ruled over Ynnraile, the descendents of savvy financier Tony Au were the first rulers of Neurac, and their influence has kept it a great hub of cross-ocean trade.

The great constant in Shireroth's geo-economics has been trade via the Elwynn River and the eastern oceans. The lands where the Elwynn meets the sea are well-poised to take advantage of this trade. For centuries, the Dukes in Goldshire Hamlet and Brookshire Hamlet, and the Governor in Musica, engaged in an epic bidding war to convince cargo ships, river boats, and sailors to base themselves out of their territories. No one came out a complete winner, but the people of Neurac did better than most. When barges from upriver want to load their goods onto a sea-going vessel, Smotretka is one of the most popular places for them to do so. And this wealth, combined with a Mediterranean climate and a love of the arts, has made Lunaris one of modern Shireroth's most pleasant and attractive areas, boasting several of Shireroth's great cities.

Further north, Ran and Elsenar are more rural and traditional, but the great metropolis of Goldshire Hamlet breaks the monotony of wheat fields and is a major manufacturing center in its own right. Ran and Elsenar are more similar to Ynnraile than they are to the south, but the entire eight-county region retains a strong feeling of unity and friendship that belies their many cultural differences.

It has now been several years since the people of Ynnraile assumed control of Neurac during the War of the Unexplained Incident, and neither side is in a hurry to split the union. Count Wintersong, wary of the possibility of Neurackian resentment of northern rule, has moved his court to Goldshire Hamlet and began integrating the services and militaries of the two Baronies. In deference to the will of the Kaiser, he has refrained from using any overt Goldshirean symbolism, but the idea of the old Duchy has sparked a cultural revival that the government has done little to repress.

Although Yvain realizes that political issues make it difficult to formalize the union of the two lands, he is nevertheless happy for the renewed prosperity that it has brought them both, as well as the not inconsiderable addition to his own power.