Hunt of Alderei the Fair

Overview

The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is located at the foot of the Opascari mountains in the Varushkan territory of Volodmartz. Custodianship of the Hunt grants an Imperial title; a seat on the Imperial Bourse; and a seasonal bounty of valuable weirwood

The Resource

The hunt is a great weirwood forest that was also the site of one of the most vicious battles against the forces of Alderei the Fair, the tyrant-boyar of pre-Imperial Varushka. At the foot of the Opascari mountains, this vital strategic asset was nearly burnt to the ground in the wake of the Imperial victory, and said to be haunted to this day. The site is believed to take its name from the treasure seekers who combed the surrounding woods looking for traces of Alderei the Fair in the decades after his defeat.

As an Imperial, rather than national, resource the Hunt is a sore spot for some Varushkans. As with the Granites of Veltsgorsk, there is strong local opinion that the Hunt should be a national seat. After all say the citizens of Volodmartz, it is the Varushkans who endure the darkness beneath the trees so that they may claim the riches of their haunted land. Why is it then that the white granite and weirwood bounty of Varushka are in the hands of foreigners?

And the Hunt is bounteous indeed. One of the richest resources of Volodmartz, the great weirwood forest was the site of one of the most vicious battles during the war with Alderei the Fair. The forest was once even richer - yet in the last days of the war this vital strategic asset was nearly burnt to the ground. Only quick action by Imperial forces prevented the fire consuming all the trees, and to this day on certain nights of the new moon the living trees are sometimes engulfed in a shimmering copper effulgence that seems to have no natural origin.

There is some controversy over the name of the this great weirwood forest. Some say it is named for the three nights of pursuit, when Imperial forces chased the retreating forces of Alderei south-west toward Alderei's Run. Others that is is named for the treasure seekers who combed the surrounding woods looking for traces of Alderei the Fair (more cynical souls say they are looking for traces of his abandoned supply train, and the riches it held) in the decades after his defeat. Darkest of all is the belief that Alderei used to hunt Varushkans through the great forest, for his sport or as part of some dark rites used by the volodny.

Whilst the eerie weirwood trees lend a haunted, supernatural air to the forest, they do not deter visitors. Many are lured by tales of the lost treasures of the baggage train. Others come following rumours that the body of Alderei himself lies somewhere in the deep woods. The workers are often forced to shoo these "hunters" on their way so they can get their work done. And, from time to time, a hunter disappears forever or is found broken and torn in a ditch - this is Varushka, after all.