The County of Riccolante – the first to fight and drink

Sobriquet: Hot-blooded

#romance #intrigues #duel

Story:

Riccolante was the first major conquest of the Kingdom – and it was a bloodless prey. In the year 67, Gnievomir I the Great married Leokadia, daughter of Octavius, a warchief who ruled the many tribes inhabiting the sunny hills and valleys of Riccolante. This is how the County of Riccolante was created, which today, after years of internal disputes and wars, is headed by the Auberaggio family, led by Countess Antonia Maria di Riccolante.

Riccolante is a land of gentle hills, sunny valleys and beautiful lakes. It also has access to the sea thanks to the narrow tongue of Volantine Bay, but Riccolantians are more of a land nation – their contacts with the sea are limited to catching fish, oysters and other seafood, which are often served on their tables. The county’s primary sources of income are trading world-famous wines and fine oil – as well as lending out the service of their people. Because it is the soldiers of mercenary companies that are Riccolante’s main export commodity, even more valuable than wine and olive oil.

The people of Riccolante are a mixture of many local peoples and tribes, which over the centuries have merged into one nation, but are still internally divided. Family disputes and vendettas last for generations, and resentments, both real and imaginary, are not forgotten for many years. On the other hand, it is rare to find people in the Kingdom as warm and friendly as the people of Riccolante.

Appearance and distinguishing features:

Although it is true that you should be able to hear the visitors from Riccolante long before you see them, but visually they are also easy to recognize in the crowd. A snow-white shirt; saturated, strong colors of the outfit; slit, puffed sleeves and legs; shiny, decorative linings – these are the basic determinants of a Riccolante dandy. Add a wide-winged hat with a colorful feather, a wealth of shapes, details and ornaments – and we have a festive, but also everyday outfit of a Riccolante nobleman.

People associated with mercenary companies often add to it some small element of armor (bracer, breastplate, shoulder plate), most often also richly decorated and ornamented. The dresses of Riccolante noblewomen can be very different – from the simplest, everyday ones, to multi-layered ball dresses stretched on elaborate skeletal structures. However, they are always made of the best materials and beautifully decorated – and impeccably maintained.

Names and nomenclature:

The names and surnames in the County of Riccolante should be associated with those in Southern Europe – Italian and Spanish.

Examples of female names:

Aggostina, Bianca, Bettina, Catalina, Esmeralda, Chiara, Fiorella, Francesca, Gioconda, Ines, Isabel, Juanita, Lucrezia, Lupita, Maribel, Nicoletta, Rafaella, Rosario, Severina, Soledad, Tiziana, Vittoria

Examples of male names:

Alessandro, Atanasio, Benito, Cristiano, Cristobal, Domingo, Ennio, Eusebio, Fernando, Fioretto, Gino, Guillermo, Javier, Lorenzo,  Massimo, Miguel, Paco, Rocco, Salvatore, Sancho, Ugo, Vicenzo, Vittorio

Other lands in the eyes of Riccolantes:

The Duchy of Ossorio:

Stiffs who do not know how to play, and who, in addition, clump together in the past and in chivalrous traditions, having nothing to do with the modern art of war. Plus, they don’t have any sense of the latest fashion sense, and their obsession of iron is downright ridiculous. But it is worth mentioning that they remember the family ties. And that they can fight when it is needed. 

The County of Sapphire Island:

Thieves, pirates and scoundrels – and that’s the mildest thing that can be said about them. Their love of mismatched garments is almost as ridiculous as their lack of manners and almost as annoying as their lack of respect for their better ones. But it must be admitted that they know how to have fun. And that they can drink.

The March of Charnobor:

Sneaky schemers. Nobody knows anything for sure about them, and many of those who enter the shadow of their forests never return from there. You cannot trust them or turn your back on them. And those stupid caps of theirs! 

The Free City of Glassburg:

Boors without a sense of humor, and what’s more, they don’t know how to have fun. If they could, they would most likely speak only in a whispers and nip all joy in the bud. They just keep counting and calculating, there is no passion in them. And their military skills are not even worth mentioning.

Other:

The people of Riccolante are known for their noisy lifestyle and for expressing all feelings, as well as for the fact that they are able to consider almost anything as a personal insult.