Current (1534 WM) Regents of the Westron Baronies

In the current era of the Valley (year 1534 since the Westerner Migrations first began out of the Olmart Empire, so it is marked 1534WM), each of the various Baronies is ruled over by a regent of some sort.  Most of these are Barons, at least in the nomenclature of the Kingdom of Ymnaris.  The Kingdom was first established, in the year 26 when the First City was settled (now often called Hogle).  The capitol of the Kingdom moved progressively eastward with successive generations and waves of migration.  Each of the four fiefdoms that originally housed a capitol city of Ymnaris is entitled to the title Duke for their ruler, however they are still commonly referred to as Baronies.  Up until the Neill family assumed the throne of the Kingdom of Ymnaris, several generations back. the ruler of the kingdom was referred to as the Archduke, however with the growing separation from the Olmart Empire, this title was dropped, and the title of King (or Queen) has been in use now, by the Neills at least, for the past 352 years (since year 1182).

Rulers of the Westron Baronies
Hogle - Duke Keevar Silverhand (m, age 54), settled year 26. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from the year 26 until 165.
Macester - Baron Tyremius Ap Troft of Trofthall (m, age 162), settled year 82.
Ockham - Baron Guiscar the Enlightened (m, age 47), settled year 107.
Scallen - Duchess Safeeny Everlight (f, age 53), settled year 163. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from 165 until 341.
Kof Karn - Baroness Talena Ap Ironheart (f, age 31), settled year 219.
Khomaes - Baron Aldra Ap Iaggio of Erthos (m, age 59), settled year 231.  The city itself is ruled by a Proctor.
Henn - Baroness Lendara Astern (f, age 32), settled year 285.
Pellorix - Duke Falden the Just (m, age 51), settled year 341. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from 341 until 642.
Werms - Baron Kilgar Ap Huim, Ne Etro (m, age 45), settled year 352. The city itself is ruled by a Magistrate, typically a magic user (currently, a mysterious hooded person titled the Wizard of Werms).
Huygen - Baroness G'Melan Luce Ap Viellot (f, age 33), settld year 394.
Gorrem - Baroness Catherine Ap Terrasund of Tatelis, also called The Second (f, age 49), settled year 462.
Na Kram - Baron Farris Quar Nev of Borleos (m, age 73), settled year 558.
Lynch - Duchess Tindra Ap Logis of Oakforge (f, age 40), settled year 642. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from 642 until 1021.
Botts - Baron Pesar Ap Gansford of Tuldis (m, age 51), settled year 728
Ungams - Baron Virondis Pulchky (m, age 59) , settled year 902.
City of Narn - King (Archduke) Alasdair IV (m, age 37), settled year 914. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris since 1021.
Devrie - Baron Huntain Dorren of Ymnar Hall, also called The Miner (m, age 51), settled year 1022.
Futtonol - Baron Rolan Ap Kopf of Kopfheim, settled year 1099.
Kennidor - Baron Hugh Voxely, of Lakecastle (m, age 39), settled year 1186.

A curious  event occurred just over four hundred years ago.  The gathering of Barons in the year 1015 had agreed that a new capitol for the Kingdom was needed, as the Tower-Keep of Oakforge (in the Barony of Lynch at the City of Fire) was under constant threat at the time by an army of chaos creatures out of the western Nel Nod forest.  The new location was to be the new settlement forming between the Erando and Moa Thola rivers, which would become the City of Shale, and capitol of the Barony of Devrie.  However, at the last, just before the Malachite Throne was to be transferred to the new site in 1021, a group of northern Barons made the case for transferring it to the city of Narn instead.  Narn was previously not considered, because it was built on the site of a long dead city, taking advantage of the ruins that were there already when the Westroners came in 914, however it was thought to be a safer location, than another capitol in the wild south, where the Sun King Barbarians still threatened all of the settlements and cities.

The new location, at Narn, satisfied most, except for the southern Barons from Gorrem, Lynch, and Ungams, who have referred to Narn as the Shadow Capitol, and refer to Devrie as the Chosen Capitol.  These tensions have spread to understandings and relations among the various eastern Baronies, but nothing has come to open war.  With the passage of three centuries, the original animosity that accompanied the founding of Devrie, and the change of the Capitol from Devrie to Narn, has been mostly forgotten, but the establishment of alliances (however tenuous the reasoning) between the different groups of Baronies, has proven a strong motivation for mutual support, and trade, ever since.

Baronies - The holdings of the Westroners in the Valley

There are currently 19 Westron Baronies in the Valley of the Old Ones.  Technically speaking, there are 18 Baronies, and the city of Narn, which is the capitol of the Kingdom of Ymnaris - of which the 18 other Baronies are technically fiefdoms.  However, in practice, Ymnaris (currently ruled by Duke Alasdair IV of the Neill family) is little more powerful than some of the other larger baronies.  The two points of exception for Narn are its size (it is larger, by thousands of inhabitants, than the next largest Baronial city), and the fact that the Cathedral of St. Narn is there - for which the city is named.  The Cathedral of St. Narn is also the seat of the Church (technically, the "High Office at St. Narn of the Westron Church of the Three Goddesses").

The Cities (which are technically named for the barony of which they are the capitol) all have their own "official" nick name. They were all settled between the years 26 and 1186.  It is currently the year 1534 of the Western Migration, so the younger cities have only been established as short as 300 years since they were originally settled, compared to the oldest, which has been settled now for over 1500 years.

The population figures given are JUST for the City, and not for the whole Barony.  In most cases, assume that the Barony will number this much again in dependent towns, and double this amount in dispersed rural communities.

So other than the city of Narn, the other 18 Baronies are as follows:

Hogle - "The First City" in the Shattered Plains region; pop. 18,000, settled year 26.
Macester - "City of the Sword" in the Gateway region; pop. 21,000, settled year 82.
Ockham - "City of Enchantment" in the Enchanted Forests region; pop. 19,000, settled year 107.
Scallen - "City of Birds" in the Bartaloo region; pop. 19,500, settled year 163.
Kof Karn - "City in the Cradle" in the Rising Land region; pop. 21,000, settled year 219.
Khomaes - "City of Mists"; in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 22,000, settled year 231.
Henn - "City of the Shadows" in the Rising Land region; pop. 18,000, settled year 285.
Pellorix - "City of the Lake" in the Rising Land region; pop. 19,000, settled year 341.
Werms - "City in the Clouds" in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 19,000, settled year 352.
Huygen - "City of Light" in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 18,500, settled year 394.
Gorrem - "City of Ten Gates" in the Wychwood region; pop. 27,000,settled year 462.
Na Kram - "City of Dust", in the Sildur Reaches region; pop. 18,000, settled year 558.
Lynch - "City of Fire" in the Nightside region; pop. 20,000, settled year 642.
Botts - "City of Wind" in the Sildur Reaches region; pop. 17,500, settled year 728.
Ungams - "City of the Harp" in the Nightside region; pop. 16,000, settled year 902.
City of Narn - "City of the Three Goddesses" Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris; in the Suuviz region; pop. 38,000, settled year 914.
Devrie - "City of Shale" in the Shale March region; pop. 16,000, settled year 1022.
Futtonol - "The Shield City" in the Suuviz region; pop. 11,000, settled year 1099.
Kennidor - "City on the Frontier" in the Shale March region; pop. 12,500, settled year 1186.

Note that the nicknames of the city are those that the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn have decided to grant the city, in order to differentiate the City itself form the Barony, which often includes lands, villages, castles and other holdings far beyond the borders of the city.  The local inhabitants, however, will sometimes choose a different name (either from custom, or predating the naming by the Archivists).  For instance, the inhabitants of the First City (capitol of the Barony of Hogle) often refer to it as Granite Hold - which was the name of the Castle first built there by the founding baron, Sir Tuneyer of Ockett, in the year 26.  It took him, and his men, a number of years to build Granite Hold, but they adopted for a stone structure from the start, hence the name.