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The tiny kingdom of Wilnöven, nestled amid the valleys of the Spineridge Mountains, bordered by Paladondia and Kent to the east, Roland to the west, and the Hestlegartle dwarves and Prussia to the north, shares little of the economic prosperity of its neighbors. However, it has become an important chess piece in the struggle between the evil sorcerer-king of Roland and his enemies to the east.
Queen Fiona of Paladondia has pledged her kingdom's protection for its mountainous neighbor to the west, more as a matter of self-protection than out of any real interest for the safety of the inhabitants of Wilnöven. Able to field only a small army, the queen fears if Wilnöven is not adequately protected the strategically located state could easily fall to the aggression of Roland and serve as a staging ground for direct conflict with her kingdom.
To alleviate this danger she has, in accordance with the protection treaty, stationed half of the 17th Legion (3,000 elves), the Angry Swords, at three garrisons in Wilnöven. Recent events have caused her to bolster this force by sending additional elements of the 17th (an additional 1,000 troops) to the Wilnöven capital city of Reneva.
Most sources agree that Queen Fiona's fears over Roland's plans for Wilnöven are not unfounded. The Empire has for many years shown an interest in the mountainous state and would benefit greatly if it could bring the kingdom fully into its grasp. The empire maintains several large bases in the mountains just beyond the borders of Wilnöven and has fortified its embassy with nearly 500 crack troops. Unwilling to come into direct conflict with the elfin kingdom, it has maintained a policy of pandering diplomacy mixed with an ample dose of subterfuge and espionage to enhance its position in the area.
Recently Wilnöven's king, Ludwig Hesperstad III, placed himself in a precarious position by asking for the assistance of the sorcerer-king when his eldest daughter, Frida, disappeared in the mountains on the Roland side of the border while traveling to Rush where she planned to attend the university and study magic. Many believe, that her disappearance did not happen by accident but was instigated by the command of the sorcerer-king himself. Nevertheless, with the assistance of the imperial troops his daughter was recovered within a fortnight, unharmed and with no memory of what had befallen her or her traveling entourage. The entourage was later found slaughtered along a high mountain road leading out of the mountains.
The sorcerer-king, after aiding King Ludwig, sent a contingent of 600 members of his crack Wyvern's Spawn Legion to assist in the "protection" of Wilnöven's royal household. Early on, it became evident to King Ludwig that the "gift" was not one that he could turn down.
The Wyvern's Spawn soldiers are one of the most well known enforcer legions of the sorcerer-king, charged with ruthlessly putting down revolts and other popular uprisings. They are perhaps best known for the razing of the village Windspall after local farmers protested the below market price being paid for their grain by the emperor's army. Though no one survived to tell exactly what happened at the village that fateful day, travelers reported finding the village burned to the ground. And, ringing the village were the corpses of every man, woman and child casting their shadows across the smoldering ruins from atop hundreds of pikes.
The close to 300,000 inhabitants of Wilnöven lead simple lives, relying on sheep and goat herding in the pastoral mountain valleys for much of their sustenance. Cheese and wool are two of the kingdoms most valuable exports. Several rich mines also provide substantial income for the kingdom and employment for many. Valuable cash ores like gold, silver and copper are mined as well as more practical riches such as iron, lead, salt and coal.
Aside from the capital of Reneva (17,000) only one other city bears mention, Salsmadt. Salsmadt (20,000) on the eastern edge of the kingdom, near the borders of Kent and Paladondia, boasts the richest salt and iron mines in the kingdom. Most of the city's population is involved in some way in the mining trade. Other settlements in Wilnöven seldom have more than 1,000 inhabitants. More than 80 percent of the kingdom's population lives on rural farmsteads on lands surrounding local nobles' keeps. Paladian garrisons are stationed at Reneva (Armar Dûr - Kingshome Tower), Salsmadt (Naldar Dûr - Guardian Tower) and in the wilderness near the border with Roland (Amarthadhras Dûr - Doomhorn Tower).
Much of Wilnöven's population consists of humans of Juad descent, with a few Arrakians. Some small groups of Heselgartle and Tumanzahar dwarves have settled in the more remote mountain regions and are often seen in Wilnövian villages and cities. Gnomes are fairly common as are Stout halflings. Among the major humanoid nations only the Ripper hobgoblins and the Black Skull orcs are present in numbers great enough to cause concern.
The tiny kingdom only supports standing armies of about 3,000 men. Of these troops, 2,000 are heavy infantry, another 500 are archers, and 250 each are trained mountain troops and light cavalry. Roughly an equal amount of soldiers can be raised from the ranks of the kingdom's noble houses if needed.
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