Ruler: His Noble Lordship, Baron Hlodyn Dim (LE male human [Aldari-Zentradi], Ftr 4/Rog 4)
Government: Independent feudal monarchy with hereditary rulership; nation is controlled by a powerful baron serving as head of state and controlling most aspects of government
Rule of Law: Neutral. Country is morally ambiguous with a moderate amount of written laws. Actions are neither evil nor good and tend to remain distant from international affairs.
Capital: Littleport (pop. 12,100)
Major Towns: Blackheath (pop. 5,750), Eastfort (pop. 3,600)
Population: 180,000- Human 85% (AZj), elf 10% (coast), dwarf 3% (brown), orc 2%
Major Religions: Kharon, Shastra, Jocasta, Seralise, Elf pantheon, Dwarf pantheon
Major Resources: Foodstuffs, iron, some gems
Military: 8,000 (includes light and medium infantry, medium cavalry and a navy of 4 warships)
Allies: Westorlin, Sutherlin, Paragon
Enemies: Meridia, Cyndane
Coinage: Meridian standard
Faridune is a minor, almost insular, former fiefdom of the Meridian Empire located along the Deeptide coastline south of the Grand Duchy of Westorlin. During the Sundering War, Faridune sided with its nearest neighbors simply for the sake of survival but the baron and his family have played very cautiously while not completely siding with the rebellion and maintaining some form of distance. The baron himself is a wicked man and that alone causes the Grand Duke of Westorlin some cause for concern. Baron Hlodyn saw the war as more of an opportunity to gain personal power and greater control over his lands without the influence of the Imperial Household. The land enjoys a continental moist climate with moderate precipitation throughout the year, hot summers and mild winters.
The Baronial House of Dim has also gone against tradition by allying itself with the land of Aldimir to the South, a longtime rival of the Meridian Empire. The barons have fostered a relationships with the merchants of Aldimir for years leading up to the Sundering War. The Dukes of Westorlin and Sutherlin have therefore never fully trusted Faridune but maintain an uneasy alliance during the years following the rebellion mostly for troop support more than anything else. The baron harbors a well-trained corps of orc marauders that have proven themselves on the battlefield time and time again. The orcs have good morale and are housed mainly in strongholds near the eastern borders along the Sunscape Mountains.
Rumors: The Baron of Faridune has long had his eye on the fertile lands of the Principality of Paragon. He has been making advances to form a partnership of sorts through an arranged political marriage between his heir and the daughter of the Princess of Paragon.