Great Forest at Reikos
Overview
The Great Forest at Reikos is located on the southern borders of the Great Forest of Peytaht. It covers the eastern hills of Broken Ride in the Highborn territory of Reikos. Custodianship of the Great Forest grants an Imperial title; a seat on the Imperial Bourse; and a seasonal bounty of valuable weirwood
The Resource
On the borders of Reikos, the great forest is an abundant source of valuable timber including precious weirwood. It was lost when the territory was over-run by Druj barbarians in 369YE, and liberated by Dawnish and Navarr forces shortly before the Winter Solstice 379YE. Only swift Imperial action prevented the orcs from firing the groves in a final, spiteful attempt to deny them to the Empire.
The Great Forest at Reikos covers the eastern hills of Broken Ride, and the trees beyond the groves are an abundant source of valuable timber. Before Reikos fell to the orcs, it was an Imperial seat; the Imperial Senate voted to allocate the seat as Imperial during the Spring Equinox 380YE.
The weirwood groves, and the section of forest that the Highborn harvest for lumber, is only a fraction of the area covered by the Great Forest of Peytaht. The forest extends north into the Barrens, where it covers many times more acres of land than the small area that is part of Reikos. It merges with vallorn haunted Brocéliande to the east, and in theory the forests of southern Semmerholm and western Astolat are part of the same contiguous forest. Legends say that at one time, the forest of Peytaht was much, much larger.
The Highborn woods are relatively safe - or at least they were before the Druj braved the heart of the great forest and launched their surprise invasion. The further north one travels, however, the more eerie and inhospitable the woods become. Beyond the northern borders of Reikos, the forest is largely untouched and there are many local tales of travellers or foolhardy entrepreneurs disappearing without a trace after pushing too far into unknown areas.
The Bourse Seat
Responsibilities
The Seat has no particular responsibilities; they simply receive a bounty of weirwood which is theirs to do with as they will. If the Great Forest at Reikos were to be threatened in any way, it would be the responsibility of the Seat to deal with those threats. Likewise, if any particular opportunity were to arise related to the Great Forest at Reikos, the Seat would expect to be consulted as to how that opportunity might be resolved.
Powers
Seat on the Bourse
Custodianship of the Great Forest at Reikos comes with a seat on the Imperial Bourse. For the most part, this Seat comes with no additional responsibilities. It is an Imperial title that grants the right to participate on the rare occasion when the Imperial Bourse as a body is required to make a decision.
Bounty of weirwood
The Seat has control of a source of weirwood and receives Bourse certificates to represent that control. They can dispense this resource as they choose. Production is 25 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.
Appointment
As with all weirwood Bourse seats, the holder of the title is determined during the Winter Solstice. As an Imperial seat, any Imperial citizen could participate in the auction and hold the title.
Custodianship of the Great Forest at Reikos is retained for a year, or until the citizen holding the seat dies, or steps down. An Imperial Bourse seat cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.
| Summit | Nation | Elected | Bid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Solstice 384YE | Highguard | Kapik | 495 thrones |
| Winter Solstice 383YE | Highguard | Arlais of The Silent Tide | 450 thrones |
| Winter Solstice 382YE | Highguard | Liora Daughter of Rebekah | 276 thrones |
| Winter Solstice 381YE | Highguard | Issachar | 200 thrones |
| Winter Solstice 380YE | Nemuel of Ravensfell | 56 thrones | |
| Summer Solstice 380YE | Azazel of Ravensfell | 150 thrones |
Recent Elections
This title is due to be vacated just before the next summit; it will be reelected at the next summit. The table to the right shows the citizens who have been elected to hold this title in the years since Empress Britta died.