The Duchy of Chesapeake is a Kithain Fief in the Kingdom of Willows corresponding to the state of Maryland.
Overview[]
Aristocratic to the nth degree, the Duchy of Chesapeake clings to traditions even as it fights against the encroaching Banality of the urban centers that impinge upon it. As its physical counterpart, the state of Maryland, teeters precariously between identifying with the genteel, sophisticated mores of its southern sister Virginia and the frenetic, pragmatic ambitions of its northeastern neighbors, the Duchy of Chesapeake shares in the conflict. Caught between its allegiance to the Kingdom of Willows and its sympathetic resonance with the adjoining Kingdom of Apples, Duchess Elena-Anastasia's realm maintains a facade of tolerance and style while simultaneously striving to achieve standing as a model of the modern dream.
Physical Geography[]
The Duchy of Chesapeake lies along the Mason-Dixon line, placing it at the northernmost edge of the South (or the southernmost portion of the North). The Kingdom of Apples forms its northern border, while the Duchies of Winterthorn and Dogwood comprise the western border. To the east, Chesapeake shares the Delmarva peninsula with both the Kingdom of Apples (Delaware) and part of Dogwood. Chesapeake Bay slices deep into the duchy, almost bisecting it. Washington, D.C. straddles the border between Chesapeake and Dogwood near the mouth of the Potomac River. The region's topography ranges from mountains and forests along the western edge of the duchy to farm country in the south and river country, complete with marshlands and beaches, along the Eastern Shore.
Major Cities & Landmarks[]
Baltimore[]
The largest city in the duchy, Baltimore served the American colonies as the center for shipping and the ship-building trade. During the War of 1812, nearby Fort McHenry came under British bombardment, an occasion immortalized by Francis Scott Key's "Star Spangled Banner." A pooka descendent of the anthem's author has purportedly written additional (irreverent) verses to the song and performs them at the irregular meetings of the Chesapeake Pooka Patriots' Club. Although Maryland remained loyal to the Union in the Civil War (due to the presence of Union troops in the city), a strong faction of Confederate sympathizers remained in Baltimore. Reconstruction in Baltimore spurred the city's industrial growth, which lasted until the mid 1950s, when other cities edged it out of the competitive marketplace. The Kithain of Baltimore are exhausted by the struggle to find Glamour in a city overwhelmed by social unease and economic woes. Recent attempts at revitalization, backed by efforts from the city's changelings, are beginning to overcome the city's reputation as a depressed metropolis.
Historic Baltimore[]
Many historic sites and buildings that reflect the city's status as one of the oldest American settlements are nestled together north of the harbor. Centered on Charles Street and Mount Vernon Square, this section of the city includes Johns Hopkins University, the Enoch Pratt Free Library, and the Basilica of the Assumption (the United States' oldest Catholic cathedral). This area is a favorite gathering place or the city's artistic and serious-minded Kithain. Sherwood Gardens, famous for its thousands of tulips and azaleas, is a trysting place for many satyrs, while the Baltimore Zoo provides a constant source of amusement for many childlings of all kith.
Inner Harbor[]
The Patapsco River basin serves as Baltimore's harbor and as a working seaport. Fells Point, a revitalized historic district complete with cobblestone streets, has become a source of inspiration for local artists and crafters (and so for their Kithain patrons). Nearby, Fort McHenry attracts troll, redcap, and sidhe military-history enthusiasts.
West Baltimore[]
Despite its high crime and depressed economy, this section of Baltimore attracts a fair number of Kithain who frequent the B&O Railroad Museum, the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Baseball Center, and the Poe House. The city's Unseelie changelings and most of its sluagh population reside in small freeholds in some of this area's abandoned buildings. Rival motleys conduct gang wars here with disconcerting regularity.
Southern Region[]
Chesapeake's southern region, with its farmlands and tobacco fields, most closely resembles the rest of the South. Home to the state's capital, Annapolis, this area lies along the western shore of Chesapeake Bay. Annapolis is not only a historical mecca, with numerous buildings dating from the Colonial period, it also serves as a thriving port for yachters and oystermen. Seasonal yacht races are popular among the sidhe of the region, while commoners hold weekly oyster festivals during the peak gathering season. The area also encompasses Chesapeake Beach, the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant, and Lexington Park, home of the Naval Air Test and Evaluation Museum. Rumors abound that an enclave of Unseelie changelings led by a noble of House Balor has established a freehold near the nuclear plant and plan to use the freehold as a base to overthrow the current duchess.
Western Maryland[]
The largest city in western Chesapeake, Frederick sits amid mountains and farmlands, giving it a distinctly different atmosphere from the rest of the duchy. Once the vacation land for railroad barons and other industrialists, the city now draws tourists with its recreational opportunities and proximity to many historical sites. The Kithain of the region find they have more in common with their counterparts in Winterthorn and Dogwood than with their kithmates in the Duchy of Chesapeake. Sharpsburg, 20 miles west of Frederick, is the site of the Antietam National Battlefield, which commemorates one of the Civil War's bloodiest battles and served as the occasion of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation; an annual gathering of eshu celebrates this milestone in the history of their kinain.
Eastern Shore[]
Sharing the Delmarva Peninsula with Delaware and Virginia, the residents of Chesapeake's Eastern Shore and nearby islands are a breed apart. Queen Anne's Country, across the bay from Annapolis, contains Wye Mills, home of Maryland's State Tree, the 450-year-old Wye Oak. Rumors that the tree housed a dryad have not been proven. If one exists within the tree, her cloaking and her faerie nature is far too effective for modern changelings to penetrate. Salisbury, near the border of Delaware, contains the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art; ironically, chicken packing is the city's largest industry. Ocean City, which borders on the Atlantic, contains beaches, boardwalks, and theme parks and is favored by gangs of childlings (some of them members of the Children's Crusade). Smith Island, home to a community of fishers, is noteworthy for its excellent array of seasonal seafoods: soft shell crabs, oysters, and clams, as well as for the archaic, 17th-century English spoken by its inhabitants. Pooka legend has it that a local crab pooka named Sebastian served as the model for Disney's character of the same name in The Little Mermaid.
Natural Places[]
Despite its image as an urbanized region, due to its proximity to Washington, D.C., Chesapeake contains a number of unspoiled wilderness sites. Catoctin Mountain Park, near Frederick, contains forests and rock formations; secluded within its boundaries Camp David, a presidential getaway since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Despite its attraction to satyrs, pooka, and the occasional boggan, the tight security in the area discourages much Kithain activity near Camp David. The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, on the Eastern Shore near Cambridge, features marshlands, forests, and waterways, all of which serve as homes for songbirds, waterfowl, and many endangered species, including fox squirrels and sika deer. Blackwater is claimed by the Nunnehi; the duchess does not dispute their claims.
Enchanted Places[]
Dramatis Personae[]
References[]
- CTD. Kingdom of Willows, p. 74-77.