Nizhne-Novgorod

The Principality of Nizhne-Novgorod is a province located upon the middle Volga River, within the Grand Duchy of Moscovy. The city of the same name is located where the Volga meets the Oka River, an important waterway that provides considerable access to a large area of the Russian plain. The principality is bounded on the north by Kostroma, on the east by Khlynov, Cheremissa and Chuvashia, on the south by the gnomish Kingdom of Harn, and on the east by Ryazan, Vladimir and Ivanovo. Much of the principality's central portion of the principality is well-developed farmland. The eastern third of the principality includes the comparably unsettled valleys of the Vetluga and Usta rivers. The principality covers approximately 67.7 hexes, with a population of 218,811.

The principality acts as a bulwark between settled lands and the more volatile, sparsely inhabited regions beyond, securing Moscovy's eastern frontier. Its central farmland provides a stable food supply to support both local populations and military forces stationed here, while the region's rivers and terrain allow for efficient movement of troops and administration. Rebellions by local boyars and landholders consistently resist the Grand Prince's authority, refusing to pay taxes or provide men when called upon. Some still see themselves as lords of their own domains rather than subjects of Moscovy, leading to occasional uprisings or refusals to follow decrees from Nizhne-Novgorod's rulers.

Raids and skirmishes come from the Cheremiss and Chuvash, who strike at villages and outposts along the principality's eastern lands. Though nominally these peoples are under Russian suzereignty, they seek to reclaim hunting grounds and pastures taken by Moscovite settlers while carrying off livestock and goods. Retaliatory expeditions are sent to drive them back, but the forests and rivers make pursuit difficult.

Tribute is taken from both elvish and half-orcish villages that are scattered to the north and east of Nizhne-Novgorod city. Though acknowledging Moscovy's rule, they keep to their own ways. Rather than coin, they offer furs, grain and livestock, brought to Nizhne-Novgorod at set times of the year under the watch of local overseers.

Geography

North of the Volga, the land rises gradually into rolling hills and mixed forests, with patches of open grassland appearing as one moves westward toward Kostroma. The terrain here is more stable, with fewer swamps, though small peat bogs and low-lying wetlands cluster along the river valleys, where beavers dam the slower-moving streams. The forests in this area are a mix of broadleaf and coniferous trees, with oak, maple and linden growing alongside pine and spruce. The riverbanks are lined with alders and willows, giving way to drier, firmer ground further inland.

The principlaity itself is shaped by the great Volga River, which runs through its western lands, carving wide valleys and deepening as it moves south. The Oka River meets it at the principality's heart, bringing with it rolling lowlands and broad floodplains. To the east, the landscape rises into gentle hills and ridges, gradually shifting into dense forests and marshlands along the Vetluga and Usta rivers. These eastern lands are more rugged, with deep river valleys and occasional rocky outcrops, creating a more difficult terrain. South of the Volga, the landscape is flatter and more prone to seasonal flooding, with fertile floodplains stretching along the river and extending toward the gnomish lands of Harn. The forests thin out here, replaced by meadows and pastureland, though groves of birch and aspen still dot the countryside. Further east, where the Vetluga and Usta rivers wind through the principality, the land becomes wilder and more broken, with deep-cut river valleys and expanses of wetland.

Vegetation

The region's vegetation varies with its topography. The west is a mix of open meadows and scattered woodlands, where oak, linden and maple thrive in the fertile lowlands. Closer to the rivers, willows and alders line the banks, while pine and spruce dominate the higher ground to the northeast. The eastern forests are thick and untamed, with towering fir, pine and birch trees stretching across the hills and into the low-lying wetlands. These forests are dense with undergrowth, broken only by winding rivers and hidden glades. Wetlands vary from slow-draining peat bogs to flood-swollen marshes, where reeds and sedges grow in thick bands along the water's edge. In drier years, these areas shrink, leaving behind tangled thickets and shallow, muddy ponds, while in wetter seasons, they expand, making travel treacherous and unpredictable.

Climate

The climate is harsh and continental, with long, frigid winters where heavy snowfall covers the land from late autumn to early spring. The rivers freeze solid, making them impassable except by sled or on foot. Spring brings sudden thaws, swelling the Volga and its tributaries, flooding the lower valleys before retreating into calmer summer waters. Summers are short and mild, with warm days and cool nights, though storms can sweep in quickly from the west. Autumn arrives early, with mist rising from the rivers and frost creeping in before the first snowfall.

Culture

The people see themselves as deeply tied to the land and rivers that shape their world, with a strong sense of identity rooted in their place within Moscovy. They are known for their pride and resilience, viewing themselves as both guardians of the Grand Prince's domain and inheritors of an older way of life that stretches back beyond recorded history. Loyalty to kin and community is paramount, and disputes are often settled within families or by village elders rather than through formal law. Custom holds great weight, and traditions vary between settlements, with some preserving old rites that have faded elsewhere in Moscovy.

Orthodox Christianity is deeply ingrained, though layered with older beliefs that still linger in the countryside. Wooden churches rise in the larger settlements, where priests hold sway over daily life, but in the remoter regions, folk practices persist. Sacred groves and rivers are treated with quiet reverence, and charms against the unseen forces of the forest are carried even by those who consider themselves devout. Tales of spirits that dwell in the woods, water and abandoned places are common, shaping the way people move through the land and conduct themselves beyond the safety of their villages.

The spoken word carries great importance, with storytelling, proverbs and oral histories binding communities together. Songs accompany both labor and celebration, and gatherings in the long winters are filled with recitations of past deeds, both real and mythic. Dance is solemn and deliberate, performed during feast days and religious festivals, often reenacting legendary stories through movement. Hospitality is sacred, but it comes with unspoken rules — one does not overstay, and generosity must be repaid in kind. Strength and self-sufficiency are virtues, and while strangers are received with courtesy, trust is slow to build, as those who do not share in the hardships of the land are regarded with quiet suspicion.

History

Nizhne-Novgorod was founded in 1221 as a fortified outpost by the Grand Prince of Vladimir, serving as a key stronghold against the Volga Bulgars. Over the following century, it grew into a prosperous principality, benefiting from its position at the confluence of the Volga and Oka rivers. In the 14th century, it became the seat of a powerful local dynasty that sought to rival the authority of Vladimir and later Moscovy, but by the late 14th century, it had fallen under the dominance of Suzdal and, eventually, Moscovy itself.

During the Mongol yoke, the city and its lands were subject to Tatar (orc) tribute, but as Moscovy expanded its reach in the late 15th century, it asserted direct control over the principality. This marked the decline of its local ruling house and the firm integration of the region into the Grand Duchy. The following century saw repeated conflicts along its borders, particularly against the orcish Kazan Khanate, whose raiders frequently threatened settlements along the Volga. Nizhne-Novgorod became a staging ground for Moscovy's campaigns against Kazan, culminating in the final conquest of the khanate in 1552.

With the fall of Kazan, the principality shifted from a military frontier to a more settled province, though unrest persisted in its eastern lands, where elvish and remaining orcish enclaves resisted Moscovite rule. Throughout the 16th and early 17th centuries, the region remained strategically vital, both as a bastion of Moscovy's power along the Volga and as a gateway to the lands beyond. Presently, it stands as a stable, well-governed province, though its eastern frontier remains only loosely controlled.