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== The Six Duchies ==
The kingdom consists of six duchies, each ruled by a Duke and/or Duchess, which in turn is ruled by the King that lives in [[Buckkeep]]. 

Each Duchy has a colour and a sigil that represents it.

The [[Coastal Duchies]]:
*[[Bearns]] (yellow, flower)
*[[Buck]] (blue, buck)
*[[Rippon]]
*[[Shoaks]] 

The [[Inland Duchies]]:
*[[Tilth]]
*[[Farrow]] (goldenrod, oak tree)

The rest of the colours are red, green and purple.

== History ==
The founding of the Six Duchies came with the arrival of its first king, [[Taker]] [[Farseer]]. Taker Farseer was a raider from the [[Out Islands]] who decided to make the wooden fortifications of [[Buckkeep]] his new home. From there he founded the first of the Six Duchies, [[Buck]]. After his death the head of the [[Farseer|Farseer Family]] continued as the King of Buck. Subsequently, the kingdom expanded to include the other three [[Coastal Duchies]], [[Bearns]], [[Rippon]] and [[Shoaks]]. Taker's reign was followed by that of King [[Ruler]].

The future King [[Victor]] conquered the inland regions, including [[Sandsedge]], which would later become a part of the [[Farrow|Duchy of Farrow]]. 

When King [[Wielder]] realized that he couldn't conquer the [[Chalced|Chalced States]] he turned his ambitions inland and easily defeated the scattered nomadic populations of the Farrow region. The erstwhile king of Tilth surrendered too when he noticed that his territory was surrounded and his trade routes severed. Both conquered territories were exploited for over a generation for the benefit of the Coastal duchies. 

It was Wielder's granddaughter [[Munificence]] who wisely seeked to truly unite the kingdom. It was she who first called her kingdom ''the Six Duchies''.  She  elevated the tribal elders of the Farrow folk and the former ruling families of Tilth to nobles, and used marriages and land grants to forge alliances between the Inland folk and the Coastal duchies. Despite all her efforts, there has always been a rift between these areas, because the folk, climate and livelihoods differ greatly between them.

At some point before the reign of King [[Shrewd]], King [[Wisdom]] was bitterly besieged by raiders from the sea. Despite all attempts to repel them, it became apparent that the next summer of fair weather would see the fall of the [[Farseer|House Farseer]], and the Six Duchies. In desperation, Wisdom, a religious fanatic, resolved to spend the winter searching for the legendary [[Elderling]]s,  whom some believed to be demi-gods. Little was known about the Elderlings, only that they resided in the [[Rain Wilds]], beyond the tallest mountains of the [[Mountain Kingdom]]. Wisdom's quest was literally a last resort, a desperate gamble that paid off, somehow he found them. King Wisdom never returned to [[Buckkeep]], but the Elderlings came to his daughter, the Princess [[Mindful]], and offered their allegience to her. Then they proceeded to drive the raiders away from the coasts of the Six Duchies, allowing the re-establishment of peace, and trade. As the minstrels have it, they vowed that if ever they were needed, they would return, even from beyond the grave.

During King [[Shrewd|Shrewd's]] reign the old division  between the [[Inland Duchies]] and the [[Coastal Duchies]] was worsened because his offspring were of two queens: [[Constance]] of the Coastal folk and [[Desire]] of the Inland population. The original heir, [[Chivalry]], decided to abdicate after he fathered a bastard child, [[Fitz]]. He died soon afterward. Subsequently, Shrewd's second son, [[Verity]] became the King-In-Waiting. When the [[Red Ship War]] broke out between the Six Duchies and the [[Out Islands]] he had to marry [[Kettricken]], the Heir of the [[Mountain Kingdom]] in order to get lumber to build a fleet of warships to defend the coastal shores. Eventually, Verity saw that he had to go in search of the fabled '[[Elderling]]s' in order to save his kingdom. 

When Verity left and didn't return, many feared him dead. After Shrewd dies while Verity was still absent, the third son, [[Regal]], who was loyal to the [[Inland Duchies]] and had always disliked and distrusted his brothers and the Coastal Duchies, stepped up to take his place as king.

[[Fitz]], after surviving Regal's attempt on his life, had several false starts and then is [[Skill]]-commanded by Verity to come and find him. With the help of [[The Fool]], [[Starling]] and [[Kestrel]], he had to find his king. 

Together with Queen Kettricken, who escaped Regal's plots after Shrewd's death, the expedition found Verity, carving and pouring his memories into a [[Skill]]-[[stone-dragon|dragon]]. Kestrel aided him, and together they completed the dragon. Verity said goodbye one last time, and then he disappeared into the dragon. [[Verity-as-Dragon]], and the other awoken stone dragons flew over the Six Duchies, defeated the raiders and regained peace to the land once more. 

In order to secure the peace, [[Kettricken]]'s son, [[Dutiful]], later married the [[Narcheska]] [[Elliania]] from the [[Out Islands]]. Their sons are [[Prosper]] and [[Integrity]].

In order to win her hand, Dutiful had to go on a quest she had issued (at the [[Pale Woman]]'s orders) to bring the head of [[Icefyre]], the [[dragon]] of [[Aslevjal]] to her hearth, which he, with the help of [[Chade]], [[Fitz]] and [[Lord Golden]], achieved. Although due to a certain chain of events the head was still attached to the dragon's body and Icefyre was still very much alive. The only female dragon left in the world, [[Tintaglia]] then mated with the only male dragon left, which happened to be Icefyre, thus making the future of the dragons assured once more. 

== Geography ==
The geography of the Duchies is very diverse. The kingdom has a large coast to the sea to the east, while it also borders the icy mountains of the [[Mountain Kingdom]] to the west. The [[Inland Duchies]] enjoy large portions of arable land, which has made the Duchies rich from agriculture. Another major source of income comes from local fisheries from the [[Coastal Duchies]]. The [[Tilth|Duchy of Tilth]] also possess rich vineyards and fruit gardens, which is possible due to the [[Bear River]] and [[Vin River]].

[[Category:Places|Six Duchies]]
[[Category:Six Duchies|Six Duchies]]