Derbot

"Derbot Castle sits in The Burbric Great Vale, the western half of The Great Vale that has always been contested by the Kingdom of Rasfadal and the Burbric Empire. Derbot Castle is the Burbric of the twin castles that sit right at the border between the two states. During the War of the Vale, Derbot has been besieged, assaulted and conquered and reclaimed many times, and much of the land around the city has been laid to ruin. It will be a long time before these lands have regained their former glory. Long ago, in a time when the Great Vale was still an independent kingdom, Derbot Castle was built as the stronghold of the king and his court. With the conquests of the Burbric Empire, Derbot became the seat of the Duke of the Vale, while a family estate of Derwon Castle was built further east for his wife and children. Derbot became the military stronghold, while Derwon was a summer getaway. When the great rebellions broke out, Derwon was renovated into a second stronghold in the Vale, to repel the rebels. Alas, the rebellions didn't stop, and the Vale was lost, and the Burbric Empire left to fortresses behind that the rebels gladly took and expanded. Many years later, the Vale is dived in two, the Burbric- and The Fendalian Great Vale, the the two fortresses now mark the contested border between the two. Ten years ago, small skirmishes erupted in those very border lands. Duke Reginald of Granvalle pressed a claim on the Fendalian Great Vale, based on a questionable claim on his grandmother's side. Still, it was enough for him to attempt to take Castle Derwon from the Margrave of the Great Vale. As more and more factions got involved, this quickly became a continent spanning war that lasted for a decade and bankrupted both sides. In the end the situation was returned to the status quo with the Treaty of Derwon. Now Reginald of Gravalle, humiliated and defeated, is looking for ways to reclaim his honour. The war has sparked unrest within the Burbric Empire, and several lords have made claims to the Burbric Throne. In secret, Reginald has already received the Bartrent of Darmagne, cousin of the Emperor, to discuss the conditions for his loyalty." D. Harewood, Fendalian Cartographer