Borderland Territory Markers

Wood carving is a major cottage industry in most of the Borderlands, and oneupmanship of the other Border Baronies is also very popular.   Borderland Territory Markers are intricate carvings made from entire tree trucks and standing like totem poles. They are signs of local skill and national pride as the locals tend to go all out to show off thier carving skills to visitors.   Most Border Baronies have at least one of these at every major trail or entrance to their territory.   Barony of Tollmore is both run by a tight-fisted miser so he pragmatically has few markers and very simple markers though he did let a few debtors pay their debt by carving a marker in honor of the goddess Khemra, a fairly controverisial move not all the Keepers agree with.   The Dread Barony of Mallocaballo is big on image. They have a small number of very intricately carved trees that are both beautiful and a little imposing. to display the ruler's status and power   The Paladins who run Dragon Springs Barony believe too much focus on beautiful things is a materialistic indulgance and favor very simple markers with little more than a marker with Mera's symbol (such as the one above the article).   The ruler of Mateoreino didn't bother with any markers and his citizens never felt felt that expressive to make any of their own volition.   The Barony of Eternity has some wood carvings that try to make cute family friendly skeletons (think Dia Los Muertes) but the markers are more sinister looking than the carvers probably intended.   The Petty Kingdom of Altudaredia has lots of detailed markers with dragons on them to feed generations of ruler's narcism and nostalgia for Swynfaredia.   The denizens of the Freistadt Republic are not very materialistic, but they have a lot of timber and a lot of time on their hands. They have many markers to honor their ancestors, their struggles, the Nine, and even their dwarven allies.   The Republic of Demos has a few simple markers but they haven't put much effort into their decor relative to other Border Baronies.   The Barony of Crystal Fields has a lot of influence from the Cult of the Compact, so there intricate carvings for all nine of the Nine on both major entrances and around their Nonagon of shrines.   The Platinum Consortium that rules Platinum Peak are pragmatic and miserly. They have simple carvings to mark their territory, but they are very spartan.   The dwarf influenced kalazotz that founded the Barony of Bats had a strong tradition of stone carving vertically oriented memorial stelae, so it was not a big stretch to carve on tree trunks instead. They made a lot of carvings in short order to honro their ancestors, the Nine, and a few just for fun. In order honor of their roots, many of these carvings are upside down.   The Iron Hills Barony doesn't have any nationally sponsored markers but many individuals and families have made their own small markers.   The small population of Barony of the Dead are not big on flashy displays but since you have a bunch of priests and holy warriors standing guard over a very boring place, they have a lot of time on their hands, so they made quite a few intricate wood carvings honoring the Nine, especially their specific patrons.   The inhabitants of Principality of Silfûrhëim may be somewhat outcast wood elves but they still are wood elves at their core, so they don't like to chop down trees if they don't have to. They make very simple glyphs on living trees.   The Barony of Bees does not have a lot of spare timber, but they do have a strong local artistic tradition so they have a small number of very intricately carved trees, often with carvings of the Fair Folk and with honey comb patterns.   The Principality of Red Streams has pragmatic rulers. The rulers sponsored a couple markers with thier family crest, but they don't restrict the freedom of expression of their citizens so the locals have made some of their own casual carvings in their free time.   Usually when there is a regime change in a Border Barony, the ruler burns the territory markers of the previous regime. Prophet's Pass had a higher rate of turnover than most and due to its complicated history involving a secret puppet master who liked trophies, most of the previous markers were left untouched unless the marker was for a very unpopular past ruler.   The Wooly Slopes Barony is less than a year old. The new ruler burned the Swynfaredian inspired carvings but left the others (mostly sheep based art) intact. He has been too busy with the transitional issues of establishing a new realm (and preparing for a Swynfaredian counterattack) to worry about making his own wood carvings.   Merchant Principality of Centrum has a very image conscious ruler so he shelled out good coin to hire the best artists he could find to make grand wood carvings to showcase the strength of the realm.   The Barony of Blue Peaks is also less than a year old. The new ruler burned all of the previous regime markers and erected a simple marker with his new realm's insignia on it. There is a lot of blank space on the tree trunk he plans to decorate with later when peaceful happier times allow him that luxury.