state colours red and green
Elector: Aldebrand Ludenhof
Provincial capital: Hergig
Hochland is the smallest of the Imperial Provinces: a tiny realm nestling between the Middle Mountains and the River Talabec. The Drakwald forest, dense and teaming with wildlife, covers everything except the few settlements and the small stretches of farmland that lie along the riverbanks.
It should be no surprise to learn that Hochland is a country of hunters and woodsmen. Timber and furs are the primary exports. Hochland is also famous for its gunsmiths. While the foundries of Nuln churn out handguns and pistols of functional but unremarkable quality, the master-gunmakers of Hochland create unique and very expensive weaponry for the nobility. These range from highly decorative but otherwise ordinary firearms to hunting rifles, multi-barrelled pistols and even such curiosities as swords with built-in gun barrels.
The Hochland Long Rifle is the best known example of this industry. These weapons were developed from long-barrelled hunting guns. It was discovered that the accuracy and range could be greatly increased by adding a spiralling groove to the inside of the barrel - this 'rifling' is very difficult to create, and makes the weapon slow to load. Even so, they are highly valued in war - especially with the addition of telescopic sighting apparatus created by the Engineer's School of Altdorf. Hochland retains a small, elite force of soldiers armed with the Long Rifle, and the weapon can be found in limited quantities throughout The Empire.
Nevertheless, Hochland is in many respects still a superstitious and backwards place, where the worship of Taal, Rhya and even the nature spirits of the Old Faith is still very strong. The destruction brought about by the recent incursion of the Ruinous Powers has only increased this tendency, and there is now more nature-worship in Hochland than has been seen in The Empire for a thousand years.
Many of Hochland's towns were raided or sacked in the invasion, even the capital of Hergig. The province remains under martial law, and recovery seems a long way away.
A map of Hochland
See also The people in the trees, and what became of them: a folk tale of Hochland
Text copyright JRT 2007, all rights reserved.