Painting of a boat on a lake with a forest in the background

The Duchy of Iosco Article DRAFT PUBLIC Located along the sandy coastline between Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron lies the forested Duchy of Iosco. Sparsely settled and still largely wilderness, life here focuses upon maritime trade, fishing, timber harvesting, and small homestead farming operations. Iosco is overseen by Baron AuSable whose fortified trading manor AuSable Hall sits near the mouth of the Au Sable River. Iosco’s geography is characterized by its lengthy Lake Huron shoreline with several sheltered harbors, flat lowlands drained by forest streams, and pinewood forests that earned it the moniker “The Pine Barrens”. Merchant ships export timber as squared logs and lumber while local fishing crews haul to market catches of bass, perch, pike and seasonal salmon running upstream to spawn. The rich maritime environment supports modest peasant villages along the coast which trade salted, dried and smoked fish both up and down the coastline and inland to pioneer settlements clearing forest for cropland. But travel remains mainly by boat along Lake Huron, with overland trails through the woods still rough and wild. As steward and defender of Iosco territory awarded through crown charter, Baron AuSable maintains loyalty among local peasant fisherman by ensuring access to bountiful waters free of exploitation by foreign commercial interests. In return he shares in the duchy’s productivity and provides armed ships securing regional maritime trade.