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

The Duchy of Cheboygan Article DRAFT PUBLIC Situated along the fertile Straits linking Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, Cheboygan is a heavily forested land providing lumber, furs, fish, stone and some agriculture. Ruled by Duke Monroe from the towering Pine Fortress, Cheboygan serves a vital role fueling the kingdom’s shipbuilding industries. Blanketed in mixed stands of white pine, maple, oak and hemlock, Cheboygan’s trees are of perfect size and quality for ship masts and hulls. Teams of bark-clad lumberjacks harvest immense trunks, sending them downstream to bustling lakeside sawmills crafting decking, planks and timbers. The dense, unspoiled forests also provide bounties of fur pelts from fox, beaver, marten and bear sold to nobles and wealthy merchants. Offshore waters filled with whitefish, lake trout and sturgeon help feed Cheboygan's hardy folk, as do some hearty crops on newly-cleared land. Life is rugged but free for Cheboyganites, who remain self-governing as their duchy is essential for the kingdom’s maritime industries. In return, they send their finest timbers, furs and foodstuffs to the royal court by merchant barges traveling the inland seas.