# Aldermere — The Northern Peer Duchy

The second northern duchy of Corvel, peer and neighbor to Thorngate. When earlier canon refers to "the northern provinces" — where Charlette Fields has family connections — it means Aldermere.

## Position
North of the Crownhold, sharing a long border with Thorngate to the east. Rolling pastureland, cool rivers, horse country.

## Ruler
**Duke Garrett Holven.** Early 50s. Moderate. Horse-breeder nobility — his family's wealth has always been in horses, not grain or ore. Married into the ducal seat (his wife was the previous duke's daughter; she died years ago, and the title now rests with him by crown confirmation). Not politically ambitious, but not idle either. Keeps cordial relations with Pamira next door.

See `characters/duke-holven.md`.

## Seat
**Aldermere.** A city built around stockyards, horse fairs, and river docks. Cleaner than Drenwick, smaller than Thorngate, wealthier than either on a per-capita basis.

## Character
Aldermere is the quietly prosperous duchy. Its horses supply the army, the guilds, and half the nobility in Corvel. Its wool and alder timber export west and south. It has fewer ruins than Sudermere or Vethmarch and almost no Compact friction — licensed practitioners operate openly here and the duchy has no pre-Compact mysteries worth quarreling over.

## Relationship to Thorngate
Holven and Pamira are peers with cordial distance. They attend each other's harvest feasts. Holven has quietly known that Pamira's estate is under strain for years and has never raised the subject. If pushed in Book 3+ he would likely side with her out of neighborly loyalty rather than policy.

## Book 3+ relevance
- **Charlette Fields' family** is from Aldermere. This is the "northern provinces" where Devod's ex-wife once threatened to relocate him. Mere's maternal relatives are here.
- **Second noble voice.** When Book 3+ politics needs a duke who is *not* Pamira and *not* Arvale, Holven is the obvious candidate — undramatic, moderate, and available.
