Until late June of 2001, this County was ruled by Count Hector ap Gwydion, unlike some other nobles of the Duchy who lived during the Accordance war, Hector had arose to his holdings by conquest pure and simple. While still a childling, he took up his fallen mentor's banner, rallied knights about him, and bested those who would resist on the battlefield. In the end, it was a fellow Noble, Duke Bastian, that reined him in, and not the commoners. He was less than pleased with the late Duchess Aurora's reforms, and secretly infuriated by the Duke's refusal to declare firmly behind Morwen for the succession.
It all came to a head soon enough, when Aurora passed away, Hector plotted to manipulate (By magic if need be)Ewan into wedding a Morwenist lady, and if that failed, seizing the Duchy by force of arms. Thanks to infiltration attempts by various kithain, enough evidence was gathered against Hector (A precarious adventure in itself) for the Duke to make his charges. Sneering at the offer of trial by commoner Jury, the Count instead picked up the gauntlet and accepted the Duke's duel. He lost. Hector is now banished, and the Dreaming no longer recognizes a link to him and the land.
The County is divided into three Baronies. The Barony of the Clove at Gilroy is so named because of that town's claim as the "Garlic Capital of the world". The Boggans of the Barony take pride in the yearly garlic festivals, and the recipes they inspire are quite good. The Hold there was used by the Count Hector, but was also, and still is the Baron's. The Baron of the Clove is Hardell Darkearth, a troll of House Gwydion who was devoted to Hector as well as the good people under him and that devotion was used, as Hector somehow transfered his own direct Oath of Fealty to Ewan upon the troll. Darkearth had handled the Barony quite well, and this, coupled with his assitance in preventing an assassination attempt on the Duke, has allowed him to hold his position. Hardell is deeply ashamed at the dishonor upon him for being a part of the treason, yet he blames none but himself, and works all the harder.
When a hold was discovered near Castroville, Count Hector flatly refused to allow it to be called the Artichoke Barony!! Rather, he had insisted on dubbing it Da'Tir Barony. Roughly, Welsh for "good land". This was observed only in earshot of the Count himself, and in formal court, to everyone else, it is still the Barony of the Artichoke. The Baroness Anlyn ap Fiona once despaired of bringing class to the lands, even apparently sinking to Unseelieness and revels as a form of escape. She is Seelie again (indeed, she's quite embarrassed about her few months of debachery) and seems firmly loyal to her new lieges.
To the west of Castroville, closer to the ocean, though not 'on' the shore, is the Château des étoiles, the hold founded by the new rulers of the land, the twin Beaumayn excelliences, Amber and Topaz. They share their rule equally, having passed all challenges the Duke set before them. The placement of their hold has shifted the politics of the County somewhat to the west, causing a bit of grumbling from those of the clove, but nothing undue; and the new lieges are well thought of. After all, after Hector's stoneclad mode of thinking, the twins seem positively reformist.
In the shadows of an extinct volcano, is the other end of the Twin Hills' Trod. A majestic Grotto that to fae eyes mixes crystal and sleeping volcanic veins, the Hold has been turned over to a group of commoners by order of their Graces. Aurora wished to grant yet another hold to commoners in general, Ewan, more conservative, was reluctant, and a compromise was reached between the Truehearts. The Commoners in question are the Knights of the Way (or Rovers) a Trollish Society dedicated to patrolling and protecting those on the Trods. As this hold is indeed, under a hill, most recently it has gone by the name "Silver Hill Hold" as this also reflects the Silver of the Trods. This is the 'other' Hill that gives Twin Hills as a Duchy it's name. The Trod between them is perhaps one of the most stable, safe, and well patrolled in Concordia.
