Province of Brenas

Brenas is the westernmost and second most populated province of Rizia. Aside from the capital city of Iza, it is governed by members of House Sazon. It takes its name from the Brena people, a tribe who settled in the area around the Zpana river after migrating north from modern-day Xina. Incorporated into the Rezenid Empire, they maintained their own culture and traditions well into the 1000s, but ultimately assimilated into the Markian Empire. Today's residents consider it a badge of honor to claim Brena heritage. As the region increased in strategic and economic importance, a ruling class of merchants and aristocrats emerged. A handful of noble families ran fiefdoms in the countryside while alternating control over the city-state of Iza and the ports of Zille, Jales and Sallabes. Advisory councils were established to maintain the balance of power between the families, and in the case of Iza had the responsibility of selecting the reigning Duke. The War of Rizian Succession and its aftermath resulted in the transfer of power to the Sazons, a family with ties to the throne as well as the Mousser Empire, and the centralization of the province around Iza. Following the Uprising of 1926, Brenas effectively has two regional governments: that of Iza, and that of greater Brenas, run by a council of nobles (mostly from House Sazon). Brenas is currently home to Rizia's most productive gold mines; other active industries include agriculture, fishing and forestry. The forested area surrounding Iza is a prized royal hunting ground; attempts by businesses to exploit it for timber have repeatedly been rebuked by the central government. In recent years, an increasing number of immigrants from Derdia and Wehlen have been coming to Brenas via the Zille border and the Gulf of Mordia. Many of them have found employment as 'guest workers' for mining, fishing and farming companies.