Ciprianus

The High County of Ciprianus is a province in the south-east of the Kingdom of Matrona. It is ruled by Count Matheus of the Cercatian Dynasty.

Ciprianus' capital is the city of Bontelda.

Etymology
The name Ciprianus means "Land of the Cypress Trees," referring to the lush forests of Cypress trees that were gradually logged away over the years. It holds the nickname of the High County as a holdover to what this land was referred to before it became a province: a region of elevated pastoral land that lies in the rain shadow of nearby mountains and has been extensively farmed throughout the ages.

History
The lands of the High County served as prosperous farmland to the Empire of Nerath before the collapse of the empire. When the Kingdom of Matrona was formed in 771, Ciprianus was created as a province with Count Recessvindo, a former Nerathi official, established as its ruler.

Count Recessvindo was the first of what would become the Ciprianian Dynasty, which ruled Ciprianus until 1003. When Count Fortes died in 1003, his brother-in-law, Matheus of the Cercatian Dynasty, became Count.