In the current era of the Valley (year 1534 since the Westerner Migrations first began out of the Olmart Empire, so it is marked 1534WM), each of the various Baronies is ruled over by a regent of some sort. Most of these are Barons, at least in the nomenclature of the Kingdom of Ymnaris. The Kingdom was first established, in the year 26 when the First City was settled (now often called Hogle). The capitol of the Kingdom moved progressively eastward with successive generations and waves of migration. Each of the four fiefdoms that originally housed a capitol city of Ymnaris is entitled to the title Duke for their ruler, however they are still commonly referred to as Baronies. Up until the Neill family assumed the throne of the Kingdom of Ymnaris, several generations back. the ruler of the kingdom was referred to as the Archduke, however with the growing separation from the Olmart Empire, this title was dropped, and the title of King (or Queen) has been in use now, by the Neills at least, for the past 352 years (since year 1182).
Rulers of the Westron Baronies
Hogle - Duke Keevar Silverhand (m, age 54), settled year 26. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from the year 26 until 165.
Macester - Baron Tyremius Ap Troft of Trofthall (m, age 162), settled year 82.
Ockham - Baron Guiscar the Enlightened (m, age 47), settled year 107.
Scallen - Duchess Safeeny Everlight (f, age 53), settled year 163. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from 165 until 341.
Kof Karn - Baroness Talena Ap Ironheart (f, age 31), settled year 219.
Khomaes - Baron Aldra Ap Iaggio of Erthos (m, age 59), settled year 231. The city itself is ruled by a Proctor.
Henn - Baroness Lendara Astern (f, age 32), settled year 285.
Pellorix - Duke Falden the Just (m, age 51), settled year 341. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from 341 until 642.
Werms - Baron Kilgar Ap Huim, Ne Etro (m, age 45), settled year 352. The city itself is ruled by a Magistrate, typically a magic user (currently, a mysterious hooded person titled the Wizard of Werms).
Huygen - Baroness G'Melan Luce Ap Viellot (f, age 33), settld year 394.
Gorrem - Baroness Catherine Ap Terrasund of Tatelis, also called The Second (f, age 49), settled year 462.
Na Kram - Baron Farris Quar Nev of Borleos (m, age 73), settled year 558.
Lynch - Duchess Tindra Ap Logis of Oakforge (f, age 40), settled year 642. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris from 642 until 1021.
Botts - Baron Pesar Ap Gansford of Tuldis (m, age 51), settled year 728
Ungams - Baron Virondis Pulchky (m, age 59) , settled year 902.
City of Narn - King (Archduke) Alasdair IV (m, age 37), settled year 914. Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris since 1021.
Devrie - Baron Huntain Dorren of Ymnar Hall, also called The Miner (m, age 51), settled year 1022.
Futtonol - Baron Rolan Ap Kopf of Kopfheim, settled year 1099.
Kennidor - Baron Hugh Voxely, of Lakecastle (m, age 39), settled year 1186.
A curious event occurred just over four hundred years ago. The gathering of Barons in the year 1015 had agreed that a new capitol for the Kingdom was needed, as the Tower-Keep of Oakforge (in the Barony of Lynch at the City of Fire) was under constant threat at the time by an army of chaos creatures out of the western Nel Nod forest. The new location was to be the new settlement forming between the Erando and Moa Thola rivers, which would become the City of Shale, and capitol of the Barony of Devrie. However, at the last, just before the Malachite Throne was to be transferred to the new site in 1021, a group of northern Barons made the case for transferring it to the city of Narn instead. Narn was previously not considered, because it was built on the site of a long dead city, taking advantage of the ruins that were there already when the Westroners came in 914, however it was thought to be a safer location, than another capitol in the wild south, where the Sun King Barbarians still threatened all of the settlements and cities.
The new location, at Narn, satisfied most, except for the southern Barons from Gorrem, Lynch, and Ungams, who have referred to Narn as the Shadow Capitol, and refer to Devrie as the Chosen Capitol. These tensions have spread to understandings and relations among the various eastern Baronies, but nothing has come to open war. With the passage of three centuries, the original animosity that accompanied the founding of Devrie, and the change of the Capitol from Devrie to Narn, has been mostly forgotten, but the establishment of alliances (however tenuous the reasoning) between the different groups of Baronies, has proven a strong motivation for mutual support, and trade, ever since.
Showing posts with label Kof Karn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kof Karn. Show all posts
Apr 20, 2013
Apr 13, 2013
The Legend of Longlance Karew
This is one of many legendary stories about the paladin of Scallen, Longlance Karew, and his sidekick the fighter/rogue known simply as The Bluejay. It is an old tale, as most legends are, taking place deep in the south of the Rising Land region, and concerning the founding of the barony of Kof Karn.
Approximately two centuries following the first migrations of Westroners out of the Olmert Empire and into the Valley, a pilgrimage led by the mystic (Efeck the Jade, formerly of the Azure Court) made it's way far to the south, where the winds howl north out of the Holabria Mountains, into the neck of land between the Two Moons river and the Tandalorn River. There is a rift there, which became known as The Cradle, and it was there that Efeck the Jade told his followers that the stars had decreed they should settle.
The problem with the location, although this did not seem to trouble either the stars nor Efeck the Jade, was that the area was overrun by a tribe of Sun King barbarians. This particular tribe was under control of a vile creature of chaos, The Walking Man, and his vile army of followers. The Walking Man himself was a giant of a man, with six fingers on each hand, and instead of a head, featured a bright red octopus instead. When he spoke, it was the sound of a dead body being dragged through gravel. When he went into battle, it was a blur of deadly steel, as he wielded two great curved khopesh blades in his human hands, and another eight axes with his eight tentacles. As horrible as the Walking Man himself was (and still is, he is still alive, even though it has been 1300 years since this story) his army of Sun King worshipers was even more horrible. In addition to the usual mobs of flesh-reavers (the near-animal crazed worshippers of the Sun King, who would move around in frenzied mobs, looking for humans - and demi-humans such as elves and dwarves - to tear into pieces, and then consume), the army of the Walking Man also included dozens and dozens of the headless, as well as Nyagam Worm-Smokers, Illithids, and a whole menagerie of nightmare chaos creatures.
In the face of this wretched army that followed the Walking Man, and inhabited The Cradle, the mystic Efeck the Jade had convinced his followers (who were unused to such horrors, back in the civilized lands of the Olmert Empire) that this was where the stars had decreed that they should settle and make a new life. It was the recipe for disaster.
In the year 214, after the beginning of the Migrations, the followers of Efeck the Jade were following his advice, and the advice of the leader of the main body of Pilgrims - Kof Karn - in building shelf farms (as they would become to be called), on the terraces of the side of the Cradle. Down in the heart of the cradle, the site that would eventually become the "City in the Cradle" (later renamed Kof Karn in honor of the "first pilgrim" as he is remembered) was being surveyed, but it would be five years still before it would be settled.
With the first shelf farms being constructed, terraces were marked off, crops were planted, and the business of settling the thousands of settlers was well under way. When the army of The Walking Man descended on the hapless pilgrims. A sort of a defense was put up, with Kof Karn forming a make-shift militia, and several of the pilgrims having had experience as men-at-arms while back in Olmert, however it had been years now since they left, and these were few were old and tired. Efeck the Jade, and his acolytes, were trained as warrior monks, and they helped to stiffen the defenses, but it wasn't enough. The raids became a disaster, and all looked lost, as farm after farm fell to the raiding cannibals, their sorcerer-masters, and horrid monsters of chaos.
Then, out of the north, came help unsought for, and unexpected. A column of crusading wing-knights, from the City of Birds (Scallen), came riding down into the Cradle, having crossed the Two-Moons River the night before, and riding steadily to the aid of the Westroner pilgrims. The column of wing-knights was magnificent - the wind blowing through the wings and bells at the backs of the knights; the men at arms all bedecked in the silks and colors of the knights they served, and the bards of Scallen playing the mighty warpipes! The column was led by a paladin lord named Longlance Karew, from the City of Birds, and he had intelligences of the onslaught planned by the Walking Man.
The knights put the flesh-reavers to flight, and pursued them as far as their mighty warhorses would permit, attempting to kill as many of the abominations as possible. The men-at-arms defended the farms and pilgrims, and the paladins with Longlance Karew pursued the Nyagam Worm-Smokers, who were shifting reality as they fled, and also the Illithids, and the monsters of chaos. Longlance Karew, and his companion the Bluejay (a dextrous swordsman, who was rescued from a life of crime as a rogue by Longlance), pursued the Walking Man himself. Long they rode in pursuit of this terrible evil, south, and further south, into the Holabrian mountains. Pursuit through the mountains continued, even while the noble horses of Longlance and the Bluejay perished (legendary animals known as Black Dragon, and Trotter), they continued in pursuit, far south, untill they reached the Fircarran Peaks, and the lake at the source of the Two-Moons River. Here, the Walking Man descended deep into the earth, into the ancient Old One dungeons of Spirran Deep. Relying on the might of Longlance's magic sword Virtuos, and the marvelous magical flute of the Bluejay known simply as the Feather Flute, they were able to bring down part of the mountain on the entrance to Spirran Deep, trapping the Walking Man underground. As far as the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn are concerned, that is where he remains until this day.
The tradition of the Wing-knights fighting against the Sun King barbarians in the south was not just a one time event, under the leadership of Longlance Karew. Following this crusade, a number of knights out of Scallen, and some of the other Baronies, formed a loose association known as the Sunguard. As it grew over the years, it became less a military order of knights, and more of an information and intelligence sharing association of Rangers.
Approximately two centuries following the first migrations of Westroners out of the Olmert Empire and into the Valley, a pilgrimage led by the mystic (Efeck the Jade, formerly of the Azure Court) made it's way far to the south, where the winds howl north out of the Holabria Mountains, into the neck of land between the Two Moons river and the Tandalorn River. There is a rift there, which became known as The Cradle, and it was there that Efeck the Jade told his followers that the stars had decreed they should settle.
The problem with the location, although this did not seem to trouble either the stars nor Efeck the Jade, was that the area was overrun by a tribe of Sun King barbarians. This particular tribe was under control of a vile creature of chaos, The Walking Man, and his vile army of followers. The Walking Man himself was a giant of a man, with six fingers on each hand, and instead of a head, featured a bright red octopus instead. When he spoke, it was the sound of a dead body being dragged through gravel. When he went into battle, it was a blur of deadly steel, as he wielded two great curved khopesh blades in his human hands, and another eight axes with his eight tentacles. As horrible as the Walking Man himself was (and still is, he is still alive, even though it has been 1300 years since this story) his army of Sun King worshipers was even more horrible. In addition to the usual mobs of flesh-reavers (the near-animal crazed worshippers of the Sun King, who would move around in frenzied mobs, looking for humans - and demi-humans such as elves and dwarves - to tear into pieces, and then consume), the army of the Walking Man also included dozens and dozens of the headless, as well as Nyagam Worm-Smokers, Illithids, and a whole menagerie of nightmare chaos creatures.
In the face of this wretched army that followed the Walking Man, and inhabited The Cradle, the mystic Efeck the Jade had convinced his followers (who were unused to such horrors, back in the civilized lands of the Olmert Empire) that this was where the stars had decreed that they should settle and make a new life. It was the recipe for disaster.
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| Illithids in the service of the Walking Man |
With the first shelf farms being constructed, terraces were marked off, crops were planted, and the business of settling the thousands of settlers was well under way. When the army of The Walking Man descended on the hapless pilgrims. A sort of a defense was put up, with Kof Karn forming a make-shift militia, and several of the pilgrims having had experience as men-at-arms while back in Olmert, however it had been years now since they left, and these were few were old and tired. Efeck the Jade, and his acolytes, were trained as warrior monks, and they helped to stiffen the defenses, but it wasn't enough. The raids became a disaster, and all looked lost, as farm after farm fell to the raiding cannibals, their sorcerer-masters, and horrid monsters of chaos.
Then, out of the north, came help unsought for, and unexpected. A column of crusading wing-knights, from the City of Birds (Scallen), came riding down into the Cradle, having crossed the Two-Moons River the night before, and riding steadily to the aid of the Westroner pilgrims. The column of wing-knights was magnificent - the wind blowing through the wings and bells at the backs of the knights; the men at arms all bedecked in the silks and colors of the knights they served, and the bards of Scallen playing the mighty warpipes! The column was led by a paladin lord named Longlance Karew, from the City of Birds, and he had intelligences of the onslaught planned by the Walking Man.
The knights put the flesh-reavers to flight, and pursued them as far as their mighty warhorses would permit, attempting to kill as many of the abominations as possible. The men-at-arms defended the farms and pilgrims, and the paladins with Longlance Karew pursued the Nyagam Worm-Smokers, who were shifting reality as they fled, and also the Illithids, and the monsters of chaos. Longlance Karew, and his companion the Bluejay (a dextrous swordsman, who was rescued from a life of crime as a rogue by Longlance), pursued the Walking Man himself. Long they rode in pursuit of this terrible evil, south, and further south, into the Holabrian mountains. Pursuit through the mountains continued, even while the noble horses of Longlance and the Bluejay perished (legendary animals known as Black Dragon, and Trotter), they continued in pursuit, far south, untill they reached the Fircarran Peaks, and the lake at the source of the Two-Moons River. Here, the Walking Man descended deep into the earth, into the ancient Old One dungeons of Spirran Deep. Relying on the might of Longlance's magic sword Virtuos, and the marvelous magical flute of the Bluejay known simply as the Feather Flute, they were able to bring down part of the mountain on the entrance to Spirran Deep, trapping the Walking Man underground. As far as the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn are concerned, that is where he remains until this day.
The tradition of the Wing-knights fighting against the Sun King barbarians in the south was not just a one time event, under the leadership of Longlance Karew. Following this crusade, a number of knights out of Scallen, and some of the other Baronies, formed a loose association known as the Sunguard. As it grew over the years, it became less a military order of knights, and more of an information and intelligence sharing association of Rangers.
Apr 2, 2013
Baronies - The holdings of the Westroners in the Valley
There are currently 19 Westron Baronies in the Valley of the Old Ones. Technically speaking, there are 18 Baronies, and the city of Narn, which is the capitol of the Kingdom of Ymnaris - of which the 18 other Baronies are technically fiefdoms. However, in practice, Ymnaris (currently ruled by Duke Alasdair IV of the Neill family) is little more powerful than some of the other larger baronies. The two points of exception for Narn are its size (it is larger, by thousands of inhabitants, than the next largest Baronial city), and the fact that the Cathedral of St. Narn is there - for which the city is named. The Cathedral of St. Narn is also the seat of the Church (technically, the "High Office at St. Narn of the Westron Church of the Three Goddesses").
The Cities (which are technically named for the barony of which they are the capitol) all have their own "official" nick name. They were all settled between the years 26 and 1186. It is currently the year 1534 of the Western Migration, so the younger cities have only been established as short as 300 years since they were originally settled, compared to the oldest, which has been settled now for over 1500 years.
The population figures given are JUST for the City, and not for the whole Barony. In most cases, assume that the Barony will number this much again in dependent towns, and double this amount in dispersed rural communities.
So other than the city of Narn, the other 18 Baronies are as follows:
Hogle - "The First City" in the Shattered Plains region; pop. 18,000, settled year 26.
Macester - "City of the Sword" in the Gateway region; pop. 21,000, settled year 82.
Ockham - "City of Enchantment" in the Enchanted Forests region; pop. 19,000, settled year 107.
Scallen - "City of Birds" in the Bartaloo region; pop. 19,500, settled year 163.
Kof Karn - "City in the Cradle" in the Rising Land region; pop. 21,000, settled year 219.
Khomaes - "City of Mists"; in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 22,000, settled year 231.
Henn - "City of the Shadows" in the Rising Land region; pop. 18,000, settled year 285.
Pellorix - "City of the Lake" in the Rising Land region; pop. 19,000, settled year 341.
Werms - "City in the Clouds" in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 19,000, settled year 352.
Huygen - "City of Light" in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 18,500, settled year 394.
Gorrem - "City of Ten Gates" in the Wychwood region; pop. 27,000,settled year 462.
Na Kram - "City of Dust", in the Sildur Reaches region; pop. 18,000, settled year 558.
Lynch - "City of Fire" in the Nightside region; pop. 20,000, settled year 642.
Botts - "City of Wind" in the Sildur Reaches region; pop. 17,500, settled year 728.
Ungams - "City of the Harp" in the Nightside region; pop. 16,000, settled year 902.
City of Narn - "City of the Three Goddesses" Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris; in the Suuviz region; pop. 38,000, settled year 914.
Devrie - "City of Shale" in the Shale March region; pop. 16,000, settled year 1022.
Futtonol - "The Shield City" in the Suuviz region; pop. 11,000, settled year 1099.
Kennidor - "City on the Frontier" in the Shale March region; pop. 12,500, settled year 1186.
Note that the nicknames of the city are those that the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn have decided to grant the city, in order to differentiate the City itself form the Barony, which often includes lands, villages, castles and other holdings far beyond the borders of the city. The local inhabitants, however, will sometimes choose a different name (either from custom, or predating the naming by the Archivists). For instance, the inhabitants of the First City (capitol of the Barony of Hogle) often refer to it as Granite Hold - which was the name of the Castle first built there by the founding baron, Sir Tuneyer of Ockett, in the year 26. It took him, and his men, a number of years to build Granite Hold, but they adopted for a stone structure from the start, hence the name.
The Cities (which are technically named for the barony of which they are the capitol) all have their own "official" nick name. They were all settled between the years 26 and 1186. It is currently the year 1534 of the Western Migration, so the younger cities have only been established as short as 300 years since they were originally settled, compared to the oldest, which has been settled now for over 1500 years.
The population figures given are JUST for the City, and not for the whole Barony. In most cases, assume that the Barony will number this much again in dependent towns, and double this amount in dispersed rural communities.
So other than the city of Narn, the other 18 Baronies are as follows:
Hogle - "The First City" in the Shattered Plains region; pop. 18,000, settled year 26.
Macester - "City of the Sword" in the Gateway region; pop. 21,000, settled year 82.
Ockham - "City of Enchantment" in the Enchanted Forests region; pop. 19,000, settled year 107.
Scallen - "City of Birds" in the Bartaloo region; pop. 19,500, settled year 163.
Kof Karn - "City in the Cradle" in the Rising Land region; pop. 21,000, settled year 219.
Khomaes - "City of Mists"; in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 22,000, settled year 231.
Henn - "City of the Shadows" in the Rising Land region; pop. 18,000, settled year 285.
Pellorix - "City of the Lake" in the Rising Land region; pop. 19,000, settled year 341.
Werms - "City in the Clouds" in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 19,000, settled year 352.
Huygen - "City of Light" in the Darkearth Plains region; pop. 18,500, settled year 394.
Gorrem - "City of Ten Gates" in the Wychwood region; pop. 27,000,settled year 462.
Na Kram - "City of Dust", in the Sildur Reaches region; pop. 18,000, settled year 558.
Lynch - "City of Fire" in the Nightside region; pop. 20,000, settled year 642.
Botts - "City of Wind" in the Sildur Reaches region; pop. 17,500, settled year 728.
Ungams - "City of the Harp" in the Nightside region; pop. 16,000, settled year 902.
City of Narn - "City of the Three Goddesses" Capitol of Kingdom of Ymnaris; in the Suuviz region; pop. 38,000, settled year 914.
Devrie - "City of Shale" in the Shale March region; pop. 16,000, settled year 1022.
Futtonol - "The Shield City" in the Suuviz region; pop. 11,000, settled year 1099.
Kennidor - "City on the Frontier" in the Shale March region; pop. 12,500, settled year 1186.
Note that the nicknames of the city are those that the Archivists at Parn Tandalorn have decided to grant the city, in order to differentiate the City itself form the Barony, which often includes lands, villages, castles and other holdings far beyond the borders of the city. The local inhabitants, however, will sometimes choose a different name (either from custom, or predating the naming by the Archivists). For instance, the inhabitants of the First City (capitol of the Barony of Hogle) often refer to it as Granite Hold - which was the name of the Castle first built there by the founding baron, Sir Tuneyer of Ockett, in the year 26. It took him, and his men, a number of years to build Granite Hold, but they adopted for a stone structure from the start, hence the name.
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