Member
Lildear18
datadogie
Mixtape Ghost NDaoine Àrda
The High Ones
The Highland People
Brazen Sword Clan
Leader
Earl (Jarl) Caiside Maedoc, Larla na Gàidhealtachd (Earl of the Highlands), patriarch of the reigning Brazen Sword Clan.
Government
The Daoine govern themselves through a strict Jarldom/Earldom granted by the High King. The reigning Earl/Jarl has near-absolute power, save for being subject to the authority of the High King. The reigning Jarl rules from the hall of the Daoine hold, Àirde. Succession is very loosely based on heredity, however, being a clan which in a way considers all native inhabitants inherently related, it is more of a meritocratic process in which the reigning Jarl determines the successor based on skill and merit of rule. In the event that a Jarl dies before making a selection, the court in the hall in Àirde makes a selection by majority vote.
Subject to the Jarl are retainers and petty governors ruling hamlets, shires, and villages spread amongst the mountains. These governors retain a sort of autonomy, authorized to raise their levies and maintain local watches for local disputes, and as well allowed to collect taxes and goods shares.
Non-Human Species Descriptions
WIP
Location
In the highlands and valleys of the Dawnstar Mountains.
Religion
The Daoine worship all of the Broken Land’s gods, with citizenry generally dedicating their patronage to whichever god pertains to their particular profession. However, the most common god given dedication is Zasha, the goddess of fertility and agriculture, patron of shepherds, farmers, and mothers. This is largely due to the reliance on subsistence farming and sheep herding to produce food and clothing, along with the reliance of extensive families to assist with these professions. A large shrine to Zasha is present in Àirde, and the hold has adopted the goddess at its patron.
Clan Description
The Daoine Àrda (literally translated as ‘High Ones’, but often interpreted as Highland People) are a people living among the highlands, valleys, and peaks of the Dawnstar Mountains. They are pale, dark-haired people who have lived within the mountains for centuries. Hardy, broad, and, on average, shorter than other Humans, they have herded sheep, cattle, donkeys, and draft horses as primary professions as long as they have settled the mountains. Subsistence farming also had become prevalent in the last few centuries, with beets, radishes, carrots, and potatoes being the most grown plants.
As for the central rule among these people, almost all of the Daoine submit to the rule of the Brazen Sword Clan, reigning out of the hold of Àirde nestled in a valley among the Dawnstar Mountains. The clan was supposedly founded generations ago, through a story passed down orally detailing the exploits of the clan’s founder, Oengus Elisedd (sometimes changed to Oengus Maedoc to match the reigning Maedoc family). A simplified version of the tale is that Oengus founded the hold of Àirde by killing a giant who had subjugated the Daoine with a claymore, named Àirde, which was blessed by Yorvengaand. This claymore, often nicknamed the Brazen Sword, is the namesake of the clan. It is generally accepted this tale is some allusion to the raiding of Daoine lands by the Bloodaxe Clan of Giants centuries ago before they were pacified.
The lifestyle of the Daoine is heavily based around profession. Within the hold of Àirde, the only true ‘city’ of the Daoine, most residents are artisans and sorts of civil servants who often stay within the hold, living out their entire lives in permanent wood and stone houses. In contrast, the various hamlets nestled in the valleys based around farming consist of just that, farmers, loggers, and hunters which live in houses built by their own hand. Lastly are the people often viewed as ‘true’ Daoine, the nomadic animal herders and hunters which roam the mountains and valleys as to give their herds or prey ample grazing areas. They live in non-permanent homes made of animal skin, and generally swear little allegiance to any central authority. However, these nomads are becoming more rare, as subsistence farming and pasture rotations allowing for permanent animal pens become more prevalent.
On the military side of things, a system reminiscent of shire levies is in place, allowing for mobilisation of all able-bodied men in specific hamlets and areas based on need and the will of the Jarl/Earl. And by this system, no true standing force exists in the Daoine holds, save for the Jarl’s retainers and the local watches of petty hamlet and shire governors.
Clan History
WIP
Regional Geography/Resources/Economy Details
The geographic place defining the location of the Daoine is the southern portion of the Dawnstar range of mountains. The rolling hills, valleys, and jagged peaks house perhaps tens of thousands, with most concentrations of populations in permanent hamlets and holds nestled in valleys where they can be easily defended through chokepoints at both mouths to the valley. However, the ancient Daoine had not always done this, and before the rule of the Brazen Sword Clan, the subjugation of the Blood Axe Clan by the Broken Hammer Clan, and a reliable ability to subsistence farm, animal herders and hunters were all that existed, nomadic people traveling the highlands to allow their herds to graze and to find populations of animals. While subsistence farming, logging, and mining have partially replaced this lifestyle, many still honor it, traveling far and wide with expansive herds of sheep, cattle, and horses.
As for resources, the Daoine lands hold many. The staple of products from the highlands are fine wool, linens, and highland linden wood. However, in the last few centuries, as the Daoine people began to settle more readily. Raw iron, copper, and outcrop coal are being mined from the peaks of mountains, and though subsistence farming is now a reality due to use of exclusively high altitude crops, though exports of this food are rare due to them being just that, subsistence crops.
The economy of the Daoine is primarily based on barter, as it has been for centuries, however a system of bullion and currency by weight of silver, gold, and other precious metals is being gradually introduced and implemented by trade with the Broken Hammer Clan.
Important Characters
Earl (Jarl) Caiside Maedoc, the reigning Earl/Jarl of the Brazen Sword Clan. He earned the position through merit, and being the nephew of the previous Earl/Jarl, also of the Maedoc House. He secured good relations and trade with the neighboring Broken Hammer Clan in the early years of his rule, and is currently praised as an effective Earl/Jarl, however critics do claim that he sold sovereignty of the Daoine people to the Broken Hammer Clan.
WIP
Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions
Àirde is the only true ‘hold’ in the Daoine lands, and is the seat of power for the Brazen Sword Clan, consisting of a sizeable city of a few hundred residents perched on a large hill, walled in by wooden palisades reinforced by cobblestone crossmembers. In the center of the city, a second row of palisades protects the Jarl’s hall, which sits on the highest point of the hill, overlooking all surroundings.
Aside from Àirde, no true ‘cities’ exist, and not much comes even close, save for some sizeable hamlets and villages. These hamlets and villages generally are central to a valley, often named a shire and placed under the rule of local governors and retainers. These settlements range often from a few homes and fields in a mere divet, to expansive villages made of rows of huts, houses, and workplaces.
Relation to Other Factions
Broken Hammer Clan - Trade partners, in good relations. De facto a subject to the Broken Hammer Clan due to sea route access and otherwise the larger presence of the Broken Hammer Clan in the region.
WIP
