As opposed to the actual bitterness and ill natured ribbing that will be happening between Leoghard de "Despises non-founders" Bastij and Llewelyn "Literally just joined the 10 houses" Ap'Arthmael.
EDIT:@POOHEAD189 Yeah, literally I haven't read it yet because I'm waiting until it's finished, that's all.
While we're clarifying, headcanon is the Shattered Mountains stretch more or less down the western coast of the continent, cut off from the sea by high cliffs in all but a few areas, and primarily accessing the rest of the continent via the Twin Streams river as it flows out of the mountain range towards a lake near the Capital (Before further flowing towards the sea). There are many smaller passes dotting the range, eventually leading to the pockets of farmland that the main factions have cultivated, but they are much harder to access in any season except Summer.
Its main exports are metals, gemstones, mercenaries, and timber- especially Ironwood. I would imagine they are the main source of new gold and silver for coinage in the Kingdom- Especially after those desert bluebloods hoarded all of the old supply and made a damn castle out of it.
@ScreenAcneNow that I'm off of work, I went ahead and wrote up a little on the unmentioned 6 factions that make up the Shattered Mountains and edited them in under holdings.
The Syndwaelin Clan: Said to be descendants of an elf who (In an almost unheard of act of settling down with one who is not of elven kind) married one of their ancestors long ago, the Syndwaelin Clan certainly have traits which back up their claims. First, they are very long lived for Humans, some Elders of the clan have reached the age of 200 and beyond according to rumor. Secondly- they are considered extraordinary archers, perhaps the best in the realm. All members of the clan practice archery- even the women, and as a whole are heavily muscled. A requirement to use their Ironwood bows, which can easily exceed draw weights of 300 pounds.They primarily make a living as mercenaries- although they also make a pretty penny plying their carpentry skills to the nobles that can afford their craftsmanship.
They pay no taxes to House Ap'Arthmael, and in exchange charge no fees for use of their mercenaries in war, and on top of that always give House Ap'Arthmael top bid for their services, even if already on contract for somebody else. The only income they provide the House is buying the Ironwood that is used to make their bows and others crafts.
Tunomungeg: A reclusive dwarven town that only deals with the surface when they need to trade metals for supplies. Not much is known about them even by House Ap'Arthmael, the last two generations having had no dealings with them whatsoever outside of regular payments of tax.
Their situation is almost the opposite of the Syndwaelin Clan. They outright refuse to provide any soldiers- even should they need to defend The Shattered Mountains from invasion. Instead they pay a tax in raw precious metals every year- And should they need to obtain goods from outside the realm, an additional tariff on top of the initial tax. Gold and Silver are their main contributions to House Ap'Arthmael, although they primarily trade iron to the rest of the Kingdom.
Korlanthe's Tower: A small- though the number is unknown- group of Wizards who own the largest pocket of habitable land in The Shattered Mountains. Supposedly they are of no small influence within the world of magic, although their true purpose and influence is only known to magic users. The Tower's name changes to match whoever leads the group, and has been in control of the wizard Korlanthe for some decades now.
They care not who rules The Shattered Mountains and the only condition to serving House Ap'Arthmael was that one of their number always accompany their lord as one of his advisor. However, it is well understood that they would never assist in the invasion of a foreign land, even if they would not hesitate to use their magics to repel any would-be-conquerors trying to enter The Shattered Mountains.
The Harpy Queen: With names that are impossible to pronounce on the Human tongue, the reigning Matriarchs of the harpies are all called The Harpy Queen, no matter who currently holds "Rulership" over the creatures. With no income to tax, low intelligence, and very limited use in warfare- their "Fealty" is perhaps the most nominal of all The Shattered Mountains.
Still, they have some use- if limited. Not having to fight them off saves resources better spent elsewhere, and though their low intelligence makes them frustrating to work with- they do make excellent scouts both inside the realm and at the borders. In exchange they are permitted free reign to hunt anything that isn't livestock throughout the Shattered Mountains, and any Human that kills one of their kind is expected to be tried as severely as if they murdered any other race.
Ferry's Rest: The city of Ferry's Rest sits at the very border of the Shattered Mountains, nestled along the river of Twin Stream's. The mayor of the city- much like the King- is elected amongst the residents of the city, although it is just as often that a lowborn earns the title as a nobleman. It is by far the wealthiest city in the region (Discounting the unknown wealth of Tunomungeg) and even the relatively modest taxes they pay account for a third of House Ap'Arthmael's annual income.
Unlike the other inhabitants of The Shattered Mountains, Ferry's Rest would not particularly be hard to conquer in a conflict, and they could not collect enough leverage to grant them the same level of autonomy seen throughout the rest of the realm (Any threats of cutting off trade and supplies from outside the realm would be met with an immediate conquest of the city). As such, their relationship with House Ap'Arthmael is that of a standard vassal. They have to pay tax every year, and provide troops to assist with defense of the realm in times of war- as well as abide by the same laws that govern the rest of their liege's subjects.
The House of which said noble belongs: House Ap'Arthmael
Current Age of said Noble: 23
House History:Ap'Arthmael can be considered the "New Kid on the Block" amongst the 10 Houses. They began as a minor noble household at the fringes of Handon, ruled over by the much more powerful House Artagonet. House Artagonet ruled over an area of land known as the "Shattered Mountains". The Shattered Mountains were not called as such because of any natural disaster, but because eight smaller "Kingdoms" ruled their own lands independently, only barely united under House Artagonet, and demanding much autonomy in exchange for their service. This made Artagonet a powerful, but internally unstable House.
Four generations ago the Great-Great-Grandsire of House Ap'Arthmael's current ruler took advantage of this internal instability (After continual failure by House Artagonet to rule its lands effectively) to gain power for itself. They had long stood as advisors and generals to House Artagonet, and were in a unique position to exploit the house's weaknesses. For three generations they waged a political war against their liege, forging powerful marriage alliances with the other lords in the Shatter Mountains- aided by string of almost infertile heirs in House Artagonet who could not produce the children to make their own alliances.
Finally, Arthmael Ap'Cledwyn, the father of House Ap'Arthmael's current ruler married Elizabeth Artagonet, the head of House Artagonet. Their contract stipulated that House Artagonet would from then on be subordinate to House Ap'Arthmael, and cemented the latter's rulership over the Shattered Mountains, effectively elevating them into the position of the 10 Great Houses, and making them eligible for election to King of Handon
Notable features of House Ap'Arthmael:
The House's name changes with each generation. The next ruler takes the name of the previous, and adds "Ap" if it is a son, or "Verch" (pronounced Ferch) if it is a daughter. The next generation would effectively be House Ap'Llewelyn or Verch'Llewelyn. Negotiable during marriage contracts.
The rulers tend to gray early and die young due to the stress placed on them by themselves and their subjects' expectations of House Ap'Arthmael. Finding a spouse is perhaps even more important for rulers of the house because of this- a way to ease the burdens of their duties and relax.
Banner: A white and black Chimera on a field of blue. The Chimera representing their house motto, white and black to represent the harsh contrast between duty and desire- while blue represents The Twin Streams, control of which helped them obtain the influence locally to take control of the Shattered Mountains.
Lands and Ownership: The Shattered Mountains (Nominally). Direct control over Ironoak Reach (Town), Cledwyn's Gate (Fort), and Twinstreams (Port village), which together account for 80% of the population and over 95% of the revenue in House Ap'Arthmael's holdings, not counting taxes and troops supplied by lesser vassal houses and lords.
The Syndwaelin Clan: Said to be descendants of an elf who (In an almost unheard of act of settling down with one who is not of elven kind) married one of their ancestors long ago, the Syndwaelin Clan certainly have traits which back up their claims. First, they are very long lived for Humans, some Elders of the clan have reached the age of 200 and beyond according to rumor. Secondly- they are considered extraordinary archers, perhaps the best in the realm. All members of the clan practice archery- even the women, and as a whole are heavily muscled. A requirement to use their Ironwood bows, which can easily exceed draw weights of 300 pounds.They primarily make a living as mercenaries- although they also make a pretty penny plying their carpentry skills to the nobles that can afford their craftsmanship.
They pay no taxes to House Ap'Arthmael, and in exchange charge no fees for use of their mercenaries in war, and on top of that always give House Ap'Arthmael top bid for their services, even if already on contract for somebody else. The only income they provide the House is buying the Ironwood that is used to make their bows and others crafts.
Tunomungeg: A reclusive dwarven town that only deals with the surface when they need to trade metals for supplies. Not much is known about them even by House Ap'Arthmael, the last two generations having had no dealings with them whatsoever outside of regular payments of tax.
Their situation is almost the opposite of the Syndwaelin Clan. They outright refuse to provide any soldiers- even should they need to defend The Shattered Mountains from invasion. Instead they pay a tax in raw precious metals every year- And should they need to obtain goods from outside the realm, an additional tariff on top of the initial tax. Gold and Silver are their main contributions to House Ap'Arthmael, although they primarily trade iron to the rest of the Kingdom.
Korlanthe's Tower: A small- though the number is unknown- group of Wizards who own the largest pocket of habitable land in The Shattered Mountains. Supposedly they are of no small influence within the world of magic, although their true purpose and influence is only known to magic users. The Tower's name changes to match whoever leads the group, and has been in control of the wizard Korlanthe for some decades now.
They care not who rules The Shattered Mountains and the only condition to serving House Ap'Arthmael was that one of their number always accompany their lord as one of his advisor. However, it is well understood that they would never assist in the invasion of a foreign land, even if they would not hesitate to use their magics to repel any would-be-conquerors trying to enter The Shattered Mountains.
The Harpy Queen: With names that are impossible to pronounce on the Human tongue, the reigning Matriarchs of the harpies are all called The Harpy Queen, no matter who currently holds "Rulership" over the creatures. With no income to tax, low intelligence, and very limited use in warfare- their "Fealty" is perhaps the most nominal of all The Shattered Mountains.
Still, they have some use- if limited. Not having to fight them off saves resources better spent elsewhere, and though their low intelligence makes them frustrating to work with- they do make excellent scouts both inside the realm and at the borders. In exchange they are permitted free reign to hunt anything that isn't livestock throughout the Shattered Mountains, and any Human that kills one of their kind is expected to be tried as severely as if they murdered any other race.
Ferry's Rest: The city of Ferry's Rest sits at the very border of the Shattered Mountains, nestled along the river of Twin Stream's. The mayor of the city- much like the King- is elected amongst the residents of the city, although it is just as often that a lowborn earns the title as a nobleman. It is by far the wealthiest city in the region (Discounting the unknown wealth of Tunomungeg) and even the relatively modest taxes they pay account for a third of House Ap'Arthmael's annual income.
Unlike the other inhabitants of The Shattered Mountains, Ferry's Rest would not particularly be hard to conquer in a conflict, and they could not collect enough leverage to grant them the same level of autonomy seen throughout the rest of the realm (Any threats of cutting off trade and supplies from outside the realm would be met with an immediate conquest of the city). As such, their relationship with House Ap'Arthmael is that of a standard vassal. They have to pay tax every year, and provide troops to assist with defense of the realm in times of war- as well as abide by the same laws that govern the rest of their liege's subjects.
Autobiographical Knowledge: Llewelyn was raised to uphold the house motto of "The Goat with its herd. The Snake in the grass. The Lion on the plains". The Goat symbolizing good rulership over their people. The Snake representing gaining political power through intrigue and diplomacy. The Lion representing prowess on the battlefield. In other words, perfection was expected of every head of House Ap'Arthmael- especially since their rapid rise within the Shattered Mountains.
It has- to say the least- been a stressful upbringing.
While each ruler effective picked one of the three- Goat, Snake, or Lion- to focus on, they were always expected to at least outwardly encompass all three to both their allies and rivals. While it could not be said that Llewelyn was raised without the comforts that came from being a member of one of the ten great houses- It could be argued he had a rather harsh upbringing. Lessons encompassed his every hour from a young age, and hardly ceased as he grew older. The internal politics of the Shattered Mountains demanded a strong leader- lest the internal factions ruin themselves in their constant attempts to gain advantages over their neighbors. Now, due to his father's success, Llewelyn had to focus on the politics between the great houses as well, an entirely different kettle of fish requiring an entirely different set of knowledge and skills.
With these stresses in mind, it was easy to see why heads of the household tended to die young.
On top of this, his mother inherited the low fertility that had plagued the last several generations of House Artagonet, and Llewelyn was a rare only child amongst the noble houses of Handon. Thus, if he died before siring an heir, his branch of the house- and likely all the power it had gained over the last few generations- would die with him. Placing even greater expectations on his success.
Now, with the death of his father and candidacy for kingship occurring in tandem, it is time to put the strain of his upbringing to the test. Unfortunately, his childhood has not made him the most deft socializer, even if his political knowledge could rival that of most diplomats. He has inherited, more or less, all of the traits of his house, for better or worse. It was enough to gain rulership of the Shattered Mountains, but would it be enough to rule Handon?
Time would tell.
Portrait:
Already the telltale signs of his house are beginning to show on Llewelyn. He looks to be a man five or ten years older, with flecks of gray already beginning to show throughout his hair. A serious expression usually rests on his face, and when not in conversation his eyes are looking at a place far off. His sense of humour, when he shows it, tends to be on the grim side, and unless he's truly relaxed and his mind is taken off of his duties any smile he gives does not reach his eyes. Other than this: His is not of extraordinary size or strength- though skill might be another matter entirely. The Lion demands that the head of House Ap'Arthmael be able to defend himself.
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Damycles
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