TheMoatedGrange

A Gilded Throne - A Shadow Looms (Closed)

Gilded Throne Poll

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A Gilded Throne - A Shadow Looms (Closed)

The Dowager's Tower, Caernan Castle, Harksmoor, Kingdom of Gwethydd

Tower

The Dowager's Tower in Caernan Castle was the lowest of the four towers that edge the royal residence of the Caernavir, but had the unique distinction of facing not out onto the wide expanse of the city but into the leafy gardens of the palace and the adjoining university. From its windows, it was possible to enjoy the sight and smell of a vast citrus orchard, several enclosed cloisters and a vast expanse of lawn used for tournaments during the warmer months by the king.

"Xandrian wine and imported cocoa in one visit?" Queen Eadrith giggled giddily. The sixteen year old consort of the kingdom had her tawny hair tied up in a functional style, pinned with three emerald broaches. She was wearing a relatively comfortable loose-fitting cyan garment. "You spoil us, good-mother,"

Queen Hiltruda smiled placidly at the almost comically bulging figure of her pregnant daughter-in-law. "Anything for the darling precious girl who carries my first grandchild," She said with a genuinely warm smile. "The cocoa is especially exciting, I think,"

Eadrith lifted one of the small ceramic cups that contained the viscous brown liquid up to her lips for a moment. "How did you acquire it, if you do not mind me asking?"

"I know a man," Hiltruda said candidly. "A Veletian. He keeps me well-stocked with a sample of all of the best items that come from Lointaine via Violette,"

"Be sure that is all that you import from Violette," Princess Alissera said from beneath her heavy veil. She was presumably also partaking in drinking the cocoa, but it was impossible to tell apart from nearly imperceptible shifts beneath her loose-fitting, heavy garments. "We would not want for any of their ideas to take hold here,"

"Precisely not," Hiltruda conceded. "And I often wonder whether it would be possible to negotiate some sort of trade deal with them. Farlook Post seems to be importing increasing amounts of silks and goods from within Ethica, but surely it would make sense for us to draw our net out further,"

"Surely," Eadrith queried tentatively. "We would not want to anger the Veletians?"

"Quite right," Alissera said, patting Eadrith's arm with her own gloved hand. It took everything that the young Queen had not to recoil. Her aunt-in-law still scared her. "I think it would be prudent of us to have them as friends,"

"Their Duchess is married to Prince Ralltene," Eadrith continued. "Surely our intentions in the imperial election will cool relations?"

"Perhaps," Hiltruda nodded. Her plump face was ruddy with concentration. "Perhaps not. The King does not seem to want to listen to us either," She produced a scroll and unfurled it across the table. It was written in the neat, precise handwriting of Princess Haldetrude. "The King seems wont to vote for Prince Jakinius, according to Haldetrude. He has not listened to us, I fear,"

A low, slightly scratchy chuckle emitted from beneath Alissera's veil. "The pawns will vote for the pawns. Let the honourable King Aethlar and the honourable Prince Jakinius posture themselves openly in the capital. They should enjoy it while they can," She said, idly tracing a finger along the enamelled top of the tea table. "We must establish contact with the Duchess Victoria, and with Princess Allianna too,"

Eadrith looked between the two Caernavir matriarchs. "This game is not going to be played by those who think they are playing, is it?" She said after a moment's contemplation. "My husband's opinion counts for less each day,"

"And all the better for it," Nodded Hiltruda, letting go of Haldetrude's missive and letting it half-float idly into the fire.

Coruscant Sacked: Aftermath

@Fallenreaper I'm still here, sorry for late reply. I think my sheet is basically finished except for adding one or two relationships. So I'm going to ask again if anyone's characters would have had prior relations with my bookish scholarly archivist Jedi before editing it on.

A Gilded Throne - A Shadow Looms (Closed)

The Gilded Cornucopia Public House, Harksmoor, Kingdom of Gwethydd

Tavern

"Alright lad, I think you've had just about enough tonight,"

Maevina leant heavily across the bar of her establishment, jostling the drunken student roughly by the shoulder. He was young, maybe only seventeen or eighteen years, and he was dressed in the typical black accouchements that marked out the students of the academic institution from the townsfolk. Technically they were forbidden by their university authorities from engaging in any form of drinking or other debauched behaviour, but The Gilded Cornucopia, the only public house that was given license to operate within the Inner Plaza that contained the castle and the university, had for many generations been the traditional watering hole of the profligate student.

This one was no similar. He had stumbled bodily to the bar, slurred something about a flagon of sweetmead, then collapsed face first into a small pool of spilled wine.

"I think it's about time you left," Maevina repeated. She was a broad, buxom peasant type, with a harsh, loud voice and a permanently ruddy complexion. Her mousy hair was drawn back into a functional bun and she was prominently missing one of her front teeth.

The student finally began to stir into life, reanimating listlessly from his drunken stupor. "I've the money.. jus' one more.."
Maevina shook her head firmly. "No more. I'm trying to run a respectable establishment here,"

"Respectable?" The lad said, opening one eye. Maevina noticed that his face was still strewn with the canister shot of pimples that marked adolescence. "'m respectable. Don't you know who m'father is?"

"Nay, can't say I do," The landlady sighed impatiently. Most of the students had a complex about being told what to do; especially the ones who came from outside Gwethydd. Many of them had wealthy parents, after all, and probably had not been told what to do for some time.

"One more... just to set me off for the night, madam," The boy roused himself up, offering a toothy smile. Whether it was the honorific usage of the term madam or the sudden increase in composure, Maevina was stirred to pour the boy a tiny tipple of the bitter, pinkish grapefruit wine that the bread-basket kingdom was (in)famous for. He slammed down a silver coin and held it between thumb and forefinger for a minute.

Maevina had turned her back and was starting to clean an errant glass when she heard the boy clamber on top of his stool. She turned to scold him, but he was orating quite powerfully to the assembled crowd, and the landlady stopped a moment out of curiosity.

"Ladies and gentlemen," He declared. The crowd turned, individual conversations pausing to see the source of this interruption. One slattern giggled girlishly for a moment.

"I propose a toast!" The student said with a flamboyant flourish. "To our king,"

Maevina shrugged. She was turning back around when he finished his toast. "...and his nursemaids! Long live the Queens!"

The pub fell silent as the boy swigged the pinkish liquid in one gulp, grimaced momentarily, then clambered down from his perch. Eyes were wide with fear everywhere. Even the harlots seemed to have been given pause.

Maevina's ruddy face somehow reddened even further, and she swept out from behind the bar with surprising speed, hoisting the boy off of his feet by the collar of his black robes, and thrusting him powerfully out of the door of the establishment into the cool of the night. Visibly flustered, she dusted her hands down on her apron, cast a gaze around at her patrons, and slunk back behind the bar. Conversation resumed tentatively some minutes later, but the atmosphere for the rest of the evening felt stilted and uncomfortable.

Outside, as he clambered to his feet and drowsily bumped his way across the Central Plaza towards the university, the shadows bumped and stirred with anticipation.

***

Grounds of the Eldva University, Harksmoor, King of Gwethydd

University

The students and academics of the university seemed to melt away into the walls as Hiltruda strode confidently through its ancient stone cloisters. They would be visible up ahead, but would disappear into side doors or through narrow passageways as the Queen-Mother made her way down towards the central courtyard.

The morning was fresh and crisp and small beads of dew clung to the grass that was so painstakingly maintained by the university's formidable gardeners. The courtyard was fully enclosed, surrounded by stone cloisters and dotted with benches. The walls were covered in inscriptions detailing the exploits of famous alumni of the institution; imperial mages, famous battle commanders, influential religious leaders and writers. This was not what Hiltruda was interested in, though.

An enormous willow tree occupied by the centre of the courtyard, with a stone bench sheltered from the sunlight by the spindling and hanging limbs of the tree. Underneath, Hiltruda spied a black figure with their back to her, with lace gloves clasped over the glinting diamond head of an ebony cane. She approached, sitting elegantly and casually as if she were in her own home.

Her sister-in-law did not make a physical notion of greeting. Princess Alissera's voice was one of her many attributes that had been ravaged by her life-destroying illness, and when she spoke it was in a low, raspy whisper. "It is so unfortunate," were her first words, as she nodded from beneath her thick veil to the scene in front of her. On the other side of the courtyard to where Hiltruda had entered, a crowd of scholars was assembled around a black and red shape. It lay at the foot of the enormous bell tower which towered over the otherwise low lying buildings of the university. Among the crowd was the chancellor Eldarhar, who scratched his head with a surprisingly low amount of concern.

"They must enforce their rules more stringently. I worry for the future of this institution,"

"How did he fall?" Hiltruda asked with only a small amount of interest.

"Drunkenness. He had been engaging in licentiousness at the The Gilded Cornucopia. He climbed after being thrown out by the landlady and then he..."

Alissera flicked a finger over the diamond atop her cane. "...he fell. Very tragic, really,"

Hiltruda nodded slowly. Even after all this years, Alissera still had the capacity to instil fear in her. She was a dangerous woman; her loyalties were so indiscernible, and Hiltruda still dreaded to enquire as to her particular involvement (or lack thereof) in the mysterious demise of her husband Aethlar V.

"The King is going away, to the capital," Hiltruda commented in a non-committal manner. "For the election,"

"Indeed," Alissera said, tilting her head towards her sister-in-law in a way that led Hiltruda to believe that she had finally taken her eyes off of the crumpled body of the dead student. From this close it was possible to make out some of the Princess' features; the leathery, pinkish, shiny texture of her skin and the yellowed, bloodshot whites of her eyes. "Is his cortege organised?"

"Not yet," Hiltruda conceded.

"Very well. Eadrith must remain here; she is heavy with child. The time of her confinement will come soon. You must oversee this. The regency will be in the name of Lethlin, naturally, who I trust remains loyal to his dear family and will be pliable?" Alissera fired off the instructions with such rapidity that it was obvious that she had already formulated this plan before the meeting.

"I agree," The Queen said with a nod. "I will sign the temporary regency act myself. Aethlar will also," She paused for a moment. "I had the thought that he might take the bastards,"

"Eadgifu and Gaewin?" Alissera rasped with surprise. "Why?"

Hiltruda suppressed a smirk. She knew that Alissera was particularly close to the boy, Gaewin. The Queen-Mother's banishment of their mother Alysandra from the capital had been a point of contention between the realm's two most powerful women for some time. "Representatives from every major house will be present. Is it not high time they married and made lives of their own, outside of Gwethydd?"

Marriages had been mooted for Eadgifu especially among the scions of the most powerful Gwethyn houses, but Hiltruda had purposefully had them all sabotaged. Eadgifu was beautiful and sultry, with the silvery-white hair and violet eyes common to the Ygrissians. She was also intelligent. That was dangerous.

"Very well," Alissera conceded, her voice brittle with disappointment at having been rooted out by her sister-in-law. It was well known that Lord Gaewin was her creature first and foremost. "Surely then, Haldetrude should also go? She will be worth even more on the marriage market,"

Hiltruda suppressed a sigh. She had seen this coming. The table was being forcefully swept clean of pawns. "Yes, she must go as well,"

"Then it is settled. The King will ride out with Princess Haldetrude, Lord Gaewin and Lady Eadgifu at first light,"

"Indeed," Hiltruda stood and gave a small smile. "I shall go and inform him of the decisions that he has just made, then,"

Both women shared a laugh in the empty courtyard. Those assembled around the grisly remains of the dead student heard it, carried on the wind, and shuddered.

A Gilded Throne - A Shadow Looms (Closed)

Caernan Castle, Harksmoor, Kingdom of Gwethydd

Harksmoor

Caernan Castle had been the seat of power in the Green Kingdom of Gwethydd for centuries. It stood, crouching low over the city of Harksmoor, without enormous pomp or circumstance. The walls were of black stone and the entire structure seemed to face off aggressively against the wide open fields that ran up to the plateau on which the capital city sat. Despite its relatively low walls, it was possible for anyone within the castle to look out for miles across the fertile fields that surrounded the city, which season on season changed colour from brown to yellow to green, and from which a warm wind brought a constantly reassuring sweet smell.

Hawksmoor itself encompassed this pastoral tradition, and instead of starting abruptly as many cities do with a hard gate and walls, sort of trickled into life as one approached the castle, with marble houses and buildings slowly becoming more densely packed as one moved closer to the centre. It was accessible primarily from a foot bridge that led up to the plateau on which it had been built. A smaller defensive wall surrounded the original location of the smaller city, which nowadays mainly consisted of the university and the castle, as well as the offices of the chancellor and the great white cathedral, whose marble parapets rose up as if to challenge the blackened stone of the castle in a show of dominance and opulence.

The city's streets bustled with merchants and farmers coming and going along tight cobbled streets which occasionally opened up into great plazas of grass and citrus trees, with decorative fountains surrounded by beggars and musicians. Closer to the university and the castle, austere men in brown robes moved about clutching bundles of important and ancient looking scrolls, while litters carrying the noblewomen on their way between their rooms and the royal court lumbered portentously past.

Inside the castle, a council was in session. The council chamber was located on the third floor of the castle, facing out over the wide expanse that seemed to continue until the horizon, at this time of year achingly green and only pock-marked occasionally with the flashes of brown that betrayed a village or hamlet. King Aethlar VI sat, facing the window, spinning a quill idly between his fingers as his assembled council spoke. His face was twisted into a look of distaste and idle boredom, and his free hand scratched at the hem of his green satin cloak. His hair was somewhat dishevelled and his pale cheeks reddened; as with most council sessions he had been out riding and had kept his distinguished councillors waiting until he had arrived back.

"Your Majesty," spoke Lord Valdemar di Reckmansworth with a confidence that wavered on the edge of arrogance. The eldest son of the Count of Ygris thought that he had a special connection with Aethlar because they were technically cousins through the current count's marriage with Aethlar's aunt Gerberga, but Aethlar secretly detested the snivelling little scholarly Treasurer, who devoted his time equally between the chamber and the university, and not enough time at all in the field or in sport. "This is perhaps the moment that you will exercise the most influence over imperial affairs throughout your entire reign. The votes of the Electors will influence the character of the next few decades at least,"

"There are two candidates," added Eldarhar di Graeton. The chancellor of the university occupied his traditional position on the council as the Temple-Master - his responsibilities essentially comprised of ensuring that the royal family did not fall particularly behind on any new knowledge produced and disseminated throughout the Empire. Aethlar knew that his aunt Princess Alissera was particularly close to this member of her council, who she had had repatriated to his home province after many years with the Astronomers' Conclave in the Heartlands. "The choice is quite straightforward,"

Aethlar arched an eyebrow, turning to the assembled councillors. He drew a hand along his clean shaven jaw in a show of pensive thought. "Is it, my lords? Have you come to some accord without me?"

"Naturally of course not, your majesty," Valdemar tittered insipidly. "The two candidates are the Princes Jakinius and Ralltene,"

Aethlar let a small smile grace his features at the naming of the candidates. Jakinius was a warrior through and through; if he were to become Emperor it was certain that far-reaching military campaigns to the north and maybe even to the east would allow true-blooded men like the King of Gwethydd to finally have the opportunity to exercise their martial prowess. "Is the choice not obvious, my lords?" He said after a moment. "A merchant is not an emperor,"

The king stood abruptly, sweeping along the mahogany table and past his councillors. "It must be Jakinius," He nodded firmly, then made some steps towards the doors leading out to the fresh air of the outdoors and the promise of more jousting, horse-riding and general japery, when the doors burst open of their own accord. Aethlar stopped in his tracks. As the sunlight streamed through, a formidable silhouette projected itself across the room, and for a moment all the councillors shifted in their seats eagerly to see the source of the interruption, until the Queen-Mother stepped into the chamber, followed closely by the Queen.

Hiltruda was wearing the long black cloak of the dowager, with her hair worn up in a collected style and gathered with fascinators of white pearls and glittering black gemstones. She was tall but sturdy looking, but her face was placid and diplomatic. Behind her, Eadrith stood in the loose fitting dresses of a pregnant lady, with her tied back behind her ears with a silver brooch. Only sixteen years old, her unremarkable features and slight frame meant that she seemed like a pixie beside her imposing mother-in-law.

"My lords," Hiltruda said carefully. "I hope I am not interrupting,"

There was a moment of tense silence. The elderly Chamberlain of the Household Sir Rynwynd di Cantahard looked as if he was going to be roused to action by this breach of palace protocol; women were never permitted to sit in on council meetings, let alone the Queen-Mother, but was silenced by the savvy interruption of the illustrious Lord Valdemar.

"Your Majesties, we were discussing the upcoming Imperial election," He said with a small bow. "The king favours Prince Jakinius,"

"Jakinius?" The Queen-Mother said sceptically, arching an eyebrow disapprovingly at her son. The King almost seemed to shy away from her gaze, despite his physically imposing stature. "The warrior. I can see why my son might favour such a contender,"

"A king must be inspiring to his people," Aethlar argued. "The people of Gwethydd would not follow Lethlin if he were king. An emperor must be magnanimous. Not a penny-pinching spice-monger,"

"You would be well advised to speak more wisely in future," Hiltruda scolded. "If he is to become king, then such sentiments would be ill-advised. They are not the way of the Caernavir. Reconciliation,"

"From life comes light," Aethlar said with an air of resignation. "So you disagree with my choice, mother?"

"Perhaps," Hiltruda entered the room more fully, taking her seat at the spot of the absent Lord of the Wax Seals. The points were mooted at some length. The pregnant Eadrith was left to stand, forgotten by almost everyone in the proceedings, while Aethlar grew increasingly impatient with the verbosity of the discussions.

Prince Jakinius was married to a Duvard. The Ignesians, like the Gwethyn, had traditionally been linked by their historical allegiance to the Empire; they had been the first and second kingdoms to 'bend the knee' to the Empress. If supporting Jakinius led to closer relations between the two realms, then a mutual trade agreement could be beneficial; Gwethydd exported timber and wine, and imported metal, after all.

Prince Ralltene was married to the Elector of Violette. The rich and advanced Veletians had always been a source of envy for the more educated members of the upper classes in Gwethydd, and closer ties with them would allow for an influx of luxury goods and learning, and potentially beneficial access to international trade relationships.

The discussion went on for some time. The Queen-Mother was against her own son, with the council split slightly in favour of the King. The Queen, who had managed to scavenge a window seat, was idly rubbing a hand over her belly when the increasingly frustrated Treasurer once again vented. "This is a choice of two!"

Eadrith turned, her blonde hair glittering in the sunlight as she surveyed the table, and she spoke for the first time since her arrival. "There is another way," She said with a small smile, and she caught Hiltruda's eyes for a brief, conspiratorial moment.

A Gilded Throne - A Shadow Looms (Closed)

Dynasty

The House of Caernavir

"From life comes light,"

Head of House: King Aethlar VI 'The Green', also known as The Green King.

House Specialty: The Caernavir have always fancied themselves as paragons of the middle path. Traditionally seen as caretakers of sensibility, they have used their position as one of the breadbaskets of the kingdom and a major exporter of both grain and fruit to leverage themselves into a position where their intervention and carefully constructed diplomatic web has averted dangerously volatile situations on a kingdom-wide but also on an imperial level.

Many a crisis has had the soothing input of a member of this family. Arbiters of peace, the main motivation of the Caernavir is to avert war at all costs. The reason for this is simple; in times of war, the breadbaskets of the empire become increasingly valuable targets. After all, if one side can cut off the supply of bread from the other, then the war is essentially finished. The ransacking, looting and rape involved in this sort of behaviour is something that the inhabitants of this pastoral kingdom feel is best avoided at all costs. Some see this as cowardice, the Caernavir see it as sensibility.

House Ancestral Artifact:

The Lute of the Verdant Wanderer

This instrument has been recorded as an artefact belonging to the Caernavir since time immemorial. A simple device at first sight, on closer inspection one will notice that the lute is still warm to the touch, and the wood which it is made from feels slightly moist and is unvarnished, with small veins of moss running through its somewhat soft body. All of this adds to the impression that the instrument is a living and breathing entity.

All members of the Caernavir family are taught to play the lute expertly, as this particular instrument, coupled with a particular set of notes only known to select members of the royal household, is rumoured to be capable of reversing the effects of a devastating drought, flood or other crop-ruining happenstance and allowing fresh shoots of grain to come from otherwise malnourished ground. As somewhat banal as this might seem compared to a flaming sword or a bracelet that summons a dragon, the lute has been absolutely instrumental three times in reversing the fortunes of the kingdom in times of uncertain weather.

---

Important Members:

King Aethlar VI 'The Green' (aged 23) - Nicknamed the 'The Green King' by an affectionate people for his interest in riding out in the pastures that surround his Royal Palace, Aethlar is everything one could hope for in a young king. He is handsome, charismatic, tall, athletic, and fundamentally uninterested in the necessities of his role. The people adore him, but there are concerned whispers amongst the nobility of the kingdom as to who really holds the reigns of power while the King cavorts around and organises sumptuous jousts and games for him and his other young friends. He has dazzling blue eyes and sandy hair.

Queen Eadrith of Red Roost (aged 16) - Quite why the King personally chose the exceptionally plain daughter of the Lord of Red Roost, the most northerly city of the kingdom, is a mystery to most of those 'in the know' in the kingdom. Placid, pious, timid and generally assumed to be uninteresting, Eadrith is pregnant with the first child of her husband. Is she quite as much of a wallflower as she seems?

Queen Hiltruda, the Queen-Mother (aged 48) - Hiltruda is assumed by many to be the real power behind the throne. Her husband Aethlar V was famously profligate and uninterested in the affairs of trade and diplomacy, but unlike his eldest son he was fundamentally less easy to control. It is rumoured that his mysterious death in a riding accident was organised at least in part by Hiltruda, whose son is more than happy to let his doting mother take on some of the most mundane aspects of government. Hiltruda is much more physically imposing than her meek daughter-in-law, and though age has begun to round and sag her figure, her icy gaze and raven black hair continue to inspire intimidation in all but the most foolhardy noble. She holds an enormously influential position at court.

Prince Lethlin di Caernavir (aged 20) - The second son Aethlar V and Hiltruda, Prince Lethlin is decidedly more governmental than his brother, and is somehow even further under her influence. Joked about as her 'chief henchman', Lethlin is highly educated and dangerously diplomatic, often acting as the chief trade envoy of his family when his brother is otherwise indisposed or when foreign dignitaries have trouble treating with a woman. He is swarthier and shorter than his elder brother, with a willowy figure and a slow, loping manner of speech.

Princess Alissera di Caernavir (aged 55) - The eldest sister of the deceased Aethlar V, Alissera was set for a profitable marriage with her father's most influential vassal the Count of Ygris, but she was struck down at age seventeen with the Red Pox. This left her with a curved spine and a pock-marked face, to the point where she was considered unmarriageable and left to reside at her brother's court. Never seen in public without a heavy black veil and attended by her sombre ladies-in-waiting, Alissera has gained something of a reputation amongst the poorest citizens of the nation as a mysterious and fearsome figure. Privately, she is perhaps the most educated member of the family, reading extensively on an enormous variety of subjects and writing a large amount of philosophical and religious works.

Princess Haldetrude di Caernavir (aged 18) - The third and youngest legitimate child of Aethlar V, Haldetrude is known to be closest to her sister-in-law Queen Eadrith. She is tall, with an elegant disposition, and is an accomplished musician and dancer. Considered the most eligible virgin in the kingdom, suggestions for her marriage are mooted constantly. Like Eadrith, she is not considered exceptionally political by the wider nobility.

Lord Gaewin di Faz-Caernavir 'the Blackheart' (aged 23) - Technically the eldest son of King Aethlar V, Gaewin is a bastard born between the King and Alysandra di Recksmanworth, an attendant to Queen Hiltruda. He is nicknamed 'the Blackheart' somewhat incongruously by his enemies, mainly because of his unsociable disposition. He is employed as the captain of the Royal Guard, and was ennobled in a rare act of amiability by his half-brother after his father's demise. He is known to be close to his aunt Alissera but estranged from the Queen-Mother and his other half-brother Prince Lethlin.

Lady Eadgifu di Faz-Caernavir (aged 20) - Sister to Lord Gaewin, second bastard child of King Aethlar V.

Princess Gerberga, Countess of Ygris (aged 49) - Second sister of King Aethlar V, married the Count of Ygris in the place of her sister.

Nation

Nation/Realms Name: Gwethydd

Race name: Gwethyn - humans.

Racial appearance: The Gwethyn are generally fair-skinned but tan easily under the sun. The peasants are small and stocky, with a disposition towards muscle due to their agricultural lifestyle. The most common eye colour by far is green, with some 75% of the population possessing green eyes. Next most common is brown, which is largely concentrated in the slightly warmer southerly regions of the kingdom. The nobles are generally quite tall, with heights for a man averaging out at around 5'10, and are renowned for their physical hardiness too - Gwethyn noble culture dictating that they must participate as much as possible in competitive jousts and testosterone fuelled bouts of physical strength. The fashion is for men to remain clean shaven and to wear their hair at a middling length, while women nearly always keep their hair long.

Racial traits: The Gwethyn are known for their general good-nature around Ethica, and are renowned for how well-fed their peasant folk seem to be and how upbeat most people encountered while passing through the kingdom are. Gwethyn are also known for their hospitality and generally high level of diplomatic skill, though some postulate that this may be a sign of either cowardice or duplicity. The nobility of the kingdom are renowned for their jousting skills, as well as their penchant for great romantic gestures - most nobles are accomplished dancers, singers and poets, leading to Gwethyn men being regarded as somewhat effeminate by those of the northern nations.

Capital: Harksmoor is the administrative and cultural capital of the Kingdom of Gwethyn, and is the major seat of royal power for the Caernavir dynasty. Strategically located near the centre of the kingdom, all major roads were purposefully designed by King Raethlar III 'The Bricklayer' to lead back to this city. Therefore it is a bustling metropolis by Gwethyn standards, with grain arriving and being sent out to various stations around the Empire constantly. It is also the centre of Gwethyn arts and scholarship, which are not insignificant, and contains Eldva University, which is the major training post for the Gwethyn priesthood and scholarly elite alike. Harksmoor is famed for its fine marble architecture; the best in the kingdom, designed primarily to entertain ambassadors, and its wide open green spaces and plazas, which incorporate orchards of citrus trees from which local people are free to take lemons and oranges as they see fit.

Capital Population: 41,000

Other Major Settlements: Red Roost (population: 19,000) - The Count of Red Roost is often held to be a powerful vassal in the kingdom, not due to the wealth of his lands (which are mainly forest and so not arable) but due to the situation of his capital in the far north of Gwethydd. Red Roost is located in the depths of the Heldamar Forest, which has led to a common joke in Harksmoor being that it actually doesn't exist. Nonetheless, as the most northerly city, Red Roost is generally the first stopping point for travellers from the more northerly parts of the Empire and has, in this vein, picked up a minor reputation for licentiousness and bawdy-houses.

Autrisia (population: 17,000) - The Count of Ygris holds an unremarkable capital in the far west of the nation. Consisting generally of wooden residences with Castle Austri-Heinder dominating the skyline with its tall black parapets, this town serves as the administrative and trading capital of perhaps the most fertile crescent of land in the entire kingdom, and so its population can balloon to over 30,000 after the harvest when the local peasants and small-holders gather to flog their wares to be sent back to Harksmoor or beyond.

Farlook Post (population: 24,000) - The second most populous town in Gwethydd is also its main port, situated in the east of the nation. It is something of a misnomer; it was established just over a century ago by King Aethlar IV and was originally a small post - a cursory expedition by the generally inward looking and insular Gwethyn, but quickly expanded as various foreigners gathered to trade luxury goods and spices into the kingdom. It is currently governed in tenure by a group of influential merchants called The Convocation, who keep a close check on international merchant behaviour and act as a sort of unofficial bank in all parts of the kingdom.

Population: 1,500,000 (of which c. 130,000 are urbanised).

Culture: The Kingdom has a reputation for excellence in scholarship and arts, most generally associated with Harksmoor and its university. Poetry and music as well as the composition of treatises on religion and philosophy are commonly produced in Gwethydd and distributed throughout the Empire.

Generally regarded as a somewhat patriarchal society, inheritance laws mean that the existence of Queen-Regnants and Ladies who rule suo jure is relatively rare; though the kingdom has a reputation for its wily women and dull-headed men. The deaths of several of its kings in questionable circumstances have led to long and prosperous regencies under a succession of Queens-Regent.

Fashion wise, the poor of Gwethyn favour sturdy leather or cloth to be worn in the fields and used for tilling, and generally reside in small cottages collected in hamlets or villages. Most farmers are directly tithed to a landowner who himself will probably answer, along with six or seven others, to a minor noble or 'Swaysman' who owns the land at the grace of a local Baron, who may himself do so either in his own right or under the vassalage of a Count, the highest level of nobility.

The wealthy members of Gwethyn society are unafraid to show off in terms of fashion, with elaborate hairstyles amongst the women being particularly popular. Unmarried women wear their hair down and brushed straight so that it collects around their waist, and usually only decorate it with thin golden bands or other less extravagant items. Married women are distinguished by wearing their hair up in tall and elaborate hairstyles, often fastened with diamond broach pins and signets of the house that they are married into. Apart from that, Gwethyn fashion is generally conservative, with the bearing of cleavage being generally seen as vulgar.

Type of Government: The King is advised by a Conclave of Elders, which consists of five councillors selected at his own will. Traditionally these would have comprised of the most senior members of the Gwethyn aristocracy, but over the years successive monarchs have moved this into a more appointment based system.

Aside from that, the King operates a relatively loose amount of control over his vassals. Centralisation is low and usually only necessitated by the unparalleled infrastructure provided from Harksmoor, and so the vassals rebel sparingly.

Influence and relations:

The Heartlands - Tilrinics and Gwethyn are very similar culturally, both cultures are known for producing good orators and love the arts. The Imperial Family has traditionally kept good ties with a breadbasket of the Empire. There has even been a marriage alliance or two over the years. The Caernavir capitulated without a fight in the beginning of the Empire, only the second peoples to do so. To this day they make up a good number of the Imperial regiments since the common folk of both provinces get along so well.

Military -
Standing army - none.
Full levies raised - 35,000 men.
Normal levies raised - 15,000 men.

Unit demographics: The Gwethyn army is largely based on mobility, and is largely comprised of skirmishers and archers. The nation is also famous for its slingers and spear-throwers, who have been known to hit a target at a hundred paces. Cavalry is also well accounted for, but is generally comprised of light cavalry that is used to harry and chase down fleeing foes or heavier, less mobile enemies. There is a noted lack of both heavy cavalry (i.e. knights, which are absent apart from the small privileged class who can afford heavy armour) and heavy infantry. It is also slow to muster, and takes valuable men away from agricultural work.

Landscape: The landscape of Gwethydd is temperate and generally quite flat. There are some forests to the north and some hills to the west, but apart from that the main crescent of its land is well sourced with a criss-cross of minor rivers and protection from the western hills so as to provide perfect conditions for the growing of most major grains and fruits.

Economy: Well off to a point, but enormously disproportionate. Some 90% of the Gwethyn population are serf peasants who live in tithe to the land.

Religion: There are rumours of a host of folk deities being venerated in the northern forests, and efforts (which some would call desperation) are made in the theological and philosophical capital in Harksmoor to bring these into line with more traditional imperial theology. There are also strange whisperings that members of the royal family, particularly the Queen-Mother and her sister-in-law, have made dangerous investigations into the mysteries surrounding Azueral.

History: Gwethydd was one of the first kingdoms to capitulate into the Empire, almost without a fight. It swore its allegiance under the reign of King Aethlar I 'The Prudent', who oversaw that it took its rightful place as one of the chief suppliers of the most basic commodity that any nation requires in order to increase its power. Before that, Gwethydd had been a loosely backward conglomeration of unaffiliated nobles, with only the area immediately surrounding Harksmoor being ruled as any sort of 'kingdom'. It was partly bluff to convince the first Empress that Aethlar held control over as much land as he claimed to, and it was only as a vassal that he was able to claim the vast majority of the province.

The Kingdom holds the distinction of being one of the only vassals to never have rebelled against the Empire and so has a reputation, depending on who you ask, of loyalty or of complete cowardice and spinelessness. Famous for mediating in disputes, the kings of Gwethydd have been an almost constant presence in correspondence with those who ruled Ethica, some of whom regarded the kingdom as a nuisance and others who saw its worth and kept it close.

Recently, King Aethlar V was killed in a riding accident and his profligate son Aethlar VI succeeded him. Rumours abound about whether the Queen-Mother or any other members of the royal family were involved, and the Kingdom must resolve its own shaky hold on power as well as offering its effervescent council to the Empire at large.

Strengths: Diplomacy, a major breadbasket, peace within the kingdom.

Weaknesses: Weak army, dangerous infighting within the royal family.

Export: Fruits, wines, grain, timber, learning.

Import: Silks, cotton, jewels, stone, iron.

A Gilded Throne - A Shadow Looms (Closed)

I've started work on an area. This is the family template. If anyone cares to look over it that would be great. If any of you think that it won't work in this RP world then I can adjust accordingly. I'll start work on the actual region now!

Boop

The House of Caernavir

"From life comes light,"

Head of House: King Aethlar VI 'The Green', also known as The Green King.

House Specialty: The Caernavir have always fancied themselves as paragons of the middle path. Traditionally seen as caretakers of sensibility, they have used their position as one of the breadbaskets of the kingdom and a major exporter of both grain and fruit to leverage themselves into a position where their intervention and carefully constructed diplomatic web has averted dangerously volatile situations on a kingdom-wide but also on an imperial level.

Many a crisis has had the soothing input of a member of this family. Arbiters of peace, the main motivation of the Caernavir is to avert war at all costs. The reason for this is simple; in times of war, the breadbaskets of the empire become increasingly valuable targets. After all, if one side can cut off the supply of bread from the other, then the war is essentially finished. The ransacking, looting and rape involved in this sort of behaviour is something that the inhabitants of this pastoral kingdom feel is best avoided at all costs. Some see this as cowardice, the Caernavir see it as sensibility.

House Ancestral Artifact:

The Lute of the Verdant Wanderer

This instrument has been recorded as an artefact belonging to the Caernavir since time immemorial. A simple device at first sight, on closer inspection one will notice that the lute is still warm to the touch, and the wood which it is made from feels slightly moist and is unvarnished, with small veins of moss running through its somewhat soft body. All of this adds to the impression that the instrument is a living and breathing entity.

All members of the Caernavir family are taught to play the lute expertly, as this particular instrument, coupled with a particular set of notes only known to select members of the royal household, is rumoured to be capable of reversing the effects of a devastating drought, flood or other crop-ruining happenstance and allowing fresh shoots of grain to come from otherwise malnourished ground. As somewhat banal as this might seem compared to a flaming sword or a bracelet that summons a dragon, the lute has been absolutely instrumental three times in reversing the fortunes of the kingdom in times of uncertain weather.

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Important Members:

King Aethlar VI 'The Green' (aged 23) - Nicknamed the 'The Green King' by an affectionate people for his interest in riding out in the pastures that surround his Royal Palace, Aethlar is everything one could hope for in a young king. He is handsome, charismatic, tall, athletic, and fundamentally uninterested in the necessities of his role. The people adore him, but there are concerned whispers amongst the nobility of the kingdom as to who really holds the reigns of power while the King cavorts around and organises sumptuous jousts and games for him and his other young friends. He has dazzling blue eyes and sandy hair.

Queen Eadrith of Red Roost (aged 16) - Quite why the King personally chose the exceptionally plain daughter of the Lord of Red Roost, the most northerly city of the kingdom, is a mystery to most of those 'in the know' in the kingdom. Placid, pious, timid and generally assumed to be uninteresting, Eadrith is pregnant with the first child of her husband. Is she quite as much of a wallflower as she seems?

Queen Hiltruda, the Queen-Mother (aged 48) - Hiltruda is assumed by many to be the real power behind the throne. Her husband Aethlar V was famously profligate and uninterested in the affairs of trade and diplomacy, but unlike his eldest son he was fundamentally less easy to control. It is rumoured that his mysterious death in a riding accident was organised at least in part by Hiltruda, whose son is more than happy to let his doting mother take on some of the most mundane aspects of government. Hiltruda is much more physically imposing than her meek daughter-in-law, and though age has begun to round and sag her figure, her icy gaze and raven black hair continue to inspire intimidation in all but the most foolhardy noble. She holds an enormously influential position at court.

Prince Lethlin di Caernavir (aged 20) - The second son Aethlar V and Hiltruda, Prince Lethlin is decidedly more governmental than his brother, and is somehow even further under her influence. Joked about as her 'chief henchman', Lethlin is highly educated and dangerously diplomatic, often acting as the chief trade envoy of his family when his brother is otherwise indisposed or when foreign dignitaries have trouble treating with a woman. He is swarthier and shorter than his elder brother, with a willowy figure and a slow, loping manner of speech.

Princess Alissera di Caernavir (aged 55) - The eldest sister of the deceased Aethlar V, Alissera was set for a profitable marriage with her father's most influential vassal the Count of Ygris, but she was struck down at age seventeen with the Red Pox. This left her with a curved spine and a pock-marked face, to the point where she was considered unmarriageable and left to reside at her brother's court. Never seen in public without a heavy black veil and attended by her sombre ladies-in-waiting, Alissera has gained something of a reputation amongst the poorest citizens of the nation as a mysterious and fearsome figure. Privately, she is perhaps the most educated member of the family, reading extensively on an enormous variety of subjects and writing a large amount of philosophical and religious works.

Princess Haldetrude di Caernavir (aged 18) - The third and youngest legitimate child of Aethlar V, Haldetrude is known to be closest to her sister-in-law Queen Eadrith. She is tall, with an elegant disposition, and is an accomplished musician and dancer. Considered the most eligible virgin in the kingdom, suggestions for her marriage are mooted constantly. Like Eadrith, she is not considered exceptionally political by the wider nobility.

Lord Gaewin di Faz-Caernavir 'the Blackheart' (aged 23) - Technically the eldest son of King Aethlar V, Gaewin is a bastard born between the King and Alysandra di Recksmanworth, an attendant to Queen Hiltruda. He is nicknamed 'the Blackheart' somewhat incongruously by his enemies, mainly because of his unsociable disposition. He is employed as the captain of the Royal Guard, and was ennobled in a rare act of amiability by his half-brother after his father's demise. He is known to be close to his aunt Alissera but estranged from the Queen-Mother and his other half-brother Prince Lethlin.

Lady Eadgifu di Faz-Caernavir (aged 20) - Sister to Lord Gaewin, second bastard child of King Aethlar V.

Princess Gerberga, Countess of Ygris (aged 49) - Second sister of King Aethlar V, married the Count of Ygris in the place of her sister.

A Gilded Throne - A Shadow Looms (Closed)

<Snipped quote by TheMoatedGrange>

Yes, the area east of the map in beige is open atm for players.

There are also tribe spots open I should mention.

@GreivousKhan

Is that the larger area connected directly to the province just claimed, or the one below it? Sorry to be a nuisance.

A Gilded Throne - A Shadow Looms (Closed)

@Sovi3t No problem.

@GreivousKhan So the beige area is open too?

A Gilded Throne - A Shadow Looms (Closed)

@Sovi3t This is the territory I was talking about. Are you saying you'd like to play it? You got here earlier than me so dibs is your's.

If not I'd be interested in playing as that part!