Fantasy Noble Age - OOC

[Soviet Panda]

Can I just say, after having like four tabs open to make sure I kept everything straight, I'm going to look forward to having a place where all this stuff is compiled. It doesn't have to be neat, it just has to be in one place.

 

[Dalamus Ulom]

Hey all.

Hey there, how's you're day been?

 

[Dalamus Ulom]

Can I just say, after having like four tabs open to make sure I kept everything straight, I'm going to look forward to having a place where all this stuff is compiled. It doesn't have to be neat, it just has to be in one place.

You only have four tabs open? I've still got a window with twenty something pages on heraldry open.

 

[StormWolf]

.... ahem



House Chalhain

We Do Not Rest
​

First Founding
Shaded by yon boughs of of Elder Tree,
Plotted Chalhain Brothers Three.
With home behind and the world ahead,
Their thirsting blades e'er stained red.
Broken were the crowns of Faerie Kings
Like rotten fruit, on branches swing.

In the moody hills an misted glens of the Alrhion Isles, scholars have found the origins of House Chalhain shrouded in myth, their rise told through the oral traditions of their bards. While the existence of "Faerie Kings and Courts" are questionable, the Chalhain are clever in their encouragement of such tall tales among the peasantry. It has elevated their status to one of folkloric proportion, revered as the descendants of giant-slayers and fae-queens.
As best as the Order of the Tome can surmise, they were, at one point, ruled by some long-forgotten outside power. In that period, Alrhionnach were little more than farmers without a written language. Their population was easily subjugated, and had been for generations. Sometime in this murky history, after a several scattered, failed uprisings, the three sons of a blacksmith arose to such heights as to unite the scattered clans of the Alrhionnach. According to legend, they gathered in the black forests and mustered for war. The numbers of the forces commanded by the Chalhain's varies from no more than a hundred to a staggering force of 50,000, the Chalhain brothers themselves riding wolves the size of bears bearing weapons forged from the shards of stars. The latter is, in the words of High Scribe Albrecht, "Fantastical pissant drivel".
However, this "Elder Tree" mentioned in the Brothers Three Ballad does exist, as it is considered a holy site to the Alrhionnach. All accounts suggest that the Chalhain forces did, in fact, round up all nobility of their oppressors - men, women, children - and hung them from the boughs. A grisly, barbaric display, and a practice of execution reserved for the highest crimes.

Presently
Today, House Chalhain still holds great influence, though they have not sustained uncontested control of the Alrhion region for so long. They have fallen and risen time and again, and each time they resurge, they do so with a brand of ferocity unique solely to them. They sit at the head of the Council of Chiefs, in which every old Clan, Family, and House as a representative. For the last hundred years or so, this has prevented wholesale rebellion and civil strife in the region. There are three famous strongholds, each laid by one of the Brother's Three. These form the keystones of the region.

Caernlavroch, the First. The Guardian of Alrhion's Heart. The Seat of the House
Said to be built with the assistance of Fae and the Druids, and while this is written off as more peasant folklore, Caernlavroch has never fallen to enemy forces. Caernlavroch Keep was the first to rise, and the city steadily built up around it in following generations. The Ban-Drui Woods run adjacent to Caernlavroch, in the heart of which the ancient Druids attend the sacred Elder Tree. Here, the sons and daughters of the Great Clans and Houses petition for the chance to join the Fenhrionach, the fabled order of warrior-poets that drove the vile powers into the sea.

Scirbroch, the Second. The StormBreaker.
Built against the Bay of Beowa, Scirbroc is a bustling sea-port placed along one of the few hospitable coastlines in the Isles. Here, the Alrhionnach build their ships, engage in trade, and command the surly grey seas surrounding their homeland. In days of yore, the breaking of winter meant the hauling of red sails, for when the Alrhionnach would be as a scourge in the seas along the mainland coast. As with everything else in Alrhion, it is mired in myth. When the Second of the Brothers Three build the sea-fort Scirbroch and the Leodh Beacon, it was supposedly to act as the first defense against the return of the Faeondri.

Cromroch, the Third. The Blue Mountain.
It is said that the Brothers Three sought the Sage-Smith of the Fae, Leodh, in the heart of the Blue Mountain. Each was given three trials, at the completion of which the Sage-Smith forged a sword, a spear, and an axe from shards of a star that had fallen from the heavens. Myth aside, Cromroch is a city of artistry and industry. Furnaces bellow, hammers ring, and songs soar. Those with the gift of craft will find themselves at Cromroch, apprenticing under one of the masters or joining a guild for their craft.

Culture & Anthropology
(Aesthetically: Celt-Saxon + Norman + Rus)

The Alrhionnach are a highly superstitious people, and have always loved a good song, a strong drink, and an honest fight. They are abrasive and distrusting of outsiders, but once their favor is earned, they will be loyal to a fault, even to their own detriment. Likewise, they take betrayal and treachery as a personal assault on the grounds of honor alone, and will go so far as to ensure that generations unborn will quiver at the utterance of their name.

In such a gloomy landscape, the Alrhionnac favor bright colors when they can. Plaid sashes denote social status, profession, and House/Clan affiliation. The zupan and kefta are common garments among the nobility, often bearing the primary colors of their House or Clan, and brocaded appropriately. The tails of these garments usually fall below the knee and are pleated along the back. Torcs have always been a favorite accessory, coming in sizes small enough for a finger and large enough to be worn about the neck. Animal furs are as much function as fashion, and the extensive wildlife seen throughout Alrhion makes fur and textile trade one of their primary exports.

They are a culture that provides equal representation to both sexes, while women bear a unique reverence. Only women may tend the Elder Tree as a Ban-Drui, entrusted by the Triumverate Goddess, Daenu, at birth. Females may wear the crown as readily as males, and it is something that has occurred several times in their history, generally leading to periods of spiritual resurgence in the isles. Additional honors are paid to women who are mothers.

When a woman is considered of-age, and when she has decided to open herself to suitors, she will put her hair in a single, long plait down her back, fastened with a plain copper band. Marriages are performed in hand-fasting ceremonies, and should a third partner be brought into an already existing engagment, all three must participate, those already bound renewing their vows to eachother, and including the third partner in those vows.

In their faith, the number 3 is sacrosanct, echoed throughout their culture in many ways. The most noteworthy is the practice of minor polyamory. Matters of dowry still apply, and as such this is a practice typically practiced by land-holders and nobles, but the number of partners may never exceed three to a Bond. As expected, they are fiercely loyal and passionate partners who hold matters of family sacred. Triplet births are the cause of a celebration in a community, the mother crowned in flowers as an aspect of the Goddess with feasting and drinking. In the instance of a royal birth in such a manner, the the Druid Hymn will echo throughout the city, the birth-day treated as holiday.

They hold sacred festivals at the culmination of seasonal equinoxes, often meaning feasting, dancing, and debauchery. The exception is the Autumn Equinox, a time of sobriety, restraint, and solemnity; a time to honor the dead and prepare for the harshness of winter to come.

Spoiler: Heads of House Chalhain

The Triat Throne
Peryn Chalhain Mac Morn, the Bloody-Handed, The Red Wolf, High King of Alrhion

A man of singular focus, commitment, and sheer will. Peryn's reputation for severity earned him a lengthy list of alternative nomenclature, the most popular of which are "The Bloody-Handed" and "The Red Wolf". Fifty-Four winters old, he killed his first man at the age of seven as an Aspirant in the Fenhrionach. His crown is a single band of brass inlaid with silver forming an intricate antler-knot pattern. A single fire opal the size of a quail egg sits in the center of his brow, socketted by a silver crescent moon.

Skytha Macfjerd Morn Chalhain, Hand of Daenu, the Iron Druid, Queen of Alhiron

Even in modernity, there are those who whisper in hushed tones about Queen Skytha. The Ban-Drui are an arcane, secretive sisterhood who sit at the right hand of the Goddess. Even stranger was that Skytha was already married when Peryn made himself known to her, and married to another woman, no less. Skytha and her wife, Aielfa, each tasked the handsome and stern hero-king with three trials, as was tradition. Each trial is intended to test the mettle of mind, body, and spirit. When Peryn returned triumphant, albeit missing a finger, Skytha became one of the two queens of Alhiron.
Aged forty-nine years, she is no less a warrior than her husband, known for defending sacred standing-stones from apostates and watering the roots of the Elder Tree with blood come Salhein. She is witty as a fox with the hair to match, with the mothering attributes of a surly cave bear.

Aielfa Mornac Mac Chalhain, The Scarlet Lady, She Before Whom Evil Breaks, Witch-Queen of Alhiron

Among the Ban-Drui, there are those rare few entrusted with the secret truths of their faith. Aielfa was one such woman. She had all but grown up among the Ban-Drui, taken in when consumption laid her family and village in the ground. There, she met Skytha, a fearsome and generous woman, and was for the first time in her life, smitten to speechlessness. Consider her surprise when a scarred prince came to them under the shadows of the Elder Tree, seeking their blessing to put down rebellion, and was equally smitten a second time.
While Skytha and Peryn are the fighters, neither can hold a candle to the ferocity of Aielfa. She knows the secrets of the body, the mind, and the spirit. She can break a person without a single draw of the knife, yet she could not break Peryn. Aielfa is a secretive and observant woman, an owl among the hawk and eagle that are her partners.

Spoiler: Heirs of House Chalhain

Aldhelm Morn MacChalhain, The Anvil, Thegn of Cromroch

Firstborn of Aielfa and Peryn, thirty-four year old Aldhelm is a large man with temperament akin to his parents. His dour sobriety made the grim region of Cromroch a fine fit. He takes his joy in equestrian sports and hunts when he isn't overseeing the ironclad city of Cromroch as its acting Thegn, reputed as a peerless warrior in the saddle and a champion jouster. Aldhelm's stables are host to the sturdy Alrhion Destrier, a fine horse for heavy cavalry.

Athelglyth Morn MacChalhain, the Lioness

There will ever be the bard-songs of Athelglyth, too young even for her Maiden-Braid at the time, besting all the lords and their hounds in the Wild Hunt, felling the champion stag with a single toss of her spear. From an early age, she had the eyes and hearts of the people. While she may not bear the elfin beauty of some of her sisters, she possesses a skill for what would be considered solely masculine arts in the mainland. While her brother, blood-brother Aldhelm bears the title of Thegn in Cromroch, she makes sure the cogs of the proverbial machine run. She's not afraid to get her hands and royal kefta dirty. Hardly thirty, she's as an imposing suitor as any from Chalhain stock.

Craedric Mac Morn Chalhain, The Wild

Skytha thought herself blessed when she first learned she was bearing twins. Craedric and his twin brother, Cnebba, strained such notions. Craedric is the largest of Peryn's children, a head and a half over even Aldhelm, with all the restraint of a rabid wolverine. He's a man of the moment, guzzling ale by the keg and keeping copious company of both sexes each night. Those who called him out quickly found themselves on the wrong end of his viscous spear, their head mounted along a road. Thirty-three years old, Craedric shows no aspiration for the finer crafts of the Triat Throne, happy among the ranks of the Fenhironach.

Cnebba Mac Morn Chalhain, The Wise, Thegn of Scirbroch

Cnebba, unlike his brother - or perhaps due in part to his brother - is a master of restraint. With a mind as sharp and swift as an adder, he was often the one to hatch the mad schemes, and Craedric was always the right one to carry them out. Of all the Chalhain Clan, Cnebba is the most worldly, dressing himself in fashions seen in the mainland. He is a moderate swordsman in his own right, but his mind is one for strategy and treaty.

Mardrith Mac Morn Chalhain, The Scholar

Firstborn daughter of Skytha, she takes after her blood-brother Cnebba in her studies. Twenty-three years of age, though her ageless quality would make her seem far younger, she is fluent in seven languages; she's studied in arithmetic, astrology, philosophy, and phisiology. She is a striving scholar in her own right, putting her at odds with her myth-mired culture.

Amicia and Elyssia Morn MacChalhain, the Kithain

The birth of the Golden Triplets was a cause of great celebration throughout Alrhion. To this day, they are famed figures as their sagas only continued to grow. Amicia and Elyssia are hauntingly identical. When matched with their elf-like complexion, they have frequently been called fae-tricksters by tutors, cooks, siblings, and dignitaries. For their twenty-five years, they haven't separated from each other, and even now take their preparation as aspiring Ban-Drui together. Both are wicked with a bow and possess a unique kindred quality with beasts.

Theodric Morn MacChalhain, the Huntsman

One could not expect the third of the Golden Triplets to be so different from his sisters. Theodric, of all of Peryn's sons, is most like his father. His ferocity is tempered with willpower, guided by an unbiased valor and predatory focus. Like his blood-brother Craedric, Theodric trained with the Fenhrionach while also subject to the lessons of tutors and siblings alike. Unlike Craedric, however, Theodric is saddled with a thirsting ambition and drive. For this, peasant-gossip says he carries the star-sword of his forebears. It is said that in a duel of mettle, Theodric slew his foe by throwing his spear with his foot.

Meloda Mac Morn Chalhain

Only a girl of seventeen, Meloda is still discovering her place and how that fits in with the world at large. She is closest to her her bond-brother, Theodric, and her blood sister, Athelglyth, and has taken to the hero-tales of the bards.

Ieofwyn Morn MacChalhain

Presently the youngest of the Chalhain Clan, at eight years old.

Cultural Arms & Armor
Caernaxe - Typically two-handed with a single large bit, shaped for hacking as much as thrusting. Sparth Axe + Bardiche. More modern versions have an anvil or arming spike on the backside of the axe-head.

Claedmorraig - A massive sword without peer, it’s name meaning “Reaper of Morraig”. A great sword to end great swords, fabled heroes of the Isles have been said to cleave through horse and rider, rank after rank.

Gaiabulga - The signature hewing spear of the Fenhrionach, essentially a short sword on a spear haft. The warriors of the Fenhrionach are known to wield two of these spears at once, as well as a targe shield and a sword or axe at their side.

Targe - A round buckler shield with a pyramidal charging spike erecting from the center boss. Typically oak lined with boiled leather and iron or brass fittings.

CuClaed - Translated literally to “Hound’s Sword”, a sword used by the average man-at-arms and citizen, ranging from arming sword to war sword in size.

Leodsteel - A jealously guarded secret passed from Master Smith to one apprentice every generation, a method brought up from some unknown and long-forgotten artisans from the south. This steel is smelted in a crucible, forming a high-carbon wootz that is then painstakingly shaped and folded to the desired form. The three weapons made for the Brothers Three are undoubtedly of this craft, but the legend surrounding them suggests material from an extraterrestrial source was used.

The typical Alrhionnach armsman is kitted with a gambeson mail hauberk, and brigandine cuirass, a sash or surcoat worn to denote House and Clan affiliation. Most armsmen will carry a spear, shield and CuClaed, hammer, axe, or mace.
Only heavy cavalry will be fitted with full plate armor, and are armed with flamberge-headed lances as well as wicked falchions.
Fenhrionach troops dress themselves in longer hauberks of riveted mail with steel lamellar cuirasses, their helms often decorated with wolf, lion, or bear pelts. They wear no clan-colors, for they serve only Caernlavroch and the High King. This band of warrior-poets are a standing military force.

Spoiler: Martial Matters

As with any martial culture, the Alrhoinnach have developed a series of fighting styles unique to them.
Claedvaska - A common sight in duels of honor. The fighter in question wields a CuClaed in one hand and a long-bladed knife - called a dirk - in the other. In conjunction with a targe strapped to the arm, it proves itself useful against one or more opponents through rapid, fluid transition between defense, counter, and offense.
The downside is the shield itself. The targe isn't a terribly large shield, and the charging spike can get stuck in tissue. Being strapped to the arm like a heater, it frees up the off-hand for reins or weapons, but can be easier to manipulate.

Baen'bulga - The Fenhrionach way of war. Targe strapped to one arm with a spear in each hand and a sword at their side. A viscous way of fighting covering a broad range of contact, fantastic for single combat to skirmish warfare. To be considered a master of the Baen'bulga, and thus a brother or sister of the Fenhrionach, the aspirant is buried up to the waist in peat-earth, armed with a staves and shield, and must defend themselves against their peers.

​

 

[LadyOfStars]

Working until 10 pm tonight. See you guys then.

 

[StormWolf]

I come bearing gifts

I'll be doing proper terrain next

EDIT: Updated. Chalhain holding can be moved wherever at GM input.

 

[Dalamus Ulom]

I come bearing gifts

I'll be doing proper terrain next

EDIT: Updated. Chalhain holding can be moved wherever at GM input.

Very nice. Input for House Veritun/Rima, the area is very hilly and mountainous. Think the Switzerland/Transylvania of the country.

 

[StormWolf]

Very nice. Input for House Veritun/Rima, the area is very hilly and mountainous. Think the Switzerland/Transylvania of the country.

That makes non-colored borders even easier. Can do!

 

[StormWolf]

Posted map updated. Let me know what you think.

Note: At this scale, every hill and stream would be impossibly busy. Foothills and highlands are expected around mountains, as is.

 

[LadyOfStars]

I come bearing gifts

I'll be doing proper terrain next

EDIT: Updated. Chalhain holding can be moved wherever at GM input.

Lovely map! But it’s spelled “Corvus” and not “Corvis”.
Also are those mountains between the Corvus lands and the crown lands? As well as the estley lands? I’m not asking for a change, just wanted to confirm lol.

 

[StormWolf]

Correct. Mountains and rivers were the most definitive form of border placement up until the railroad. Since we don't have the iron horse or the telegram, I'm going off that basis.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Correct. Mountains and rivers were the most definitive form of border placement up until the railroad. Since we don't have the iron horse or the telegram, I'm going off that basis.

Screw railroads. I love a mountain border lol.

 

[StormWolf]

To be fair, (rail) roads are a great way of keeping the information train of an empire running. Taxes won't collect themselves.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Yeah, but people and armies can walk right across a road of any sort.

 

[StormWolf]

Impassable mountain borders tend to work both ways, but I totally get where you are coming from.

But in those murky areas of mercurial borders is where Marcher Barons come into play, and you hope you didn't appoint an alcoholic hothead to participate in a cold war.

EDIT: Updated with Corvus name correction and some more rivers, because a single river lead to the largest, oldest empire of our history. They're important.

EDIT-EDIT: I'm also open to starting threads of intrigue with other Houses, because otherwise the Chalhain will remain obstinate (and probably drunk) on their island until the cankerous murder-hobo's come knocking.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Rofl.

I wish our Houses were closer to one another. Your House is so great.

 

[StormWolf]

Hey, we both got boats. Just make it worth the trip.

And I just tossed the island down, I'll wait and see what Heat says/thinks about the geographic placement of Alrhian. From an purely anthropological standpoint, proximity to Ambercrown, Erio, and the Order of the Maple are all viable.

Unsure of theology in "the Realm", but I'd imagine the Goddess the Order pledges to is similar enough to the Triple Goddess of the Alrhiannach for them to have an abiding respect for the Green Knights.

 

[LadyOfStars]

The current head of House Corvus will have attended Calhain festivals since his adolescence, and will be a big supporter/ally, so long as that’s alright with you.

I’m also fairly happy that you’re on a distant island and hope you get to stay there lol. Your people are dangerous.

 

[StormWolf]

The current head of House Corvus will have attended Calhain festivals since his adolescence, and will be a big supporter/ally, so long as that’s alright with you.

I’m also fairly happy that you’re on a distant island and hope you get to stay there lol. Your people are dangerous.

Dangerous, but not unreasonable! Fine line there, and we like dancing it.

But I could see the Head of a House the Chalhain have traded/allied with with being invited to the Spring festivals.

 

[Dalamus Ulom]

Impassable mountain borders tend to work both ways, but I totally get where you are coming from.

But in those murky areas of mercurial borders is where Marcher Barons come into play, and you hope you didn't appoint an alcoholic hothead to participate in a cold war.

EDIT: Updated with Corvus name correction and some more rivers, because a single river lead to the largest, oldest empire of our history. They're important.

EDIT-EDIT: I'm also open to starting threads of intrigue with other Houses, because otherwise the Chalhain will remain obstinate (and probably drunk) on their island until the cankerous murder-hobo's come knocking.

House Veritun is willing to work for just about anyone. That is, if your fine with having a family of bastards and torturers working for/with you

 

[StormWolf]

House Veritun is willing to work for just about anyone. That is, if your fine with having a family of bastards and torturers working for/with you

I imagine quite a few sons and daughters of "festival misadventures" have found their way there. Keep in mind the Chalhain aren't strangers to disproportionate severity and/or savagery.

 

[Soviet Panda]

Just to make this clear to everyone. Firstly, It's the House McKinley, the Order of the Maple are just there as well. Secondly, I wrote up House McKinley with the idea of it being a minor house, not sure if that part has been clear with everyone so I'm just saying here so there's no confusion in the future. And thirdly, House McKinley can't offer much aside from a place at the table and a spot next to the fire, but by god is Connor going to try and make friends of the noble variety.

 

[StormWolf]

I'm so sorry! I just made that correction and will update map posting accordingly. Given possibly similar origin and worship of the same deity (from my understanding), Chalhain might be up for it. Nothing to do with a mainland foodhold. Nope...

EDIT: And updated. Sorry about that!

 

[Soviet Panda]

I'm so sorry! I just made that correction and will update map posting accordingly. Given possibly similar origin and worship of the same deity (from my understanding), Chalhain might be up for it. Nothing to do with a mainland foodhold. Nope...

EDIT: And updated. Sorry about that!

It's cool. The Order of the Maple is more a House then the McKinley House right now anyways, let's be honest.

 

[StormWolf]

As First Foundings go, it could have been way worse.