Indeed, his kingdoms, his crowns, are piles of kindling, waiting for the smallest fire to be burned to the ground."
-Brahman Aabharana Munner Kaapu, Sacred Scribe at the Leiphisium
Seen as little more then tribal savages by their peers, the Andal Kingdoms have forged their place in the world with iron and blood, crafting a new civilization in the wilderness.
An Andal is an Andal whatever he calls himself but they generally divide themselves into Lowlanders, those originating in Mertagia and Wesswern, and Highlanders, those originating in the lands north of the Mountains of Mourn: the Sea of Stones, the Broken Spires, and the Camber Peaks.
Lowlanders tend to be more xenophobic then their northern brothers. Years of being raided by Stone Clanners, Arpadians, Hobgoblins, Arran'aki, Oscians, and Grel have left them with a tainted view of others.
Lowlanders stick to their ways and are seen as backwards and primative though they are accomplished rangers and survivalists.
They are also the most populous of Andals and make up the bulk of the common folk in the Kingdom of Durlin and the entire Kingdom of Rivil.
Highlanders reflect the land they come from: harsh and stoic. Early in their history, Highlanders learned to fight off their invaders by building hill forts and fortifying strong places. Because of this, Highland Andals have been able to set their own terms when dealing with others.
Highlanders are not cosmopolitan in any sense of the word. In this sense they make good traders not because they have silver tongues, but because their know how to viciously control their market by sword and strength.
Because of the rough terrain and poor weather conditions, Highlanders make up the ruling class of Durlin and the Kingdom of Balmorn.
The Danelaw
Founded about 100 years ago by Raedwald the Thane, the Danelaw has become a powerhouse on the plains but suffers from a divided state, the Highlander nobility building their power on Lowlander backs.
During his early youth, Raedwald attempted to usurp his lord's clan. Killing his king and marrying the queen, for Raedwald, it look liked everything was coming up daises. However, that wouldn't last, as the brother of the killed king, a petty leader himself from the next clan over, used his brother's murder to wage war and only a few years later, ousted Raedwald and his warriors.
Traveling across the Shield as a mercenary for several years, Raedwald soon gathered together a band of loyal soldiers and traveled back to his homeland but instead of trying to take his clan back, Raedwald turned south and east to Wesswern, a stretch of river land between Ehikia and the Mountains of Mourn.
Sailing down the Severn River, Raedwald used his considerable fortune to purchase a small area of land on which he founded his capital, Dangeld. Over the coming years Raewald and his kin spread their power the surrounding land, forging the Danelanw
While all the citizens of the Danelaw are Andals, the divide between Highlander and Lowlander is no where more evident then in this kingdom. So much effort has been put into separating the two that have gone out of their way to change how they pronounce words and what they name their children. It's also agreed on by the Dukes that only a king with black hair and eyes can sit on the throne.
Lately, there's been trouble for the kingdom. The Bastard's War has sundered the kingdom in two and now it lays a shadow of its former self. Still, its helmed by Charles the Hammer, of the House of Selwyn, a crafty and capable warrior and tactician and the kingdom may yet rise again.
Kingdom of Illien Reborn
The Kingdom of Illien has its genesis centuries ago in a lowlander kingdom that was at constant war with the extinct kingdom of Umbria and the local Free Peoples.However, Illien today shares little in common with its ancestor. Its rulers are now the Avars: an Andalish sub-culture born from the blood and weapons of fire giants, who swept down from the Tail of Arshalaku and established themselves as conquerors.
From there, Illien began to make its way north, spreading over the plains of Wesswern, only to come head to head with the young Danelaw. Over the coming century, the two powers would battle for supremacy.
But in the end, the Danelaw proved to be the more formidable force.
And thus Odo Plantier became Odo Avergnon, Duke of Illien.
The Avers never forgot their defeat or their noble birthright, though near a century passed since Oswig the Bearded crushed their kingdom and it was only a matter of time before they took up their swords again.
The Avergnon family flourish under Daneling rule, becoming as rich and power as the king. Now, they only needed a reason. And it came by the Bastard of Krew, the illegitimate son of Edmund Pentagen and his Arpadian mistress. After a riot left Duke Edmund dead, strung up by his genitals from the branches of the Sacred Yew, Krew was left in crisis.
Duke Emeric Avergnon pressed the claim of his ward, Dyfad Pentagen, nephew of both Dukes, while King Charles of the Danelaw pressed the widow of Duke Edmund, Duchess Tsarmina's claim. Thus the Bastard's War began.
The war tore the Kingdom of Durlin in two, but out of the ashes rose the Kingdom of Illien Reborn.
Kingdom of Balmorn
Oldest of the kingdoms, Balmorians are rabble-rousing, booze-lovin' rebels without a cause. They respect strength and many deep clan alliances have started with both parties punching each other. It's said that the wet highlands breed fiery men.
Balmorn is ruled by the Iron King who sits on the White Throne and is supported by a cadre of warrior Dukes. The first Iron King was Aed mac Cinaeda, who repelled a Grelish invasion by uniting a number of smaller clans.
Mac Cinaeda King had a simply strategy for keeping his kingdom at peace: keep it at war. Known for constantly provoking anyone within spear reach, By this, his Dukes were too busy fighting others to bother fighting him. This tactic has proven effective ever since then.
Balmorians are simple folk. They love their fighting, they love their booze, and they love their family. Balmorians don't desire conquest or to see new horizons, because they know that the most rewarding things in life are found within the home.
Kingdom of Rivil
Despite only being founded 70 years ago, Rivil has become an economic powerhouse. Controlling the mouth of the Vos River and the entirety of Roskev Bay, Rivil has become a shipping center for the north seas.
Starting with a blood-feud between the Houses of Lutkhovsky and Polavich, the two clans soon began to form a black hole that sucked all other nearby tribes into their ever increasing war. It looked like the only way it would end would be the death of everyone involved, however the feud seemed to be at a turning point when the leader of House Polavich died, leaving his uncle, Viktor the Blind, an exceedingly old man, to rule the house.
Seeing the cracks in the foundation begin to occur, Lenon Lutkhovsky tried a direct attack on Vyskaya, the Polavich capital, committing his whole fleet to the assault, but Viktor the Blind was expecting this and trapped the fleet in the bay, winning a decisive victory at the Battle of Burnt Water.
Shortly after, the Lutkhovsky capital was razed to the ground, the fields salted and the walls torn down. The feud had ended and in the ashes of the war, a new kingdom was born.
The Kingdom of Rivil is a meritocracy with powerful Houses ruled by Princes. While most Houses formed from families, these families have little concept of traditional nobility, happily marrying their members to rich merchants and powerful reavers to gain their loyalty.
Succession is decided by a King's Moot on the passing of the old High King and so Princes will vie for political power, scheming with plans within plans. Since it's founding, the Kingdom of Rivil has had 2 such Moots. The fortunes of the kingdom are still to be augured.
The Free Peoples
The majority of Andal clan lands are still an untamed mess of warring factions who belong to no kingdom. In the wild places of Wesswern and Mertagia they still practice the ancient rites of manhood and the burning of kings.
A Freeman is any Andal that belongs to one of these clans. The reason they haven't been incorporated into a nearby kingdom varies. Some that live next these powerhouses despite the idea of kneeling to another, while others treasure their independence. Still, the majority of Free Andals live so far away from crowns that they really have no opinion on them, the idea of a kingdom so out of their frame of reference it'd be like describing a space shuttle to an Amazon tribesmen.
The Free People make up the bulk of the Andal population, being mostly Lowlanders but free Highland reavers that plunder the villages along the Broken Spires, but their fractured status means they wield very little politic power. Not that they care much as must don't desire empire or power but simply to make sure that they pass on to their children what was left to them by their fathers.
Naming Hints:
Durlin Nobility: Welsh and English
Durlin Commoner: Slavic
Balmorian: Scottich and Old Gaelic
Rivil: Polish and Russian
Free Andal: Anglo-Saxon
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