Svers Haussad
The Svers Haussad, or "Great Houses" lead the people of the Svers Inner Kingdom and the Broken Heath.
Though the rulers of these great house each claim lineage back to the Three Caerls of Gwyn, it is Sigis Haus Vulda who reigns as king.
Once a year the Haussad gather at Holst for a Hausmot. There the reigning king makes proclamations and writes laws for the other Haus'. The heads of these house can challenge the law by dueling the king to first blood. They can even challenge the king for the right to the throne, though such a thing has not happened in seventy five years.
Structure
King
The King of the Haussad is both the Head of their Haus and ruler of the Haussad. Kings are chosen one of two ways. Either the king will appoint an heir, often a legitimate offspring, or the reigning king will be challenged by another Head of Haus at the yearly Hausmot in Holst. These challenges often take the form of duels to first blood, though in the past these duels were to the death. Rarely a challenge can be a battle of wits with each opponent posing a riddle until one side is unable to answer. The King is not only responsible for their own Haus, seeing that it's Caerls are trained, mediating disputes among his fyrds, and collecting taxes. The King must also mediate disputes between other Haus' (including their own), assign diplomats, write laws, maintain roads and fortifications, and direct new construction. The King does all this with the aid of the other Heads of Haus and the Witan.Witan
The Witans and their duties are appointed by the King, acting as both advisers and civil servants. Depending on the king there may be many Witans with a variety of specialized duties or merely a handful with broader responsibilities. Whenever a King is succeeded the new ruler may keep the previous Witans, assign new ones, or retire any previous Witans.Head of Haus
Within the Haussad the Head of Haus is more than just a title. The Head of Haus along with their Hascerl train new Caerls, mediate disputes among the fyrds, collect taxes, assign work crews to maintain or build new structures, and enforce the laws.Caerls
Caerls are the military might of the Haussad. While most are trained to be infantry some are trained as charioteers. In combat these charioteers harness the Auram and use their horns to batter enemy lines. When not in combat they patrol the borders of their land. In matters of justice the Caerls act as mediators hearing both sides and determining if there is a need for a duel. When the need for such duel becomes apparent, the Caerls then act as judges making sure both sides abide by the agreed upon rules and enforcing them. When a guilty verdict has been reached the Caerl then arrests them and cages them in the local Haus pensFyrd
The Fyrd are the common people of the Inner Kingdom. They till the fields, craft wares, and pay taxes to the local Haus.History
The Gift of the Auram
Fleeing the Jotun War and the battle marsh to the south, the Sverse people went north and settled the town of Holst . Being poor refugees with few resources the following winter was especially harsh for the Sversans. Eventually they beseeched their gods and offered human sacrifices to save them from their trials. After a full night of rituals the dawn rose and the Sverse people found their fields full of the Auram . The Aurams golden fleece would keep them warm, it's meat would feed them, and when spring came they would tie the Auram to plows and till the fields. For a time there was peace. the Sversan were able to explore more of this new land they found themselves in and formed the Inner Kingdom. But soon peace gave way to strife. Infighting broke out over who owned which flock, the elite hoarded the Auram, and civil war broke out among the Sverse. As the fighting reached its peak, Gwyn came with his Three Caerls.Gwyn and the Three Caerls
Not much is known of Gwyn or the Three Caerls (Vulda, Grimm, and Svarne) before they came to the Inner Kingdom. What is known is when Gwyn saw the devastation wrought by the greed over the Auram he set out to return them to the common people. First rustling from the largest herds of Torsalin and giving his spoils to the poorest Sversans he began to gain support until he marched on Chamavi and Holst itself. Eventually he set his Three Caerls as Governors of the Torsalin, Chamavi and Holst with himself leading all of the Inner Kingdom. Through his rule he gave ownership of the Auram to all Sversans. Before dying of old age Gwyn gave rulership to the descendants of his three Caerls and instituted the Rite of Sovereignty. With this the Haussad (Great Houses) could challenge for the right to rule the Inner Kingdom without the need for grand armies and the blood shed that comes with civil war.The Wraith King
It was during the Bale Night that the past finally caught up with the Inner Kingdom. Valeran the Wraith King rose from his grave in the Ghost Marsh of Ulfar. Drawn north to the Sverse descendants that fled the Jotun War, he brought with him an army of spectres to wreak destruction on those that had betrayed him. After several days of fighting the Sversans were finally able to defeat him when the sun rose.Plague and Wolves
As the Spongepox claimed the eastern Vael turning it into the Broken Heath, the Schtadt to the south began marching on the Inner Kingdom. The Schtadt were hunting the cursed Waergar, the wolfmen spawned from the Wisp Bog. The Sversan Caerls then rallied and repelled the Schtadt, killing the Waergar in the process.Claiming the Broken Heath
With the Schtadt repelled the Haussad began to look westward. Much of the land was barren growing only thorny scrub. This was a boon as the Auram could thrive here where little else could. The Haussad then began to take hamlet after hamlet fighting both the Vaelon and Imperial soldiers until soon the entire Broken Heath was under their control.An Eastern Threat
It was at this time when most of the Caerls were coming back after claiming the Broken Heath that the Valaskarrans appeared in the east. They had conquered Svarheim and were marching west to Chamavi. Utilizing the Auram chariots the Sversans were able to halt the advancing Valaskarrans and brought them to the peace table.A note for Players and GMs
Playing a Sversan
Aerra is based on a homebrew setting using D&D 3.5 edition rules. Humans born and raised within the Haussad follow these rules in place of the standard rules for Humans. Charioteers: Children are are trained to hold the reigns of a chariot as soon as they are able to walk. As part of this they are also trained to care for the Auram who pull the chariots. Because of this training Sversans gain a +2 modifier for the Ride, Handle Animal, and Balance skills. Weapon Proficiency; Battleaxe: The battleaxe is commonly used as both tool and dueling weapon within the Svers Haussad. All Sversans receive Martial Weapon Proficiency: Battleaxe Resistance to Disease: Having lived in and near the Broken Heath, only the hardiest Sversans have lived past infancy. All Sversans have a +2 modifier to Fortitude vs Disease. Chronicled History: All Sversans learn the history of the Inner Kingdom from a young age and are taught to read and write. This gives Literacy to all Sversan characters.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Demonym
Sversan
Leader
Head of State
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Power Structure
Feudal state
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
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