Keledon
"Keledon?" asked Buck, cooly, sizing up this foreign patron sitting at his bar with a steely glance, "I suppose I'd be of the mind to soundly mock ye for asking about me homeland while yer in me homeland, but seein' as it be yer first time here, and Deici is quite a ways off--don't be surprised, I've got me an ear for accents--I'll indulge ye and tell ye a bit about the realm."
Geography
"Bein' that yer here in the capital and probably don't know much of the kingdom beyond here, seein' as how Deican merchants never head further north than here, let's begin with the lay of the land. The whole peninsula, it be Keledon. From here to the Ironfists up in the northeast, which be a stony mercy keepin' us divided from Akaryth. Then it's off t' the Marches in the west, and Sen and the rest o' the Sixlunds beyond that." "The Marches are one o' the Reaches--those be chunks o' the realm governed by one of the great Houses in the name o' the Queen. It's a stony and hard land and hard t' work, but House Terwin does what it can, and bein' that they produce the finest horses in the Realm, I'm sure they're doin' somethin' right for a change. Probably stealin' Lathani breeds and paintin' them," he quipped, to chuckles from those patrons nearby. "Now, when ye come south o' the Marches ye come to the three Reaches that're the heart of the ancient kingdom. First up is the Dalelands, that we call Abrethed in th' Old Tongue. It's beautiful but tough there--rollin' hills and lakes, forests and rough valleys an' the old stone circles t' be sure. The Ravens rule there--that's House Ebeðar. An' right on its southern border ye come to the Blackfangs, bein' as they are mountains of jagged, juttin' hard black stone. Two ranges, that is, with a deep and wild cleft valley 'tween em, openin' into a plain of good n' fertile farmland. That be the Reach we call The Haft, and wild is the whole place, while House Morym rules it. That Reach brings out the steel in men n' wimmin too. And south n' west o' that, runnin' from the Blackfangs to the sea, be the Reach of Elbana, where House Derthion guards well th' Old Ways. These three, see, be the heart o' the land like I said, and there be the oldest blood runnin' in veins there. The Druids, they know an' see an' do things there they kint do elsewhere." "Now, iffn ye walk northeast o' the Dalelands and the Haft, ye'll come to North Arvendur, which comes hilly and rocky bein' that it leads up to th' Ironfists, but Karda's Vale be there too, bein' a valley lusher and more given to farmin' than ye've ever seen. House Kaerwyn rules th' roost there. And south o' that be South Arvendur and House Dreigar where the hills start to break a little but I don't think it ever stops rainin'. Dour folk there too, but strong and tough." "South o' that is Blackfordshire, runnin' down t' the sea. House Aragawain rules there, over good farmland and old forest, with the sea in the south, the mountains in th' east, right up to the river in the west. And over the river is Reach of Kulain , and House Alens. We call it th' Blackmoors sometimes, which is why th' Duke o' Blackmoor is the head of the House. Fine, fertile land there too, and the best wool in th' land, and the best beer brewed, save that which I make meself here in Hawksholme." "Comin' southwest o' Kulain is Lothyan where House Kurdwyn be the Lords. Like Kulain, it's good and fine land but ain't got too much in the way o' natural defenses. That's made the people there good fighters because they've 'ad to be. And then south o' that we get to where we are," Buck swept his arm around wide to illustrate the point, "and this be the Reach o' Kingsland where the Queen rules. I mean, truly she rules it all, but its the way the kingdom works. She's the Queen, but she's also the duchess o' this Reach, and it's the best one in all the land, iffn ye ask me. Good land for farmin', good timber in the Greatwood, fish, good pastureland, even good mines off in the hills away west. And south o' this is the Southlands and House Windmere. We used t' call that Kalabarshire in the Old Tongue, after the city o' Kalabar, on the sea, which is where ye would've landed when ye came. And off the shores are the Isles, which be the last o' the Reaches, where House Boruþ--that's Borudh if ye can't manage our accent--rules. Stony islands, where the people are asea so much they're half fish, I'll warrant."Climate
"Weather is good in the realm over part o' the year, especially here in the south. Up north I swear they've got snow half the year, especially with the storms comin' off the Ironfists, but it gets warm enough here and in parts o' Kulain and Blackfordshire that they kin sometimes grow fruits from warmer lands. Oranges and such. Summers're warm, winters be cold, but that's why we calls 'em summer and winter. Rains all in the spring, and hot in the summer, unless yer in Avendur, when it's rain or snow all the bleedin' time."Government
"Now, I told ye that the Great Houses govern the Reaches in the name o' our beloved Queen Heulyn II but they don't do it all themselves. Under them're other hosues, major and minor. So ye've got land, and commoners work it, payin' a tax o'what they produce to their local lord. Dependin' where they live, that's a minor or major house. An that House is a vassal of a bigger house, until you get t' the Great House rulin' that Reach. And those Houses are vassals o' the Crown. So in the end the Crown rules over it all, along with her helpers, Queen Heulyn's High Council." "The Lords, they handle disputes and enforce the queen's law, but so do the Druids. Th' latter be judges, magistrsates, wise men and wimmin, but iffn ye've done somethin' and go to trial, ye'll face a jury too. We don't look kindly on murder, theft, rapin', desertin', and so on, and if ye deserve t' die for what ye done, ye will. Over the mountains in Akaryth and in some other lands ye can demand a trial by combat, but we got no truck with that 'ere. That be a thing fer ye followers o' The High Path, but we run the Old Ways 'ere.People
"Now, I've told ye a bit about how people are in different Reaches, but as for 'ow we look, beyond bein' strong men and beyootiful wimmin, up north they tend t' have hair the colour o' straw and light eyes. Here in the south it's darker hair n' eyes, and up in Elbana they get more red 'air than elsewhere. An' up north they don't wear th' bright colours people down 'ere like, exceptin' maybe when they wed or on our high days. We celebrate them t' honour the way the land changes over the year, and to give thanks for the harvest, and when we huddle down to ride out Longest Night." "Most've our people are country folk an' live off the land. An most of us have no call for readin' or writin' but we do love our songs n' tales. That's why we 'ave bards. They study under th' Druids for a while, and learn a lot o' the lore and the old stories. Ye got travellin' entertainers too, but they ain't the same thing. We all work 'ard to make a livin' in this land, and when it's time t' celebrate we do that every bit as hard too." "What's that? Oh, depends on where ye be. Down here we bury our dead, but in some parts o' the north they burn 'em. Except those odd folk of House Ebeðar but that's a story fer another time."Naming Convention
"Oh, our names? Nothin' odd about em. You name yerselves differently in Deici? We ''ave a name given us when we're born. Then we 'ave a name for our family. Sometimes that's an old name, mebbe as old as th' Clan Years, or mebbe fer what yer family does--farmer or cooper or fletcher or what 'ave ye. When ye hear those names with kes in em, and I imagine that's what yer askin', they're old clan names. Kes means "of the clan", so our first king was Sothar kesGalen, that be meanin' Sothar of the Galen Clan. And in some places, especially the heartlands, yer name might just be ya lineage. I'd be Buck Tharnson iffn I ived there, because me father was named Tharn. An' sometimes ye get a nickname and people call ye by that." "So now ye know a little somethin' of our land. Ye plannin' on payin' for yer ale now, er what?"Religion
The Keledoni people follow a religious tradition rooted in their legends, songs, tales and myths. There are major myths that everyone in the kingdom knows--such as that of King Sothar, who founded the realm--and local ones found everywhere.
The Keledoni believe there are two worlds--the physical one we see every day, and the Otherworld, often called the 'world through the mists', the 'Grey Realm', 'the Land Behind' or, simply, the Grey. Within the Grey there are distinct realms, such as the elemental ones. Gods, spirits and heroes live in these different realms. The two worlds are not firmly divided, and things can slip back and forth between them if they know how. The Grey holds a central role in Keledoni myths and beliefs.
There are several sacred days celebrated each year in great festivals. Solstices and equinoxes (first days of each season) are venerated, as are two others. The first is held in mid-May when Spring has truly taken hold of the land. The second is celebrated in two parts--at first harvest and then again at last harvest. The Druids themselves celebrate a few additional days sacred to the priesthood but less so to the laymen.
Keledoni religion does not require specific rituals or acts be carried out by regular followers. There are many local traditions found throughout the land, but folklore forms part of daily life, not a religion that can be celebrated separately.
Among the common people Druids are held in high regard and serve as arbitrators, healers, soothsayers and guardians of wisdom and history. The monarch of the kingdom cannot legitimately occupy the throne without the blessing of the Druids, who alone are empowered to perform the rites of kingship that make a monarch.
There are several major sacred sites within the kingdom such as Capel Derwydd, Draoi Vale and the Whitestag. Stone circles and other megalithic-style sites are found scattered throughout the country side.
The Keledoni druids have had a long tradition of friendship with the Ashani, and the four-fold elemental scheme central to druidry was learned from the Ashani over a thousand years ago.
Founding Date
941
Capital
Training Level
Semi-professional
Demonym
Keledoni
Leader
Ruling Organization
Head of State
Head of Government
Government System
Monarchy, Absolute
Power Structure
Feudal state
Economic System
Palace economy
Subsidiary Organizations
Notable Members
Relatively neutral
Keledon views Sitadori as a beautiful state of culture and refinement, if perhaps a little too snooty. Sitadori views Keledon as heathens on the edge of the world, but does enjoy a good trade relationship with them.
Tense but this is mitigated by the Ironfist Mountains which divide the two nations.
Keledon and Akaryth have, at many times in their history, been rivals and outright foes. Akarthan aggression and attempts at conquest either militarily or economically have been relatively common, and the Keledoni adherence to the Old Ways and refusal to follow The High Path causes Akaryth to view them as uncultured at best and outright savages at the worst.
Mutual dislike
Keledon has a strong dislike for the island nation of Deici, finding its evangelical promotion of The High Path to be nearly insulting and has no open trade with it. Deici for its part views the kingdom as heretical, not only denying the supremecy of the faith, but in maintaining ties to much older ways of life.
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