The Kingdom of Kahlderra

Written by Abigail

Demography and Population

Peoples:
Humans
Dragons
Elves
Skinchangers
Merfolk
White Wolves

Humans: These tenacious, headstrong people called the Finnarrans occasionally live in the mountains and forests, but tend to stick to the Thistlemire and the coast. Their homes are simple cottages with thatched roofs. The wealthy may have townhouses or mansions built in the Tudor style. Royalty and knights live in stone castles. The Finnarrans are governed by earls, barons, and a king. Their king, these days, is Marlock. The Finnarrans are a mixture of two peoples; the Finnai and Lanarrans. Their culture, as one might expect is a blend of both – kilts and bagpipes are common and afternoon tea is simply imperative. In some of the more remote regions, the differences between Lanarran and Finnai are more pronounced, but in the cities the mixing is more thorough. If you are in a well-mixed crowd, however, and want to know whether someone is more Lanarran or more Finnai, all you have to do is determine whether your person is humorously snooty or outrageously stubborn. If they are the former, it’s likely they are more Lanarran. If they are the latter, your person probably has a lot of Finnai.
The Finnarrans are mostly farmers and hunters. Most of the farms are dedicated to either cattle, corn, or horses. On the coast, fishing is more common and in the cities many people work at crafts and trades. Jousting is the most popular sport among the Finnarrans and knights are held in high honor. They have an interesting tradition: when a couple gets married, their neighbors gather and build them a new house. If the newlyweds live on land that already has a house, they tear it down and build a new one. Consequently, old houses in Kahlderra are hard to find. Newlyweds among the nobility are an exception – it takes a long time to tear down a castle and even longer to build one. The Finnarrans have few neighbors to trade with, but they trade corn for swords from Ina Tathen. Historically, the Finnarrans have followed Elyon, but they are growing more and more unfaithful of late.
The Síleach: There are legends of a strange, elusive, and often-feared people deep within the Kiron who are descendants of a clan of Finnai who refused to join the Kahlderran confederacy (see History of Kahlderra, paragraph 2) and intermarried with the Inan. Whether the Síleach exist is up for debate, since only a few claim to have seen them. Most Kahlderran historians discount them as myth. They are said to be fierce, small and thin, dark-haired, with slightly bronze skin. Supposedly, they wear loose trousers, deerskin boots, plaid tunics, brown cloaks, and gold beads or feathers braided into their hair. Several accounts say they live in the trees and are excellent archers. One account reports a Síleach warrior shooting a fly off a log at a hundred paces. Those who believe the Síleach exist suspect they still serve the old Finnai mythical gods. Some people who live in or near the Kiron blame the Síleach for mysterious disappearances and other misfortunes.

Elves: The wood elves live almost exclusively in the mountains. They live in stone cottages in villages led by headmen who answer to the Elven king, currently King Thanadil. They are tall and slender with long, usually blond or brown hair. Their eyes may be any color. They dress in natural colors such as green and brown.
These elves love nature and lore and learn all they can about both. They are very curious and know almost everything about almost everything. They live simple lives, gardening and foraging for food – they never eat meat, though a few keep chickens and cows for milk and eggs. Their few possessions are beautifully made and are often passed down through several generations. Kahlderran Elven artwork tends to contain a lot of graceful curves and natural elements. They excel in poetry, music, herbs, and woodcraft, and can speak to most animals. A few can communicate with the trees. They are good friends with the White Wolves. They are almost always good creatures, though at times they may be a little overly curious.

White Wolves: These beautiful wolves live – or lived – in the Grey Mountains in packs led by alpha males. The current spokeswolf to the Kahlderran Council is Kita (see Government of Kahlderra). The White Wolves are – or were – solid white in color with crystal blue eyes. They can easily communicate with other wolves, but usually talk like humans. They are wise and noble creatures and know much of lore and are great friends of the Wood Elves – or were.

Merfolk: The Kahlderran Merfolk of the Nashaean Sea are ruled mostly by kings, but currently, their ruler is Queen Oon as her husband King Mahnoo died a few years ago. Their population is centered mostly off the Kahlderran coast where there are plenty of underwater sea caves for them to live in, but they range so far west that they occasionally meet Kokkan fishermen. They call themselves the Ahnee, and rarely know any language but their own. The royalty, however, is often highly educated. They are good people, but shy and rarely seen. They have blue tales, large, luminous blue eyes and long black hair which they fashion into multiple small braids.
The merfolk live mostly on fish and crustaceans (with the occasional seaweed dinner) and make jewelry from shells and coral. They are wonderful singers, but are shy about singing in front of other peoples. The young ones are extremely mischievous: one popular sport among them is called Kaidoni or Baiting. In this game, a group of young merfolk hide beneath the surface and pull together on a fisherman’s line. The fisherman tries to reel in his supposed fish, but instead finds himself yanked into the water. Fortunately, the merfolk become dignified and courteous as they grow into adulthood. The merfolk are the only Kahlderrans who are not timid of the Black Cliffs for they claim that the White Ship has no power over them.

Skinchangers: They are basically regular humans, except for their ability to turn into bears or wolves at will. These folks venture into the mountains on occasion, but mostly keep to the grassy Thistlemire. One clan lives in the Kiron. Usually, they build shelters out of branches and animal hides, but sometimes they live out in the open and just get under a tree if it rains. On occasion, groups will travel to the coast and sail a while just because they want to. The clans are led by warlords, currently Hagen, Valbrand, Alfrigg, Brand, Soren, Seigmund, and Rolf. Each clan has its own symbol that the warriors paint on their shields: Valbrand’s clan – horse; Alfrigg’s – wolf; Hagen’s – sea serpent; Brand’s – dragon; Soren’s – raven; Seigmund’s – bear; Rolf’s – stag.
These skinchangers are tall, muscled, shaggy, and wear animal skins. Their culture is similar to that of the Vikings of another world. They are (it’s true and must be confessed) genuine barbarians. The only thing they eat is meat, sometimes raw. They are adventurous, mischievous, and hot-tempered. War is a huge part of their culture. They care nothing for art or education unless it has to do with battles. In their minds, the best way to settle an argument it to fight it out. They tend to stick to their own people and think the elves are silly. Historically, the Kahlderran skinchangers were mostly faithful to Elyon, but these days they may be good or bad, depending on the clan. The bad ones actually worship Pale.

Dragons: The dragons of Kahlderra inhabit only the highest and most remote regions of the Grey Mountains. They live in caves and are mostly solitary and aloof. Each dragon keeps to him or herself as much as possible, so there is no government. Many of them can speak in human language. They stand fifteen feet high at the shoulder, with vast wings. They are black, deep blue, or dark gray in color with golden eyes. Good, with the odd exception.

Territories

Size: Small
Climate: Temperate, boreal, hot summers, mild winters for the most part, rainy in the middle to east
Terrain: Kahlderra lies on the eastern edge of Ashnuw. Its eastern border is formed of white-sand beaches, prelude to the turquoise Nashaean Sea. The Nashaea is peaceful and sunny most of the time, but in the winter is prone to hurricanes. All year long, it is also prone to sea monsters, including kraken and sea serpents. One species of sea serpent, the blue-finned tidebreaker, grows just six feet in length and eats only small fish. Children on the coast often keep young ones as pets.
Kahlderra’s capital city Connemar is on the coast, in the middle. Off the northern corner of Kahlderra lies the dreaded Black Cliffs, where an uncanny number of shipwrecks have taken place on the jagged rocks. Many legends surround the Black Cliffs. Among the most famous is the story of a ship that sails by the Cliffs at midnight. This ship is said to be formed of eerily glowing fog. The people who live near the Black Cliffs don’t dare go near the beach at night for it is believed that anyone who sees the White Ship, as it is called, will be dead within the year.
East to middle, Kahlderra is covered by forests filled with oaks, white pines, hemlocks, beeches, redwoods, and poplars, many of them large and ancient. One old-growth forest in particular, the Kiron, located at the southern base of the Grey Mountains, is famous for its giant poplars, and for the Ring of Diras. Diras is the name given to the giant beech that stands in the center of an ancient ring of large stones. In olden times, the Finnai would send their young people to spend the night beneath the tree to mark their coming of age. They believed that those who slept beneath Diras’ branches would receive dreams that would help guide them through life. During the Pale Wars, the tree withered. The Finnai abandoned the Ring and gradually forgot where it lay. Some believe Diras may have recovered from the blight that struck it and the ancient tree has been the object of countless knightly quests. As of yet, no one has rediscovered it. Some believe the tree is intentionally hiding itself for some reason.
In the middle of Kahlderra lies the Grey Mountain range, so called because of its frequent stormy weather. The Grey Mountains, for the most part, are relatively small. But to the west they grow higher and more remote. The higher up, the fiercer the storms become. Travelers in the taller mountains are often unnerved by the darkness of the clouds and the intensity of the thunder and lightning, but the natives take great pride in the dramatic weather. In winter, the high peaks of the Grey Mountains turn white under sometimes three to six feet of snow.
The western third of Kahlderra is taken up by a prairie, called the Thistlemire which supports many herds of cattle and horses, and a few cities. A network of rivers cuts through the prairie. The widest of these rivers is the glistening Beala which flows northward into Ina Tathen, allowing trade with the Inan. Most of Kahlderra’s cities are built along the Beala. Near the northern border is Dunderry, famous for its fine fabrics. Farther south, lies Finglin, former capital of the Finnai high king, now home to many of the country’s best knights. The ancient castle of the high king still stands outside the city and is inhabited these days by Sir Maldrake, the most renowned knight in Kahlderra. Isinire, famous for its annual Great Fair, stands where the Beala runs past the western edge of the Kiron. In contrast to the mountains, the Thistlemire seldom sees rain and usually is sunny and warm.

Legislative Body

Kahlderra is a confederacy of all the different peoples (excepting the Dragons), led by the Finnarran king. The leaders of the other peoples (again, excepting the Dragons) are the Finnarran ruler’s counselors. Once a year, they meet together by the sea for the Kahlderran Council. Since the White Wolves have no kings but only pack leaders, the alphas gather every four years to nominate a spokeswolf to the council.