Cymbrian Society

Cymbrians are a complex people preoccupied with war, status, tradition, family, and folklore. In many respects they are a quarrelsome folk, battling over tiny patches of land, with lordships in constant flux. Of course they will quickly set aside personal grudges in united opposition to an outside threat, only to resume their infighting as soon as the threat has been eliminated. As a Saxon monk wryly observed, "The only thing they hate more than each other is everyone else." Yet despite their fractious nature, they are highly conscious of a civilized imperial past, reflected in their love of learning, a religious devotion tending toward mysticism and intellectuality, and a cultural life preserved by the Bardic Fraternity.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
The Cymbrian Kingdoms cover small areas and are tied together with bonds of kinship and tribute rather than a genuine political structure. The “King” (called the “Brenin” or “Bright One”) is seen as the father of his people. He is supported by the Penteulu, a close relative and military leader who also commands the Brenin's personal bodyguard, or “Teulu.” The Teulu is comprised of younger Cymbrians, often related to the Brenin, who have not yet come into their inheritance.
Thus the organization of the Cymbrian Kingdom is as follows:

• Brenin (King)
• Penteulu (General)
• Rhyngill/Tywisog (Governor/Chieftain)
• Pencenedl (Head of Clan)

SOCIAL LIFE
The most prominent characteristics of Cymbrians include their sense of status, their reputation, and the laws of hospitality.
Status: At the highest echelons of Cymbrian society are the prominent “uchelwyr” (“notable men”), men who have come into their patrimony—having inherited lands following the death or retirement of their father and grandfather. In fact, the Brenin is chosen from among the uchelwyr following a complex system of inheritance that is known and sung by the Bards.
Below the uchelwyr are the “bonheddigs” (pronounced “bone-hethees”), freeborn members of a family with lands they have yet to inherit. It is from the bonheddigs, by and large, that adventurers come. Because inheritable land is divisible by law among all male children, natural or legitimate, the young bonheddig may seek his fortune elsewhere. He may join the retinue of a local chieftain, study to become a member of a clerical order, or even be bound apprentice to a bard. Once the bonheddig has gone off to seek his fortune, he binds himself to his new master, and his status is reflective of his master's status. Many bonheddigs choose the adventuring life even if they can expect a large inheritance, to escape the drudgery of family and farm life.
Female adventurers follow the same pattern as the male adventurer. Although they do not inherit land under Cymbrian law, they are subject to the law of matrimony, and those who wish to escape a life of drudgery take up the mantle of adventurer. Unlike their fraternal counterparts, however, young women who are called to adventure require the patronage of another. When the bonheddig leaves his inheritance behind him, he also relieves the family of the obligation to support him. But when the daughter of an uchelwyr desires independence, she robs her family of an asset. Female adventurers are often drawn from the ranks of the "unmarriageable," whether on account of age, a defect, or (most frequently) a headstrong nature that turns away most suitors.
Whether male or female, the adventurer comprises another category in Cymbrian society, the "anturiaethwr." They are equal in status with bonheddigs, but rank below the uchelwyr.
Ranking below the bonheddig/anturiaethwr is the bondsman (aillt), the foreigner (alltud), and the slave. The aillts, like serfs, are bound to the land, and owe labor and rent to some great landlord like a king or abbot. Alltuds can live in Cymbrian lands if they are attached to an uchelwr. Like the aillts, they mostly work the land; but alltuds can also be servants or even act as bodyguards and soldiers. Slaves are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. They are uncommon since the Church frowns on the practice of slavery; but some slaves still remain, captured in war and generally loyal to their masters. Spartacus-like revolts simply do not occur to Cymbrian slaves, and many would die to protect their masters.
Cymbrians regard kinship as the most sacred of bonds. Being part of a kin-group is what distinguishes free Cymbrians from the bondsmen and women who serve landed men. Belonging to a kin-group is synonymous with being Cymbrian. Members of a kin-group are protected by their Clan and the customs and laws that tie one Clan to another. Bondsmen are not recognized as having kin, and they must rely on the protection of the lord whom they serve. Most bondsmen serve the Brenin, although the uchelwyr may have a handful of bondsmen to help with the farm. But in general, uchelwyr work their own lands with the aid of their sons and those few servants who live with them. A bond community usually works on the lands of the Brenin.
Status is particularly important to the head of a household. Every man who has his own homestead is essentially a lord of that homestead, so deference must be paid when entering. Cymbrians of fastidious breeding recognize these rights even among the aillts, and due deference to the mastery of aillt or alltud in his own home often buys his loyalty.
To sum up, the social organization of Cymbrian culture is as follows:

• Uchelwr (landowner)
• Bonheddig (heir)
• Anturiaethwr (adventurer)
• Aillt (bondsman)
• Alltud (foreigner)
• Slave