Llychlyn

A beautiful land of lakes located in the fertile valley of the encompassing Coróin an Rí mountain range, Llychlyn is home to a disparate people and clannish warrior culture only recently "civilized," having unified under a common ruler and system of governance approximately 300 years ago. Prior to unification, the land was populated by and separated under the control of different warrior clans all stemming from the ancestral peoples who emigrated from the continent now known as Drakkar in The Draconic Exodus and spread across Etheria after resettling. The clans fought foreign powers and each other for over a millennium, developing their own unique political structure over time that remains largely intact today. Many powerful Llychlynish nobles made bids for kingship throughout the land's history, but none ever managed to gain enough power to rule the vast holdings of all the clans until one greater than all before him was able to unite the clans into a single nation. When this occurred, the city of Doireduff became the capitol city of Llychlyn. Though the people of Llychlyn may be bound together by ties of kinship, common values, and service to a monarch, they can hardly be considered enchained; rather, quite the opposite is true, and it is their considerable liberties that often draw the curious and uncomprehending eyes of other kingdoms and nations. The Autumn Nexus, located on the much-disputed border of Llychlyn and Heamoor, is a bountiful orchard where golden apples grow and a basalt arch leads into a narrow cave where a fire is kept burning at all times by the Horae of fall and the faithful of both kingdoms in honor of Orodamas the Ringing Hammer for heating the earth year-round.

Structure

Because the modern people of Llychlyn are the descendants of fairly insular warrior clans and because their political system has more or less remained true to its origins, the social hierarchy of Llychlyn is centered around the core values of the peoples and their shared culture — valor, combat ability, freedom, and skill. This means that, by and large, those who are skilled and are capable combatants often hold the most power and esteem of their peers while people who cannot fight or are not skilled hold the least. In between these two exists a wide spectrum of ability, but it can be safely said that those who can fight tend to be more highly valued than those who are merely skilled in some particular talent or craft. For this reason, the nobility of Llychlyn are often renowned combatants and crafters. Take for instance the current monarch of the land, Banríon Maeve Mairéad Nic Darragh, the so-called Leopardess of Llychlyn for her brutality on the battlefield who is equally as famed for her talent in weaving, dance, poetry, and pottery.
The social hierarchy of Llychlyn is as follows:

1. Rí / Banríon - the ruling monarch of the land who leads the nobility of Llychlyn and mediates discussions between them
2. Prionsa / Banphrionsa - regardless of sex or age, the crown children of the ruling monarch are often introduced to their future obligations as potential monarch early in life. If more than one heir is had by the monarch, the most combat-capable, skilled, and diplomatic is often chosen to become the first-in-line
3. Mormaer - a member of the landed nobility who is elected as a representative of their geographic region of Llychlyn, typically their ancestral clan holding, for delegation with other mormaers and the monarch
4. Laird / Lairdess / Ridire - the nobility of Llychlyn, whether they be a hereditary noble such as a laird or lairdess or a knight appointed status of nobility like a ridire, are landowning individuals who oversee the maintenance, operation, and survival of their geographic region or holding of the land
5. High Saor - high saors represent the highest members of common society, often being crafters and farmers
6. Low Saor - all people are free in Llychlyn as there are no serfs and there are no slaves, a reality which allows all people to be capable of social movement (ideally), but low saors are those members of Llychlynish society who find themselves either unskilled, unable to fight, unsavory, or otherwise unhelpful to society.

"Misneach, scil, agus saoirse."

("Courage, skill, and freedom.")

Founding Date

1394 ADE

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Alternative Names

• The Land of the Lakes

• The Freelands

• The Hinterlands (pejoratively)

• The Back Country (pejoratively)

Demonym

Llychlynish

Government System

Monarchy, Elective

Power Structure

Confederation

Economic System

Mixed economy

Currency

As part of The Etherian League, the official currency of Llychlyn is that of the majority of the continent to facilitate trade and international transactions; therefore, Llychlyn uses gold, silver, and copper coins commonly referred by their metallic type for shorthand. Llychlyn also engages in the continentally-approved barter system per the rules of the Etherian League.

Major Exports

• Lumber, pulp, and paper products
• Fish
• Metals, minerals, ore, and precious stones
• Dairy products, meats, and herd animals
• Grains and root plants
• Wool and furs
• Soft fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, etc.

Major Imports

• Certain fabrics and textiles
• Some vegetables and fruits
• Medicine and advanced alchemical creations

Legislative Body

Having inherited the governmental system of their ancestors and fine-tuned it over the centuries, modern-day Llychlynish peoples use a gathering called the Clansmeet to accomplish political and governmental deeds. Formerly a yearly meeting of all the clans at a sacred place of peace, the Clansmeet is now a yearly meeting of mormaers and the Rí / Banríon to act as the official legislative body of Llychlyn at that same location, now a hall within the Rí / Banríon's capitol. Unlike other Etherian nations where the monarch possesses absolute or near-absolute power, Llychlynish royalty do not possess such unchecked power. Power, rather, arises from the support of the landowning noble class and the mormaers who represent them. While the Rí / Banríon can suggest any law or decision to the land's future and fate, the council of mormaers may choose to dismiss the Rí / Banríon's suggestion in an act of overriding on any matter of law. For this reason, other kingdoms often see Llychlyn as anarchist, dangerous to monarchism, and chaotic as power doesn't stem from the throne and it is a common sight to see a Rí / Banríon asking for and working to win the support of "lesser" men. Monarchs are therefore expected to mingle with and curry favor among mormaer and sometimes even the nobles who they represent if they wish to see their desires for their kingdom come to pass without being overridden or locked in debate. If a Rí / Banríon is particularly powerful or popular with the mormaers, they often do not have to do much mingling and currying to see their initiatives launched.

Neighboring Nations

• Albadara
• Ameros
• Heamoor
• Mondrona
• Napria
• Val Lydes