Feneven
Holder: Sir Jarrak Vaén
Liege: Sir Shernâth Mirdârne, Constable of Jedes
Clan Vaén have held the ancient village of Fenéven “forever”. Heralds trace the holding back to the time of the Kingdom of Tarwyn, thanks in part to the verderers’ records, which appear to show Clan Vaén as landholders since before Tuzyn Reckoning.
The fief grows wheat and oats for export and has a sufficiency of other grains and vegetables. The lord grows quality pears and plums in his orchard. Cattle and sheep are grazed for meat and milk and the manor contains some fine stables.
Clan Vaén are Commoners of Tarwyn; Sir Jarrak, as clanhead, currently holds the honour. The clan and their ostlers have been breeding local forest ponies since before there was an Ostlers’ Guild.
A small local market is held in Fenéven once each month on the 14th. Most months there will be a number of itinerant masters in attendance. Three guildsmen attend regularly: Halyr of Lunn, the hideworker from Yâlen; the metalsmith Walt of Myrn from Díthend; and Terens of Tatib, the woodcrafter from Asólade.
Sir Jarrak Vaén, Lord of Fenéven
Sir Jarrak, 54, cuts a dashing figure, tall and elegant. His craggy features still retain the handsomeness of his youth. Jarrak is, however, weak of will; both his wife and elder sister easily manipulate him. His mother died when he was 14, his father three years later. His sister Wyrthe, eighteen years his senior, ran the fief until Jarrak reached adulthood and continued to advise him until he married Myla Mazerony four years later.
Lady Myla Vaén, Lady of the Manor
Lady Myla, 50, is cold-hearted, bitter, and scheming. She despises her brother Fodin, bailiff of Mówich, and regards as useless her nephew Rogar, Lord of Andrake and the Mazerony clanhead. Her bitterness dates back to her marriage to Jarrak, which sealed an alliance between the two clans that was supposed to result in Fodin’s appointment as constable. When Earl Troda Dariune of Kiban instead appointed Sir Shernâth, an outsider, Myla was livid, and even more so when Fodin refused to protest the appointment. The constable and his wife are well aware of Lady Myla’s opinions and go out of their way to show her courtesy. This only fuels her fury. Even after eighteen years she has difficulty being civil toward her husband’s liege. Lady Myla found a sympathetic ear in the form of Bryna of Kertnay, a journeyman clothier she employed temporarily over the winter.
Squire Eldaen Katair
Eldaen Katair is distantly related to Clan Vaén. His aunt, Lady Tersia, is wife to Sir Torbris Vaén, the bailiff of Belgie and nephew of Sir Jarrak. A wiry 18-year-old with cropped blonde hair, Eldaen hates Asólade and wants to return to his father’s lands in central Káldôr.
Lady Bethan Vaén
Sir Challs’s wife is the second of three daughters of the Lord of Novélim. She fell out with her older sister, Emyla, when Emyla married their first cousin, once removed, Hadred. This ensured that Hadred and Emyla would jointly inherit Novélim. Lady Bethan is selfish and simple-minded, with no interest in politics. She is also heavily pregnant.
Ushya Vaén, Lady-in-Waiting
Sir Jarrak’s 19-year-old grand-niece is placid, good-natured, tall, and heavily built, the plain daughter of plain parents. She is lady-in-waiting to the three women of the manor. Myla and Bethan treat her as a servant, but her grandmother, “Old” Wyrthe, saves Ushya from their worst excesses. Ushya is considering joining the Order of the Lady of Paladins.
Lady Wyrthe Vaén
“Old” Wyrthe is Sir Jarrak’s sister and mother to Sir Torbris, bailiff of Bélgìe. Now in her seventies, few people remember the scandal of Torbris’s birth, though Lady Wyrthe is remarkably matter of fact about the incident. At 17, she was hurriedly married, with midwife in attendance, to the father, a landless knight twenty-two years her senior named Gorwyn Traska. Wyrthe is the only one who could possibly call her homely son “beautiful”. Lady Wyrthe has been a widow for forty-eight years, her husband dying before their second child, Trischa, was born. Trischa married Sir Hendrik Poúlty, heir to Bôry, and bore him two daughters, but died six years ago, soon after giving birth to the second. Lady Wyrthe often visits her son and grandchildren.
Wyrthe Vaén
“Little” Wyrthe is Sir Jarrak’s youngest child. A serious, sensible 8-year-old, she is wise beyond her years. “Old” Wyrthe, Ushya, and “little” Wyrthe spend a great deal of time together. The two elder women have made themselves responsible for educating the girl.
Matakea Brynd of Garibeth
Brynd is the manor chaplain. A tall, nervous man, he finds it difficult to provide spiritual guidance to the forceful Lady Myla and Sir Challs.
Chamberlain
Taford of Dalgath is tall, thickset, and balding. He works as little as possible, as his slovenly dress suggests, and loves nothing more than a good gossip. His wife, Suwyl, the senior servant, works her fingers to the bone behind the scenes, carrying out most of her husband’s duties. Suwyl was attractive in her youth and will try any beauty treatment in a desperate attempt to postpone the appearance of middle age. She always wears a heavy perfume. Taford has two older brothers, both warriors. The elder, Urkat, is a light horse yeoman and commoner of Tarwyn. The younger, Stanath is senior man-at-arms at the manor.
Sir Jarrak retains three men-at-arms. Stanath of Dalgath, the senior man-at-arms, is an experienced horseman and often used as a messenger by Sir Jarrak. Tormyr, Stanath’s nephew, is a lanky and indolent youth. The muscular Narbin of Wardle is the youngest son of yeoman Anders.
Bonded Ostler
Arnyd of Heriel is the younger brother of Brod, an ostler at Jédes [Jédes p12]. His wife is one of the manor servants. They have two young children.
Medium Foot (Beadle)
Hastyn of Delsin is one of several members of his clan who are yeomen. He has kinfolk in Novélim and Yeashim. Hastyn is a tall, dark-haired man in his mid twenties. He is married to Kirina, a daughter of Anders of Wardle, the other yeoman foot; the couple have two young sons.
Medium Foot
Anders of Wardle is in his forties. Though tall and well built, he is running to fat and is neither as fast nor as powerful as he once was.
Light Horse
Urkat of Dalgath is head of his clan, a commoner of Tarwyn, and a successful breeder of ponies. Iriel of Haskew acts as his broker, though sometimes Urkat sells the ponies himself and gives Iriel a cut of the profit. The few local ostlers who are not commoners regard this as illegal. Of course, their guildmaster disagrees. Urkat is tall and slender. In his early fifties, he shares his dwelling with ten members of his immediate family, including his frail, elderly mother. His eldest son helps run the farm. His two brothers and his second son, Tormyr, all work at the manor house. His eldest daughter, Vyra, is in the Jédes Light Horse Squadron [Jédes p23].
Miller £££
The local miller, Dargrath of Hallesh, a violent drunkard, died suddenly over the winter.
Salter £££
Antyn of Glyme and his wife, Tersia, have been providing salted meats and cheeses for the local community for over twenty years. Like all salters in the hundred, Antyn produces the strong hard cows-milk cheese known as tarwyn. The couple’s children are all married and gone; neither of their sons chose to follow their father’s occupation. Antyn is currently looking for an apprentice and has sent word to his fellow guildsmen across the shire.
Reeve
Andyn of Rothlar’s clanhead lives in Andrake. The clan are commoners. Several of his kinsmen are freemen. One in five serf households in Fenéven and Díthend belong to the clan. In settling disputes, Andyn favours his kin.
Herder
Kirth of Redyr is a commoner of Tarwyn and often clashes with the woodward over his forest rights. Last year, income from both the sheep flock and the pig herd was down due to his inattention. He has been told he must improve revenues this year.
Woodward
Harys of Mahon lives in the hamlet of Díthend, where he also fills the post of under-reeve.
Priest of Peóni
Colm of Nallath is of average height and build, about 40-years-old, and has long mid-brown hair. He is particular about his appearance, always neat and tidy. Colm has been the local priest for over ten years and is familiar with his flock and their failings. He has struck up a friendship with Matakea Brynd and the two men spend hours discussing theology.
Liege: Sir Shernâth Mirdârne, Constable of Jedes
Clan Vaén have held the ancient village of Fenéven “forever”. Heralds trace the holding back to the time of the Kingdom of Tarwyn, thanks in part to the verderers’ records, which appear to show Clan Vaén as landholders since before Tuzyn Reckoning.
Show spoiler
. The combined income from Fenéven and the nearby hamlet of Díthend makes the Vaén one of the wealthiest clans in the hundred.The eastern forested edge of the settlement contains several ancient barrows
The fief grows wheat and oats for export and has a sufficiency of other grains and vegetables. The lord grows quality pears and plums in his orchard. Cattle and sheep are grazed for meat and milk and the manor contains some fine stables.
Clan Vaén are Commoners of Tarwyn; Sir Jarrak, as clanhead, currently holds the honour. The clan and their ostlers have been breeding local forest ponies since before there was an Ostlers’ Guild.
MARKET
A small local market is held in Fenéven once each month on the 14th. Most months there will be a number of itinerant masters in attendance. Three guildsmen attend regularly: Halyr of Lunn, the hideworker from Yâlen; the metalsmith Walt of Myrn from Díthend; and Terens of Tatib, the woodcrafter from Asólade.
MANOR RESIDENTS
Sir Jarrak Vaén, Lord of Fenéven
Sir Jarrak, 54, cuts a dashing figure, tall and elegant. His craggy features still retain the handsomeness of his youth. Jarrak is, however, weak of will; both his wife and elder sister easily manipulate him. His mother died when he was 14, his father three years later. His sister Wyrthe, eighteen years his senior, ran the fief until Jarrak reached adulthood and continued to advise him until he married Myla Mazerony four years later.
Lady Myla Vaén, Lady of the Manor
Lady Myla, 50, is cold-hearted, bitter, and scheming. She despises her brother Fodin, bailiff of Mówich, and regards as useless her nephew Rogar, Lord of Andrake and the Mazerony clanhead. Her bitterness dates back to her marriage to Jarrak, which sealed an alliance between the two clans that was supposed to result in Fodin’s appointment as constable. When Earl Troda Dariune of Kiban instead appointed Sir Shernâth, an outsider, Myla was livid, and even more so when Fodin refused to protest the appointment. The constable and his wife are well aware of Lady Myla’s opinions and go out of their way to show her courtesy. This only fuels her fury. Even after eighteen years she has difficulty being civil toward her husband’s liege. Lady Myla found a sympathetic ear in the form of Bryna of Kertnay, a journeyman clothier she employed temporarily over the winter.
Squire Eldaen Katair
Eldaen Katair is distantly related to Clan Vaén. His aunt, Lady Tersia, is wife to Sir Torbris Vaén, the bailiff of Belgie and nephew of Sir Jarrak. A wiry 18-year-old with cropped blonde hair, Eldaen hates Asólade and wants to return to his father’s lands in central Káldôr.
Lady Bethan Vaén
Sir Challs’s wife is the second of three daughters of the Lord of Novélim. She fell out with her older sister, Emyla, when Emyla married their first cousin, once removed, Hadred. This ensured that Hadred and Emyla would jointly inherit Novélim. Lady Bethan is selfish and simple-minded, with no interest in politics. She is also heavily pregnant.
Ushya Vaén, Lady-in-Waiting
Sir Jarrak’s 19-year-old grand-niece is placid, good-natured, tall, and heavily built, the plain daughter of plain parents. She is lady-in-waiting to the three women of the manor. Myla and Bethan treat her as a servant, but her grandmother, “Old” Wyrthe, saves Ushya from their worst excesses. Ushya is considering joining the Order of the Lady of Paladins.
Lady Wyrthe Vaén
“Old” Wyrthe is Sir Jarrak’s sister and mother to Sir Torbris, bailiff of Bélgìe. Now in her seventies, few people remember the scandal of Torbris’s birth, though Lady Wyrthe is remarkably matter of fact about the incident. At 17, she was hurriedly married, with midwife in attendance, to the father, a landless knight twenty-two years her senior named Gorwyn Traska. Wyrthe is the only one who could possibly call her homely son “beautiful”. Lady Wyrthe has been a widow for forty-eight years, her husband dying before their second child, Trischa, was born. Trischa married Sir Hendrik Poúlty, heir to Bôry, and bore him two daughters, but died six years ago, soon after giving birth to the second. Lady Wyrthe often visits her son and grandchildren.
Wyrthe Vaén
“Little” Wyrthe is Sir Jarrak’s youngest child. A serious, sensible 8-year-old, she is wise beyond her years. “Old” Wyrthe, Ushya, and “little” Wyrthe spend a great deal of time together. The two elder women have made themselves responsible for educating the girl.
Matakea Brynd of Garibeth
Brynd is the manor chaplain. A tall, nervous man, he finds it difficult to provide spiritual guidance to the forceful Lady Myla and Sir Challs.
Chamberlain
Taford of Dalgath is tall, thickset, and balding. He works as little as possible, as his slovenly dress suggests, and loves nothing more than a good gossip. His wife, Suwyl, the senior servant, works her fingers to the bone behind the scenes, carrying out most of her husband’s duties. Suwyl was attractive in her youth and will try any beauty treatment in a desperate attempt to postpone the appearance of middle age. She always wears a heavy perfume. Taford has two older brothers, both warriors. The elder, Urkat, is a light horse yeoman and commoner of Tarwyn. The younger, Stanath is senior man-at-arms at the manor.
MILITARY
Sir Jarrak retains three men-at-arms. Stanath of Dalgath, the senior man-at-arms, is an experienced horseman and often used as a messenger by Sir Jarrak. Tormyr, Stanath’s nephew, is a lanky and indolent youth. The muscular Narbin of Wardle is the youngest son of yeoman Anders.
Bonded Ostler
Arnyd of Heriel is the younger brother of Brod, an ostler at Jédes [Jédes p12]. His wife is one of the manor servants. They have two young children.
Medium Foot (Beadle)
Hastyn of Delsin is one of several members of his clan who are yeomen. He has kinfolk in Novélim and Yeashim. Hastyn is a tall, dark-haired man in his mid twenties. He is married to Kirina, a daughter of Anders of Wardle, the other yeoman foot; the couple have two young sons.
Medium Foot
Anders of Wardle is in his forties. Though tall and well built, he is running to fat and is neither as fast nor as powerful as he once was.
Light Horse
Urkat of Dalgath is head of his clan, a commoner of Tarwyn, and a successful breeder of ponies. Iriel of Haskew acts as his broker, though sometimes Urkat sells the ponies himself and gives Iriel a cut of the profit. The few local ostlers who are not commoners regard this as illegal. Of course, their guildmaster disagrees. Urkat is tall and slender. In his early fifties, he shares his dwelling with ten members of his immediate family, including his frail, elderly mother. His eldest son helps run the farm. His two brothers and his second son, Tormyr, all work at the manor house. His eldest daughter, Vyra, is in the Jédes Light Horse Squadron [Jédes p23].
GUILDS
Miller £££
The local miller, Dargrath of Hallesh, a violent drunkard, died suddenly over the winter.
Show spoiler
According to his widow, Rosyne, he accidentally fell into the mill cogs one evening while drunk. Dargrath was not a popular man, so no one questioned this story too closely.
Rosyne and her late husband’s journeyman, Hanyk of Marl, have repaired the mechanism as best they can, but the current flour quality is poor. Hanyk hopes to inherit both mill and widow, but the couple’s obvious ambition, and mutual attraction, has turned some of the villagers against them.
Salter £££
Antyn of Glyme and his wife, Tersia, have been providing salted meats and cheeses for the local community for over twenty years. Like all salters in the hundred, Antyn produces the strong hard cows-milk cheese known as tarwyn. The couple’s children are all married and gone; neither of their sons chose to follow their father’s occupation. Antyn is currently looking for an apprentice and has sent word to his fellow guildsmen across the shire.
Reeve
Andyn of Rothlar’s clanhead lives in Andrake. The clan are commoners. Several of his kinsmen are freemen. One in five serf households in Fenéven and Díthend belong to the clan. In settling disputes, Andyn favours his kin.
Herder
Kirth of Redyr is a commoner of Tarwyn and often clashes with the woodward over his forest rights. Last year, income from both the sheep flock and the pig herd was down due to his inattention. He has been told he must improve revenues this year.
Woodward
Harys of Mahon lives in the hamlet of Díthend, where he also fills the post of under-reeve.
Priest of Peóni
Colm of Nallath is of average height and build, about 40-years-old, and has long mid-brown hair. He is particular about his appearance, always neat and tidy. Colm has been the local priest for over ten years and is familiar with his flock and their failings. He has struck up a friendship with Matakea Brynd and the two men spend hours discussing theology.
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