Yalen
Holder: Sir Alarn Orteyan
Liege: Sir Terris Doulzârn, Lord of Novelim
Yâlen is one of the smallest manorial villages in Asólade, consisting of only sixteen households. Like the village, the manor, a collection of stone, wood, and wattle-and-daub buildings, is situated on the north side of the Tâmora River. The great hall and barn stand either side of the River Road on the approach to the narrow wooden bridge spanning the river. The manor gates are closed every night, blocking the route south.
Almost all of the manor’s demesne lies on the south side of the river. When the gates open each morning, the chamberlain watches the serfs cross the bridge to work the fields. Any shirkers or late arrivals are questioned and usually fined at the next village moot.
The manor’s main export crops are pears, cherries, and plums from the orchards. There are extensive hay meadows along the river’s edge. The majority of livestock are cattle and swine; few goats or sheep are kept. Four of the twelve serf families in Yâlen supplement their income by fishing.
A local toll, of one farthing per man or animal, is charged on the bridge. Residents of Yâlen are exempt, as are those of the other manors held by Sir Alarn’s liege. As this covers most people who use the bridge, few tolls are actually collected.
The bridge itself is similar to the bridge at Asólade manor but is in an even worse state of repair. The Tâmora River varies in depth from two to eight feet and in width from forty-five to one hundred feet, depending upon the season. The ramshackle bridge consists of three sections, each thirty-five feet long. The central, main span is supported by wooden piles driven into the river bed. These piles are beginning to rot. The bridge deck is some six feet wide and is made from two-inch-thick planks resting on spanning beams. One of the spanning beams is badly rotten and several of the deck planks are cracked. There is no parapet. The locals know to tread carefully when crossing. Cattle are driven across the river. Last year, Sir Terris Doulzârn ordered Sir Alarn’s father to repair the bridge. Nothing was done, and Sir Alarn intends to wait until he himself is asked.
Sir Alarn was confirmed as Lord of Yâlen only days before the year began and almost a month after his father died. He is only the second Orteyan to hold the manor. The late Sir Danard Orteyan was appointed bailiff in 681 following his marriage to Maris, daughter of Sir Duns Doulzârn. Three years later, Lady Maris persuaded her father to approach the constable to make Clan Orteyan vassals rather than bailiffs. The then constable, Sir Tesmyr Mazerony, advised the Earl of Bâlim to refuse. In 689, however, Sir Duns himself was appointed constable when Sir Tesmyr was slain in an ambush. Clan Orteyan were then made landholders.
A small local market is held in Yâlen once each month on the 22nd. The market is often poorly attended, as Yâlen is so close to Jédes that most villagers simply walk to that more frequent and larger market. Nevertheless, the metalsmith from Novélim and the salter from Fenéven often attend.
Sir Alarn Orteyan, Lord of Yâlen
Alarn Orteyan is a corpulent, ruddy-faced knight of middle years with brown eyes and thick, greasy, long black hair. He is a competent and efficient administrator; even before his father died he had been for some time effectively running the fief. Sir Alarn is, however, inflexible and miserly. He knows his due and makes sure he gets it, but he spends money very reluctantly. One of his first acts as Lord of Yâlen was to remove his father’s huntsmen from the manor staff; Sir Alarn has no time for such wasteful pursuits.
Lady Ysolde Orteyan, Lady of the Manor
Lady Ysolde is a niece of the Lord of Sentwyn, in Daynôra Hundred. Still slim and attractive despite having three children, she is an elegant, dark-haired woman in her mid thirties. Lady Ysolde has worked hard over the years to ingratiate herself with her mother-in-law. She has been sympathetic to Lady Maris since the death of Sir Danard and has intervened to calm her husband on several occasions. Ever since Ysolde married into the clan, she has made regular trips back to her kinfolk in Sentwyn. She makes the journey accompanied only by an old, trusted maidservant.
Squire Brenath Vaén
Sir Alarn’s squire, just turned 13, is constantly exhausted. Sir Alarn believes in extracting maximum value from his assets, thus Brenath is body servant, stable lad, ostler, and personal messenger. A skinny lad with tousled brown hair and a worried expression, Brenath lives in constant fear of his master. Many of the manor servants have taken the squire to heart and help him out in small ways. For them, the boy’s angelic smile of thanks is enough reward.
Lady Maris Doulzârn, Dowager
Lady Maris grieves recent the loss of her husband of almost forty years. A poised and able woman, she is now a shadow of her former self. Her son is insensitive and impatient with his mother, often causing her to break down in tears. Maris remains close to her daughter, Bethan, who is married to the chamberlain of Jedes. Since being widowed Maris often travels the short distance to Jédes to visit her daughter.
Children
Miliflor is Alarn and Ysolde’s only surviving daughter. Her mother dotes on her; her father ignores her. A thin-faced and leggy 9-year-old, her unbound black hair reaches below her waist.
Domric Orteyan, the couples younger son, is a burly 6-year-old, square-faced and with dark blonde hair.
Sir Alarn’s eldest son and heir, Bors, 14, is squire to Sir Hendrik Poúlty, bailiff of Támorlan.
Chamberlain
Tellir of Faron, 30, is short and overweight with pale skin and dark hair. He is the son of the previous chamberlain. Fawning toward his master, Tellir is imperious, arrogant, and self-important when dealing with the other manor servants and with anyone who is not noble.
Like many manors, Yâlen has been much altered and improved over the years. The great hall, like the great hall of Méminast and the stables at Novélim, is an aging wattle-and-daub structure. Unlike those manors, however, the new buildings do not incorporate a new kitchen and meals are prepared in the large open fire pit in the centre of the great hall. His father had been planning to replace the hall. Sir Alarn, however, argued that this was an unnecessary expense. He is unlikely to carry out any improvements.
MILITARY
Sir Alarn employs one light footman, Petry of Oland, who is slightly overweight and certainly well past his prime. While his bravery and loyalty are not in question, his fitness is.
Shortbow (Beadle)
Rathen of Baldis is a commoner of Tarwyn. He is in his mid thirties, lean, and of average height. He wears his black hair long and braided. Rathen owns four ponies and hopes to be allowed additional acres to support his family in exchange for service as a light horse yeoman. Rathen is a keen and experienced pony rider, as are his children.
Shortbow
Dikel of Rakath is tall and in his early forties with a thin face, fair hair, and a long, thin, hooked nose. Dikel is a much better archer than the village beadle, and he has taught his wife and children to shoot. Dikel is married to slender, blonde Nala, the best alewife in the village. The couple have five children, all blonde and all with their father’s distinctive nose. Dikel’s eldest daughter, Lysha, has recently left home to “seek her fortune”.
Woodcrafter/Woodward £££
Tarrath of Snew is a portly, brown-haired, middle-aged guildmaster, one of the few Snews who is not a yeoman. Apprenticed in Tashál, at his clan’s expense, Tarrath is the only guildsman in his clan.
Tarrath also acts as woodward for Sir Alarn. He is a skilled woodcrafter, but because of his many other duties and responsibilities he often rushes his work, to the detriment of its quality. If he receives a complaint, he blames any poor workmanship on his apprentice.
Hideworker £££
Halyr of Lunn is the guildmaster for the hundred. This is hardly an onerous task. Once a quarter he meets the other two Asólade guildmasters, from Jedes and Bory, to discuss business, and once a year he attends the shire masters’ meeting at Hútop.
Halyr has sandy-coloured hair and is of average height. His wife, Lelyn, is a freckle-faced redhead. The couple have five children. Only the youngest has his father’s colouring; the others have hair as red as their mother’s. Their second son, 15-year-old Rayal, is apprenticed with Orsin of Baralis in Bôry.
Halyr’s elder brother, Barth, is clanhead. He, together with Halyr’s eldest son, Gorrys, were the manors huntsmen. Barth now works for the Lord of Yeashim; Gorrys has left home to look for work.
Reeve
Torbrogast of Haribert is a competent farmer. Married, he shares his home with his wife, two sons, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter.
Herder
Athel of Smew belongs to the unfree branch of the woodcrafter clan. He is competent but, with four young children, poor. His kinsman the woodcrafter ignores him.
Woodward
The woodward duties are carried out by the woodcrafter Tarrath of Snew (above).
Priest of Peóni
Oglan of Krym is 30 years old and has only recently arrived in the manor. A heavily built man of average height, he has spent the past fifteen years in the monastery at @BRO.
Liege: Sir Terris Doulzârn, Lord of Novelim
Yâlen is one of the smallest manorial villages in Asólade, consisting of only sixteen households. Like the village, the manor, a collection of stone, wood, and wattle-and-daub buildings, is situated on the north side of the Tâmora River. The great hall and barn stand either side of the River Road on the approach to the narrow wooden bridge spanning the river. The manor gates are closed every night, blocking the route south.
Almost all of the manor’s demesne lies on the south side of the river. When the gates open each morning, the chamberlain watches the serfs cross the bridge to work the fields. Any shirkers or late arrivals are questioned and usually fined at the next village moot.
The manor’s main export crops are pears, cherries, and plums from the orchards. There are extensive hay meadows along the river’s edge. The majority of livestock are cattle and swine; few goats or sheep are kept. Four of the twelve serf families in Yâlen supplement their income by fishing.
A local toll, of one farthing per man or animal, is charged on the bridge. Residents of Yâlen are exempt, as are those of the other manors held by Sir Alarn’s liege. As this covers most people who use the bridge, few tolls are actually collected.
The bridge itself is similar to the bridge at Asólade manor but is in an even worse state of repair. The Tâmora River varies in depth from two to eight feet and in width from forty-five to one hundred feet, depending upon the season. The ramshackle bridge consists of three sections, each thirty-five feet long. The central, main span is supported by wooden piles driven into the river bed. These piles are beginning to rot. The bridge deck is some six feet wide and is made from two-inch-thick planks resting on spanning beams. One of the spanning beams is badly rotten and several of the deck planks are cracked. There is no parapet. The locals know to tread carefully when crossing. Cattle are driven across the river. Last year, Sir Terris Doulzârn ordered Sir Alarn’s father to repair the bridge. Nothing was done, and Sir Alarn intends to wait until he himself is asked.
Sir Alarn was confirmed as Lord of Yâlen only days before the year began and almost a month after his father died. He is only the second Orteyan to hold the manor. The late Sir Danard Orteyan was appointed bailiff in 681 following his marriage to Maris, daughter of Sir Duns Doulzârn. Three years later, Lady Maris persuaded her father to approach the constable to make Clan Orteyan vassals rather than bailiffs. The then constable, Sir Tesmyr Mazerony, advised the Earl of Bâlim to refuse. In 689, however, Sir Duns himself was appointed constable when Sir Tesmyr was slain in an ambush. Clan Orteyan were then made landholders.
MARKET
A small local market is held in Yâlen once each month on the 22nd. The market is often poorly attended, as Yâlen is so close to Jédes that most villagers simply walk to that more frequent and larger market. Nevertheless, the metalsmith from Novélim and the salter from Fenéven often attend.
MANOR RESIDENTS
Sir Alarn Orteyan, Lord of Yâlen
Alarn Orteyan is a corpulent, ruddy-faced knight of middle years with brown eyes and thick, greasy, long black hair. He is a competent and efficient administrator; even before his father died he had been for some time effectively running the fief. Sir Alarn is, however, inflexible and miserly. He knows his due and makes sure he gets it, but he spends money very reluctantly. One of his first acts as Lord of Yâlen was to remove his father’s huntsmen from the manor staff; Sir Alarn has no time for such wasteful pursuits.
Lady Ysolde Orteyan, Lady of the Manor
Lady Ysolde is a niece of the Lord of Sentwyn, in Daynôra Hundred. Still slim and attractive despite having three children, she is an elegant, dark-haired woman in her mid thirties. Lady Ysolde has worked hard over the years to ingratiate herself with her mother-in-law. She has been sympathetic to Lady Maris since the death of Sir Danard and has intervened to calm her husband on several occasions. Ever since Ysolde married into the clan, she has made regular trips back to her kinfolk in Sentwyn. She makes the journey accompanied only by an old, trusted maidservant.
Squire Brenath Vaén
Sir Alarn’s squire, just turned 13, is constantly exhausted. Sir Alarn believes in extracting maximum value from his assets, thus Brenath is body servant, stable lad, ostler, and personal messenger. A skinny lad with tousled brown hair and a worried expression, Brenath lives in constant fear of his master. Many of the manor servants have taken the squire to heart and help him out in small ways. For them, the boy’s angelic smile of thanks is enough reward.
Lady Maris Doulzârn, Dowager
Lady Maris grieves recent the loss of her husband of almost forty years. A poised and able woman, she is now a shadow of her former self. Her son is insensitive and impatient with his mother, often causing her to break down in tears. Maris remains close to her daughter, Bethan, who is married to the chamberlain of Jedes. Since being widowed Maris often travels the short distance to Jédes to visit her daughter.
Children
Miliflor is Alarn and Ysolde’s only surviving daughter. Her mother dotes on her; her father ignores her. A thin-faced and leggy 9-year-old, her unbound black hair reaches below her waist.
Domric Orteyan, the couples younger son, is a burly 6-year-old, square-faced and with dark blonde hair.
Sir Alarn’s eldest son and heir, Bors, 14, is squire to Sir Hendrik Poúlty, bailiff of Támorlan.
Chamberlain
Tellir of Faron, 30, is short and overweight with pale skin and dark hair. He is the son of the previous chamberlain. Fawning toward his master, Tellir is imperious, arrogant, and self-important when dealing with the other manor servants and with anyone who is not noble.
MANOR
Like many manors, Yâlen has been much altered and improved over the years. The great hall, like the great hall of Méminast and the stables at Novélim, is an aging wattle-and-daub structure. Unlike those manors, however, the new buildings do not incorporate a new kitchen and meals are prepared in the large open fire pit in the centre of the great hall. His father had been planning to replace the hall. Sir Alarn, however, argued that this was an unnecessary expense. He is unlikely to carry out any improvements.
MILITARY
Sir Alarn employs one light footman, Petry of Oland, who is slightly overweight and certainly well past his prime. While his bravery and loyalty are not in question, his fitness is.VILLAGE RESIDENTS
Shortbow (Beadle)
Rathen of Baldis is a commoner of Tarwyn. He is in his mid thirties, lean, and of average height. He wears his black hair long and braided. Rathen owns four ponies and hopes to be allowed additional acres to support his family in exchange for service as a light horse yeoman. Rathen is a keen and experienced pony rider, as are his children.
Shortbow
Dikel of Rakath is tall and in his early forties with a thin face, fair hair, and a long, thin, hooked nose. Dikel is a much better archer than the village beadle, and he has taught his wife and children to shoot. Dikel is married to slender, blonde Nala, the best alewife in the village. The couple have five children, all blonde and all with their father’s distinctive nose. Dikel’s eldest daughter, Lysha, has recently left home to “seek her fortune”.
Woodcrafter/Woodward £££
Tarrath of Snew is a portly, brown-haired, middle-aged guildmaster, one of the few Snews who is not a yeoman. Apprenticed in Tashál, at his clan’s expense, Tarrath is the only guildsman in his clan.
Tarrath also acts as woodward for Sir Alarn. He is a skilled woodcrafter, but because of his many other duties and responsibilities he often rushes his work, to the detriment of its quality. If he receives a complaint, he blames any poor workmanship on his apprentice.
Hideworker £££
Halyr of Lunn is the guildmaster for the hundred. This is hardly an onerous task. Once a quarter he meets the other two Asólade guildmasters, from Jedes and Bory, to discuss business, and once a year he attends the shire masters’ meeting at Hútop.
Halyr has sandy-coloured hair and is of average height. His wife, Lelyn, is a freckle-faced redhead. The couple have five children. Only the youngest has his father’s colouring; the others have hair as red as their mother’s. Their second son, 15-year-old Rayal, is apprenticed with Orsin of Baralis in Bôry.
Halyr’s elder brother, Barth, is clanhead. He, together with Halyr’s eldest son, Gorrys, were the manors huntsmen. Barth now works for the Lord of Yeashim; Gorrys has left home to look for work.
Reeve
Torbrogast of Haribert is a competent farmer. Married, he shares his home with his wife, two sons, a daughter-in-law, and a granddaughter.
Herder
Athel of Smew belongs to the unfree branch of the woodcrafter clan. He is competent but, with four young children, poor. His kinsman the woodcrafter ignores him.
Woodward
The woodward duties are carried out by the woodcrafter Tarrath of Snew (above).
Priest of Peóni
Oglan of Krym is 30 years old and has only recently arrived in the manor. A heavily built man of average height, he has spent the past fifteen years in the monastery at @BRO.
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