Amar

Amar is the Second largest Kingdom of men after Borinth. It is a feudal society protected by hosts of knights, considered by many to be the most powerful heavy cavalry in Aiandell. Amar also has an underclass of oppressed peasant serfs, who are recruited as archers and spearmen-at-arms who act as a more expendable meatshield for elite knights.
The nations trade via several critical sea passes and on the whole relations remain cordial, although they have gone to war many times in their turbulent history. Amar is a feudal society, split between the savagely poor majority and the rich nobles with their gallant Knights standing above the filthy rabble. In theory, the Knights of Amar - the flower of its military - have a code of chivalry that forms an unbreakable duty to protect its citizens. In practice, Knights are often selfish, greedy, political creatures, more interested in procuring the shiniest armour and attending tournaments than safeguarding the basic needs of the smallfolk.
However, when the Knights of Amar do go to war they are undeniably proficient. They are considered the most powerful heavy cavalry in Ainadell by many, although no doubt the Knightly Orders of Borinth would contest this. Armies of Amar contain Knights of various stages and statuses. The Knights of the Realm are the most numerous, but there are the more exotic Pegasus Knights, as well as many others who have received visions from Lady of the lake, the Goddess of Amar, to seek her out. Finally, there are the Grail Knights, those who have found the Lady and supped from her mythical Grail to become something more than mortal. For them, earthly desires such as wealth and political aspirations no longer matter. All they care about is the chivalric code, in the truest sense of the word.
However, an Amarrian army rarely consists of Knights alone - squires and men-at-arms form ranks of solid, if unremarkable, foot troops and peasant levies are provided to soak up damage from unchivalrous cannons and other ranged devices. Although the Knights are only too happy for their own side to field large trebuchets, they would never dirty their own hands in such cowardly ways. And so it is the Knights of Amar march forth with lances dipped, and a prayer to the Lady on their lips.

Feudal Government

The governmental system that controls much of Amarrian society is the use and implementation of a feudal system, an outdated archaic political system that was widely used within the Aiandell many centuries ago, but has seen been removed and replaced with more efficient systems of government.
Aiandell is now the only human kingdom to still follow this system. The functionality of the feudal system is based upon oaths of loyalty between individuals within a society or nation, from which there is little to no direct form of a centralised government. The basic principles of the feudal system is where those below the social ladder must give up their goods and service to those of higher nobility in exchange for protection and certain rights, privileges and titles.
The peasantry of Amar form the foundations of this feudal system and are required to serve and obey the nobility without question in exchange for their protection. As such, the vows of the peasants are those of servitude. Above the peasants are the nobles, whose responsibility is the protection of their lands and subjects from the depredations of outside threats, who in exchange for land and a title, shall fight for the King or Royarch when called into war. Thus, the vows of the nobility are ones of fealty.
At the very top of this social pyramid is the King or Royarch. The Royarch's rule is sovereign and absolute, with no laws made within the kingdom having any hold upon the actions of the king. The Royarch has the right to do anything he pleases within his realm, and has the ability to create new laws or legislation should he wish it. However, to be a King of Amar requires one to become a Grail Knight, and to be a Grail Knight, one must be the purest of all humanity's hearts.
As such, nearly all Kings of Amar are a shining beacon of chivalry, justice, and bravery. The Kings of Amar have been known to truly care for all of their people, constantly finding ways to better the lives of his subjects under their rule and to root out injustice wherever it grows. Thus, the king's power serves as a check on abuses and exploitation made by the lesser nobility.
Below the king are the dukes. An Amarrian duke has royal power within his dukedom, but he is still subject to the king. That means a duke acting within his own dukedom can break the law, unless he disobeys a direct order from the king himself. Unlike royal power, the power of the dukes has been abused, most notably in Mousillon. There is no current duke of Mousillon to avoid having someone hold such authority in such a corrupt area. All dukes hold their land directly from the King.

Royal Court

"What is a knight without his steed? But what is the steed without his knight? Knight and steed, noble and peasant; on such relationship is Amar built." —King Louen Leoncoeur.
By ancient tradition, the king of Amar must be a Grail Knight, selected by a conclave of as many Grail Knights as can attend the Grail Council of Bastonne immediately following the death of the previous Royarch. This unanimous choice is then legitimised by the Fay Enchantress, the holy representative of the Lady of the Lake. Once the election is finalised, the Fay Enchantress will then crown the new Royarch for life in a ceremony within the traditional Grail Cathedral of Bastonne.
Like any government ruled by a central figure, each King of Amar houses a Royal Court from which he is able to govern and manage his realm with the aid of advisers and his fellow nobles. The current ruler, King Louen Leoncoeur, holds court within the Duchy of Couronne during the winter months. In the summer months, the nobles within his court disperse to their fiefs.
By long custom the king speaks only to the highest nobles, and rarely speaks to those of less than baronial rank. Indeed, nearly all of the king's servants are barons, powerful in social ranking due their constant interactions with the king and being sworn in fealty to him alone, for only by the king's direct proclamation can a patent of barony be issued. The only time a peasant would ever speak to the king in person is when he raises one unto the ranks of nobility by knighting them, and this has occurred only five times in the kingdom's entire history.
Unlike most of the lesser nobility King Louen is deeply devoted to his country, and has declared he is willing to hear of abuses and injustices committed by any of his subjects, no matter how powerful. Peasants who can find a noble, no matter how lowly, to plead their case can appeal directly to the king. Still, the king has limited time and there are far more abuses than he could ever hear. As such, only the most grievous of abuses are heard. Fortunately if the king hears a grievous case, he always judges fairly with both a wisdom and conscience that most nobles often lack.

The Code of Chivalry

"Every Amarrian Lord knows that honour and chivalry come before everything." —The Chivalric Code.
Another aspect of Amarrian society that governs the actions of the nobility is the Codes of Chivalry, also known as the Chivalric Code. This code was first introduced upon the coronation of Gilles le Breton as the first Royarch, which grew out of the warrior traditions of the ancient Amarri tribes that occupied the lands of Amar before its establishment as a kingdom. Indeed, this Code of Chivalry is, in its own way, a system of laws which the Amarrian nobility has to follow in order to regulate the way their dukedoms should be run.
It wasn't until the reign of King Louis the Rash that the Codes of Chivalry were formalised and established, with the king appointing many heralds to regulate the ranks and honours of knighthood throughout Amar. The code of chivalry has since been almost unchanged to the present day.
Amar is renowned as a land with a code of conduct that must be followed by all those with noble blood. The code is not just about a Knight’s behaviour – although that is also important – but also about the choices he makes during his exploits. Living for the moment, a Knight should always choose the most honourable course of action. To them, what matters is what they do now, not what they may or may not do in the future. It is often as simple as seeking battle as a way of securing personal honour and pride.

The Seven Commandments

The Amarrian code of chivalry requires that every Knight must follow seven commandments. These commandments are an integral part of Amarrian society and government, and are often used to dictate the actions of a Amarrian noble.

• To serve the Lady of the Lake.
• To defend the domains entrusted to him.
• To protect the weak and fight for the right.
• Always to fight the enemies of virtue and order.
• Never to give up the fight until the foe be defeated.
• Never to break faith with a friend or ally.
• Always to display honour and courtesy.

The Rules of Honour

Apart from the commandments of chivalry, there are certain traditional 'rules of honour' which are adhered to and respected by all knights. These rules are an important part of the code of chivalry. They date back to the very origins of knighthood in Amar and mark out Amarrian Knights as distinct from those of other realms. The most important rules are summarised below:

• A knight may only fight hand-to-hand, with sword or lance; he may not use a missile weapon.
• A knight shall always accept a challenge towards personal combat.
• A knight shall not draw sword against his fellow Amarrian knights, except in trial by combat or within a tournament.
• A knight shall not allow himself to be captured alive.
• A knight shall not flee from the enemy, nor retreat without proper tactical cause.

Geography

Amar is one of the greatest human realms of Aiandell, almost rivalling Borinth in size, wealth, and power. It stretches from the Grey Mountains in the east to the Violet Sea in the west. In the south it is bordered by Borinth. Unlike the Borinth,Amar has a kinder climate and is a more easily cultivated land. Its vast forests and wilderness regions are separated by great fertile plains and valleys where the nobility of Amar have established their feudal domains. It is a rich, strong, chivalrous, and well-defended land.
Short-term visitors to Amar see a land of fertile farms, rolling hills, starkly beautiful mountains, and airy forests. The population consists of noble and courteous knights, fair ladies, and contented and deferential peasants.
Anyone travelling through Amar, outside the blighted land of Mousillon, sees a country that looks fair and prosperous. The forbidding forests and frowning mountains of Borinth are nowhere to be seen. This does not mean Amar is completely safe, however. Behind the facade, peril lurks. Amar's landscape can be divided into six main types: arable land, where crops are grown; pastoral land, where animals are grazed; forests; mountains; the coast; and the great rivers.
The dominant arable crop in Amar is wheat, though oats, barley, and green vegetables are also grown. Fields are very large and divided into strips. Peasant families are responsible for one strip each, and differences in treatment mean many fields look somewhat stripy. Fruit orchards and vineyards are common in the hills, on land that is too steep for easy farming. Sheep are often grazed under fruit trees.
It does, however, conceal problems. The mountains are home to Greenskins, the forests to foul creatures. Many peasants are starving, and knights who use courtesy to cloak brutality are found throughout the land. Even the superb flavours of the food often mask rotten ingredients. The cynical say Amar wears a fair mask over deep corruption; the more generous lament the gap often found between its ideals and reality. No one who knows the country at all can ignore the contrast, however.

Highlands

Most of Amar's hills are devoted to pastoral farming, whilst the plains and valleys are arable. The grazing animals keep the grass short, and the view of green hills dotted with white sheep or typically Amarrian russet cattle is a common one. The flocks and herds are tended by shepherds and herdsmen. Shepherdesses are common in the south of Amar, where it is the only occupation that allows women to travel by themselves. In the north, the idea of letting women go into the hills alone is frowned upon.
Flocks of sheep are attractive to predators, starting from wolves and climbing through goblins, orcs, beastmen, and the like. As a result, the life of a shepherd is much more dangerous than it looks. Shepherdesses, in particular, have a reputation as tough and dangerous fighters and generally cannot find husbands. Most of them do not particularly care. Many shepherds carry the Amarrian crook, a spear with a hook at the end of the handle, and are skilled in its use.

Forest

The outer edges of Amar's forests are thoroughly exploited by the people. Pigs forage in the leaf litter, trees are felled for building, and others are coppiced or pollarded. These are techniques that ensure a tree produces a lot of long, thin branches, useful for wattle and daub or for firewood. It involves cutting the branches back every year, almost to the ground in the case of a coppice, or further up the trunk for a pollard. In Amar, pollards are more common, so that pigs and sheep cannot eat the shoots of new branches. As a result, the trees in these areas are spaced out for easy access, and there is little undergrowth.
Further in, however, the forests become as dark and tangled as anything Borinth. There are no elves in the forests of Arden or Châlons, and no humans live beyond the tamed borders. As a result, they are a haven for beastmen and similar foul creatures, or for cultists of the Ruinous Powers. Human outlaws often lair near the edge of forests, and provide an important defence for local communities, keeping worse creatures back in the depths of the woods. There are stories of whole cities of beastmen in the depths of the Arden, and whilst there is no evidence for this implausible idea, it is not impossible; no one knows enough about the forest interior to say the cities are not there.

Religion

"That which is sacrosanct I shall preserve... That which is sublime I will protect... That which threatens, I will destroy... For my holy wrath will know no bounds!" —The Vow of the Grail Knight.
The religious spirit of Amar is often as divided as the division between the nobility and peasantry. Within Amarrian society, the worship of the Lady of the Lake is considered the main religious doctrine. Much of Amarrian culture is shaped by the actions of the Cult of the Lady, making them a large political power amongst the nobility.
However, unlike the worship of other cults, such as the Cult of Sigmar, where Borint'hs doctrine claims the allegiance of all its people, the Cult of the Lady is restricted to the nobility. Although the middle class of freemen commoners are allowed to worship at shrines and temples, they are required to pay a tithe unto the brotherhood maintaining such sites. For the nobility, such tithing is entirely voluntary and the amount dependent upon the noble's generosity. Most tithings are thus made for show and to establish their social status and reputation amongst the peerage.
The Cult of the Lady is almost entirely restricted to the nobility. Instead, the peasantry often worship the gods of the Aiandell. The Cult of Ulric has very few followers and even fewer public shrines while the Cult of Myrmidia is growing substantially due to the presence of Estalia. Being a martial god, it is a common theme for peasant soldiers and common militia to revere Myrmidia more than any other deity. The worship of Rhya and Taal is strong amongst farmers, where peasants regularly pray for good weather and a bountiful harvest, to feed their hungry families and to pay the exorbitant tithes and taxes imposed by their lords and masters.
Whilst worship of the Lady is centred on the nobility, the peasants do not ignore her. It is true that most peasants give their primary devotion to other deities. A few peasants, however, are as devoted to the Lady of the Lake as any Grail Knight. As these peasants cannot become Grail Knights or Damsels themselves, they try to be as close as possible to those who have. Damsels of the Lady are more feared than loved by most peasants, and most would drive off any peasants who started following them around, so the vast majority of these peasants join the entourage of a Grail Knight. Such people are known as Grail Pilgrims.
The Church of Verena is strongest amongst the few scholars that occupy Amarrian civic society, found exclusively within the ducal capitals and larger trade port towns. It is common knowledge that outlaw vigilante groups such as the Herrimaults, or more commonly known as the Merry Men, make her their patron goddess of justice. The Cult of Morr is especially strong within both the peasantry and nobility alike, for the recurring theme of the dead rising from the graves has ensured the creation of many Gardens of Morr, both to keep the spirits at rest and to contain the dead should they begin to stir. The cult is more feared by the peasantry than worshipped, yet supported as a vitally important and necessary service by the nobility.
Amongst the nobility, the black monks and their protectors, the mighty Black Guards, are seen as special protectors of the kingdom, and so although they are mostly trained and sourced from the Cult's central temples within the lands of Borinth, the armoured warriors of these Gardens are given a special royal dispensation for the wearing of plate armour, baring martial arms, and the stone construction and castellation of their monasteries. The largest and strongest of these within Amar can all be found within the lands that border disgraced Mousillon, aiding in the guarding and maintenance of the Sanitaire des Mousillon.
The Cult of Sigmar is practically non-existent within Amar's heartland, although not discouraged "officially". A high level of noble prejudice and suspicion is attached to any that follows the Cult's teaching. Such worship can being found within small communities of displaced Borinth citizens, now living within disputed border territories, and the passes of the Grey Mountains.

The Cult of the Lady

Revered throughout Amar but almost unknown anywhere else, the Lady of the Lake is the Amarrian patron goddess of purity, nobility, and courage in the face of danger. She is the romanticised ideal of womanhood, the one fair lady that every knight aspires to love and serve without any doubt or hesitation. Within the minds of many nobles the lady is the very heart and soul of Amar, a mystical elemental incarnation of the land itself and a guardian of all people living within the kingdom. Sacred groves and pools of mystical healing power are her dwelling places, and the magnificent Grail Knights her protectors, devoting themselves to upholding her honour and purity. No base creatures or evildoers can be permitted to profane her sacred sites; this is a duty every knight within Amar, not just Grail Knights, takes very seriously indeed.
The Amarrian Code of Chivalry is inextricably linked with the Lady of the Lake; as it is she who rewards all honour and virtue, it is the supreme sign of a knight's favour to receive her personal divine blessing, achieved only by drinking from the chalice she carries with her at all times, said to contain the pure and incorruptible life's blood of the Land itself. Throughout Amar, there are many Grail Chapels built upon sites of holy significance, ranging from the most humble roadside shrine, up to the truly grand and beautifully ornate flying buttressed fortress-cathedrals, incorporated into a duke's castle estate.
It is the sacred duty of all Grail Knights to protect these shrines; often such holy paladins will devote the remainder of their lives to defending the Lady's sacred places. These mighty warriors are best known as Hermit Knights, who willingly spend their remaining years defending the relics housed within such places, or standing vigil over magical items and tomes far too dangerous to be allowed out amongst common, frail-willed, and easily corrupted men.
Over the centuries, some Grail Chapels have been enlarged as various nobles have rebuilt old chapels or embellished existing shrines. Such chapels, often called Abbeys of the Grail, may contain so many valuable relics that they require defences in the manner of a castle and several Hermit Knights to guard them. In addition, the chapel may attract a small number of female recluses known as Damoiselles du Grail, who seek to devote themselves to the Lady of the Lake.

Cult of Shallya

The largest and most important religious cult within Amarrian society, after the Cult of the Lady of course, is the Cult of Shallya. The life of an Amarrian peasant is extremely hard and the relief brought by the caring and ever merciful Shallya is a most welcoming sight within any village, town, or city. The religious doctrines of Shallya have been known to contradict those of the Lady at times, for while the Lady of the Lake promotes ideals of chivalry and honourable deeds in battle amongst the nobility, the goddess Shallya cares for all people equally and weeps crystal-white tears for the suffering they must endure, wishing only to ease their burden and provide a sense of comfort and relief in an otherwise cruel world. The symbol of the cult is a white dove in flight.
As many might expect, the Cult is extremely popular within the peasantry and commoners alike, to such an extent that no Amarrian peasant would ever want to be more than a few hours walk from a shrine dedicated to Shallya. Such is the popularity of Shallya's teachings that even the nobility have taken to endowing small shrines near and even associated with Grail Chapels, in the form of Grail convents, a custom that is rapidly growing in popularity. In fact, the main temple for the Cult of Shallya is now located within Castle Couronne and has the official patronage of the entire royal court and the present king himself.
A common and growing heresy among peasants and some commoners, is the belief that both Shallya and Verena are merely aspects of the Lady, whom provide comfort for the peasantry and guide the nobility towards their protection. However, such beliefs are ruthlessly suppressed by all agents of the Lady, namely the Amarrian Inquisition based within Bastonne. Despite many years of vigorous investigation, a repeated reappearance of this heresy is now believed to be a natural weakness of the mind formed within the common and simple folk.

Language

There are two main languages spoken within Amar, Common Amarrian and High Amarrian. The most important is the high tongue, a dialect that is spoken only amongst the nobility. Almost exclusively spoken within the ducal and royal courts, it has a highly complex and rigidly formalised grammar, which was originally intended to create a language barrier between the upper and lower classes of Amarrian society. Someone not raised to the tongue thus stands out immediately, preventing pretenders to nobility from easily entering a noble court.
Over time, it has grown to become an almost entirely foreign language, far greatly refined as compared to that of the rather course Common Amarrian. A peasant within Lyonesse, for example, would barely be able to make himself understood within Carcassonne, a fact that the nobility have exploited to curb the movement of the lower classes and further isolate them.

Thus, High Amarrian has also become a universal form of converse amongst the noble ranks for use in parlay and contract and all negotiation, a fact that any foreign visitor is wise to consider if he wishes to gain any respect and consideration in dealings of trade and commerce there. All conversation with foreigners will be done exclusively in High Amarrian, and the failure of proper diction will be seen as amusing, as well as inviting the unvarnished contempt of the local noble party, a fact that has led most non-Amarrians to see them as being generally brusque, rude, and even arrogant.

Society

The Nobility

The lands of Amar are a feudal, traditional society where peasants and commoners serve noble knights in return for protection, while the knights are bound militarily to serve their lords in return for certain rights, privileges, and landed titles. At the top of this feudal hierarchy is the king. Beneath the kings are the dukes. Beneath them are lesser ranks of nobility such as marquises, earls, viscounts, lords, and knights, all in descending order, the Barons having a special place within the courtly pecking order. Each of the senior nobles are also master over a number of knights, whom are the lowest noble rank of society. Each knight, including the higher nobles, has a duty to raise his own full-time force of Men-at-Arms, chosen from the most physically able peasants within his domain. In return for serving his knightly lord, each peasant is given a small tract of land to farm for his family and can be expected to be called upon in times of war, to form a peasant militia of archers and pikes, commanded by the highest ranking nobleman present.

The Peasantry

The kingdom is notorious for its oppression of both the commoners and peasants, which most agree is stricter and harsher than those of other nations. This dark side of Amarrian culture is placed unashamedly out in the open where all nobles and nobility are set high above the peasantry in all ways. Noblemen have all the say in most matters, and Amarrian peasants often live in far worse conditions than those in Borinth, Tilea, and Estalia.
The nobility often disputes these claims, however, pointing to the religious inquisition of Borinth and the atrocities committed by the Witch Hunters. To them, the peasantry have homes to live in and food on their tables. They can marry whomever they want without the concern of politics, and they live under the protection of their lord. They work, they eat, they sleep and they rut. Indeed, this does not sound like a bad life to most Knights Errant who, while appearing brash and dismissive to the serfs, will soon learn to adopt a more solemn and honourable bearing, befitting their sacred role as protectors of the realm.
Nonetheless, the peasants have very few, if any, rights at all, and are kept illiterate and uneducated by law. They are often considered the mere property of their feudal lord, and must surrender nine tenths of their crops each harvest. As a result, most remain extremely poor throughout their entire lives. They may not leave their home estate unless allowed; as a result, a certain degree of inbreeding is quite common. Many peasants are afflicted by clubfoot, extra fingers, lazy eyes, or similar minor defects and mutations. Amarrian justice is extremely harsh and entirely ruled by superstition; any peasant who is caught stealing or poaching is usually hanged. Far harsher punishment is dealt to any peasant who attacks a noble. He and his entire family will be tortured and slowly dismembered (being drawn and quartered is the preferred method) while all his closest friends and acquaintances will be crippled. Such is the price of rebellion.
A small but growing middle class of commoners, also referred to as Freemen, make up both the professional trades and merchant class within Amarrian society. Although literate for the most part they can be either self-taught or instructed by monks, as there are no public schools in Amar. All education is thus done by private arrangement and comes from the many Grail Monasteries for a steep price. Artisans, craftsmen, and skilled semi-professionals live almost exclusively within the kingdom's few cities and numerous larger towns, situated mostly along the kingdom's coasts and rivers.
They remain socially segregated from the bonded peasants and give fealty unto a lord or landed knight but remain free to move, with permission from local authorities, if their skills are not considered too important to their current master and or community. Intellectuals such as scholars, doctors, and other similar professionals are well-respected for their duties but remain of a lower class than the nobles, usually having about the same rights as a well skilled commoner with money. The ownership of gold jewellery and the hoarding of gold is forbidden to all common classes, forcing merchants to deal almost exclusively in copper and silver. Gold is officially used only amongst the nobility, usually as tax and tithing unto the royal treasury. Any gold received in trade must be declared and handed over to a merchant's noble master, this being done each tithing day, and at an exchange rate that is considered criminal in nearly all other countries.
The Sumptuary Laws are most strictly applied to this class, with gold and certain gems forbidden to be worn publicly, as is cloth of purple, bright yellow, or green thread, or silk of any colour. Furs are restricted to rabbit, cat, and rat. The use of plate armour is strictly forbidden for the lower classes, as is the carrying of heavy swords or any weapon class above a rapier or light cavalry sabre. Foreign visitors are permitted the use of both armour and heavy weapons upon being issued a licence at the border for a steep price, usually in the form of a bribe to the local petty noble forced to command a frontier castle, either due to dishonourable behaviour or powerful rivals within his duke's court. Such duties are considered highly undesirable as it involves constant dealing with uncultured foreigners, whilst also living isolated from all centres of decent courtly civilisation. Papers must be carried at all times and adventurers can expect to be questioned and considered suspect by any local authorities when travelling beyond Amar's port cities or border settlements.
Peasants are also encouraged to breed at an alarming rate. This ensures that there will always be hordes of lowborn warriors to throw at Amar's enemies, and plenty of farmers and craftsmen to support the kingdom's infrastructure.

Type

Geopolitical, Kingdom

Capital

Amaila

Controlled Territories

• Amaila

Neighboring Nations

• Borinth