Alba

Alba is the northernmost portion of the Island of the Mighty, fir clad mountains with valleys of heather and pristine forests. The natural beauty of the land is offset by the violent nature of it’s inhabitants, wild roving bands of goblinfolk. The Empire never ventured this far north nor could they claim it, for the goblin threat was such the Empire ordered walls erected to form a border, clearly marking the southern limit of goblin power, though the Empire left strings of walls it used to advance and sometimes had to fall back to for a generation or so, eventually pushing the border to the island-spanning Antonine Wall. Alba stood alone, torn by internecine conflicts as the clans’ squabbles over territory and wars over petty slights kept it from advancing beyond the vast plains of Northumbria even as it kept the Empire at standoff. Alban clan-chiefs endowed territory to mercenaries to keep the peace and protect rendezvous points to guarantee supply lines that evolved into the peacekeepers who were above clan-chiefs, even a chief of the clan-chiefs of the great clans. They fiercely fought the Empire from the discovery of the Tin Isles Divine Ivlivs to the Eternal Secession, when they finally were united by Lot and Morgana of the Orkneys into a single kingdom, albeit one divided by multiple governments. Morgana's second borne son (Lot's firstborn) ascended to the throne of the Orkneys while yet bound to the service of Idris, bringing Alba into the Heptarchy as a vassal state of Mercia. The Antonine Wall yet stands, one of many Imperial walls erected to dissuade goblin attack, and is yet manned and maintained, albeit by the First Dragon now, for Alba is known to be a treacherous and indifferent ally at best and an implacable foe at worst.

Government

Alba is held by vast coalitions of goblyn families ordered into clans. The clans send clan-chiefs to arbitrate disputes and negotiate treaties and alliances, and establish which family holds the status chief of the clan chiefs. These affairs are formally conducted in the courts of Alba, presided over by a dominant warlord. This individual is responsible for peacekeeping, security, and maintaining emergency shelters and supplies as well as being chief justice, so will have a personal army to enforce decisions. These offices are appointed by the courts for life and can designate their successor, tradition passing the office to a spouse unless a firstborn of adult years exists or one of the courts interferes. There are four seasonal courts and two great courts that stand above them, and all these courts will send representatives to the peacekeepers who then pass any instructions or decisions to the clan chiefs. There are also lesser courts held across the land charged with territories and duties in their domains. Individuals may hold differing titles bestowed by the various courts, in which case they will use a single title, that bestowed by the highest court, though all titles will be read when such an individual is introduced or speaks formally to any court. The great courts travel the Isle of the Mighty in trooping formations called rades that wander their season, passing down the law of the land in ornate displays and festivals. The courts that hold sway above the land appoint fortress commanders though courtiers are generally held as equal to these officers even outside their season and retain their prerogatives subject only to the ruling court. Just as the clan chiefs conduct their interactions as the guests of a commander, the military conduct theirs through the great courts, who in turn conduct theirs through the two high courts. The Court of Air and Darkness rules the Host and impacts the other courts greatly through it's interactions with the Court of Light and Illusion. The Host are apex predators who serve as enforcers year round and select the Harvest King by lot from the commoners. The Harvest King is absolute until he is sacrificed by the Host and the Oak Champion battles the Host and is killed so the Holly Monarch rules. The Holly Monarch is succeeded by the Harlot/Gigolo whose lascivious Court of Romance intrigues and orgies through spring until the Bride/Groom emerges with the Court of Life and rules until the Host calls for a new Harvest King, renewing the cycle. These courts are ruled by an individual held to be vassal of either the King of Light and Illusion or the Queen of Air and Darkness, rulers of the two great courts. These rulers retain their titles unless sacrificed save the Harvest King and Oak Champion, who are always sacrificed. Traditionally, the Holly Monarch is buried alive, the Harlot Queen/Gigolo Prince bled dry, the Bride/Groom smothered, and the Harvest King and Oak Champion dismembered. The Empire banned human sacrifice, but Alba was never Imperial. However, the other six kingdoms embraced the Empire and Alba has dismissed all sacrificing save the Host, unless a reign was particularly disastrous. The great courts stand so high as to be unaffected by events or outcomes beyond as wagers with the opposing court assigning prestige or it's loss thereby. They contest vehemently, hating even the smallest gain by their opponent court more than anything. The Court of Light and Illusion deals in misdirection and appearance while the Court of Air and Darkness is secretive and active. Courtiers of all six courts weave through the fort commanders, warlords, and the clan chiefs, wrangling for this or that, sometimes as little as a single barleycorn, sometimes demanding an entire generation of a clan’s young. The great courts and their courtiers hold the most authority and respect, and titles bestowed or acknowledged by them bear their suffix formally, as well as designating personal warband entourages allowed at court functions. Showing up with such a warband but no title can be an act of war, depending on the ruling of the head of the court. A title held by a ranking court is acknowledged by subordinate courts, which may not be the case for subordinate court ranks at the high courts.

Defences

The clans maintain forts and other structures, the most significant of which receive a commander appointed to rein in the excesses of the clan-chiefs for the common good.

Industry & Trade

Herding is big business, but some farms exist industrially for grain as well as whisky. Most mills are clan owned and operated on a user fee basis.

Infrastructure

Goblin military requirements dictated establishing forts for communal storage, so adequate supplies and shelters were available for retreat in duress from the various rigors of Alban politics and natural disasters or invasion. These forts often hold markets or fairs as well as tournaments, especially when hosting a court. Clans build and maintain public services, which are accessed through user fees, a percentage of grain ground for mills, etc. Warlords form their own courts to administrate territory, subordinate to the migratory seasonal courts as these courts are subject to the great courts. Wise warlords maintain the seasonal offices within their own courts alongside their own structure, and play political football with hot button issues by passing them up and hoping matters are not handed back down.

Assets

The clans control population and manpower, but warlords often claim choice resources for their own, negotiating land management for a percentage of resource allotment.

Guilds and Factions

The courts, the clans, and the military are not united but loosely, and all shepherd primarily their own interests.

History

When the Empire occupied the Tin Isles under Klavdivs, the wild goblins of Alba were his singular failure, requiring him to construct a series of walls and forts to repel their constant raids. The goblins managed to seize some of these forts, and soon produced their own, constructing hidden caches here and there between clan wars to stymie Imperial expansion until the Empress Antonine, weary of the whole mess, built the wall that settled the border from Channel to Inner Sea. The clans fell upon themselves with no invaders to distract them, until jotun raiders supplied a new menace. It was Lot who was driven out by the clan-chiefs who converted the outlying northern islands into facilities that produced a navy and indebted these same clan-chiefs by staving off jotun raids in exchange for considerations and concessions exchanged for protection. Lot's mercenary navy founded his court at the north isles, which expanded as his canny negotiations allowed him dominance over a larger area, and he soon manipulated the mainland clans from being in his debt to being in his service. His son Bedwyr was squired to none other than Idris, elevating himself to one of the sworn equals at Idris's court, and compelling Lot to ally with the First Dragon, then swear oath to him when the Heptarchy was formed. The prestige and power of Lot's court caused jealous rivals and lesser warlords to form an opposition court, but the military tradition of shared forts allowed these opposed courts to accept the other as well as the courts of Lot's four sons, who succeeded him, setting these courts above the territorial courts but below the two high courts.

Architecture

Goblins were nomadic, but copied Imperial military structures, disguising them as natural formations when possible. Communal property, storehouses, emergency shelters, and military outposts continue this tradition, but privately owned structures are not, instead being clearly marked with the owner's heraldry above the door and fireplace.

Geography

Mountains and valleys fill Alba, and it's coasts are rocky and treacherous. The mountains are heavily forested with oak and pine, and game abounds. Many rivers, streams, and lakes exist, but few are navigable to allow travel to the seas they empty into, and small fields dot the region.

Natural Resources

The fields between mountains are good farming, just as the rivers and lakes are bountiful for fish. The goblyns have domesticated wolves and boar, raising grain and sheep to sustain themselves. Mines dot the region, often supporting cities where travelling markets supply what is not produced locally. Fishing, both fresh and saltwater, sustains entire communities.

Type

National Territory

Inhabitant Demonym

Goblyns

Location under

The Isle of the Mighty

Owning Organization

The Heptarchy