Kentigern

Staff Sergeant Adelheid Greydawn, a Kentish knight
and royal guardswoman of Queen Regent Deunan Dyne IV.
Caer Kentigern is visible in the background.

Kentigern is a province of the Midlands in Corecentral Gondara. It is a region famous among monied tourists for its breathtaking mountainside vistas, impressive castles and rich musical culture.

Its capital city is Caer Kentigern, presided over by the nation's autarch, Queen Regent Deunan Dyne IV, until its Future King Delmar Dyne I comes of age.

The province holds considerable sway over the myriad "street guilds" of Gondara's trade capital, Fauregand, and is considered to preside over a solid fortune for a relatively small Middish nation.

Kentigern's demonym is Kentish, as is its language, which is a dialect of Sigilese, though Middish Common is spoken frequently. Residents are referred to as Kents.

Highlights

Scenic and not very far from Fauregand, Kentigern is a popular destination for multiple reasons.

Caer Kentigern

An impressive walled, cliffside city high in the Sigil Mountains, famous in particular for its legendary view of the Midlands below. It is the seat of the ruling Dyne family. Caer Kentigern's main keep is considered one of the few great, unassailable fortresses in the Gamma Quadrant; even the might of the Juran Empire was only able to quarantine the marvelous structure, never to conquer it. Only after buckling under the weight of sanctions did the city finally cooperate with the Jurans.

Kourtrai

If Caer Kentigern is the province's political capital, Kourtrai is its cultural and tourism capital, known for its natural hot springs, handsome castles, welcoming chateaus and cutting-edge music venues. Though generally a vacation spot for the trade barons of Fauregand, more are traveling to visit the great city from farther abroad as Gondara's middle class grows.

Johfra Lilienthal, considered the father of New Gondaran
music.

The Organ of Clarion Canyon

Kourtrai is a province that prides itself in the manufacture of fine instruments, and so it was decided that they would put on a concert that would truly solidify their status as the musical capital of the Midlands. Established for the centennial celebrations of 1399 I.M., the concert would involve transporting a Passelewe Brothers pipe organ, piece-by-piece, up to an appropriate lookout point above Clarion Canyon and reconstructed there, where the sound would be complimented by the chasm's natural acoustics. It would become known as The Organ of Clarion Canyon. The plan was the organ would then be taken down and returned, however the Passelewe Brothers Company went under shortly after, and lacking the funds to retrieve the organ, it sits on that spot to this day.

The organ is an extremely popular tourist attraction, and teams of musicians (at minimum, the amount needed to play and power the immense machine) have since performed other pieces on the site. Most popular is the yearly Concerti Clariona event, where prizes are given out for best new organ composition, as well as performances of local favourites.

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A short excerpt from a composition in the "New Gondaran" school of music, generally considered earthy and fast-paced compared to the more airy, meditative qualities of Juran classical music.

"New Gondaran" Music

Kourtrai not only boasts the most musical instrument manufacturers per capita in the Gamma Quadrant, this business helps support recently thriving "New Gondaran" musical schools in the wake of the retreat of the Juran Empire. Having now achieved independence after 202 years under the Juran boot, many Gondarans are now seeking to rediscover their identity, including musically. This has generally taken two opposing forms: A) traditional ethnomusicographers trying to piece together & revive proto-Gondaran music, and B) avant garde movements who take a more proactive, forward-thinking position on identity. The city's salons and cafes are full of sharp young minds determined to be the next Johfra Lilienthal, considered the father of New Gondaran music.