Post by Alined on Mar 5, 2017 8:48:23 GMT
The Kingdom of Wessex, now more commonly called the Kingdom of Alined, in honour of the sacrifice made by its founding dynasty, is a semi-settled land rich with wild places, a complex history, and many brave, but stubborn men and women. In the northwest lay wooded hills, small farms, and fishing villages; in the north are rugged hills with grain-filled valleys.
To the southwest the deepest woods can be found, along with Brittonic peoples of divided loyalties, who expect protection from the King of Dumonia and the Temple of the One God, both. Along the south coast is a fractious coalition of towns and freeholds that work together and often against any king, due to their long history of dealing with sea reavers themselves.
Lastly, in the east is the great chalk plateau where Cedric Alined first carved out his kingdom from what remained of the old empire, including the hill fort where the kings of Alined have held court to this day. During their rule, an amazing number of sheep have appeared in the region, and their wool has been found in the furthest corners of Albion.
King Arthur Valiant is the second king of the new line, descended from the knight-commander who succeeded the previous Alined dynasty after they were extinguished in the male line during the same battle that took the life of King Arthur Pendragon, his namesake.
While his father was a humble man, King Arthur Valiant was born and raised a true king, though perhaps not an eminently successful one. His younger brother, Prince Lewis Valiant, commanded the realm's armies. The king's only other known close relative is his sister Magda, who is a nun, and therefore excluded from the line of succession; she has had no involvement with Alined in more than a decade.
Alined is very mixed both culturally and ethnically, as the 'original' inhabitants, themselves foreign conquerors, were conquered by the Southern Empire to establish their western frontier and their new religion, only to be reconquered by new invaders, not long after the empire withdrew. Conquest aside, the land has seen raids from Lothians and Hibernians time and again since long before living memory.
These influences combined have made Alined hard when it comes to war, but soft about confrontation when they don't have their swords at hand. Still, the character of the land is ever changing as new influences arrive. Alined is not and will never be a second Camelot, but neither does it remain only a kingdom of hill tribes.
To the southwest the deepest woods can be found, along with Brittonic peoples of divided loyalties, who expect protection from the King of Dumonia and the Temple of the One God, both. Along the south coast is a fractious coalition of towns and freeholds that work together and often against any king, due to their long history of dealing with sea reavers themselves.
Lastly, in the east is the great chalk plateau where Cedric Alined first carved out his kingdom from what remained of the old empire, including the hill fort where the kings of Alined have held court to this day. During their rule, an amazing number of sheep have appeared in the region, and their wool has been found in the furthest corners of Albion.
King Arthur Valiant is the second king of the new line, descended from the knight-commander who succeeded the previous Alined dynasty after they were extinguished in the male line during the same battle that took the life of King Arthur Pendragon, his namesake.
While his father was a humble man, King Arthur Valiant was born and raised a true king, though perhaps not an eminently successful one. His younger brother, Prince Lewis Valiant, commanded the realm's armies. The king's only other known close relative is his sister Magda, who is a nun, and therefore excluded from the line of succession; she has had no involvement with Alined in more than a decade.
Alined is very mixed both culturally and ethnically, as the 'original' inhabitants, themselves foreign conquerors, were conquered by the Southern Empire to establish their western frontier and their new religion, only to be reconquered by new invaders, not long after the empire withdrew. Conquest aside, the land has seen raids from Lothians and Hibernians time and again since long before living memory.
These influences combined have made Alined hard when it comes to war, but soft about confrontation when they don't have their swords at hand. Still, the character of the land is ever changing as new influences arrive. Alined is not and will never be a second Camelot, but neither does it remain only a kingdom of hill tribes.