The Edassan Tomes

[Seonid he/him]

Personal Introduction 

Well hello, 17th Shard, and hello Creator's Corner!

I'm an old school forum member who'd been gone for a long, long while, but I have really fond memories of my time here. 

One of the things I was most involved on the site was worldbuilding - I think the old threads are still floating around here somewhere - and I remember that this forum was a gold mine for worldbuilding feedback, interactive worldbuilding questions, and everything associated with it.

Recently, some stuff has come up in my life, and I've been spurred back to working on my setting, and a couple months ago I actually started writing the book I've always wanted to write. 

And so, I've found myself making my way back here again, looking for a place to share the world I'm creating and the stories I'm telling in it.

I hope you guys enjoy it!

 

Edassa

The 4th planet orbiting the star Nycten is the only planet in its system capable of supporting liquid water. An ancient alien space manufacturing facility still orbits the planet, connected to the surface by a long defunct space elevator,  while a scattered handful of its automated drones and factories still shift asteroids into orbit and process them to produce exotic metals. The detritus of those bodies form a brilliant ring around the planet, while parts of the surface are littered with traces of ancient alien mines and terraforming equipment.

A group of human refugees from a totalitarian regime settled the planet, but a series of disasters destroyed the central colony and the infrastructure and information hubs that supported the colony's advanced technology. The descendants of the few survivors have expanded across the continent, and they named it Edassa.

 

Physical Map of Nycten IV

Spoiler

 

Cultural Map of Edassa

Spoiler

 

Path of the Artisan (Working Title)

The model I'm working on right now is about characters who I've been living with for two decades and more now, but now I'm finally telling their story.

The elevator pitch goes something like this: 

Spoiler

Samhain is a war hero and one of the finest generals of his generation. But between calculating taxes, administering estates, and navigating the politics of noble courtship, he is struggling to adapt to his new peaceful life. What he needs, of course, is another war to get his blood pumping. 

But when a forgotten god starts haunting his dreams and a widowed refugee woman collides with his life like a hurricane, suddenly he is forced to confront the consequences of war and violence in a way that sets him on a collision course with everything he thought he believed.

At the moment, I'm focusing on writing individual scenes in the story, rather than starting at the beginning and going from there. But if you're interested in reading through some of those scenes as I write them and giving feedback, send me a DM!

 

What can you expect out of this thread?

Engagement! I'll be answering questions, interacting, etc as often as I can.

In addition, every Saturday I'll write up a large worldbuilding reply in this thread, in addition to the questions I answer and random comments I post.

In addition, each Sunday night, I'll post a writing accountability post where I talk a little about how many words I have written and what my weekly goal is.

Edited September 7, 2025 by Seonid
Adding maps

[Seonid he/him]

Now, it's not Saturday, but I thought I'd get the ball rolling with a map of the Kingdom of Gaelet - the nation where our story begins - as of the year 1307.

Spoiler

And, for your reading pleasure, an abbreviated history of the region focusing on the war of independence that created the new kingdom:

In the waning years of the 13th century, the Kaloneri emperor signed the treaty of Halm Mattis, which ended the conflict that historians would later call the Nine Years War. The conflict with the Alcorazimai Empire to the south and their allied city-states among the river kingdoms left the imperial treasury exhausted, and to compensate, the empire instituted a series of increasingly devastating consumption taxes across Imperial cities.

These taxes overwhelmingly failed to raise the needed funds, and created massive disruptions to the economies of the metropolises maintained by the empire. These consumption taxes were abandoned in favor of increased taxation on external trade routes through the river kingdoms and from the north.

These taxes crippled the economy of the eastern provinces, but since they didn't have enough political capital to enforce their objections, the policies stood for nearly a decade, with discontent only rising over time.

Before the Nine Years War, the empire had been expanding at a rapid clip, gobbling up the westernmost feudal fiefs of the Avran fiefdoms. In 1259, the Duchy of Caedros fell to the imperial armies, and the young heir - Gaelet of the House of Wyst - fled into exile in distant Menkor and the remaining allied houses signed a treaty with crippling tribute terms.

40 years later, in the spring of 1299, Gaelet returned to his historical lands with a small army and a promise of military support from dozens of noble houses in the area, plus funding and even token military forces from Menkor and other allies even further to the east. He seized the ford across the river Aron at Malach Crossings, proclaimed his banner, and called on his vassals to throw off the imperial yoke.

In the volatile and discontented political landscape, his call was like a match in a powder factory. The small imperial garrison at Caedros was besieged inside their barracks and surrendered within a week, and the entire region west of the river rose up to fight the imperial oppressors.

Outnumbered imperial garrison commanders lost several battles over the summer against an untrained but highly motivated rebel force, but the arrival of the imperial army in the fall saw the Duke pull his forces back across the river and fortify the fords, hoping to hold a defensive posture while reinforcements arrived from allied houses.

Despite several bloody battles, the fords held, and fighting died down over the winter. The presence of imperial soldiers, and their habit of commandeering supplies from towns and cities without compensation further strained the patience of the eastern provinces, and many groups began to migrate west to join the rebellion. Some of these made it to the fords and joined the main army, but many ended up dispersed across the countryside, acting as little more than bandits.

The imperial army launched punitive expeditions to eradicate rebel strongholds, but those proved ineffective. In a bid to wipe out the base of support, the imperial commander began burning villages suspected of sympathizing with or supporting rebel groups, executing every man, woman, and child caught in the operation.

These brutal relatiatory attacks brought the imperial army in conflict with the local political authorities, whose loyalty to the imperial throne had already been strongly tested by a decade of crippling taxes. Leaders from Lushbeck, Kenesthyn, Chalys, Cherlienne, and other smaller settlements issued joint statements condemning the attacks, but had not yet moved into direct opposition to the imperial army. The spark of that rebellion would come at the end of the winter.

One of the middle-ranking officers in the Lushbeck garrison, Samhain Marchandson, was sent out on a patrol to visit several of the nearby villages which had suffered bandit attacks. Samhain was a recent graduate of the Academy of War - despite his status as a scholarship student (he was the son of a weapons merchant), he graduated near the top of his class, and with blademaster's honors - and a strong sense of honor.

On his patrol, he encountered an Imperial Army detachment moving into one of the villages on his circuit. The army warleader attempted to conscript his soldiers to help round up the villagers and execute them all. He refused, and deployed his patrol to form a protective line between the village and the army detachment. The commander declared them traitors and ordered the attack, but Samhain successfully defended the village, killing the commander in a brutal one-on-one clash.

Now officially declared a rebel, Samhain decided to gather as many of the scattered rebel/bandit groups as he could and fought a winter campaign from Lushbeck to Malach Crossings, seizing provisions from Imperial storehouses along the way. Over the spring, he formed an alliance with the Duke of Caedros, fought several successful engagements against the Imperial Army, and became a liaison between Caedros and the restive mayors and councils of Lushbeck and other aligned cities.

By the end of the summer, every province west of the Ainin River was in open revolt. The war took 3 long years, but in 1302, the last imperial commander formally surrendered, and increasing political disasters at home forced the empire to a settlement that recognized the independence of the provinces. The imperial provinces and the Duchy of Caedros organized into the Kingdom of Gaelet. Gaelet died of causes incident to age, so his son Najar became the first king of the new nation.

And finally, here's the:

Weekly writing accountability post for week ending 09/07/25

Total words written: ~23,500

Goal for next week: 28,000 words

Edited October 4, 2025 by Seonid

[AltonicKeys he/him]

Woah! This is really in-depth! I really like the premise, and how deep the world's history goes. I'm always a big sucker for space age fiction, and an even bigger one for really thought-out lore.

I like how you set specific word goals for yourself. Can I ask, do you plan on releasing this eventually? Are you thinking of a physical publication?

[Arraenae]

10 hours ago, Seonid said:

The 4th planet orbiting the star Nycten is the only planet in its system capable of supporting liquid water. An ancient alien space manufacturing facility still orbits the planet, connected to the surface by a long defunct space elevator,  while a scattered handful of its automated drones and factories still shift asteroids into orbit and process them to produce exotic metals. The detritus of those bodies form a brilliant ring around the planet, while parts of the surface are littered with traces of ancient alien mines and terraforming equipment.

A group of human refugees from a totalitarian regime settled the planet, but a series of disasters destroyed the central colony and the infrastructure and information hubs that supported the colony's advanced technology. The descendants of the few survivors have expanded across the continent, and they named it Edassa.

This sounds similar to the Dragonriders of Pern series, which had an advanced civilization settling a planet and then nearly getting wiped out by alien life forms, resulting in them bioengineering dragons to fight that before they lost a lot of the information about their origins. Are you planning on having this previous history be relevant to the story of Samhain?

[Seonid he/him]

6 hours ago, AltonicKeys said:

Woah! This is really in-depth! I really like the premise, and how deep the world's history goes. I'm always a big sucker for space age fiction, and an even bigger one for really thought-out lore.

I like how you set specific word goals for yourself. Can I ask, do you plan on releasing this eventually? Are you thinking of a physical publication?

Awesome, and thank you! The vibe I'm going for right now is "Medieval fantasy set in the ruins of an incredibly advanced alien outpost" - but I'll be honest, the alien tech is half unique flavor, half a justification to combine my fantasy setting with a sci-fi one I play around it sometimes. (Sci Fi settings as a far future extrapolation of a fantasy one? I wonder where I got that idea...)

I do plan on releasing it - the goal is to get it published. Not sure if I'll go a self-publishing route or traditional publishing. By which I mean, if a publisher offers, I'm all in, but I'm going to publish it with our without them...

5 hours ago, Arraenae said:

This sounds similar to the Dragonriders of Pern series, which had an advanced civilization settling a planet and then nearly getting wiped out by alien life forms, resulting in them bioengineering dragons to fight that before they lost a lot of the information about their origins. Are you planning on having this previous history be relevant to the story of Samhain?

I love the Pern setting! Those books were some of my favorites growing up! I won't deny that I have found myself making the comparison every now and again as I developed the backstory lol. I'm a sucker for "advanced civilization series a planet and it all goes wrong and now we live in the leftovers of their glory that we can't even hope to replicate with our current tech..." trope.

At the moment, it's just flavor for the world, and not particularly important for Samhain's story. The smiths of his society can work some of the advanced alloys, so he has armor made from an extremely light but strong metal that wouldn't be available in a mundane world, but that's the extent of the impact for now.

When I was a teenager, first introducing myself to the character, I imagined his story as being about world-ending stakes. But as I've actually sat down and built out the plot for the series, it's become clear to me that the story is really about him and his internal growth.

On a completely different topic entirely - Samhain started off life as a brilliant swordsman with an overriding compunction - he never took a life unless there was no other option. That was compelling to me, even as a teenager - the juxtaposition of being really good at combat but not using it. I didn't realize it at the time, but I've come to recognize that his story is about how he got there.

[Seonid he/him]

So, I'm not planning on putting out a huge worldbuilding piece until next Saturday (I have a massive case of worldbuilder's disease, and if I'm not careful I'm never gonna get the book done). However, I can and will take requests for what parts of the world would be most interesting to explore. 

At the moment, I'm trying to keep the worldbuilding close to the region that is story-relevant (for reasons related to the aforementioned case of worldbuilder's disease), but there are multiple directions that could go. 

So for next Saturday, we could explore any of the following: 

1 - The distinct biomes of the kingdom of Gaelet

2 - Non-terran flora and fauna of the Edassan midlands

3 - Cultures and religions of the Edassan midlands

(The midlands are the broader region in which the kingdom of Gaelet resides) 

If there isn't a lot of feedback, I'll probably go through them in order.

Also, just because I am restricting the large scale posts to Saturdays doesn't mean that I won't do worldbuilding other days. I'll definitely answer worldbuilding questions here no matter when they are asked .

Finally, commentary on posting writing scenes. I'll probably end up posting a few of them in the thread - mostly introduction scenes for the main characters. But if you really want to get into reading new scenes as I work on them, let me know in a DM and I'll create a group to discuss them.

[Seonid he/him]

So, I was working on a scene that has been giving me all sorts of trouble, and it happens to be slightly (only very tangentially) related to the overall political situation in the Kingdom of Gaelet. So, of course, I dropped the scene and went off on a worldbuilding binge and now I have the name of every barony, viscounty, county, and earldom in the kingdom, along with all of the major cities associated with them (only in the earldoms and counties - baronies and viscounties are not important enough to get major cities), and a list of the most prominent noble estate in each domain.

Oops.

Spoiler

EDIT: And with some estimates about the population density of various terrains, I can get an overall population for the country. 

For those who are curious, Gaelet is about 39,800 square miles and has a population of just over 1.25 million. 

Look forward for a biome/ecology worldbuilding post on Saturday. I'll add in the assumptions I made about the population density of various ecological zones.

Edited September 12, 2025 by Seonid
Added population stuff

[Seonid he/him]

Alright. It's Saturday, which means it's time for a worldbuilding post! Today we are going to talk about the ecology of the kingdom of Gaelet. I know I promised to talk about the assumptions I made about the climate regions and what sort of population density I assumed for them, but this post has already gotten long, and I'll get to that in a future installment.

Climate and Ecology of the Kingdom of Gaelet

The midlands of Edassa tend towards the semi-arid, growing dryer as you move north from the Jade Sea. Cut off from prevailing winds by the Bearclaw mountains to the west, the Cloudshield mountains to the southeast, and the Mountains of the Encircling Sky to the northeast, relatively little moisture makes it in from the sea. The predominant climate of the region is a cold steppe (Koppen climate zone designation BSk) although several cold deserts (Koppen designation BWk) are present on the leeward side of the Bearclaw mountains.

In the south of the midlands, characterized by the river kingdoms, the Avran fiefdoms, and the Godlands, the predominant habitat is tall-grass prairie, much like the American great plains. In the north, where the S'voran kingdoms and the Nessei nomads live, the lower rainfall and higher elevation tend towards short-grass prairie, more like the Mongolian steppes.

However, those are very broad brush strokes to paint with, and local conditions can change a great deal of things - most especially the great rivers that flow through the plains. Despite the semi-arid conditions, the rivers of the midlands drain the basin of most of a continent, and these rivers create many places quite suitable for agriculture. The kingdom of Gaelet sits squarely in the middle of the southern midlands, but the presence of the Oakridge mountains makes a great deal of difference to local ecological regions.

The kingdom of Gaelet can be divided into 4 broad ecological zones: the northern highlands, the western plains, the Oakridge mountains, and the southern riverlands.

Northern Highlands: The north and northwest of the kingdom are dominated by highlands. The elevation and the rainshadow of the mountains creates more arid conditions than is otherwise normal for the region, so the short-grass steppes of these highlands are far less suitable for growing crops. Still, several small rivers flow from the mountains, and the people of the region maintain farming communities along the banks. Most of the land, however, is dominated by herdspeople. Some, especially in the most arid regions, are semi-nomadic - living with their herds year-round, moving from pasture to pasture as the seasons change. However, most have created small settlements along smaller streams where they use fertilizer from their animals to create small areas of more-fertile ground to grow hay to feed their animals year round as well as dedicated gardens and sometimes even small farms to supplement their reliance on animals.

The dominant domesticated animals are cows, horses and sheep - cows in the flatter areas nearer the rivers and sheep in the more rugged highlands, along with various breeds of herding dogs. All of these animals were brought from Terra by the original colonists. Prominent native animals in the region are herds of pronghorns (not modern pronghorn antelopes, but related), the devir (a long-necked giraffe-like camel - look up Aepycamelus), several breeds of ancient peccaries, and several breeds of miniature horses. The rivertusk (a tusked, small-horned rhino - see Aphelos) also lives on the plains, but is much more rare. There are also some landbeavers (small, beaver-like mammals who live more like prairie dogs), but they are more common in the flatter and wetter western plains.

Predators on the plains include the steppe lion (a sabre-toothed cat similar in size to a puma) and the dire wolf (a very large, heavily built canid - related but not closely related to modern wolves, and not at all the same thing as the ice age dire wolf - call it like Epicyon). A species of bear also lives in the highlands – roughly the size of the Asian sun bear, it is omnivorous and eats berries, fish from the streams, and small mammals, along with scavenging anything it comes across.

Tree cover is relatively rare on the highlands, but there are sparse woodlands along the streams and rivers, and the short-grass gives way to a kind of scrubland filled with sparse shrub cover. Houses and other buildings in the region (not including the huts built by the nomadic peoples) are built of fired clay bricks, due to the lack of wood - wood beams are used as structural supports, but not a primary construction material. Unlike the nearly completely bare steppes to the north, there is enough incidental firewood from shrubs/trees along the rivers to not require the use of dried dung for firestarting, though the semi-nomadic groups often use it regardless.

Eastern Plains: West of the line of the Oakridge mountains, a broad, flat plain stretches down past the Ainin River and continues west until it fades into the broad basin that is the homeland of the Kaloneri Empire. (The kingdom - and my map - stops at the Ainin River, but the climate doesn't change just because you cross the river, and you can consider the biome to keep on going for some time. Eventually, the further west you go, the heavier the rainfall gets until it can support woodlands and eventually full-on deciduous forests, and there really isn't a good demarcation line where it stops, just a long continuum with mostly-treeless prairies on one end and dense forest on the other.)

These plains are much more well-watered than the highlands due to the Ainin River, and they stretch from the northern borders south to the confluence of the two rivers and beyond. This is the habitat of most of the river kingdoms, and large portions of the Godlands, but it also takes up most of the west of the kingdom of Gaelet.
Without the rainshadow of the mountains, the plains are also less arid, and they are widely farmed. The plains are also noticeably warmer than the highlands (though both still get snow in the winter, the highlands have much harsher winters and shorter summers). Along the river are woodlands, sometimes even fairly dense forests where the local water supply allows, and natural springs come up from the low water table and support stands of trees even in the middle of the plains.

The plains support a mix of large farms and herding villages, and also support several large cities., even in the interior. Where the highland farms focus on potatoes and barley (more drought and cold-resistant crops), the eastern plains grow wheat and corn. Along the rivers, the soil is exceptionally fertile, and the farms are very productive. Away from rivers, the focus is on large herds - mostly cows, which are more efficient to raise and which are not-as-well suited to the rough terrain of the highlands - but the ground is still fertile enough that the people who live there settle in villages and grow small portions of crops; there isn't anywhere that is poor enough ground that a semi-nomadic (or full nomadic!) lifestyle is necessary.

In addition to many of the species of the northern highlands, you find wolverine-like creatures and razorclaws (small, turkey-sized, feathered dromaeosaurs) occupying a small predator niche. Small herds of medium-size elephants (gomphotheres - look up Gomphotherium) roam the broad, flat plains, competing with the cows herded by the settlers, and a large but rare species of giant ground sloth (similar to Megatherium) as well, though their native habitat is the hill country to the west. Along the rivers, hornless aquatic rhinos (see Teleoceras) make their home, while the tusked rhinos of the northern highlands find some homes in the western plains as well. A number of grassland fowl also make their homes, as well as some small dinosaur-like archosaurs.

On the plains, you'll find a moderately common form that looks like Protoceratops, which nests in gregarious communities, but you might see some ostrich-mimic dinosaurs (similar to, say, Gallimimus) as well, living in small groups (not large enough to be called herds) and filling the ostrich-style niche on the plains.

Oakridge Mountains: The Oakridge Mountains nearly bisect the kingdom, running through the midsection, and their presence shapes the existence of just about every other biome nearby. They are also their own unique habitat. The mountains are fairly low, with their highest peaks reaching perhaps 6000 feet above sea level, and they are not massively vertical like the Rockies, Himalayas, or the Alps. The Appalachians in North America are a reasonable analogue.

They are heavily forested, especially on their southern slopes, as they capture the water from the prevailing northwards winds. The northern face is more arid, but still moist enough to support forests. The mountain forests are deciduous - mostly oak and maple - on the lower elevations but shift to conifers higher up. The more arid conditions on the north slope favor conifers more, so there is a distinct shift in habitat types between the two sides of the range.

The people who live in the mountains do subsistence farming but also support a prosperous woodcutting industry, which supplies wood all across the kingdom. The mountains also have moderate deposits of several minerals, including copper, iron, tin, and even silver, enough to create a self-sufficient metalworking industry, although it is not a regional exporter of metals (they produce enough ore to supply their own needs, but not enough or enough at high quality to be competitive on the regional market).

The rich forest supports a medium species of ground sloth, several species of deer, including an extremely large elk-like mammal with a very impressive array of horns. A species of medium dromaeosaur lives in the woods (still much smaller than, say, Utahraptor) and hunts in packs on the south side. It competes with silverwolves - a grey-and-white colored wolf relative that is much smaller than the dire wolves of the northern highlands - and the red bear, a black bear-sized early bear. The undisputed apex predator of the mountains, however, is a massive black-furred species of bear, nearly as large as the modern Kodiak (much like Agriotherium). No large cat predators in the mountains, though some smaller lynx/bobcat sized ones do prowl both sides of the mountain.

On the wetter south side, you also have a couple small species of herbivorous dinosaur. In the forests, these are mostly bipedal, and range from possum size up to about medium dog-sized. Dryosaurus, Leallynasaura or Hypsilophodon would be good analogues.

Lot of seed/nut eating mammals like chipmunks and squirrels, along with porcupines, and a healthy array of birds. turtles (including large snapping ones), frogs, and salamanders in the lakes and streams.

Southern Riverlands: The final biome is the southern riverlands. The presence of the mountains increases rainfall on the south side of the mountains, enough that it is no longer classified as semi-arid. The closer to the mountains you get, the more humid, and the region is considered to stretch from the Minhara river in the south up to the mountains. In the south, the landscape is woodlands (defined as forests that aren't dense enough to completely block out the sky, I think), while the northern end is heavily forested, except where it has been logged out and farmed.

The wet climate and rich soil makes this some of the most productive farmland in the kingdom, and the rich forests support hunting, logging, and other industries, growing a wide variety of grains.

The ground sloth (smaller than the giant one of the western plains) and a forest elephant species (shovel-tusked like Ambelodon) are the apex herbivores, hunted by dire wolves. The deer of the mountains spread down this way too, and you'll see the massive bears too, but more seldom than the mountain slopes (the wolves are better suited towards the flatter terrain, and are more robust competition).

The rest of the wildlife looks pretty similar to an intersection between the plains and the mountains, but the region is heavily settled by humans, and the amount of remaining wild space is comparatively limited.

[Seonid he/him]

While I'm at it, here's an early scene from the book introducing one of the main characters - Helene. Trigger warning for themes of abuse.

Spoiler

The barley porridge bubbled softly in the cast iron cauldron as it hung over the tiled hearth in the center of the room. Iron hooks hung on chains down from a bar set into the rafters of the house to hold it out of the coals, while smoke from the fire rose in wisps to filter through the low, thatched ceiling. The hall was spacious, its walls formed of deep brown wood, with a steep staircase in the corner furthest from the door, rising up to the sleeping chamber set over the adjoining stables. In the opposite corner, a wooden table stood with one side fit snugly up against the wall, covered with earthenware vessels full of raw foodstuffs.

Outside the open west-facing door and down the hill lay the little farming village of Collefiele. Smoke rose from many of the roofs, and the tiles of the village’s shrine gleamed in the golden light of the late summer sunset. The light lit the woodlands beyond in rich shades of amber and green.

Helene blew a soft draft over the spoonful of porridge she had lifted out of the pot, still piping hot. Even after it had cooled a moment, it was still hot enough to burn her tongue as she tasted it. She grimaced, then added several pinches of thick salt flakes to the cauldron. She paused for a moment to wipe sweat from her forehead and to push strands of her auburn hair back beneath the checkered kerchief she wore over her bun, and called out for her daughter while she stirred.

“Elyse, be a good girl and bring over a bouquet, please? One of the small ones.”

Elyse, a scrawny girl of seven with thick brown hair and large brown eyes, looked up from where she had been using a charred stick to scratch some design on the hard-packed dirt floor. She was wearing a child’s tunic that had more patches than original cloth, and her feet were bare. She waited there for just a moment, then lay down her stick and stood up.

“Yes, Mama!” Her voice was bright and cheerful, and her eyes lit up, as they did every time she spoke to someone. She ran over to the corner of the living room where bundles of dried herbs, wrapped in cheesecloth and secured with twine, hung from the ceiling. From these, she selected a small one and brought it over to where Helene stood over the pot.

“Just go ahead and toss it in. Careful not to let it splash on you. These herbs will add a bit of flavor to the porridge, see.”

“Yes, Mama. Can I go back to my drawing now?” Elyse looked up with innocent eyes, and Helene laughed out loud. “Run along then. Supper will be ready before you know it.” She shook her head as the girl scampered back to her half-finished drawing with a broad smile on her face. That girl. She’d be drawing the whole day if I would let her. I know I should be more strict with her, but every time I see that smile, I can’t imagine doing anything that would wipe it away.

The door to the little cottage opened, and an older girl walked in, calling out as she entered. “Mama, Elyse, I’m back!” She was fourteen years old and slender, with honey-blonde hair that came down nearly to her waist, and already taller than her mother. Her dark eyes sparkled with some hidden delight, and a fond smile passed over her lips as her gaze found her sister. Then, Helene’s older daughter schooled her expression, stilling her features as she emptied a leather sack full of moss and fallen leaves into a small wooden trough against the wall farthest from the hearth.

With a smile, Helene replied to her older child. “Saphira, welcome back! Supper is almost ready.” And then, as she turned back to the bubbling pot. “How much firewood did you bring back today?”

“Only three bundles. Alline told me that her brothers had seen a pack of dire wolves about last night, so I didn’t want to wander too far into the woods. And everywhere close by has been picked clean! But I made sure to refill the kindling, since I couldn’t find much fuel.” Her words came out in a tumbled rush, as if she was trying to get the explanation out as fast as she could.

“Well, if things are that bare, it can’t be helped. If we run low, I shall have to dig into the coin pouch and see if I can scrape together enough to purchase some chopped logs from Master Simon.” Helene pursed her lips thoughtfully, then added in a knowing tone. “Surely going gathering with Julian, the miller’s son, should have made things easier? Unless of course you two were up to something that would distract from your gathering?”

“Mama!” She was rewarded with the sight of a crimson blush as Saphira turned away to hide her face. After several heartbeats she turned back, still faintly pink, and spoke in a frosty tone. “I shall have you know that Julian and I are simply friends, and that if we were to go out gathering together - which we did not - there should be nothing distracting about it.”

Helene laughed out loud then. “Of course not.” Saphira’s posture was still embarrassed, and she decided not to tease her daughter further. A loud plop from the cauldron brought her attention back, and she stirred vigorously for a few moments longer, then grabbed several kitchen cloths to protect her hands and lifted the curved hook that held the cauldron higher on the chain, pulling it away from the heat of the fire.

As she finished, she turned back, only to find that Saphira had already ascended the stairs into the upper chamber. She laughed softly to herself and walked over to set the table for supper.

 

Helene had almost finished her bowl of porridge when she heard a sound on the path outside of the cottage. Elyse was still excitedly telling Saphira about how many berries she had gathered on the bluff, and Saphira was daydreaming about something and doing a poor job of feigning interest in her sister’s antics.

Helene waved them to silence. “Hush children. I must listen.” Elyse made to protest, but Saphira clamped her hand over her sister’s mouth is surprising speed, her eyes wide. For several long heartbeats, she waited quietly, and then it came again. The rhythm of many hoofbeats, the jingle of harness, and then the door to the stable creaking open. Helene’s heart suddenly went cold in her chest, and she turned quietly to her children.

“Elyse, Saphira! Get upstairs. Your father is home early.” Her voice was urgent, but she kept it barely a whisper.

Elyse responded in a plaintive tone. “But I want to see Papa!”

“Be quiet, and do as I say. If your father is in a decent temper, I shall call you down to see him when he comes in.” That quieted the girl’s complaints, and both children scrambled up the stairs.

Suddenly alone, Helene took several deep breaths as she listened to the sounds of horses being stabled through the wall that separated the cottage’s hearthroom from the adjoining stables. After some time, the noises ceased, and she heard heavy footsteps approach the door. Steeling her nerves, she put on the most welcoming smile she could muster and waited.

The door opened with a crash, and a massive man entered the cottage. His hair was dark and untamed, and his beard grew from his ruddy face like a bush. His tunic and leather jacket alike were covered in trail dust, and his hose were nearly worn through at the knees. When he saw Helene sitting at the table, he scowled at her, then stomped past her towards the pot hanging over the hearth with a grunt.

Helene’s thoughts raced as she watched him. He’s not drunk yet, thank the Virgin, but he’s been on the road all day, with no one to take his anger out on. That foul mood must have been building for days. If he stays here tonight, at least one of us is going to see the morning with a broken bone.

She rose and turned towards him with open arms, controlling her face with the ease of long practice. “Why, husband! I had not looked to see you for another sevenday. Welcome home.” Her voice was artificially bright, and he looked back at her when he heard the tone.

He stared at her, a cruel glint gleaming in his dark eyes. “Shut up, woman. What swill did you make for supper this time?”

And suddenly, Helene saw an opening. She kept her voice mild and calming, as if she were trying to soothe his anger. “Elyse and I made herbed barley porridge tonight. I can get you a bowl with a pat of butter…”

He cut her off with a furious glare. “Barley porridge? Barley porridge?” Already he looked fit to throw a tantrum, and Helene nearly smiled despite herself.

“Raoul…” She let an edge of desperation creep into her voice, to make him think that she was starting to frighten.

He slapped her across the face with such force that Helene stumbled backwards into the chair, toppling it over. Only a desperate grab at the table’s edge stopped her from tumbling to the ground with it. His voice rose to a shout. “You useless *****! I haven’t risked my life and limb on the road this past month, nor ridden my horses half to death to be greeted in my own house with barley porridge, as if I was some serf.”

He made a disgusted sound. “I’ll take my meal at the tavern tonight. I expect you to put some meat on this godsforsaken table tomorrow night, or by the seven hells you’ll wish you had.” Then, turning on his heel, he stormed out the door, letting it slam shut behind him.

Helene pulled the chair upright, and then sat down, her body trembling as the adrenaline cleared her veins. She took a few deep breaths to slow her racing heart. Saphira peered down the staircase at her, concern on her face. “Is he gone?”

“Yes, and probably for the whole night. If he doesn’t get blackout drunk at the tavern until morning, I’ll be surprised.” She gave a little laugh, relieving some of the tension she still felt. “And if the gods see fit to look kindly on us, he’ll stay there the rest of the week, then set off to whatever godsforsaken city he plans to sell those horses in and leave us all in peace.”

Saphira let out a long breath. Helene looked back at her, smiling again despite the angry red mark on her cheek where he had slapped her. She shook her head wryly. “I think the worst of it has passed for tonight. Come on down and help me clean up from supper, and you can tell me all about this miller’s son of yours.”

Saphira’s cheeks went red with embarrassment, but she came down and started clearing off the table all the same. All in all, Helene thought, I think that went as well as I could have hoped.

 

[Seonid he/him]

Weekly writing accountability post for week ending 09/14/25

Total words written: ~26,000

Ran into some roadblocks with the scene I have been focusing on - beginnings seem to be hard for me, making sure that I'm introducing the right themes early enough. But I finally had a breakthrough, and progress is coming again.

And, while I was stymied on that, I did manage to get a much better sense of the political situation in the kingdom, which changed some of the backstory and brought other pieces into much clearer relief. So all in all, I'd call it a successful week.

Goal for next week: 30,000 words

[AltonicKeys he/him]

The start is always the hardest part for me, back when I did creative writing... Cool to hear that though! Always love that 'aha' moment where everything falls into place.

[Seonid he/him]

So, we'll be having our conversation on the political geography of the Kingdom of Gaelet this coming Saturday. That will be where I talk about the assumptions I made about population densities in different regions, how they all worked out, and what the end result looks like. For those who are obsessive over details, I'll also post a list of every noble holding in the kingdom, its population, the most prominent manor/estate/castle in it (basically, where the ruling noble rules from), and so on. I've also got an essay about the noble houses, where they came from, and so on and so forth. If it gets to be too long for a single week, we'll split it up over 2 weeks.

In other news, I've got a rough draft of the opening scene ready for your reading enjoyment!

Spoiler

The din of battle was a relentless, crushing cacophony in his ears, and the odors of blood and sweat and iron suffused the air as the two armies met. Samhain breathed in the smell like some hellish perfume and smiled. His heart raced, pumping hot blood through his veins and for a moment, he almost felt alive again.

From his vantage point atop a low hill, he could see the battlefield in all of its bloody, glorious detail. His mount, Springdancer, danced nervously beneath him, and he spared a moment to whisper soft comfort in her ear. Below them, nearly ten thousands of the enemy’s foot were engaged with his own defensive lines, formations of spears grinding against each other in agonizing tension. Despite having two-and-a-half times as many soldiers on the field, the enemy advance had come to a crashing halt against his spears and the unfriendly terrain. Beyond the rocky slope, the walls of the small city of Grestyn loomed, slate grey beneath the cloudy sky. The banners of an enemy warlord flew from the towers of the gatehouse. Samhain had already forgotten which warlord this was; these lands had changed rulership seven times in the two short years since the imperial armies had withdrawn from the province. 

As he watched, a group of enemy spearmen nearly three hundred feet across disengaged along the line of contact, falling back nearly ten paces and leaving behind a scattering of the fallen. Such lulls were common, as if the battlefield itself was a living thing taking a breath and a moment’s rest. Even the most well-drilled soldiers could not sustain the desperate intensity of a melee forever, after all. But he had been waiting for this one.

Samhain nodded towards his staff, and a few moments later, a horn rang out in a distinctive pattern. From their vantage point on the hillside, nearly thirty feet above the plain, hundreds of lockbowmen stepped from their cover and began loosing their deadly bolts into the exposed enemy. Dozens of soldiers fell from the first volley alone, and he could almost see the formation’s resolve begin to waver. It would not be long now.

From the forward command tent behind him, he heard Benecki’s loud curse. “Where is that bloody man? Taris’ Eyes, the man is two gods-be-damned hours late. If he had been here when he was supposed to be, we would have routed these lace-wearing bastards without even needing to make contact.” An orderly held the fabric flap open, and Samhain’s steward emerged. He was a red-faced man, shorter than Samhain and stocky, and his face had worn an expression of perpetual irritation for weeks now.

“Peace, Benecki!” Samhain laughed. “We are not in danger of losing the field simply because Areska is late. And I’m sure he will have some story to tell to excuse his tardiness when he comes. Besides, won’t it be wonderful when he arrives, ready to deliver us from some dire strait, only to find we have claimed all the glory of our victory without him?” His steward glared back at him, his grey-flecked beard and mustache a stark contrast to his bald head. He opened his mouth, probably to contest his lord, but Samhain was spared his complaints as a heavily armored man shouldered his way through the milling staff.

“High Lord. Is this farce finally finished? The men-at-arms under my command have been sitting idle here for more than an hour while their horse has been harrying our lines…” He too was red-faced, and spluttering as his outrage boiled over, but Samhain raised a hand and he trailed off.

“My good Viscount, you know as well as I that their heavy horse has yours outnumbered nearly four to one, and the only reason they haven’t committed to a heavy charge is the threat of your own counter-charge. I could not in good conscience sacrifice the threat you represent and send you all to your deaths just for the sake of your pride.”

The armored man began to bluster, but Samhain continued without stopping. “Regardless, you shall have your wish. I require their horse in disarray and unable to mount a charge against my footmen. Do me the pleasure of breaking their foot on the left flank, and then you may engage their horse on whatever terms you desire. You are dismissed.” Then, he turned and walked to his command tent as the spluttering man choked on whatever protest he had been about to spew.

 

Inside the tent, a large set of maps was spread across the low, collapsible table, weighted down in its various corners by an inkpot, a candle, a dagger, and its sheath to prevent it from curling back up on itself. Small carved and painted pieces of wood stood scattered across the map as representations of various forces in the area, and Samhain gave them a cursory glance as he settled himself in a low chair next to the table.

The tent was dyed a rich blue, but it was old and threadbare, and patched in a dozen places. Hardly suitable for the head of a noble house, no matter how new, but it had served him for nearly seven years now, and he saw no reason to change his comfortable routine for something as small as the look of the thing.

He leaned back in his chair and let his thoughts wander for a moment, paying attention to his body and its sensations. The meditation was far easier than it had once been; years of practice had worn a path in his mind that he followed almost unconsciously. 

He chose a candle that sat on the table, its flame flickering as it lighted the tent. A single drop of wax rolled down its side to pool on the brass candlestick, and he focused all his attention on it. His body stilled, his breaths coming slow and regular, and his mind began to follow. Still slowly, according to his old roshi, but far quicker than he had once been. Not that speed mattered for the spiritual practice, of course. But then, he was not doing this as a spiritual practice.

As his mind finally fell silent, Samhain closed his eyes. The after-image of the flame endured, and in it he conjured up an image. An old oak door set into the flame, well-worn, with black iron hinges and a simple, wrought-iron handle. At a thought, it swung open, and Samhain stepped through into his mindcastle.

It was a small room, carpeted with a rug that might once have held a beautifully ornate design, but now faded and worn beyond recognition. The wooden walls were lined with bookshelves, but along one wall, next to the window, a single sword was hung. It was a simple, slightly curved blade, with only a single edge. It had no engraving on it, nor ornate metalwork decorating the hilt. But it shone with an otherworldly lustre that caught Samhain’s eye, as it had every time he had walked through that door. If the right people could have seen the room, they would have recognized it as an exact reproduction of his uncle’s study, above his shop in Lushbeck. A room that no longer existed anywhere outside Samhain’s mind, now that his uncle was long dead and the shop given over to a new owner.

Below the window sat a sturdy desk, its surface completely clear. That was the one point where this space deviated, for anyone who had ever visited that study knew that the desk should be piled with precarious stacks of books, disorganized letters, and keepsakes collected as part of his uncle’s wide-ranging interests. But not here. This was Samhain’s space, not his uncle’s, and he demanded that it be empty.

The young lord nodded in satisfaction, then snapped his fingers, bringing an image of the battlefield into the silent space. The enemy spearmen were in the middle of falling back, only to realize that they were suddenly vulnerable to the archers they had not known were there. Their horse were picking their way across the broken ground, about to run into the ditches his soldiers had so carefully dug.

A perfect memory, frozen in time. He looked at it for a while, examining it for things he might have missed while his mind was occupied in the moment, but nothing caught his eye. Slowly at first, and then more and more quickly, he began to run the time forward, asking and answering a dozen questions in each moment. What would this unit do? When would these soldiers break? Would the captain on the field order a charge?

And slowly, a prediction began to form. Not a vision of the future by any means, and most certainly not an infallible one - he had been wrong in his calculations far too many times. But in this space he could devote all of his intellect towards the one task of charting the course of the battle, using his knowledge and experience to estimate how the future might unfold. In his mind’s eye, he watched his armored cavalry charge, breaking through the enemy lines already faltering under the lockbows. From his observations, the enemy were not disciplined enough to hold after that, the foot would first begin to fall back, then break and run. His own spearmen would surge forward, pressing them until they broke, and then it would all be over.

The enemy’s cavalry was still on the field, of course, but the fleeing infantry would create a wall of flesh barring their way, and his own horse would further disrupt them. By the time they could form up again, their infantry support would have fled, and they would be at a severe disadvantage against his prepared positions. It wouldn’t be a flawless victory - much of the enemy force would likely be able to retreat in good order, ready to fight another day, but it would be a victory.

Now to look for complications. What external factors could interfere, to prevent the victory or make it more costly? And the moment he asked that question, the obvious answer presented itself. His informants had indicated that the mayor was well known for being a coward, and indeed, the town’s garrison had failed to deploy alongside the warlord’s forces. Too afraid of being caught defenseless behind his walls if the battle turned against him on the field. But in the upcoming chaos, as the army he had hoped would protect his city began to rout? Would his fear still hold him in place? Or might a bolder hand prevail in a time of crisis, seizing authority for long enough to make a difference?

Another two thousand men appeared in his vision, sortieing from the town’s gate - as many as the town could reasonably field, even if they conscripted every able-bodied man to fight. And the moment a new force was on the field, everything changed. The fleeing enemy foot rallied at the sight of reinforcements, and when the enemy horse finally drove off his own cavalry, they would not find themselves alone on the field against a prepared army. Instead they would have the greater part of their own support still on the field, supplemented by the town’s garrison.

Samhain ran through several different iterations, testing several countermeasures, but the strain of maintaining focus while holding the entire battlefield in his mind was beginning to wear on him. Finally, with a sigh, he closed the door in his mind. 

All at once, the sensations of the tent rushed back in on him. The texture of the upholstery on the chair, the scent of smoke from the candle, the muffled din of the battle outside. All of these assaulted his senses as he held his eyes closed, feeling a strong sense of vertigo. It passed in moments though. As he opened his eyes, he noted that the candle had scarcely burned down. I was out for perhaps ten minutes? Very good.

Benecki sat across the table from him, seated on a low stool. He started when Samhain stirred. “Milord?” His voice was uneasy, for all he had watched his lord meditate like this time and time again.

“Have the hobelars fallen all the way back to the camp, Benecki?” He gave no preamble, no small talk. Time was of the essence, after all.

“No, milord. I believe they fell back when the enemy charged and are idle now. I had expected to order them in to harry the enemy when they broke.” Samhain completed the sentence, but not out loud. Or to cover our retreat, if worst came to worst.

“Send to them. I want them deployed in force near the gates. The town might deploy its garrison, and if they do, I want to scatter them before they can reach the field.”

“At once, milord.” By the time he had finished speaking, Benecki had already risen and nearly left the tent.

 

Less than an hour later, the last of the enemy force was fleeing the field, screened by the warlord’s heavy cavalry. The garrison had indeed attempted a sortie, more than a thousand soldiers marching out of Grestyn to reinforce the army as it began to break. But the hobelars - lightly armored horsemen armed with short thrusting spears along with heavy javelins or horsebows - had been waiting. Several volleys had broken up the formation, and despite there being fewer than three hundred of the light cavalry all told, the charge that followed had broken the enemy’s morale before they had gone more than three hundred paces from the town gates.

Benecki watched with satisfaction as Samhain gave a series of rapid orders for the army to regroup and march on the town. Part of it was to form up to protect their flanks in case the warlord managed to re-assemble enough of an army to try and drive them off, but porters were already running to bring siege ladders up from the camp to assault the town’s walls directly. With the defenders broken on the field and demoralized, a rapid assault would break their morale and force a surrender in short order.

As the staff milled about, sending runners with the orders out to the captains on the field, the fast-paced staccato of cantering hoofbeats echoed from the path of the hill. Moments later, a messenger burst through a sparse thicket, his bay horse lathered. He called out as he slowed. “Urgent message from the camp for the Lord Seonid!”

Samhain raised his hand and called out. “You have found him, courier. What is this about?”

The courier did not shout out his message, which was odd. Everyone on the hilltop was part of his command staff, and the high lord should trust them to hear any message. But instead, the panting man practically leapt off the horse, coming over to Samhain and speaking so quietly that Benecki could only hear the low murmur of voices, despite standing only three paces away.

After a moment, Samhain swore loudly. “Starry-eyed gods! Her, here? Now?”

Benecki looked at his lord severely severely. “What is this, milord?”

The young man waved a hand in a fruitless attempt to make things clear. “The Lady Deschelle. One of the removed branches of the House Montagnesse. I believe we had been in correspondence regarding a rendezvous galant?”

Benecki was sure his face was still blank, but Samhain was backing away slightly. “I recall that, yes. We had even arranged a date for it, but we were forced to reschedule it because of the campaign. What is she doing here?”

The steward watched as his lord paced in growing panic. “No, I…I dictated that missive myself. I said that the demands of war meant that I could not entertain her at my estate, but that if she so desired, she might visit us in the warcamp instead.”

“What?! Why would you do that?” Benecki gave up trying to keep his expression calm, and Samhain flinched, but went on quickly. 

“The rest of the letter made it clear that I wasn’t serious about it! I said that the camp would not be a suitable place to entertain a young woman of her stature, and asked to reschedule the appointed time…” He trailed off, letting his hands drop to his side helplessly.

Benecki groaned, putting his face in his hands. Arms of justice, man! What on the gods’ green soil possessed you to say that? He had meant to say that only in his mind, but Samhain turned his face away.

His voice was low, pitched so only Benecki could hear it. “I wanted to make her laugh.”

“What?” He couldn’t help himself, and he snapped the word louder and harsher than he meant to.

“I wanted to make her laugh when she read it. I thought it might help her see me like a real person, not just some stuffy lord arranging a ritual courtship meeting.” Samhain’s voice was small now, almost swallowed up by his embarrassment.

And to that, Benecki had no response.

I'd really like to hear feedback on it - what you think works, what you think could be better, what confuses you, etc. Thanks in advance!

[Seonid he/him]

Saturday worldbuilding post!

The Political Geography of the Kingdom of Gaelet - Part 1: Social Classes and Noble Ranks
This week, we are going to start with a detour into the political systems of the Avran peoples. The post is going to be split into two parts, but I'm not going to make you all wait a week for the second part - that will come sometime in the near future. That part will be a deep dive into the fiefdoms and regions that comprise the Kingdom of Gaelet - including a complete list of every noble fiefdom, its population, and the ruling estate, along with which noble house it owes fealty to. We'll also have a conversation about population density, medieval lifestyles, and what the inhabited countryside would look like.

Today, we are going to lay the foundation for all of that by talking about the languages, social classes/organization, and noble ranks of the Avran people (which is the broader culture group that includes the Kingdom of Gaelet).

Next Saturday, we'll have the third and final part in the series, in which we take a look at how the political geography of the Kingdom of Gaelet emerged, and maybe even look at some of the important people.

A Note on Language

Several languages are in use among the Avrans. The most common language is Commonspeak - this is the local term for the Imperial Kaloneri language. Due to their long political domination over much of the region, their language has become the de facto language even far beyond their nominal borders. All but the most isolated rural villages speak Commonspeak.

The other two commonly used languages are native; scholars call them Low Avran and High Avran, but the local terms (in Commonspeak - which should demonstrate just how far usage of the Imperial dialect has penetrated) are Highspeak and Godspeak. Godspeak is an ancient, nearly dead language, used primarily in religious rituals of the region and among the priestly and scholarly classes.

The Highspeak language is most accurately described as a descendant of Godspeak. It has been centuries at least since the two languages were mutually comprehensible, so fluency in one does not grant fluency in the other. Among the southern Avrans, the use of Highspeak is a point of cultural superiority - a linguistic demonstration of their independence (even if most of them still speak Commonspeak). Most Avran regions that were not under direct Imperial rule see some level of usage of this language, and often speakers will switch back and forth between Commonspeak and Highspeak in a single sentence.

Peasant Classes

The Avrans operate a very entrenched manorial system, where the land is divided up into various manors. Each manor is a self-sufficient (or mostly self-sufficient) estate ruled over by some lord or lady, who holds rights of rulership and taxation over their lands. Each lord is at the very least the largest landowner in their estate; many of them own more land than the rest of the landowners under them altogether. However, almost no manors are completely owned by their noble ruler; the vast majority have a fairly large population of "freeholders" - peasants who own their own land, although they are still responsible to pay taxes to their lord.

Those peasants who do not own their own land are tenants or serfs, depending on the estate. Tenants own their own home and a small parcel of land on which is stands, but do not own any crop- or pastureland. Instead, they enter contracts with either the lord of the manor or with other freeholders to rent out a portion of their farmland and work it, in exchange for a portion of the crops.

Serfs, on the other hand, own no land, even their houses. They live on the lord's land and work the field. Instead of paying taxes, the entire output of their labor is owned by the lord, but the serfs are provided with enough foodstuffs to take care of their needs. Unlike freeholders or even tenants, serfs are considered to belong to the land, and have fewer rights compared to the rest of the peasantry - most notably, they do not have the right to leave the lord's lands without permission. However, they are not considered slaves - the lord may own the crops grown on the lands, but they do not own the person of the serf, and the serf owns personal property (other than land) and can work some occupation in their down time to earn their own money.

The Avrans are more-or-less opposed to slavery, and so the final class of peasantry is the hired hands. Where a freeholder owns land and a tenant has a contract to work another families lands, hired help is generally considered part of the household for whom they work. In other cultures, the niches filled by these people might be filled by slaves instead, but the Avran cultures frown on direct owning of people (although indentured servitude is known). Hired help lives in the homestead with the peasant or even the lord - the manor's servants are of this class, and so on.

In addition to the peasantry and the landowning lords, there does exist a sort of middle class. These are shopowners and tradespeople who don't rely on farming for their support. Blacksmiths, horse traders, bowyers, carpenters, and other artisans generally fall under this class. However, most of the villages are too small to support more than one or two of these roles; and even then, many of them are still part-time peasant farmers (or at least tenant farmers, on top of the trade they run when there's enough work). Some lords provide patronage to skilled artisans on their estate, bringing them into their household and providing their support in exchange for getting the first pick of their output.

In the midsize and larger cities, of course, the artisan class is much larger, and includes a much wider variety of workers, including merchants, jewelers, chandlers, scribes, accountants, lawyers, and other tradesfolk.

The Nobility

Among the nobility, there are two broad groups: the ruling nobility and the lords of the land (in Highspeak, they are called the noblesse de droit and the noblesse petit).

The ruling nobility own hereditary titles. These titles grant rulership to the holder and their descendants over a specific land known as a fief. This generally includes multiple manors and many towns and villages, and the largest fiefs can be truly massive. To be a ruling noble is to be the sovereign over your domain; while you may owe fealty as a vassal to a higher-ranking noble, you still have the unquestioned right to do as you please in your own lands. In contrast, the lords of the land rule a single manor in service to one of the ruling nobles. Thus, a single baron might have a dozen lords of the land managing manors in their barony, and the baron has the right to override the decisions of any of their lords of the land.

Lords of the land come from three groups - the first and largest is the non-inheriting children of the ruling nobility. The third son of a duke is not likely to inherit the dukedom, and the duke is unlikely to diminish their estate by dividing it between their heirs. Instead, the non-inheriting children are given lord of the land status over prominent estates within the dukedom, and their children will likewise be given estates. The second are those who are given an estate by the ruling noble as a reward for their actions. Often, these are soldiers who are knighted during or after a battle, or other wealthy landowners who have done a great service to the ruler. The third group are those who have bought a patent of nobility. Not all regions permit this, but some cash-strapped noble regions have sold off titles to estates.

These last two types of nobility are generally non-inheritable; the children of the ennobled person do not become noble themselves, and the ownership of the manor reverts to the ruling noble upon the death of the lord of the land.

Noble Ranks

The ruling nobility is distinguished by ranks; higher ranks generally correspond to owning more land and having more power and influence, but a title-holder who falls on hard times doesn't generally lose their rank. In addition to the ranks of nobility, the head of a noble house (generally but not always the highest ranking member of that house) holds the title of High Lord/Lady. The definition of "head of a house" is of a noble who owes fealty to no other person. Therefore, some technically low-ranking barons can still be a High Lord/Lady if they do not owe fealty to a higher-ranking noble. High Lords/Ladies are independent; while a High Lord who holds a barony might still owe social deference to a duke or prince, they are considered to deserve their own respect and recognition, even by the highest ranking nobles.

There are a number of regional variations in titles - the most important ones are given here:

Southern Fiefs

Among the southern fiefs, and into the Godlands proper, there are three titles of ruling nobility: Prince/Princess, Duc/Duchessa (Duke/Duchess), and Baron/Baronne (Baron/Baroness). The lords of the land are Baronet/Baronette ("little baron/baronesse," titles given to the non-inheriting children of ruling nobles), Chevalier (Knight) (a minor noble raised due to their deeds in battle or other great service to the ruling noble), and Ecuyer (Esquire) (a minor noble who had bought a patent of nobility).

There are also two non-ruling titles of nobility in common use that do not appear in other regions: Comte/Comtesse (Count/Countess) and Vicomte/Vicomtesse (Viscount/Viscountess). These are administrative titles held under Princes or Dukes - a Princedom or Dukedom is often divided into counties which are rules by Counts, and particularly large ones are further divided into viscounties ruled by Viscounts. These titles take the form of a governorship under a ruling noble; though they are often hereditary, and many Counts and Viscounts are even more powerful and influential than ruling Barons.

Eastern Fiefs

In the east, the title of Prince had not been used for centuries - though as parts of the north organized themselves into kingdoms under stronger centralized rulers, it was resurrected as a term for the children of the royal family. Instead, the titles of ruling nobility included Duke/Duchess, Earl/Arless, and Baron/Baroness. Unlike the duchies of the south, the eastern fiefs had become much more fragmented - splitting up among multiple heirs, etc. The elaborate system of Counts and Viscounts of the south found little purchase in the east, although many higher ranking nobility - dukes and earls, mostly - did divide their lands into small administrative districts called shires. These were administered (but not generally governed) by Sheriffs who acted as the ruling noble's representative and worked with local knights to keep order.

Non-ruling nobility in the east are generally called Lords/Ladies, if they are a relative of a ruling noble, or Knights/Dames, if they are not - regardless of whether they were awarded the title or purchased it.

Northwestern Fiefs

In the northwest, the proximity to the Dahlevolk culture and influence of the Kaloneri Empire has created a highly non-standard list of noble titles, many of which retained their designation in the Markatic language of the Dahl. The highest ranking title is Altduke/Altducine (High Duke, High Duchess), followed by Mittelgrave/Mittelgravine (Lord/Lady Agent) (a title derived from positions granted by the Imperial throne, even after the Empire no longer ruled the region) and then Landgrave/Landgravine, while Baron/Baronine (Baron/Baroness) occupies the lowest rank of ruling nobles, in the same way that rank does among the other fiefdoms. However, there are variations on the intermediate rank - Feldgrave/Feldgravine (Lord of the fields), Margrave/Margravine (Marquess/Marchioness) (Lord of the borders), Wildgrave/Wildgravine (Lord of the forests), Burgrave/Burgravine (Lord of the fortress), and Altgrave/Altgravine (Old lord or high lord - not considered to be the same as the head of a house) are all represented in the northwest - sometimes only in a single family or fiefdom.

The non-ruling nobility also have a wide array of titles - Baronet/Baronetess, Castellan, Knecht/Knechtin (Knight/Dame), Provost, Juncherre/Juncherrine, Ritter/Ritterin (Rider), Squire, and others are in use, and only the nobility of the northeast can confidently identify the distinctions between them.

Edited September 21, 2025 by Seonid

[Seonid he/him]

The Political Geography of the Kingdom of Gaelet - Part 2: Gaeletii Fiefdoms and Population Density

And here is Part 2 of yesterday's post! As promised, we are going to do a comprehensive look at the fiefdoms that comprise the Kingdom of Gaelet. And (finally!) do the population density estimates.

Population Density in Medieval Europe

First, we're going to talk about population density in a medieval world and what assumptions I've been making as I put this country together. And it might surprise you to find out that these assumptions have changed even in the last couple of days as I've learned more.

So the fundamental question of population density is "How many humans can live in a given area?" Now, I'm sure that if I really wanted to, I could get into estimates of calories from farming and raising livestock, plus calories from sustainable (or unsustainable) foraging, and end up with a rough number of the maximum number of people the land can support. But I don't have time for that. I don't think anyone has time for that.

So instead, I'm going to draw on historical sources, largely focused on medieval Europe, since it is a rough analogue for the cultures of the Edassan midlands. And just starting by looking at medieval Europe, we are going to end up with an incredible distribution of population densities. First off, we have to define a time frame for "medieval Europe." After all, the medieval period lasted for centuries, and what the population and culture of France looked like in 1000 C.E. was nothing like what it looked like in 1330, or in 1450 (which is towards the end of the medieval period).

As an arbitrary number, we are going to pick one of the local high-water marks for European population - 1300 or so. This is shortly before the Black Death hit Europe (generally considered to be 1347), which caused a massive drop (estimates roughly around 31%!) in population that didn't recover until after the medieval period.

• So, in or around 1300, France had a population density of between 90-100 people per square mile.
• Germany and Italy were a little lower than France, since the French land was a little more fertile - perhaps around 80-90 people per square mile.
• The British Isles had a density of around 40 people per square mile, though this was heavily impacted by Scotland's extremely low density (4-5 people per square mile); England proper having between 75-90 people per square mile.
• Spain and Portugal sat somewhere around 25-40 people per square mile.
• Sweden and Norway had a much lower population density, at 2-3 people per square mile.

So we have a very wide range of possibilities here, but the variation is very much tied to local fertility levels/how much arable land is available. So now we have to talk about the land of the Kingdom of Gaelet.

Population Density and Gaeletii Ecological Regions

Most of the Kingdom of Gaelet is in a semi-arid region. This means that, in most areas, farming cannot be sustained by rainfall alone - irrigation from rivers and local streams must be employed to make land arable. This also means that the region is highly sensitive to drought. As a result, we are not going to be able to reach the population density of highly productive regions like France and the Low Countries without some sort of external factor.

That factor is available to us, though. The continent of Edassa was settled by colonists from Earth in the 2500's or so (making up a number right now, please don't hold me to it lol). And, completely discounting any technological advancements, there is a huge difference for the people living on Edassa: their grain. 

In the ancient and medieval world, the efficiency of a crop was generally measured by its seed-to-yield ratio. This measures how many seeds you could reasonable expect to get out of a single plant, and is expressed as an average across a field or a region. This was variable, depending on local conditions - wheat grown in a marginal hillside farm could not be expected to produce as much as wheat grown in a lush riverside flood plain like the Nile valley. Even more impactful than local conditions, however, were seasonal considerations - a bad year could tank your production, while a good year could see a massive impact, even on poor land. On average, for decent farmland (not amazing, but not marginal), you could expect to see a seed-to-yield ratio between 4:1 and 8:1, depending mostly on how the weather was that year and other seasonal factors.

In contrast, modern wheat farms can get yields in excess of 30:1. That is a massive difference in how much food a farm can produce - and therefore a huge difference in how many people an area can support. This difference comes from two major sources - modern improvements in farming methods and technology, and selective breeding to increase wheat yields over the centuries between 1300 and now. The first source - improvements in methods and technology - is going to be nearly impossible for our peasants to replicate, since the industrial base and scientific/technological know-how that supported that type of mass farming was destroyed by the comet impact that doomed the initial colony. But even without those methods, our farmers are growing wheat that is much more productive than the cultivars grown by their medieval ancestors.

So with that out of the way, let's look at 5 different regions within the kingdom.

The Northern Highlands

The northern highlands are in the rainshadow of the mountains, and are fairly rugged terrain regardless, so farming is difficult there. I have divided the region into more fertile areas - near rivers or very close to the mountains where they can still likely take advantage of runoff from the summer rains (winter is the dry season in most of the Edassan midlands) - and less fertile areas (everywhere else). The more fertile areas I've assigned a population density of 30 people per square mile, and the less fertile areas get 15. My justification for this is that we aren't far enough north to have farming problems like Sweden and Norway, or even Scotland, but we do not have great land to grow on in most places. So the more fertile riverbeds can support small farming communities, but the more arid highlands are mostly semi-nomadic herdsmen or ranchers. Then I scaled them up by a little bit to account for the more productive grain.

The Oaksridge Foothills

The foothills of the Oaksridge Mountains are well-watered and fertile. More so on the south side than the north, but even the north is still getting watered by the rain dropped on the mountains during the wet season and the foothills get the runoff in streams and rivers. The terrain is hilly, and that places limitations on farmland, but on the whole it is still a better place to farm than the highlands. I've given this region a population density of roughly 40 people per square mile, on the high end of the range gathered from the Iberian peninsula, which was a fairly hilly/intense region. Compared to Iberia, the land is probably less easy to farm in the Oaksridge foothills, but the better grain evens it out.

The Oaksridge Mountains

There are some small homesteads and trapping communities in the mountains themselves. The much more vertical terrain has a lot fewer opportunities for farming, especially since the low population density means that there isn't enough labor to artificially terrace hills and mountainsides. I have arbitrarily set the population density for this region at 10 people per square mile, but I have also noted large swathes of the mountains as effectively uninhabited. So if you average it out, you probably end up with much less than 10 people - maybe even down to 1-2 people per square mile. Given the terrain, I don't feel that that is unreasonable at all.

The Western Plains

The western plains are still semi-arid, but without the rainshadow of the mountains they are much more fertile. And the grain is much better, so I've assigned this region a population density of about 50 people per square mile, increasing to 60 around major rivers. This puts this area in population densities close to the fertile areas of medieval Europe, despite its semi-arid nature. I feel like this is justified by the higher-producing grain and the large rivers going through the region.

The Southern Riverlands

The Southern Riverlands get enough rainfall to not even be considered semi-arid anymore, although they aren't the most fertile areas of the continent by any means. They are very well-watered, but a little more hilly than the flat western plains. I have assigned them a population density of 75 - well within the norm for medieval Europe. I see the climate as still more forbidding than France or even Germany, and without modern grain they might be much closer to the most fertile parts of Spain or Portugal, but the modern grain puts them well over that edge.

Population Centers of the Kingdom of Gaelet

With that done, we can now turn our attention to the fiefdoms within the kingdom. First, here's a map showing all the population centers within the kingdom: every city with a population higher than 2,000 people isa shown by a black square; with major metropolitan areas of 20,000 or more with a circled dot. Black dots indicate towns of less than 2,000 people that have historical or plot significance; Kelysford and Malach Crossings in the north were the sites of major battles during the war of independence, while Collefiele in the south is the hometown of one of the main characters, and the mining town of Estwick is part of another main character's estates. It also shows the capital estates of each of the kingdom's fiefdoms - marked with a castle.

This should also show that the kingdom does not have a very heavily urbanized population, unlike the Kaloneri Empire to the west or the River Kingdoms in the south.

Spoiler

This post is already getting long, and I have to go to church soon, so I'll post the fiefdom-by-fiefdom breakdown in the next post after I get back from church sometime. Or tomorrow, possibly.

Edited October 4, 2025 by Seonid

[Seonid he/him]

The Political Geography of the Kingdom of Gaelet - Part 3: The Fiefdoms of Gaelet

Before the Imperial Conquests of the mid-1200s, the territory that would become the Kingdom of Gaelet was ruled by five different noble houses, as well as some western territory ruled by the Kaloneri Empire. 

The three houses south of the mountains were the House of Samane, which ruled the Duchy of Miloenne and its vassals, the House of Feravut, which ruled the Duchy of Pais-Fierre and its vassals, and the House of Du Brezhe, which ruled the Barony of Sirre.

North of the mountains was ruled by the House of Verekai, which ruled the Duchy of Terrignon and its vassals, and the House of Wyst, which ruled the Duchy of Caedros and its vassals. 

The areas from Lushbeck and west to the river was still ruled by the Kaloneri Empire. 

However, after the war of independence, the kingdom held a large amount of land that either had never been ruled by a noble house, or had been ruled by noble lines that were entirely extinct from the war. 

Spoiler

The Eastern Fiefdoms

Under the new kingdom, the eastern fiefdoms were ruled by seven noble houses. The houses of Wyst and Verekai retained their ducal titles, but their vassals were all elevated to their own noble houses. The heads of each of these noble houses were elevated to the rank of Earl, drawing on the experience of the king while in exile in the eastern fiefdoms. 

The king also created a new intermediate rank between Earl and Baron, in order to reward those nobles if the new houses who had distinguished themselves in the war. Several new families were elevated to baronies who owed fealty to these new houses.

The eastern fiefdoms are represented on the map by solid colors.

The House of Wyst

The House of Wyst is represented on the map by a solid yellow outline. After the independence war, it controlled only the Duchy of Caedros.

Spoiler

Duchy of Caedros

Area: 2553 square miles
Population: 63,000
Major Cities: Caedros (population 6,000)

The noble seat of the Duchy of Caedros is at the manor of Allkirk.

The House of Ester

The house of Ester is represented on the map by a solid green outline. It holds several fiefdoms in the center of the kingdom, north of the mountains. The house seat is the Earldom of Harcourt. The fiefdoms listed in the spoiler tag are given from north to south, and then west to east.

Spoiler

Barony of Arnsfeld

Area: 151 square miles
Population: 2,900

The noble seat of the Barony of Arnsfeld is at the manor of Turleigh.
Arnsfeld owes fealty to the Landgravinate of Shepsted

Barony of Crimson Meadows

Area: 153 square miles
Population: 3,900

The noble seat of the Barony of Crimson Meadows is at the manor of Ivyleaf.
Crimson Meadows owes fealty to the Landgravinate of Shepsted

Barony of Beckinsell

Area: 90 square miles
Population: 1,400

The noble seat of the Barony of Beckinsell is at the manor of Silverkeep.
Beckinsell owes fealty to the Landgravinate of Shepsted

Landgravinate of Shepsted

Area: 308 square miles
Population: 7,700

The noble seat of the Landgravinate of Shepsted is at the manor of Whitehurst.
Shepsted owes fealty to the Earldom of Harcourt

Earldom of Harcourt

Area: 1043 square miles
Population: 17,000
Major Cities: Harcourt (population 4,000)

The noble seat of the Earldom of Harcourt is at the manor of Helmsfirth.

Barony of Epinal

Area: 99 square miles
Population: 3,200

The noble seat of the Barony of Epinal is at the manor of Marisonne.
Epinal owes fealty to the Earldom of Harcourt

Barony of Romsey

Area: 116 square miles
Population: 3,100

The noble seat of the Barony of Romsey is at the manor of Bellflower.
Romsey owes fealty to the Earldom of Harcourt

The House of Glenfax

The house of Glenfax is represented on the map by a solid turquoise outline. It has two holdings along the northern border of the kingdom. The house seat is the Earldom of Whiteglen. The fiefdoms listed in the spoiler tag are given from west to east.

Spoiler

Barony of Crocusfields

Area: 283 square miles
Population: 7,000

The noble seat of the Barony of Crocusfields is at the manor of Yarrowsbury.
Crocusfields owes fealty to the Earldom of Whiteglen

Earldom of Whiteglen

Area: 2316 square miles
Population: 40,000
Major Cities: Whiteglen (population 2,500)

The noble seat of the Earldom of Whiteglen is at the manor of Stellmoor.

The House of Cellidore

The house of Cellidore is represented on the map by a solid blue outline. It has a number of holdings along the northern border of the kingdom. The house seat is the Earldom of Caister. The fiefdoms listed in the spoiler tag are given from north to south, and then west to east.

Spoiler

Barony of Nanhest

Area: 116 square miles
Population: 3,600

The noble seat of the Barony of Nanhest is at the manor of Bellcombe.
Nanhest owes fealty to the Earldom of Caister.

Landgraviate of Wisterness

Area: 437 square miles
Population: 6,500

The noble seat of the Landgraviate of Wisterness is at the manor of Flintworth.
Wisterness owes fealty to the Earldom of Caister.

Earldom of Caister

Area: 719 square miles
Population: 10,800
Major Cities: Caister (population 2,000)

The noble seat of the Earldom of Caister is at the manor of Goldcrest.

Barony of Salym

Area: 114 square miles
Population: 1,700

The noble seat of the Barony of Salym is at the manor of Tranmere.
Salym owes fealty to the Landgraviate of Hewecote.

Landgraviate of Hewecote

Area: 245 square miles
Population: 3,600

The noble seat of the Barony of Sommes is at the manor of Liston.
Hewecote owes fealty to the Earldom of Caister.

The House of Ruitte

The House of Ruitte is represented on the map with a solid black outline. It has a number of holdings along the eastern border of the kingdom. The house seat is the Earldom of Messine. The fiefdoms listed in the spoiler tag are given from north to south, and then west to east.

Spoiler

Barony of Demois

Area: 95 square miles
Population: 1,400

The noble seat of the Barony of Demois is at the manor of Fontenay.
Demois owes fealty to the Landgraviate of Montclair.

Barony of Annecy

Area: 100 square miles
Population: 1,500

The noble seat of the Barony of Annecy is at the manor of Carmen.
Annecy owes fealty to the Landgraviate of Montclair.

Landgraviate of Montclair

Area: 135 square miles
Population: 2,700

The noble seat of the Landgraviate of Montclair is at the manor of Marevoux.
Montclair owes fealty to the Landgraviate of Saille.

Barony of Blancheforet

Area: 85 square miles
Population: 3,400

The noble seat of the Barony of Blancheforet is at the manor of Auray.
Blancheforet owes fealty to the Landgraviate of Sandeaux.

Earldom of Messine

Area: 649 square miles
Population: 19,400
Major Cities: Messine (population 5,000)

The noble seat of the Earldom of Messine is at the manor of Sorraine.

Barony of Sommes

Area: 132 square miles
Population: 2,000

The noble seat of the Barony of Sommes is at the manor of Argenciel.
Sommes owes fealty to the Landgraviate of Montclair.

Landgraviate of Sandeaux

Area: 301 square miles
Population: 10,500

The noble seat of the Landgraviate of Sandeaux is at the manor of Nisse.
Sandeaux owes fealty to the Earldom of Messine.

The House of Montagnesse

The House of Montagnesse is represented on the map with a solid brown outline. It has many holdings along the northern foothills of the Oaksridge mountains. The house seat is the Earldom of Altienne. The fiefdoms listed in the spoiler tag are given from west to east, and then north to south.

Spoiler

Barony of Ironward

Area: 87 square miles
Population: 3,500

The noble seat of the Barony of Ironward is at the manor of Stelbury.
Ironward owes fealty to the Landgraviate of Blue Pines.

Barony of Mountainhome

Area: 177 square miles
Population: 5,300

The noble seat of the Barony of Mountainhome is at the manor of Rialmont.
Mountainhome owes fealty to the Landgraviate of Blue Pines.

Landgraviate of Blue Pines

Area: 279 square miles
Population: 11,000

The noble seat of the Landgraviate of Blue Pines is at the manor of Sprucevale.
Blue Pines owes fealty to the Earldom of Altienne.

Barony of High Reaches

Area: 252 square miles
Population: 2,500

The noble seat of the Barony of High Reaches is at the manor of Lane Heights.
High Reaches owes fealty to the Earldom of Altienne.

Earldom of Altienne

Area: 799 square miles
Population: 32,000
Major Cities: Altienne (population 8,000)

The noble seat of the Earldom of Altienne is at the manor of Cielmont.

Landgraviate of Saille

Area: 263 square miles
Population: 10,500

The noble seat of the Landgraviate of Saille is at the manor of Moreau.
Saille owes fealty to the Earldom of Altienne.

Barony of Failaise

Area: 101 square miles
Population: 3,000

The noble seat of the Barony of Failaise is at the manor of Aliard.
Ironward owes fealty to the Landgraviate of Champs d'Etain.

Barony of Argentee

Area: 108 square miles
Population: 4,300

The noble seat of the Barony of Argentee is at the manor of Chermont.
Argentee owes fealty to the Landgraviate of Saille.

Landgraviate of Champs d'Etain

Area: 477 square miles
Population: 16,000

The noble seat of the Landgraviate of Champs d'Etain is at the manor of Villenoveau.
Saille owes fealty to the Earldom of Altienne.

The House of Verekai

The House of Verekai is represented on the map with a solid orange outline. The House of Verekai has only limited holdings since the independence war, and now holds the Duchy of Terrignon, which itself has been greatly reduced from its former extent.

Spoiler

Duchy of Terrignon

Area: 257 square miles
Population: 10,000
Major Cities: Terrignon (population 3,000)

The noble seat of the Duchy of Terrignon is at the manor of Astreleur.

 

The Western Counties

The former Imperial lands in the west were organized into six counties who owed fealty directly to the king. Unlike the title of Count used among the southern nobility, these titles created ruling nobility and marked the creation of six new hereditary noble houses.

The western counties are represented on the map with dashed outlines.

The King's Lands

The lands around Lushbeck are relegated to the support of the king. In 1309, the king is also the high lord of the House of Wyst, but the king's lands were explicitly kept separate from the holdings of the house of Wyst, likely as an attempt for the king to build up a power base of his own that isn't beholden to his house.

The King's Lands are represented on the map by a dashed yellow outline.

Spoiler

King's Lands

Area: 2059 square miles
Population: 73,000
Major Cities: Lushbeck (population 25,000)
                      Greysward (population 2,000)
                      Livien (population 4,500)

The noble seat of the King's Lands is the king's palace at Lushbeck.

The House of Devrashal

The house of Devrashal is represented on the map by a dashed grey outline. It holds the county of Comenlaryn, north of Lushbeck.

Spoiler

County of Comenlaryn

Area: 2345 square miles
Population: 59,000
Major Cities: Comenlaryn (population 4,500)
                      Moresburn (population 2,500)

The noble seat of the County of Comenlaryn is the manor at Carthforst.

The House of Burnist

The house of Burnist is represented on the map by a dashed pink outline. It holds the county of Marcester, in the northwest of the kingdom.

Spoiler

County of Marcester

Area: 2856 square miles
Population: 114,000
Major Cities: Marcester (population 6,500)
                      Worthyne (population 2,500)

The noble seat of the County of Marcester is the manor at Brestcombe.

The House of Surrestor

The house of Surrestor is represented on the map by a dashed brown outline. It holds the county of Kenesthyn, on the northwestern border.

Spoiler

County of Kenesthyn

Area: 1062 square miles
Population: 80,000
Major Cities: Kenesthyn (population 45,000)
                      Aislynport (population 7,500)
                      Starmell (population 3,500)

The noble seat of the County of Kenesthyn is the governor's palace in the city of Kenesthyn.

The House of Calliester

The house of Calliester is represented on the map by a dashed green outline. It holds the county of Arcady, west of the mountains.

Spoiler

County of Arcady

Area: 4132 square miles
Population: 206,000
Major Cities: Arcady (population 12,000)
                      Rumestead (population 3,500)
                      Dunwold (population 3,000)

The noble seat of the County of Arcady is the manor of Wakefield.

The House of Lasofer

The house of Lasofer is represented on the map by a dashed blue outline. It holds the county of Cherlienne, on the southern border.

Spoiler

County of Cherlienne

Area: 4877 square miles
Population: 271,000
Major Cities: Cherlienne (population 15,000)
                      Aryllsbourge (population 6,500)
                      Sauvirie (population 5,000)

The noble seat of the County of Cherlienne is the manor of Azure Hill.

The House of Seonid

The house of Seonid is represented on the map by a dashed white outline. It holds the county of Chalys, in the southern foothills of the Oaksridge mountains.

Spoiler

County of Chalys

Area: 2406 square miles
Population: 134,000
Major Cities: Chalys (population 8,000)
                      Gadre (population 2,000)

The noble seat of the County of Chalys is the manor of Dawnrest.

 

Edited October 4, 2025 by Seonid

[Seonid he/him]

Weekly writing accountability post for week ending 09/21/25

Total words written: ~28,000

Finished my opening scene, which I was really excited about. But a combination of a busy week and some really annoying mental health issues made it hard to keep up the momentum. It's not the end of the world, though. New week, new opportunity to get back on the wagon. And even though my mental health took a sledgehammer to my ability to continue with the story this week, I still got a fair amount of worldbuilding written up, so it wasn't a total loss.

Goal for next week: 32,000 words

[AltonicKeys he/him]

On 9/16/2025 at 5:45 PM, Seonid said:

So, we'll be having our conversation on the political geography of the Kingdom of Gaelet this coming Saturday. That will be where I talk about the assumptions I made about population densities in different regions, how they all worked out, and what the end result looks like. For those who are obsessive over details, I'll also post a list of every noble holding in the kingdom, its population, the most prominent manor/estate/castle in it (basically, where the ruling noble rules from), and so on. I've also got an essay about the noble houses, where they came from, and so on and so forth. If it gets to be too long for a single week, we'll split it up over 2 weeks.

In other news, I've got a rough draft of the opening scene ready for your reading enjoyment!

  Hide contents

The din of battle was a relentless, crushing cacophony in his ears, and the odors of blood and sweat and iron suffused the air as the two armies met. Samhain breathed in the smell like some hellish perfume and smiled. His heart raced, pumping hot blood through his veins and for a moment, he almost felt alive again.

From his vantage point atop a low hill, he could see the battlefield in all of its bloody, glorious detail. His mount, Springdancer, danced nervously beneath him, and he spared a moment to whisper soft comfort in her ear. Below them, nearly ten thousands of the enemy’s foot were engaged with his own defensive lines, formations of spears grinding against each other in agonizing tension. Despite having two-and-a-half times as many soldiers on the field, the enemy advance had come to a crashing halt against his spears and the unfriendly terrain. Beyond the rocky slope, the walls of the small city of Grestyn loomed, slate grey beneath the cloudy sky. The banners of an enemy warlord flew from the towers of the gatehouse. Samhain had already forgotten which warlord this was; these lands had changed rulership seven times in the two short years since the imperial armies had withdrawn from the province. 

As he watched, a group of enemy spearmen nearly three hundred feet across disengaged along the line of contact, falling back nearly ten paces and leaving behind a scattering of the fallen. Such lulls were common, as if the battlefield itself was a living thing taking a breath and a moment’s rest. Even the most well-drilled soldiers could not sustain the desperate intensity of a melee forever, after all. But he had been waiting for this one.

Samhain nodded towards his staff, and a few moments later, a horn rang out in a distinctive pattern. From their vantage point on the hillside, nearly thirty feet above the plain, hundreds of lockbowmen stepped from their cover and began loosing their deadly bolts into the exposed enemy. Dozens of soldiers fell from the first volley alone, and he could almost see the formation’s resolve begin to waver. It would not be long now.

From the forward command tent behind him, he heard Benecki’s loud curse. “Where is that bloody man? Taris’ Eyes, the man is two gods-be-damned hours late. If he had been here when he was supposed to be, we would have routed these lace-wearing bastards without even needing to make contact.” An orderly held the fabric flap open, and Samhain’s steward emerged. He was a red-faced man, shorter than Samhain and stocky, and his face had worn an expression of perpetual irritation for weeks now.

“Peace, Benecki!” Samhain laughed. “We are not in danger of losing the field simply because Areska is late. And I’m sure he will have some story to tell to excuse his tardiness when he comes. Besides, won’t it be wonderful when he arrives, ready to deliver us from some dire strait, only to find we have claimed all the glory of our victory without him?” His steward glared back at him, his grey-flecked beard and mustache a stark contrast to his bald head. He opened his mouth, probably to contest his lord, but Samhain was spared his complaints as a heavily armored man shouldered his way through the milling staff.

“High Lord. Is this farce finally finished? The men-at-arms under my command have been sitting idle here for more than an hour while their horse has been harrying our lines…” He too was red-faced, and spluttering as his outrage boiled over, but Samhain raised a hand and he trailed off.

“My good Viscount, you know as well as I that their heavy horse has yours outnumbered nearly four to one, and the only reason they haven’t committed to a heavy charge is the threat of your own counter-charge. I could not in good conscience sacrifice the threat you represent and send you all to your deaths just for the sake of your pride.”

The armored man began to bluster, but Samhain continued without stopping. “Regardless, you shall have your wish. I require their horse in disarray and unable to mount a charge against my footmen. Do me the pleasure of breaking their foot on the left flank, and then you may engage their horse on whatever terms you desire. You are dismissed.” Then, he turned and walked to his command tent as the spluttering man choked on whatever protest he had been about to spew.

 

Inside the tent, a large set of maps was spread across the low, collapsible table, weighted down in its various corners by an inkpot, a candle, a dagger, and its sheath to prevent it from curling back up on itself. Small carved and painted pieces of wood stood scattered across the map as representations of various forces in the area, and Samhain gave them a cursory glance as he settled himself in a low chair next to the table.

The tent was dyed a rich blue, but it was old and threadbare, and patched in a dozen places. Hardly suitable for the head of a noble house, no matter how new, but it had served him for nearly seven years now, and he saw no reason to change his comfortable routine for something as small as the look of the thing.

He leaned back in his chair and let his thoughts wander for a moment, paying attention to his body and its sensations. The meditation was far easier than it had once been; years of practice had worn a path in his mind that he followed almost unconsciously. 

He chose a candle that sat on the table, its flame flickering as it lighted the tent. A single drop of wax rolled down its side to pool on the brass candlestick, and he focused all his attention on it. His body stilled, his breaths coming slow and regular, and his mind began to follow. Still slowly, according to his old roshi, but far quicker than he had once been. Not that speed mattered for the spiritual practice, of course. But then, he was not doing this as a spiritual practice.

As his mind finally fell silent, Samhain closed his eyes. The after-image of the flame endured, and in it he conjured up an image. An old oak door set into the flame, well-worn, with black iron hinges and a simple, wrought-iron handle. At a thought, it swung open, and Samhain stepped through into his mindcastle.

It was a small room, carpeted with a rug that might once have held a beautifully ornate design, but now faded and worn beyond recognition. The wooden walls were lined with bookshelves, but along one wall, next to the window, a single sword was hung. It was a simple, slightly curved blade, with only a single edge. It had no engraving on it, nor ornate metalwork decorating the hilt. But it shone with an otherworldly lustre that caught Samhain’s eye, as it had every time he had walked through that door. If the right people could have seen the room, they would have recognized it as an exact reproduction of his uncle’s study, above his shop in Lushbeck. A room that no longer existed anywhere outside Samhain’s mind, now that his uncle was long dead and the shop given over to a new owner.

Below the window sat a sturdy desk, its surface completely clear. That was the one point where this space deviated, for anyone who had ever visited that study knew that the desk should be piled with precarious stacks of books, disorganized letters, and keepsakes collected as part of his uncle’s wide-ranging interests. But not here. This was Samhain’s space, not his uncle’s, and he demanded that it be empty.

The young lord nodded in satisfaction, then snapped his fingers, bringing an image of the battlefield into the silent space. The enemy spearmen were in the middle of falling back, only to realize that they were suddenly vulnerable to the archers they had not known were there. Their horse were picking their way across the broken ground, about to run into the ditches his soldiers had so carefully dug.

A perfect memory, frozen in time. He looked at it for a while, examining it for things he might have missed while his mind was occupied in the moment, but nothing caught his eye. Slowly at first, and then more and more quickly, he began to run the time forward, asking and answering a dozen questions in each moment. What would this unit do? When would these soldiers break? Would the captain on the field order a charge?

And slowly, a prediction began to form. Not a vision of the future by any means, and most certainly not an infallible one - he had been wrong in his calculations far too many times. But in this space he could devote all of his intellect towards the one task of charting the course of the battle, using his knowledge and experience to estimate how the future might unfold. In his mind’s eye, he watched his armored cavalry charge, breaking through the enemy lines already faltering under the lockbows. From his observations, the enemy were not disciplined enough to hold after that, the foot would first begin to fall back, then break and run. His own spearmen would surge forward, pressing them until they broke, and then it would all be over.

The enemy’s cavalry was still on the field, of course, but the fleeing infantry would create a wall of flesh barring their way, and his own horse would further disrupt them. By the time they could form up again, their infantry support would have fled, and they would be at a severe disadvantage against his prepared positions. It wouldn’t be a flawless victory - much of the enemy force would likely be able to retreat in good order, ready to fight another day, but it would be a victory.

Now to look for complications. What external factors could interfere, to prevent the victory or make it more costly? And the moment he asked that question, the obvious answer presented itself. His informants had indicated that the mayor was well known for being a coward, and indeed, the town’s garrison had failed to deploy alongside the warlord’s forces. Too afraid of being caught defenseless behind his walls if the battle turned against him on the field. But in the upcoming chaos, as the army he had hoped would protect his city began to rout? Would his fear still hold him in place? Or might a bolder hand prevail in a time of crisis, seizing authority for long enough to make a difference?

Another two thousand men appeared in his vision, sortieing from the town’s gate - as many as the town could reasonably field, even if they conscripted every able-bodied man to fight. And the moment a new force was on the field, everything changed. The fleeing enemy foot rallied at the sight of reinforcements, and when the enemy horse finally drove off his own cavalry, they would not find themselves alone on the field against a prepared army. Instead they would have the greater part of their own support still on the field, supplemented by the town’s garrison.

Samhain ran through several different iterations, testing several countermeasures, but the strain of maintaining focus while holding the entire battlefield in his mind was beginning to wear on him. Finally, with a sigh, he closed the door in his mind. 

All at once, the sensations of the tent rushed back in on him. The texture of the upholstery on the chair, the scent of smoke from the candle, the muffled din of the battle outside. All of these assaulted his senses as he held his eyes closed, feeling a strong sense of vertigo. It passed in moments though. As he opened his eyes, he noted that the candle had scarcely burned down. I was out for perhaps ten minutes? Very good.

Benecki sat across the table from him, seated on a low stool. He started when Samhain stirred. “Milord?” His voice was uneasy, for all he had watched his lord meditate like this time and time again.

“Have the hobelars fallen all the way back to the camp, Benecki?” He gave no preamble, no small talk. Time was of the essence, after all.

“No, milord. I believe they fell back when the enemy charged and are idle now. I had expected to order them in to harry the enemy when they broke.” Samhain completed the sentence, but not out loud. Or to cover our retreat, if worst came to worst.

“Send to them. I want them deployed in force near the gates. The town might deploy its garrison, and if they do, I want to scatter them before they can reach the field.”

“At once, milord.” By the time he had finished speaking, Benecki had already risen and nearly left the tent.

 

Less than an hour later, the last of the enemy force was fleeing the field, screened by the warlord’s heavy cavalry. The garrison had indeed attempted a sortie, more than a thousand soldiers marching out of Grestyn to reinforce the army as it began to break. But the hobelars - lightly armored horsemen armed with short thrusting spears along with heavy javelins or horsebows - had been waiting. Several volleys had broken up the formation, and despite there being fewer than three hundred of the light cavalry all told, the charge that followed had broken the enemy’s morale before they had gone more than three hundred paces from the town gates.

Benecki watched with satisfaction as Samhain gave a series of rapid orders for the army to regroup and march on the town. Part of it was to form up to protect their flanks in case the warlord managed to re-assemble enough of an army to try and drive them off, but porters were already running to bring siege ladders up from the camp to assault the town’s walls directly. With the defenders broken on the field and demoralized, a rapid assault would break their morale and force a surrender in short order.

As the staff milled about, sending runners with the orders out to the captains on the field, the fast-paced staccato of cantering hoofbeats echoed from the path of the hill. Moments later, a messenger burst through a sparse thicket, his bay horse lathered. He called out as he slowed. “Urgent message from the camp for the Lord Seonid!”

Samhain raised his hand and called out. “You have found him, courier. What is this about?”

The courier did not shout out his message, which was odd. Everyone on the hilltop was part of his command staff, and the high lord should trust them to hear any message. But instead, the panting man practically leapt off the horse, coming over to Samhain and speaking so quietly that Benecki could only hear the low murmur of voices, despite standing only three paces away.

After a moment, Samhain swore loudly. “Starry-eyed gods! Her, here? Now?”

Benecki looked at his lord severely severely. “What is this, milord?”

The young man waved a hand in a fruitless attempt to make things clear. “The Lady Deschelle. One of the removed branches of the House Montagnesse. I believe we had been in correspondence regarding a rendezvous galant?”

Benecki was sure his face was still blank, but Samhain was backing away slightly. “I recall that, yes. We had even arranged a date for it, but we were forced to reschedule it because of the campaign. What is she doing here?”

The steward watched as his lord paced in growing panic. “No, I…I dictated that missive myself. I said that the demands of war meant that I could not entertain her at my estate, but that if she so desired, she might visit us in the warcamp instead.”

“What?! Why would you do that?” Benecki gave up trying to keep his expression calm, and Samhain flinched, but went on quickly. 

“The rest of the letter made it clear that I wasn’t serious about it! I said that the camp would not be a suitable place to entertain a young woman of her stature, and asked to reschedule the appointed time…” He trailed off, letting his hands drop to his side helplessly.

Benecki groaned, putting his face in his hands. Arms of justice, man! What on the gods’ green soil possessed you to say that? He had meant to say that only in his mind, but Samhain turned his face away.

His voice was low, pitched so only Benecki could hear it. “I wanted to make her laugh.”

“What?” He couldn’t help himself, and he snapped the word louder and harsher than he meant to.

“I wanted to make her laugh when she read it. I thought it might help her see me like a real person, not just some stuffy lord arranging a ritual courtship meeting.” Samhain’s voice was small now, almost swallowed up by his embarrassment.

And to that, Benecki had no response.

I'd really like to hear feedback on it - what you think works, what you think could be better, what confuses you, etc. Thanks in advance!

A few thoughts about it: I think for an opening scene, it introduces a lot of terms that I have a hard time digesting. Especially war-related phrases. Like 'lockbowmen', or 'the enemy horse (singular)'. I do eventually understand what they mean, but it does take me a moment to employ my critical thinking skills, and kinda takes me out of the moment. Might just be a me-thing though and I'm illiterate.
The scene of Samhain entering the tent to meditate was kinda abrupt. He's in the middle of a war, receiving reports about stuff, and then in a couple of sentences he's sitting down in a tent thinking about his uncle. I guess it's supposed to be sudden, supposed to raise the question of 'what kinda general just drops everything to meditate', but it did seem a little out of place. Good piece of characterization for him though, a very calm fellow.

The bit at the end about Samhain's embarrassment really made me laugh. I love that he's not just some crazed military guy who has a mind palace, but also makes foolish moves like that.

I'll get around to reading the rest of the world building later, because good lord, what a wall of text that is. Looks very promising though!

[Seonid he/him]

8 hours ago, AltonicKeys said:

A few thoughts about it: I think for an opening scene, it introduces a lot of terms that I have a hard time digesting. Especially war-related phrases. Like 'lockbowmen', or 'the enemy horse (singular)'. I do eventually understand what they mean, but it does take me a moment to employ my critical thinking skills, and kinda takes me out of the moment. Might just be a me-thing though and I'm illiterate.
The scene of Samhain entering the tent to meditate was kinda abrupt. He's in the middle of a war, receiving reports about stuff, and then in a couple of sentences he's sitting down in a tent thinking about his uncle. I guess it's supposed to be sudden, supposed to raise the question of 'what kinda general just drops everything to meditate', but it did seem a little out of place. Good piece of characterization for him though, a very calm fellow.

The bit at the end about Samhain's embarrassment really made me laugh. I love that he's not just some crazed military guy who has a mind palace, but also makes foolish moves like that.

I'll get around to reading the rest of the world building later, because good lord, what a wall of text that is. Looks very promising though!

Thank you so much, that is excellent feedback! Some of the terms are in-universe words - "lockbow" instead of "crossbow," specifically. I'm not sure where the singular use of horse came from - I had this sense that it was a standard term during the time period, but as I reflect on it, it might be a Wheel of Time thing that crept into my mind . That's a good place to standardize it just to make it easier on the reader.

I'll probably keep "lockbow" for now, just for a little bit of world flavor; my hope is that if I tone down some of the other stand-out terms, it will be easier to digest on its own.

As far as the tent scene - I can see it being abrupt. I've been thinking about it, and the scene might work better if he enters his mind palace while he's standing on the hill watching the battle - a bit more contrast with the chaos going on around him and the stillness of his mind is never out of place, and I feel like the transition would be smoother that way. Make it more obvious that he's not leaving the battle to randomly meditate, but that this is something very much part of his command approach.

And I love that his embarrassment made you laugh - he's very good at war, but he's awkward in a lot of social situations. We're going to see a lot of him in these awkward social situations going forward, so I was hoping to show his competence within his arena before we show just how much like a fish out of water he is during peacetime.

As for the wall of worldbuilding, I'd say I was sorry, but I don't want to make a habit of lying to y'all . In all seriousness, walls of worldbuilding is kinda what I do. (For those who are curious, one of my older worldbuilding repositories is still on this forum. If anything, I'm still trying to live up to the tradition of that one .)

[Seonid he/him]

It's Saturday, which means another worldbuilding post! We are (finally) going to finish up Gaeletii politics today. Part 3 of our series on the political geography of the kingdom is an explanation of how things got to where they are (and perhaps why you are seeing Earls, Counts, Dukes, Landgraves, Viscounts, and Barons all in the same kingdom - it's a whole mess, and it was meant to be).

But before we get to that, let's talk about upcoming worldbuilding topics! With the politics mostly wrapped up, we can turn our attention to the kingdom's culture. Gaelet sits along the zone of intersection of multiple major cultures, but the two that shape it most heavily are the Kaloneri Empire to the west, and the Avran fiefdoms in the east. I intend to focus heavily on nailing down details of these two cultures over the course of the next few weeks. The order doesn't particularly matter to me, so I figure I can share a number of potential topics upcoming, and if any one of them catches anybody's interest, you are more than happy to request that I turn my attention in that direction first!

    The Worship of the Tribunal
    The Pantheon of Constellations (The official state religion of the Kaloneri Empire)
    Courtship, marriage, and family relationships among the Avrans
    Imperial metropolises and Kaloneri urban culture

Political Geography of the Kingdom of Gaelet - Part 3: Historical Development of the Power Structure

In 1302, the Kaloneri Empire and the newly established Kingdom of Gaelet reached a settlement that recognized the independence of all of the land east of the Ainin River. However, the new kingdom was a mess, administratively. The bulk of the initial armies had come from the former territory of the Duchy of Caedros, and the exiled Duke had been the figurehead around which the movement had coalesced. However, he was dead, and though his son had inherited the house seat, the unity of the new kingdom was already threatened. Lords to the east of Caedros, from the domains of House Harleon and House Livermore, had been more than willing to send military support to Caedros to set the duke up as a buffer state between themselves and the Empire. But when the new kingdom organized itself, they declined to join it.

Similarly, the southern fiefdoms of House Samane and House Feravut, along with the Viscounty of Sirre, remained independent of Gaelet. They had been stripped of their vassals by the Empire, but retained a great deal of their former strength. Now, rid of their burdens of fealty to the Imperial Throne, they were not inclined to take on new burdens.

Of the noble houses that had participated in the war of independence, the only ones to join the new kingdom were the houses that had once been vassal states to the House of Wyst, which ruled the Duchy of Caedros. They had been stripped from Caedros by the Empire, and were not necessarily keen on merely changing out one master for another. At least, not with the old Duke - whom all of them had respected as a leader - dead.

Najar I, the new king, finally bought their allegiance by releasing them of their bonds of fealty to Caedros and elevating their most prominent leadership to become the heads of their own noble houses. They still owed fealty to the kingdom, but were guaranteed a seat on the King's Council, made up of the heads of the noble families of the kingdoms.

These became the Houses of Ester, Glenfax, Cellidore, Montagnesse, and Ruitte. The House of Wyst still held the original territory of the Duchy of Caedros, but without the former vassals, its influence was much reduced.

To further reward his noble supporters, Najar I created two new noble ranks within the kingdom. The first, the rank of Earl, originated in the eastern fiefdoms, where Najar had spent his youth in exile. Najar used it as a high noble rank, ranking just below the rank of Duke - which he steadfastly refused to grant to even his most loyal supporters. The second, the rank of Landgrave, was taken from the nobles of the northwest, near the borders of the Dahl. The king decreed it as a rank between Baron and Earl, and used it as a way to reward those nobles who had earned his favor during the war.

The House of Verekai sided with the Empire during the independence war, and all of its vassals and most of the land in the duchy of Terrignon was stripped from it for that crime. There were calls to have the house entirely disestablished, but upon learning that the steward of House Verekai had gone with the empire only because the last heir of the house (which he had raised as his own daughter) had been held hostage in Kanread to ensure the loyalty of the house, the king was minded to have mercy. Their former holdings were given to the Houses of Montagnesse and Ester. However, the western reaches of House Verekai, as well as much of the land around Lushbeck and as far north as Kelysford, was designated as the king's lands. These lands were not given to the House of Wyst corporately, but held by the person of the king, for the king's personal revenue and army. Though he did not relinquish the title of Duke of Caedros, King Najar I certainly intended for the king to have a power base separate from any one of the great houses, even the one from whence he came.

West of the king's lands were lands that had not been ruled over by a noble family in many generations. The empire had held power in Lushbeck and the west for over a century, and there were no remaining claimants to those lands, if the houses that once had right to them could even be found. Najar also found himself with empty coffers and a host of unruly mercenaries who were beginning to get angry about their lack of pay - indeed, a large number of the minor mercenary companies had already banded together and attempted to seize the city of Gadre, which controlled the only pass through the mountains that was navigable by caravans.

To mollify the remaining, more powerful, mercenary commanders - as well as to reward them for their loyalty during the mercenary rebellion - Najar divided the western lands up into 6 counties, selected 4 among the mercenaries' number, and gave them the noble title of Count, labeling them as non-ruling nobility administering the lands under the king's authority. The remaining two counties were given to two of his most loyal supporters - Samhain Marchandson, formerly a captain of the garrison of Lushbeck, and Martin Surrestor, the former Imperial Governor of Kenesthyn.

The remaining mercenary companies were given lands under the auspices of these counties, many leaders being nominally given the rank of Viscount, a lower-level administrative rank that operated under the supervision of a Count.

This move enraged the mercenary commanders, who had expected to be named ruling nobility, but the king had made a deal with the ruling nobles of the east to avoid creating more new noble houses in order to preserve their influence. However, after the noble houses began to systematically oppose a number of the king's initiatives in the King's Council less than 6 months after the kingdom was formed, the king reneged on that agreement and elevated all six Counts to become the heads of their own new noble houses, giving them each a seat on the King's Council.

He also proclaimed that the rank of Count was equivalent to a northern Earl, thereby making each of these new noble houses the equal of any of the former vassals of Caedros.

The new noble houses and their domains were as follows: The County of Comenlaryn, held by House Devrashal, the County of Marcester, held by House Burnist, the County of Kenesthyn, held by House Surrestor, the County of Arcady, held by House Calliester, the County of Chalys, held by House Seonid, and the County of Cherlienne, held by House Lasofer.

These land grants and divisions caused great tension in the new kingdom. Although their existence as independent Houses was new, the ruling nobles of the eastern region had pedigrees that stretched back for centuries, and it was a major irritation to share their rank and influence with new, upstart houses that had been given their titles only for service during the war. Or even worse, simply as a means to pay off a debt. And the fact that the new houses neatly balanced their power on the Royal Council was another blow.

In addition, the six new counties were much more fertile and populous than the eastern regions, so the old nobility had to bear the double insult - first that the new noble houses were given rank equalling their new independent noble houses, and second that the lands given to these new nobles were far more populous and productive than their own.

As a result, political maneuvering in the early years of the kingdom was marked by the so-called "Old Nobility" attempting to shut out the "New Nobles" from decision-making authority. In particular, the old houses placed a blanket ban on any of their members making any sort of marriage contract or other similar contractual alliance with a scion of the new nobility.

Edited October 4, 2025 by Seonid

[Seonid he/him]

Weekly writing accountability post for week ending 09/28/25

Total words written: ~28,000

No new scenes written, and no words added to the total. But that doesn't mean no writing was done! I didn't most of my energy this week trying to revise a few scenes. I hoped to finish them faster, but I'll take what I've got. I might even post one of them if anyone is interested.

Goal for next week: 32,000 words

Edited September 29, 2025 by Seonid

[Seonid he/him]

So, today is technically not a Saturday, but tomorrow is going to be really busy for me, so I'm going to do my worldbuilding post a day early. Having gone into the geography and political structure of the kingdom of Gaelet, it's time to do some deep dives on the culture of the people who live there. And we'll start with my specialty: Religions.

Gaelet lies in a region influenced by two widely different cultures, each with their own religion. Today we are going to do part 1 of a series on the religious beliefs of the Avran peoples. Of course, the Avran culture occupies most of the midlands of the continent, so trying to paint it all with a single brush obscures a great deal of regional variation (as we saw when looking at something as comparatively simple as noble titles earlier!), but the region is historically dominated by the worship of the Tribunal. (Many fiefdoms in the far north have converted to the Church of the Martyr, but they are distant enough from the Kingdom of Gaelet that that religion's direct cultural influence is negligible, other than the effect the schism had on the Court of the Gods itself).

Much like many religions in Earth's antiquity, the religion built up around the worship of the Tribunal doesn't really have a name it calls itself. Names, for a religion, are things that distinguish themselves from the "other," and the worship of the Tribunal claims to encompass every "other" there is. The religion of Earth's Romans is not a particularly useful parallel to the Tribunal in a lot of ways, but it tracks here - the Romans didn't consider themselves as members of any particular religion. But they were highly religious - worshiping the gods of their city and their culture. And making offerings to the new gods they encountered as they went off conquering places - sometimes identifying them as aspects of one of their own gods, sometimes as something completely different. Even today, we don't have a "name" for the Roman religion, like we do with "Christianity" or "Islam" or "Buddhism." If we need to refer to it with a pithy shorthand, sometimes we might call it "Roman paganism" but even that is a name that outsiders (particularly Christians) gave it. For the worship of the Tribunal, outsiders have a wide variety of names for it, but they are all informed by the individual culture, and basically comprise a variety of ways to say "not like us." However, scholars do use its center of political power - The Court of the Gods - as a reference to the religion as a whole, though that isn't a perfectly satisfactory method.

Anyways. The worship of the Tribunal is one of most influential religions of the Edassan continent, and the single most influential organized religion thereon. It is centered at the Court of the Gods, an independent complex - large enough to be called a city in its own right - within the city of Cherisse, in the Godlands. Unlike many other Edassan religions, it is structured and organized. In fact, the power, influence, and organization of the Court is one reason there are few, if any, kingdoms among the Avran fiefdoms. Technically, the High God Taris is the only king the faithful should need, and ruling nobles in general swear allegiance to Him instead of any earthly king. In fact, historically, the Court of the Gods has viewed independent kingdoms under their influence as a threat of heresy at best and downright antithetical to true religion at worst, so they have been energetically discouraged.

But Gaelet of the house of Wyst needed something that could weld a rebellion of multiple cultures together without falling apart at the seams, and so he latched on the idea of a kingdom of their own, separate from any other influence - including the Court of the Gods. Despite being a pious man himself, the political usefulness of that idea was more than enough to override any qualms his religious advisors might have had. And since the schism between the Court and the Church of the Martyr, much of the Court's thinking had moderated - there is nothing like an actual schism caused by high-handed exercise of power to make the powers that be wary of doing something like that again. So instead of being roundly condemned by the Court, Gaelet got private warnings about how dangerous it could be, and incentives to make sure that the Court maintained its position and influence in his kingdom rather than being shut out.

Anyways, that was a very long preamble to our real topic. Today we're going to talk about the gods of the Tribunal, and the other beings that populate their heavenly cosmology.

 

The Worship of the Tribunal: Part 1 - Gods and Heavenly Beings

The Court of the Gods in the modern day holds that there are only seven gods in the heavens that are deserving of worship. For centuries, the question of who was deserving of worship was a major doctrinal question that threatened major schisms on three separate occasions. Finally, however, the question was settled by the Proclamation of Unification - now some four centuries old. It declared the seven gods of the cosmos, but allowed that these divine beings may have revealed themselves under other names, and permitted the worship of local gods as aspects of the seven Lords of Heaven (as long as it was acknowledged as such). This was not an uncontroversial position, and despite attempting to placate all sides by leaving folk traditions and regional variation unchanged while acknowledging the supremacy of the doctrinal purists, it garnered widespread opposition in the first century following its implementation. However, it is now old enough to be unchallenged doctrine. We'll talk about regional variation in a couple of weeks, I think (especially in the regions that became the kingdom of Gaelet). For now, the important bits are that there are seven gods and a lot of very detailed theological argumentation about it.

The seven gods are as follows:

Taris - God of Justice and the Heavens

Spoiler

Taris is the king of the gods, and the ruler of the Tribunal. He is the center of the religion, and is worshipped in every town and city that pays tribute to them. He is worshipped on regular feast days once every month, on the half-moon, but there are scattered other feast days that celebrate other things associated with him. The sky is associated with him, and many view vast storms as his terrible wrath for injustices he sees. He has many holy symbols, but the most prominent is the holy sword named Justice that he wields in his right hand.

Taris is portrayed as a just ruler in heaven, who defeated the demons and evil beings who ruled the world in the mythic past and kept humanity as slaves and cattle, ruling them with a bloody fist. He led the gods to war and saved humanity, and is regarded as the model of a righteous and fair ruler.

Priests and priestesses of Taris are trained in the rituals of all of the gods, and can stand in for a priest or priestess of any of them (although the priestesshood of Nalathea is very strongly opposed to having male priests of Taris officiate in their rituals). The hierarchy of the church is mostly made up of priests of Taris - they occupy the layers of leadership between the Council of Hierophants and local priests, make or disseminate ecclesiastical rulings, oversee local priests of all of the orders except for the order of Nalathea, and so on.

Not all priests of Taris go into leadership however, Some train to be advisors of rulers, whether at the city level or the nation level, while others leverage their training in multiple religious rituals to go serve as the religious presence in isolated communities, where some villages might not even have a dedicated priest at all.

Miranda - Goddess of Life, Love, and Death

Spoiler

Miranda is the consort of Taris, and the mother of the gods. She is the three-fold goddess, and the lady of life and death. As the giver of life, she is revered by midwives and healers. As the divine lover of the king of the gods, she is worshipped as the goddess of love, and as the mistress of death, she is feared everywhere. Many of her shrines portray her only in one or two aspects - the death-aspect is least favored for obvious reasons, but her great temple in the Court of the Gods gives equal space to all three. The sea is sacred to her, and its ever-changing nature is said to reflect the way she shifts between life-giver, warden of death, and lover. Her most prominent holy symbol is a white rose with thorns on it.

In the grand mythology, Miranda is the creator of humanity, and was a divine being enslaved by the evil demons. Taris came to her, and she bore him five divine children in secret, who he raised far away until they were powerful enough to return to the world and free their mother and humanity both. Then she married him, and now rules as the queen of the Tribunal. After the defeat of the demons, she chose to take their place at the gates of the underworld, and transformed it into a place of rest for the dead instead of torment.

Priests and priestessess of Miranda are trained in medicine (including midwifery) as well as funerary rites. Apart from the temples of Miranda in major cities, most are organized into small monastery-like orders associated with a small regional building where they provide their services and also train physicians, apothecaries, midwives, morticians, and the like throughout the region. New priests and priestesses are sent to one of these orders, but sometimes groups are collected to go found a new monastery. A small number of Mirandan priests and priestesses take on the responsibility of maintaining cemeteries.

 
Argon the Warrior - God of War and Protection

Spoiler

Argon the Warrior is the brother of Taris, and is a god of war. Unlike all the others, he has no feast days or regular worship services. There are very few shrines dedicated to him other than his temple in the Court of the Gods, but every army in the region builds portable shrines and takes them on campaign with them to perform offerings and prayers. In the modern era, the Court of the Gods seems to be uncomfortable with his existence, but he is beloved of several of the Paladin Orders. His holy symbol is a great shield.

In the grand mythology, Argon is a bloodthirsty god, who must constantly be held in check by his brother, lest he fall into unspeakable acts. He rarely shows up in stories other than the stories of the war in heaven.

Priests and priestesses of Argon are rare outside of the few Argonite temples. Most of them serve as officers in the Temple Legion, the dedicated military arm of the Court of the Gods. Any rituals performed in honor of Argon outside of the temples and those military forces are generally performed by priests of Taris.

Nalathea the Virgin - Goddess of Light and Fire

Spoiler

Nalathea the Virgin is the oldest of the children of Taris and Miranda. She is a lethal huntress, swift and unmerciful. Where Taris deals in justice and nations, Nalathea focuses on individual lives as a liberator and protector. During the day, the Sun is said to be her manifestation, a piercing vision that sees all wicked acts and will take vengeance for them. The bright rings around the planet are called the Virgin's Bow, and their spectacular view during the night is believed to be a manifestation of her presence at all hours. She has a small temple in the Court of the Gods, but the mountains are sacred to her, and the central temple of her worship is in the mountains near Lilyathan. Her holy symbol is the sun, with rays stylized in the form of flames.

In the grand mythology, Nalathea wields a bow that shoots arrows of fire, destroying demons left and right to save people who were being threatened by them during the war.

Priestesses of Nalathea hold themselves separate from the other orders, even rejecting the authority of the priesthood of Taris to oversee them. They owe allegiance only to the Sun-Daughter, which is the title of the High Priestess over the temple in Lilyathan. While the representatives of the other gods on the Council of Hierophants are the ultimate leaders of their respective priesthoods, the Nalathean Hierophant is actually subserviant to the Sun-Daughter, and can be removed from office by her at will.

Priestesses of Nalathea are always female, and perform sacred rituals at Nalathean temples across the continent. Unlike other priesthoods, there are no rituals to Nalathea performed outside of the temples. However, the Nalathean order employs a group of acolytes of both genders who swear themselves to root out injustice and to protect the vulnerable members of society. This group functions similarly to the Paladin orders sworn to other patrons, but they have no formal hierarchy, unlike the Paladins who have keeps and noble houses and societies entirely dedicated to their support.

Khurdan the Maker - God of Creation and the Earth

Spoiler

Khurdan is a god of creation, and the second child of Miranda and Taris (although historians of religion have come to believe that he was originally worshipped as a creator god and had stories told about himself as the father of the gods). He has no patience for leadership and ruling, but instead is focused on creation and the maintenance of the physical world. He governs plants and animals, and has dual festivals in spring and fall, to celebrate planting and harvest. His holy symbol is the Anvil of Creation.

In the grand mythology, he is revered as the one who forged the world on his anvil. (The priests teach that this refers to him recreating the world after the destruction of the war with the demons, because the world has to have existed before the divine children were ever born). The priests also teach that at the end of times, he will unmake the world to prevent the demons from devouring it.

Priests and priestesses of Khurdan perform the important rituals of planting and harvest, as well as petitions for the fertility of fields and other services. After Taris and Miranda, Khurdan has the largest number of holy days on the religious calendar, even if only two of them rise to the level of major festivals.

Jerad the Wise - God of Knowledge and the Stars

Spoiler

Jerad is the fourth child of Taris and Miranda. He is a god of study and knowledge, and is revered as the being among the gods who knows the future. His priests are scholars and researchers, and his temple in the Court of the Gods holds the greatest library on the continent. He is associated with the stars, and his holy symbol is an open book surrounded by 7 stars.

During the war in heaven, Jerad divined oracles and prophecies about the battles, and in the final battle, he held back the primordial chaos, preventing it from sweeping in and destroying everything.

Priests and priestesses of Jerad are scholars and researchers. Although there is only one temple to Jerad, the one in the Court of the Gods, the priesthood operates schools and libraries across the midlands. In some areas, they operate alongside secular schools (or schools of other religions), but in others they are the only opportunities for education anywhere. In the Godlands, though, every major city has a university and associated library operated by the priesthood of Jerad. And to them, that space is as holy as any temple.

 Hurisen, the Lady of Gifts - Goddess of Gifts and Law

Spoiler

Hurisen is the fifth and youngest of the children of Taris and Miranda, and is associated with the moon, as well as the rivers that bring prosperity and fertility to the land. She is the wife of Khurdan, and is revered as the one who made his creation beautiful. She is said to have a mercurial nature, fickle as the weather, and many of her stories are about trickery. Ironically, despite her deceitful and trickster-like nature, she is revered as the bringer of the divine laws to mankind. The priests teach this as a divine mystery, how the one who is bound to no laws at all taught mankind how to create laws. She has one great festival at the new year, and two others at the spring and fall equinoxes. The new year festival honors the delivery of the divine laws, and is marked as a solemn holiday of contemplation. The two equinox festivals are festivals of trickery, during which the world is turned upside down. People dance in the streets wearing masks, and during the festival all social status and hierarchies are ignored. Her holy symbol is a crescent moon marked with waves.

In the grand mythology, she is said to have given mankind gifts of secret and hidden knowledge after the war in heaven. Her greatest gift was a copy of the scroll of the divine laws, stolen from her father's temple in heaven. This gave humans the template to create their own kingdoms and nations, and to pattern their societies after the king of the gods.

Priests and priestesses of Hurisen are employed as judges and lawyers in many cities. In the Godlands, the entire judicial system is comprised of the Hurisenite priesthood, but the river kingdoms and many northern cities have a separate secular system. In those cities, Hurisenite priests become experts at the law and attempt to help petitioners navigate the secular system, sometimes serving as defense lawyers for those accused of a crime. Often times they will seek employment in the secular system, vowing to uphold the laws of their city or nation instead of the laws of the Tribunal in that capacity. They have a well-developed reputation for impartiality in the law. But even in the most secular of cities, these priests also serve as the arbiting arm of the Tribunal for ecclesiastical matters over the faithful. Faithful communities will often use the Hurisenite priesthood to arbitrate many matters without ever bringing it to a secular court.

Beyond the Seven Gods, the heavens are supposed to be filled with many other divine servants and angelic beings, as well as their demonic opponents. Among those, three are distinguished by name:
 
Arrion the Hawk

Spoiler

Arrion is the captain of the hosts of heaven, the armies of the gods, and is the divine messenger. The hawk is a sacred symbol of him, and he is said to be the one who carries messages from the divine realm down to earth to communicate with mortals. He is not a god, but occupies a status much like an archangel. (In fact, some regions worship him as a minor god of travel and luck, but the Court strongly opposes that).

Tilrakh the Fallen

Spoiler

Tilrakh is the third child of Taris and Miranda, younger than Khurdan but older than Jerad. He is believed to be a fallen god, who switched sides during the war in heaven after being promised power and rulership. Some cults worship him in secret, viewing him as the rightful ruler of heaven and looking forward to a day when he takes his father's throne and sets all things right. His worship tends to thrive during times of upheaval and turmoil, when everything seems to be going wrong. His symbol is an armored hand.

Sitta the Demonking

Spoiler

Sitta was the king of the demons who ruled the world before Taris delivered it from them and banished him to the realms of darkness. He is not worshipped by any groups, but is feared as an evil power who still works in the world to oppose the gods. He is supposed to hold a hatred for the world and all living things in it, and will try to devour the world during the last battle at the end of times.

The grand cosmology teaches that Sitta was driven mad by his loss in the War of the Gods. He is now exiled to the seven hells - the last realms of the universe that remain unliberated by Taris and his children. These are populated by his hordes of progeny and ruled by the Archfiends - seven nameless children of the demonking who have seized his power, since his madness makes him unfit to rule. He roams the hells, devouring whatever he comes across.

Most terrifyingly of all, many areas that worship the Tribunal believe that if a body is laid to rest unsanctified, its soul is vulnerable to being stolen by Sitta before it reaches the underworld, and devoured forever instead of receiving Miranda's rest.

 

Edited October 4, 2025 by Seonid

[Seonid he/him]

Weekly writing accountability post for week ending 10/05/25

Total words written: ~29,000

Didn't finish any new scenes, but I got started on increasing the word count again! And I completely finished the scene revisions that were still on the plate from last week's update, so despite the meager word count progress, this has still been a productive week. And next week we are *finally* going to pass the 30,000 word mark!

Goal for next week: 33,000 words

[AltonicKeys he/him]

ayy religious lore we love to see it

I've been curious, is there any real-life inspiration you take? Specifically for the proper names of everything. I feel like there's a certain culture I want to associate with it, but I can't place my finger on it. Some of it feels very much like typical fantasy names, like European Aurthurian legend. And then some of it sounds, I dunno, very not-western. Have you been deliberately naming these things after something else or has it just been vibe-based?

[Seonid he/him]

16 minutes ago, AltonicKeys said:

ayy religious lore we love to see it

I've been curious, is there any real-life inspiration you take? Specifically for the proper names of everything. I feel like there's a certain culture I want to associate with it, but I can't place my finger on it. Some of it feels very much like typical fantasy names, like European Aurthurian legend. And then some of it sounds, I dunno, very not-western. Have you been deliberately naming these things after something else or has it just been vibe-based?

I'm in a very weird situation where I've been updating a setting from my junior high days - I first started worldbuilding this place when I was 14. And back then it was very derivative, and I totally ripped off Tolkienien Elvish words for at least one country name, and was making up outlandish names for the heck of it. 

I returned to it in college, about 10 years ago (you can actually see some of that in my worldbuilding posts from back then lol - I ran a short-lived RP set in Edassa where I got to flesh out a lot of setting stuff). As part of that process, I went and reworked a lot of the nation names and stuff, trying to make them more internally consistent. 

I finally came back to it again about a year or two ago, and actually started putting in a lot more effort. This time around, I've been taking almost everything that isn't so explicitly trained in my memory that changing it is hopeless and beating it into submission to where things sound "right" to my ears. Not just "fantasy-esque collection of syllables" but "I want southern Avran city names to evoke the French countryside, while the North should feel a little bit English, and the northwest wants some Germanic influence" and "the Empire of Kalon should have feel like they are using Anglo-Saxon naming conventions, even if I'm not actually copying them."

For most of my cultures, I have a real-world culture paired with them that I want to evoke with things like language and stuff. Actual cultural practices are going to diverge strongly - the Avrans are not fantasy-French; their culture and stuff is their own. But their buildings and language and stuff are French-ish. 

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), there is a layer on top of that that consists of names that I started with and really can't give up...

Lushbeck, for example. That's been the capital city as long as I can remember. Too stuck in my mind to be worth changing (or maybe I'm too attached to it).

Many character names are like this. The characters have been around in my head too long for me to successfully rename them, so if they stick out a bit, oh well. I can always retcon them as being of foreign origin - the rivers are major trade arteries and the Empire traded widely abroad. 

I hope that was a decent answer. If you're curious about the origin of any particular name, let me know and I'll go into more detail there  

[Seonid he/him]

(Context: I'm a US Federal employee affected by the govt shutdown) 

So my agency ran out of the 5 days of alternate funding we had, so I'm officially on furlough now.

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to sit down and write.