https://i.imgur.com/0M4z3HL.png
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And here it is:
Nation Name: First Shire of Halbleuht-upon-Weffen.
Shortened/Informal Nation Name: Weffenshires or First Shire of Halbleuht.
Capital: Weffenwatch
Flag/Standard: Sable. A white increscent moon above an argent stone archbridge.
Head of State: First Reeve Eanred, son of Aldwine. (vassal of King Æthelric II)
Geography: Halbleuht-upon Weffen is a union of shires along the southwestern Beornian border huddled between the Weffen river and the Meridurn Lake. It is a mostly forested area with scattered hilltops. One such hilltop overlooking the crossing of the Weffen serves as the seat of the First Reeve, Weffenwatch being a castle overlooking a group of townships around the ford itself.
Culture/People: Not very unlike the Beornian social construct, the Weffeners are mostly poor, but a happy lot. Generally tending to fields or venturing into the woods for game and timber. Their dialect and culture, however, does show traits of both Szigetan and southerner lowlander. Many of them can read at least a bit, as Szigetan texts made it through the border and were then scattered down the social line. Hunter groups have organized as well, following lowland examples, and these parties often go into the swamps to hunt reptiles and strange game.
Government: The First Reeve rules over his own shire as any lord. However the leadership of another ten shires must be confirmed by the other Reeves. As per custom this is merely a formality, and the male head of the Line of Lodfrið who sits in Halbleuht is accepted as the best voice to speak for all the Reeves of the Weffener region. There are cases the leadership of the line has been disputed, or that the inheriting male was ousted of the castle to try and challenge their rule in favor of the custom. Only once it worked.
History: The First Shire was established nine generations before Eanred. The 10th First Reeve owes his birthright to a series of civil and military conflicts that sprung during the early days of the Empire. As the need for law and order erupted, Lodfrið Ironbridge emerged as the leader, defeating an alliance of three Earls that tried to impose their interest upon the local folk and nobility. The defeated Earls were stripped of rank, their heirs taking the mantle of Reeves, to be confirmed by the folk of their Shires, and to swear allegiance to the First Reeve. Lodfrið’s might would be enough to allow his line undisputed for four generations, and by the time they passed the tradition to confirm the holder of the castle was settled.
After the collapse of the empire a series of dynastic conflicts shattered this peace, and all three brothers and three sisters of the line of Lodfrið clashed in combat. Finally only Sæward, the second son, survived the purge and restored peace, his son Aldwine following it.
Old Aldwine died recently, and his young son, Eanred, has been confirmed as First Reeve. Not without dispute, though, as he was only five when that succession had to take place. As a part of the agreement, the boy was sent as ward under the care of an Edryssian noble, while a regenecy council kept things in order.
Population: ~40.000 people.
Standing Military Number: 4.000 professional warriors.
Location:
RP Sample: Hrmno…
Optional Information
Notable Groups: Opposing Factions:
-Pact of the Lake: Mostly made by a number of Reeves and noblemen with seat across the shore of the Meridurn. They tend to have close ties to the Szigeta Commonwealth and its culture. They have recently been ousted from the Council.
-Lagilonden: A pejorative term to those with kindred or friendship to the Lowlanders to the south. They are most prominent within the hunter guilds. They have minor presence in the Council, as the mother of the First Reeve is related to the Lowlanders. Two members in the Council.
-Marchers: A faction of reeves and thanes that seek a more militaristic approach within the Council. They hold great friendship to Osfrid of the Southern Marches. Two members within the council.
-Thegns or “Kingsmen”: Led by Ælle the Tall, a veteran Thegn of the King and Reeve of Northfont. They hold to the loyalty to King Æthelric above all else and wished that Eanred was sent to Waeclingwara instead of the Ecclesiarchy. Three members in the council.
-Scaled Thegns or “Scales”: Led by Ahn Dawngazer, a Reeve who served in the Ecclesiarchy in his youth. The “Scales” hold the belief in a greater loyalty to the Edryssian heritage and a need of strong ties to the Ecclesiarchy. They orchestrated the First Reeve’s education in Edryssia and recently struck an alliance with the Kingsmen to oust anyone related to the Pact of the Lake from the Council. Five members.
Notable Characters:
-Hiðrif of Hardaw: The mother of the First Reeve and widow of Aldwine. She married the man to become his third wife, and the only one to leave a surviving son. In her early thirties she has been able to hold into the Council, aligning with the Lagilonden faction and opposing the Marchers who despise them.
-Eadbald the Bowman: A captain of the Marcher Shire of Southford. As the name suggests, he is an expert archer and is credited with hunting down the Marshmen of the South at least four times, boasting killing great warriors in front of the widow Hiðrif. He is counted as the leader of the Marchers within and beyond the Council.
-Ælle the Tall: A seasoned warrior who served as a King’s Thegn leading peacekeeping parties in the north and fighting for the Ecclesiarchy abroad. He is arguably at the head of the Council, though this is disputed by those who argue Ahn Dawngazer is really pulling the strings.
-Ahn Dawngazer: Slightly younger than Ælle the Tall, Dawngazer returned from wars as veteran as his elder. However, his ways obviously display a greater sympathy for the Edryssian Ecclesiarchy, and while he wasn’t in the council when the boy Eanred was sent to Edryssia he is well-credited with expelling the Pact of the Lake off the council, in retaliation for the continued diplomatic animosity of the Szigeta Commonwealth towards the Ecclesiarchy. Many believe Ahn is really in control of the Council.
-Adlieg son of Eiser: Reeve of Wafienbuhrag. Recently ousted from the Council, Adlieg is a firm believer of a greater affinity with the Commonwealth and the Paradisum Republic, going as far as to believe the Shires should be independent to freely trade with both and to express their own identity, and to support the Commonwealth in their plight for continued independence. A highly literate man, he boasts his people to be the sharpest and quickest in the entire Kingdom.
-Attarsiyus Spari: Former Sacredos of a southern Chapter within the Ecclesiarchy. A Great Knight who retreated for a monastic life. Some years ago he was appointed the charge of First Reeve Eanred’s education. However the circumstances behind his outstepping from the Chapter happened under almost complete secrecy. Since then he has served in the Ecclesiastical army as a minor-rank officer, carrying the boy as a squire.
APP CODE DO NOT DELETE: #1723
Name: Eanred son of Aldwine
Title: First Reeve
Sex: Male
Age: 15
Nation of Origin: Weffenshires, Beornia.
Loyalty Pledged To: Kingdom of Beornia.
Physical Description: Short black hair and rather skinny face, the boy is a mirage of the Lowlanders of the South from his mother’s side. Eanred is proving to grow bulky, and while able to move nimbly his main resource in combat might be brute force.
Class: Mercenary
Skills|Abilities: An able rider as well as holder of knowledge on weapon maintenance since his service as square for Attarsiyus Spari. Knows fishing and can read, having gone through some texts of the Divine Dragon in his early years abroad. He is fluent in both Beornian and Edryssian languages. Has some minor grasp of maths and a slightly-above-average understanding of agriculture and cattle-tending.
Weapons:A light cavalry spear and a long sword.
Bio: Eanred was born the fourth son of his father Aldwine. However became his heir by the time he survived his third winter, as his elder sibling, Athalstærm, died after a debilitating sickness. Thus Eanred became the only surviving son of the First Reeve to reach the age of nine. It was then that the old man died and the boy had to be ratified as ruler of the Shires. As part of the agreement between his mother, Hiðrif, Thinges Ælle and a number of councilmen, the boy was sent to be fostered by a friend of Ælle, Attarsiyus Spari.
Until he turned twelve the boy learned to read and write, some key texts of the Divine Dragon Faith and theory on math and agriculture, which he grew fond of. However his guardian never forced him to attend the religious service and take part in the Cult. That changed when Attarsiyus stepped down as Sacredos without sign nor warning and joined the army, taking the boy as squire and protegee. Since then Eanred’s education had been more focused on martial skills such as riding, foraging and strategy-planning. He hasn’t personally joined combat, but has assisted in the chores of the camp and aided his warden to prepare for battle and keep his arms at the ready. His code, however, is not the chivalry code Attarsiyus once tried to impose on the boy, and he shows to be more resourceful and compromising when it suits his needs.
Personality: Eanred shows a characteristic curiosity, but also a cynical view towards religion and people’s good intentions. While his warden has encouraged a chivalric approach to honor and competition, Eanred is not stranger to manipulating the rules and others for his own advantage, believing it better to think “outside of the pen”. One thing he does not stand, however, is admitting wrong and mistakes. Whenever anyone mentions his office and rights and duties back home he shows a general dismissive attitude, seemingly preferring the itinerant life of a warrior for hire or a hedge knight.
Optional Information
Alias(es):
Family Relations: Mother: Hiðrif of Hardaw.
Moral Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
APP CODE DO NOT DELETE: #1723
