Author Topic: Introduction to Taeghas  (Read 4178 times)

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Offline DM B

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Introduction to Taeghas
« on: March 09, 2010, 12:49:10 PM »
Taeghas is a great duchy with a long and noble history. The land was first settled by House Boru when they ventured into the Sea of Storms to find new homes. The fertile and forested lowland regions along the river Ashlen were especially attractive – but not uninhabited, both sidhe and goblins called the land home. The Boru eventually drove out the humanoids, but where in turn pushed out by the arrival of descendants of the First House, coming from over the Seamist Mountains to settle in this new land. Thus it came to be that north of the mountains the Boru prevailed, but south of them the newcomers held sway.

After Deismaar things remained largely unchanged. Roele largely ignored the Western Coast, and the smaller kingdoms of southern Taeghas were left well alone. The now lords of Boeruine had other plans though, and while Roele was away conquering Cerilia they moved south and reclaimed ‘their ancestral lands’. When Roele finally brought the Boers to heel in preparation for his final subjugation of Vosgaard, he actually affirmed their claim to all the lands ‘north of the Ashlen and south of the Anseren’. Not out of any love for House Boer, but because he needed their warriors and their loyalty – things best earned by gifts and fine words rather than coercion.

After Roele’s death Boeruine quickly rebelled, creating an era of strife and warfare, as the descendants of Roele struggled to reunite the Empire. In this they were successful. To weaken House Boer the lands of Taeghas were taken from them – both the northern and southern portions – and made into a new Duchy called Taeghas after its first ruler.

The Duchy of Taeghas figures but little in the Imperial Annals during the Hegemony period. It was ever a backwater place. It had rich farmlands in the interior, but was otherwise sparsely populated. It was also a divided place – the men of the north and the men from the south were of different stock, and hard as they tried no ruler could be said to be popular in both parts of his realm.

During the 7th and 8th Centuries Taeghas began to rise in prominence. Whereas other older richer realms were content with their lot, the Dukes of Taeghas were eager to embrace both the new expansion into distant lands and the renewed religious vigor of the age. Their greatest claim to fame is the invasion and conquest of Mor Atha in the 9th Century – which did nothing but drain Taeghas of wealth and foster dissent and eventual rebellion. The bloodline of the Taeghan Dukes became extinct, if you do not could their descendants on distant Mor Atha.

After the Fall of the Empire Taeghas quickly became the primary battleground for Avanil and Boeruine – each seeking to ‘reclaim’ what was ‘theirs’. Little did they care that the men and women of Taeghas no longer counted themselves anything but Anuirean and Taeghan.  When the fighting was over precious little was left, and Taeghas sunk into an age of deep and dark feudalism. Later it got worse. In the north men from the Western Isles and Rjurik would raid the coasts and river valleys, even settling there. In the south the same also happened, with heathen Tenouireans coming and going as they pleased along the coast and up the Ashlen. It was so bad that only the enmity of those two groups kept either from overwhelming Taeghas.

Salvation came from an unexpected quarter in the form of the wizard Khorien, somewhere around 1300 HC. Little is known of his background, but it is believed he was of Rjurik stock, and that he had trained with the Stormwardens of Boeruine. He married Ranele, the daughter of the count of Stormpoint (which at that point was little more than a large fishing village). Their children and children’s children would eventually unite Taeghas under one banner, striking upon some deep hidden understanding of the Taeghan character – a rugged independence and open-mindedness. Trade flourished, fallow lands were reclaimed, law returned and armies kept the borders safe. Then, in the early 16th Century, as Taeghas stood on the verge of becoming a major naval and commercial power, history caught up with the realm. Renewed war between Boeruine and Avanil quickly engulfed Taeghas in an eerie reenactment of past horrors. Until the day when Duke Khorien fell in battle, and his family died when their castle was torched – with them still inside.

Taeghas of toady is once again impoverished, occupied, and divided. In the north Boer lords, many of them little more than mercenaries-turned nights, hold sway. They are universally despised, but they rule with an iron fist. In the south Duchess Aubrae Avan rules; turning her part of the realm into little more than an extension of her father’s domain. The commoners actually adore her, but the nobles despise her foreign airs, and the merchant class absolutely hates her heavy taxes and extravagant spending.
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Offline DM B

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Re: Introduction to Taeghas
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2010, 01:59:21 PM »
Aubrae Diem-Avan (b. 1504 HC, r. 1526 HC,  m. 1525 HC): Female Anuirean; High-level Noble/Wizard; Anduiras, great; N. Duchess of Taeghas. Heir to Avanil. Daughter (only surviving child) of Prince Darien Avan. Formerly married to Narvelon Diem (‘divorced’ following his calling to become Cardinal-Patriarch of the OIT). Two children – Arlen Diem Avan (b. 1527 HC) and Paeghen Diem-Avan (b. 1529 HC).

Aubrae is the only surviving child of Prince Darien. Her older brother was killed in an accident many years ago, and something wicked also befell her younger sister (some say Rhuobhe killed her, others claim she ran away will the hill-folk, never to be seen again).

Aubrae received the finest education a Lady could want, and when her brother died in 1515 HC her father had no choice but to groom her for rulership as well. Aubrae is known to be a wizard of some skill, but she never went to the College of Sorcery – the College came to her at the urging of her father.

She married Narvelon Diem in 1525 HC and was crowned Duchess of Taeghas – she as monarch, he as prince-consort. She has two lovely children, the elder of which will become the future Prince of Avanil, while the younger will get to rule Taeghas.

Aubrae has a reputation for being headstrong, difficult even, and usually gets her way – in particular when there is men involved (and when is there not; it is a man’s world after all). She is renowned for her beauty and good social graces. Given her ‘unmarried’ status and what she stands to inherit she in undoubtedly the most eligible woman in Cerilia.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2010, 09:47:46 AM by DM Bjørn »
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Re: Introduction to Taeghas
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2010, 02:27:20 PM »
Foerde Carr, Baron of Carrida (b. 1488 HC, r. 1513 HC, m. 1518 HC, d. 1535 HC): Foerde is typical of Anuirean high nobility of this age – he is well mannered, well schooled, and expertly trained in war, command, and personal combat. The very pinnacle of the old Anuirean way of the knight. Unfortunately he also lives in the past, unable to see that the rest of the world has abandoned nobility, honor, and chivalry for gold and power.

Foerde was killed by an enemy lance during the Battle for Caer Carr. A battle that will be long remembered not because of his death, but for the mighty giants and the lightning that rent the battlefield!

Foerde was married to Ivine Carr (b. 1500 HC), a pretty and clever girl from distant Mhoried and House Maricoere. They have six children, five boys and one girl, born from 1520 HC to 1530 HC.

The Barony is currently run by an newly appointed steward; Maelcom Armiendin, a knight formerly in Ghiestan employ.

Vimaen Brosuine: Male Anuirean; Mid-level Noble/Fighter; Anduiras, minor; LN. The Count of Brosien is a dour and unimaginative, but pious and loyal man. Distantly related to Tael Brosuine, a man in the employ of the Baron of Roesone. Originally a vassal to the Baron of Carrida, until the ascent of Duchess Aubrae, after which he owes his allegiance directly to the throne. House Brosuine has the important task of guarding the passes to the north.

House Brosuine is no more. It's scions were hung from the castle walls by the Boer men. Duchess Aubrae now holds regency over their lands.

Celdwon Asherdale: Male Anuirean; High-level Noble/Fighter; Basaïa, minor; N. Celdwon is a passionate knight that spent much of his youth questing on behalf of his patron Laerme. He is sometimes known as the Knight of Flowers. Celdwon now sits on Aubrae Avan’s Small Council and is also the Lord-Mayor of Ashien (Chancellor).

Diener Kreith: Male Anuirean; Mid-level Scholar (Expert); Brenna, minor; LG. Celdwon Descended from Brecht immigrants arriving in the early 15th Century. Married into a failing minor house. Known for having produced several widely-read poets and scholars. Important patrons of the College of Sorcery. Diener Kreith has published several works on the Anuirean language, focusing on its development and dialects. Of particular interest to him is the introduction of the letter ‘k’ from Brecht/Rjurik.
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Re: Introduction to Taeghas
« Reply #3 on: March 10, 2010, 09:47:31 AM »
Moved Aubrae's reign date 1 year forward, to 1526, since that was the year Avanil claimed the area :-P Birth date of children moved back one year as well.
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