Heorot Fealty

With the upcoming game being partly focused on fealty, it's probably a good opportunity to explain how fealty works (in the Heorot sense, at least).

The King does not command subjects directly… it's not an Honor violation to disobey your king.  Instead, it's an honor violation to disobey your liege, and the King rules by commanding the loyalty of the Earls of the Heorots.  It is the Earls who see to order within Lloegyr, and to whom most nobles are sworn (and who will keep the peasantry in line if they try to revolt). It's this relationship of fealty that give the King his power:  the most powerful individuals in the realm are bound to obey him.

Fealty is a completely voluntary obligation: a liege must offer it, and the vassal must accept.  Once accepted, the liege owes continued largesse to the vassal (which is represented by the Vassal merit).  However, the vassal may end the arrangement at any time: he returns the gifts of the lord (and mechanically, gives up the benefits of the Vassal merit, if he has it).  When a new king is crowned, the Earls reswear fealty to him (or do not… see below).

At the next game, the opportunity will be given for people to swear to the King: all you need to do is publicly make a statement of loyalty.  The king can then offer a gift… if you accept it, you are now the King's vassal (and can buy the Vassal merit).  

However, there's some important things to remember:

• To swear to the Heorot king, you really can't have another liege.  To swear directly to the king as a vassal, when you're sworn to, say, one of his Earls, is a violation of your agreement with your lord.
• You do not offer the King gifts… this is a grave insult.  The king offers you gifts, and if you accept them, you are considered bound to the king for as long as you hold that gift.  If you give the gift back, then you are free of any obligation, but it's also a pretty clear statement that you no longer support the King.
• The King is under no obligation to allow anyone who isn't loyal to him to hold land, title, or even keep his neck.  In fact, it's expected that if an Earl doesn't swear fealty, there will be a reckoning, and it will likely be violent.  If you're an Earl who swears, receives a gift, and then returns it, well, you better have your guards in place, because you can expect a visit.

Remember… there are no laws.  The King wants to control powerful Earls.  There's two main ways to do this. First, he can court powerful Earls and make them loyal, or he can make those loyal to him powerful Earls.  How he does so is a matter of Honor, and the ability to enforce his will.

Heorot Men Marry Late, and the Primacy of Player Decisions

First, the actual setting material.

Heorot men typically come of age in their mid-teens, when they are physically capable of battle.  The Heorot rite of passage is typically a test of mettle: the month of Geor is typically reserved for all kinds of tourneys and games, and when a boy competes in his first games, he is considered a man.  Coincidentally, this seems to be about the same age that women begin menstruating, and so both men and women reach maturity about the same time.

However, Heorot men typically marry relatively late, particular since the Guth War.  The heroes of that generation... Castus, Burgred, Finn, Oswulf, Walder... all started their families relatively late in their lives (in their late twenties).  The first legitimate child born to one of Castus' close friends was Aldred, who was born when Burgred was already in his mid-twenties.  The King himself was 28 when his son was born, and Ala, the King's only legitimate child, was not born until the King was 35.  The reason for this was relatively practical: until it seemed that Castus had a legitimate chance of winning the war, having heirs was of secondary importance.  Even then, there was a general sentiment that the kingdom should be won before children be had, and most men of this generation delayed starting a family.

This sentiment was passed down, in a manner, to the current generation.  The general attitude amongst Heorot noblemen who are old enough to remember the Guth war, but not old enough to have fought in it, is that one should accomplish something before he marries.  As such, the many heirs of this generation... Aldred of Timber, Nulte of Lothan, Lud of Kenton (generally those of age to have fought in the Merov War)... are unmarried.

While this was a cause for concern amongst the Earls for some time, with the death of Nulte of Lothan without issue, this has quickly become a common topic of discussion in Heorot Halls (when they're not talking about rebellions, succession, and murder, of course).  There is a prevailing attitude that it is time for the eligible Heorot bachelors to find themselves wives, and get to making new bachelors for the decades to come.

From a meta-game perspective... all of this background is about twenty minutes old as of the time this blog was published.  The facts have always been true, but there has never been a reason given for why the named characters of the setting married so late.  Instead, the dates came about from players all picking their ages independently, and when I put them on a timeline recently, some demographic information became apparent.

There's some thematic elements of this game I try to hammer home (i.e. honor), because they're vital for the tone of the game.  If players do not understand or address Honor, or hospitality, then the storyteller has to reinforce that element.  Other elements, however, I try to leave alone, and justify in the game.  This is one of them... the ages at which your characters marry and have children might not strictly reflect the source material, but in the end, it's better to allow players to define the setting, and use it to come up with interesting additions to the setting.

The Vendol Mysteries, Part II

The semi-Aelic Vendol tribes are a diverse lot... they're essentially defined as all the Vendols that speak an Aelic-Vendol creole, and worship some, but not all, of the Fey gods.  Currently, they seem to be in a loose confederation led by a strange druidic figure known as the Elhaz Cyng... this is the source of the Vendol mob that attacked Timber with some 1,000 strong warriors.  However, to characterize these tribes as a single group of people is inaccurate.  Mostly, they are individual nomadic families, hunter-gatherers that travel between various religious sites.  Each religious site is tended by a mystery cult, and collectively, these practices are called the Vendol Mysteries.

The largest Vendol Mystery cult is actually the Wahla... they grew so large that they became an entrenched culture.  However, travelers to Wahla confirm that the culture meets all the criteria of a semi-Aelic Vendol tribe: they worship most Fey gods, although Danna is conspicuously absent, they have the hereditary disposition for magic, and the Wahlan language is simply a very developed Aelic-Vendol creole.  The Wahlans, however, are a very pastoral culture, with a highly develop tradition of arts and storytelling, and a state of craftsmanship which is amongst the finest on the isle.  The contrast between the Wahlans, and say, the Wolf-Blooded, demonstrates the difficulties in making sweeping statements about the semi-Aelic Vendols.

In the Seaspur Mountains, these cultures are considerably smaller and much more savage.  They have had extremely limited contact with the Aels due to the Aelic tradition of the Rochben... essentially a group of warriors who have taken it upon themselves to range the Seaspur Mountains and keep the Eastern Slope as a buffer between the two peoples.  However, beyond the Eastern Slope, there are traditional migration patterns of small family groups, who make their way between mystery shrines that dot the western reaches.  The various cults that tend these shrines are diverse, but tend to be between a handful of dedicated priests and nothing more, to tribes of up to two hundred Vendols.

Some of the more significant mystery cults are listed below.

The Forest People - The Forest People are an example of a larger cult, numbering probably well over a hundred men, women and children, who wield tremendous influence over the nomadic Vendols of the Seaspurs.  It is likely the Elhaz Cyng is a member of this cult, although because the Forest People are typical of many small cults, it is difficult to say.  The distinguishing characteristic of the Forest People is the division of worship: they have chthonic gods tended to by male priests, and fey gods tended to by female.  This division of labor is common to the Vendols, and actually reflected in the Wahlan culture (which have noble priests and wise women).  The Forest People place a strong emphasis on animism, and the belief that their gods are present in everyday objects and animals.

The Guardians of the Unroofed Vault - This cult is typical of a group with a specific purpose... they are about twenty or so people who banded together to protect the approach of the Unroofed Vault (where the Viltem fiend called Typhon supposedly dwelt).  While they ultimately failed in their purpose, as they were recently attacked and defeated by a very small group of Aels, they show what particular type of cult looked like.

The Touched - A particular group of Vendols, constantly changing, who are devoted to aspects of fertility, death, birth, and life-cycles.  A festive and debauched group, who are usually only visited to either feast or pay homage, they are also known for their violent sprees against other Vendols.  They seem to worship some fey gods, and are obsessed with the sexual coupling of their King and Queen (and often the subsequent slaughter of said monarchs).  They are generally younger individuals, have a high turnover, recruit forcibly, and rarely number more than two dozen.

The Weird Sisters - A small cult that exists close to the western shore, and probably only ever numbers three women at a time.  This cult is extremely mysterious, as those that do known them value them for their divinations and prophecies, but outside of a handful of rangers and the Vendols, they are virtually unknown.  These small, strange cults dot the Seapspurs, and no one knows exactly how many of them there are.

The Wolf-Blooded - The Wolf-Blooded are an example of a cult that is really more of a tribe, and has taken a single god as their patron (in this case, Parza).  Numbering almost two hundred, they are incredibly insular and will attack anyone that approaches.  Naturally, many rumors surround them ranging from cannibalism to shape-changing.  However, while rare, they are not unique... there is at least one cult of Wraun somewhere deep in the Seaspurs which is supposedly even larger.

The Vendol Mysteries, Part I

That the Vendols practice a faith that is Aelic in nature but not exactly like the worship of the Dunmar-Gog is common knowledge to most Aels; that the Vendol faiths actually can be somewhat complex and sophisticated is not.  The word "Vendol" itself is inaccurate: it describes any Ael who is not a member of one of the seven Clans, and in truth, describes at least three broad categories of people.

In the same manner, the term "Ael" and "Aelic" need to be defined.  Broadly speaking, there are two methods of doing so.  First is to identify an ethnic group indigenous to Lloegyr that shares a number of cultural traits, most prominently the worship of Fey gods (Geor and Wraun are the two most common deities) and an ability to use magic that appears to be an inherited trait.  By this measure, there are Vendol tribes who are entirely not Aelic... there are small groups of people (primarily in the far North) who have no knowledge of Fey gods, and strictly worship Chthonic gods.  A second definition of Aelic is to identify the Aels as sharing a common language, and this language significantly correlates with the worship of the Dunmar-Gog.  If you refer to an individual as an Ael, you typically use the latter definition, although the most studious of the Blacks prefer the former use of the term, as it seems to be more useful.

The reason the Blacks prefer the word "Aelic" to describe the worshippers of Fey gods is because it helps define the three groups of Vendols without requiring a categorical knowledge of all the Vendol dialects.  Many tribes speak unique creole languages, and while there is an identifiable Vendol tongue, it is actually quite rarely spoken.  It is, however, very easy to identify tribes that worship the Fey gods (one can actually estimate the isolation of a tribe by the number of Fey gods they worship).  With this in mind, scholars can define the Vendol tribes as Aelic, semi-Aelic, or base Vendols.

Aelic Vendols are truly Aels who dwell outside of the established clan structure.  To have a clan, a group of Aels must produce eleven priestesses... one for each month (not counting Viltem).  Such a clan will keep the World Tale, and worship the Dunmar-Gog (literally the "Moon Gods").  If a worshipper of the Dunmar-Gog lives outside a clan, they are called Vendol, even though their way of life is almost identical to their cousins in places like Conley or Samon.  These Aelic Vendols are most common either in tribes living along the southern part of the Vendol River, or in small homesteads (typically no more than an extended family) along the eastern slope of the Seaspur Mountains.

Semi-Aelic Vendols are defined by a divergence from the traditional worship of the Dunmar-Gog.  They have a strong tendency to organize into tribes, ranging from fifty to five hundred people.  While they all deviate from the World Tale, the identifying characteristic of the semi-Aelic Vendols is the removal or replacement of one of the following gods: Danna (most common), Geor, Valka, Wraun, and Parza.  Virtually all semi-Aelic tribes will worship at least one but not all of those five deities.  They almost always speak an Aelic-Vendol creole, and their religious ceremonies typically require initiation and are tied to specific locations (and are sometimes referred to as the Vendol Mysteries).  They are most commonly found in the Seaspur Mountains, and have a reputation for hostility.  Until recently, Aelic rangers known as Rochben have generally made sure that those who dwelt in the mountain stayed in the mountain, but for some reason they have suffered significant casualties in recent years.

Finally, base Vendols keep much older ways, and are generally not considered Aelic at all.  They typically speak a very "pure" Vendol tongue, and worship the Viltem exclusively.  These tribes are found far to the North, and very little is actually known of them.

Veterans of the Merov War

It looks like the coming games are going to feature conflict between the handful of warriors in Lloegyr who have actual wartime experience.  As this is a game of tragedy and interpersonal drama, it's necessary to offer context for relationships, and as such, it's time for your intrepid storyteller to define who went to the Merov War.

The "Merov War" is a name only used in Lloegyr... it would more accurately be called the "Campaign of the Peren Hills" for the woodlands on which it was fought.  The wars between the various Dukes of Merovia lasted nearly a decade, and the forces of King Castus fought only in one summer before the Duke of Vincia, dismayed with the performance of Heorot and Aelic warriors in massed battle, turned back to the use of southern mercenaries.  His dissatisfaction was largely due to the refusal of the Heorots to either integrate with foreign mercenaries, or support themselves in combine arms tactics: they simply lacked the number to fight independently but could not be combined with any foreigners without incident.  Therefore, to a denizen of Lloegyr, the war lasted one bloody, brutal summer, and was fought without glory or victory, or even purpose.

Castus did not send a full compliment of warriors to the South, with the total contingent numbering only about five hundred men.  They were mostly men of Timber and Trademeet, as it seemed to be an opportunity for the "Little Earldoms" to distinguish themselves, although Castus also sent Oswulf, Earl of Kenton, an experienced commander, overseas at the Earl's request.  Oswulf had fought in every major engagement at his king's side, and did not believe it proper for a vassal to shy away from his king's wars.

All in all, the nobles who journeyed South were:

• Oswulf, Earl of Kenton - This man served as the commander for all Heorot and Aelic forces in the South.  His primary activity was to liaison with the Duke of Vincia's war captain, Osric, Count of Marckelle, and see to the employment of his troops.
• His Vassal, Kendell - Just as Oswulf had fought for his king in every conflict, so to did Kendell, Thane of Thanet, fight with Oswulf.  His gift for logistics and administration made him a valuable aide-de-camp.  He and Oswulf were the only individuals with any significant battle experience, apart from the handful of young warriors who had fought in the War of the Three Kings.
• Nulte, Heir of Lothan - A young charismatic noble, Nulte led the cataphracts of House Two Tower into battle.  House Two Tower sent about a hundred horsemen, but saw less fighting than then men of Timber or Trademeet.
• Draught, Illegitimate Son of the King - Draught spent most of the war with the House Two Tower Cataphracts, but was transferred by his own request to Aldred's, later in the campaign.
• Lud, Heir of Kenton - Lud, a close friend of Nulte (and known by most to be his lover), fought the entire war at Nulte's side.  He was known for his loyalty and bravery in battle, but was possessed of a more quiet demeanor than his friend.
• Lander of Thanet - Kendell's son, and another noble in House Two Tower's cataphracts.
• Merrick of House Brendane - A minor noble and nephew of Kendell, who rapidly earned a reputation for both his prowess in battle and his grasp of strategy and tactics.
• Gilder of House Drannen - Another minor noble who would later become Champion of Senton.
• Hector, Bastard of Andel - Who fought in the war despite lacking any noble backing.
• Caillech of House Drannen - A little known noblewoman who masqueraded as a man.  She was discharged from the House Two Tower cataphracts after her sex was discovered, and fought most of the war with the men of Timber.
• Pendric of House Earthspur - The Champion of Kenton, an aging warrior who traveled with his lord.
• Hadric of House Earthspur  - Pendric's son, who would distinguish himself in the limited engagements in which House Two Tower fought.
• Glenn, Heir of Trademeet - A very young man who quickly earned a reputation as a fierce warrior, Glenn led the Aelic men of Trademeet in the South.  These men numbered only a hundred, and fought on foot, and quickly earned a reputation as skirmishers.  They engaged in a good deal of fighting, but did better than most, largely due to Glenn's extensive training in infantry tactics by his kinsman, Angus, Lion of the Aels.
• Aldred, Heir of Timber - The bulk of the Heorot forces actually came from Timber, which mustered troops and sent over three hundred riders.  A large number of them were Aelic, and not adept horsemen, however, they still fought fiercely and valiantly.  Often in the vanguard, these troops suffered the most significant casualties.  Aldred was one of the only nobles of his generation to fight in the War of the Three Kings.
• Drust of the Muress Woods  - A close friend and cousin of Aldred's, Drust did not actually fight in the Merov War, but was pulled from combat at the last minute by his influential foster father, Mark of the Muress Woods.
• Faljur of the Muress Woods - Aldred's brother, a fierce warrior but inept horseman, Faljur was captured in the ultimate battle of the war, a source of contention that lasted for years.
• Conder of Merleton  - A cousin of Aldred, who was not a particularly dutiful soldier, but known to be loyal and brave.
• Erin of the Muress Woods - A woman touched by Aelic gods, Erin travelled with her cousin, Aldred, to war, to serve as a healer.  After earning a bit of a reputation for her abilities, she stayed in the South after the war.

Honor Scenarios

Often, players confuse modern legal situations for honor, and start arguing "right and wrong" with the storyteller.  While appropriate to their character's reasoning, they do not define the society of the North. Instead, Honorable is essentially defined as "living in a manner open to the repercussions of their actions"while dishonor is attempting avoid the consequences.  Lying is wrong, not because it can hurt someone else, but because it hides one's intentions and prevents others from acting against you.  The Neizjet defines appropriate interactions, not because it guarantees that people behave, but rather because it describes what an individual is due.

In order to demonstrate that... consider these scenarios...

Burgred has a coin purse.  Oswulf wants it, goes up to Burgred, tells him that he's going to take it, then kills Burgred in front of his family and takes his purse.

In this case, Oswulf has done absolutely nothing dishonorable.  He neither hid his action (allowing Burgred's kin to track him down and kill him) nor denied Burgred the opportunity to defend himself.  This is not an honor violation.

Burgred drops his coin purse.  Oswulf finds it, picks it up and takes it.

This is an Honor 8 violation.  Oswulf knows those aren't his coins... he's neither given his submission nor geld for them, and he did not earn it.  While it is not a grievous violation, he cannot be trusted to protect another's property in a consequence free environment.

Burgred has a coin purse.  Oswulf wants it, goes up to Burgred on an abandoned street, then kills Burgred and takes his purse.

This is an Honor 6 violation.  Why?  Because he is hiding his crime and minimizing the consequences. This is more dangerous than the actual crime, because there's no way to punish it.  Still, Burgred has a fighting chance, meaning it's not quite a craven act.

Burgred has a coin purse.  Oswulf walks up, threatens his life, and demands the purse... which Burgred hands over.

Burgred has committed an Honor 5 violation... he didn't defend his property... therefore he cannot be trusted to have any.  His actions mark him as someone who will cause others to do violence for him, and that he values his life more than his honor.

Burgred has a coin purse.  Oswulf wants it, creeps up on Burgred in his sleep, kills him, and steals it.

The reason this is an Honor 4 violation is because Burgred was never given the chance to defend himself.  It's not wrong to take Burgred's life... it's wrong to deprive him the opportunity of killing you.

Thoughts on Honor

A recent game saw "shit get Lloegyr," and with that, came a spat of Honor violations.  After several discussions, I realized that many players have limited understanding of how Honor works in the society of the North, and why I focus so heavily on a relatively unpopular rule.  Given that your intrepid storyteller generally tries to respond to his player's wishes, some more exploration of honor will help establish how important the concept is to Lloegyr.

The important thing to realize is that honor is indicative, and the only punishment for breaking norms and mores is enforced individually by the various characters in Lloegyr.  There is no such thing as "law" within Heorot or Kraki society, and it is indistinguishable from religion in Aelic culture.  Instead, behavior is controlled by individuals taking matters into their own hands, avenging wrongs against them and their family.  Because violence is both difficult and risky, it is the threat of violence that keeps individuals in check.  Honor is really a system of indicating who behaves, and accepts the indirect link between one's actions and the potential for violence.

At its most basic level, honor indicates who is deserving of violence... there are paragons who are so honorable, violence against them is unthinkable, and cravens, who will likely need some violence to keep them in line.  Abominations have no place in society, and ought be dealt with violently before they can transgress against whoever they encounter.  What's important to remember is that one doesn't deserve violence because one has low honor... one just gets to low honor by doing things that have to be dealt with violently.

The entire concept of "justice" as modern Americans know it is foreign to the Heorots and the Kraki and the Aels... instead, it's a matter of righting wrongs done to you.  Authority is the ability to right wrongs done against others... an Earl's authority comes from his ability to bring order to his Earldom, and a King's authority comes from his ability to control his Earls.  When someone asks "what does the law say," the answer is "ask the Earl" (or priestess, or captain, etc).  If someone asks "who does this belong to" in regards to stolen property, the answer is "ask the Earl."  This concept is independent of honor; "justice" is what the individuals capable of enforcing it say it is.  Instead, honor indicates whether or not violence is going to be necessary to enforce it.