Kileirey
intro (KIL-ear-ree)

Tech Code: 5
Governments: The Incorporated Feudal Fiefs of Cleave, Olricsholm, Ellisia, Paralone, and Dorene.
Religions: The Temple of the Sun; The Olric Cult; The Ellis Cult; The Dorene Cult; Lodge Spirit Cults
Industries and Trades: maintain formatting
Major Terrain: Flatland, River, Sea.
Primary Languages: Ralstaan.
Major Settlements: Abel Ford, Anderston, Bleakpoint, Caer Darrow, Caer Morthael, Caldur's March, Cleavesholm, Delven Tor, Dorenesholm, Haven Tor, Kielton, Olricsholm, Raesen Tor, Stormpoint, Talfaeghan, Tohl Riebhan.

Geography


Physical Geography

Kileirey sits east of Caldare, on the opposite coast, occupying the stretch of coast where the open sea narrows into the Gulf of Shay. Kileirey has much in common with Balleymoore in the north, and the border between the two is marked by the low, broad blue hills and the Larnarch Wood, which gathers around the hill country like a crumpled blanket. The hills earn their name during spring and summer when they truly do appear as cool blue mounds, rising up out of the forests to distant travellers. At the heart of Kileirey lies Loch Kileirey, from which the province takes its name. The loch is no great beauty like Loch Cael to the north, but it's murky depths are known for fine fishing, and for vague but terrifying legends of a part bear, part snake, part fish monstrosity that dwells in its depths.

The north-eastern border of Kileirey is formed by the Gulf of Shay, the rugged rocky coastline, like that of most of the knives, rises and falls in jagged, cliffy headland, broken by rock-strewn inlets where waves smash with white-crowned fury. The gulf narrows in the far east, where the whispering passage passes between Kileirey and Haeliard. Here the water flows deep, and the currents are exceptionally strong, and unpredictable. Shipwrecks are especially common, and because of this two great lighthouses stand opposite one another, cut from the living rock of the cliffy coast, and built to towering monuments shining wan yellow into the dire waters. To the south, the Marinbai hooks into the land, forming a fine natural harbour leading up to a shallower coastline, its mouth sheltered somewhat by the darkly forested Koomb Island, from which smoke periodically rises.

Southern and central Kileirey are dominated by rolling wild meadows, which stretch from the south up to the blue hills. The border with Caldare is formed by the Swordfish River, is a wetter area, but fertile. The Swordfish frequently floods in the spring, and even autumn. Some of the land around the river's banks becomes sodden mangrove swamp, but much of it is endowed with rich, silty soil, excellent for root vegetables, and lush with plains grasses. Further to the north the land becomes tallgrass prairie - a waist-high forest of green-grey that rolls like the sea in a breeze. Dull flowers peek out between blades of grass in the spring, and in the mornings mist rises from the very soil, and hangs barely inches above the grass, like some cotton-cowl.

In the western heartlands of Kileirey, on the fringes of Larnarch Wood, sits Loch Kileirey, a serene body of water, with a mirrored surface that seems utterly, almost eerily still. Mist from the plains drifts out over it, hanging often for days, especially in winter, and though the lake does not freeze at these low elevations, its stillness makes it deathly cold, even on rare fine days. Kileirey's weather is often drizzling, if not openly storming, and the skies are seldom without cloud, though which Rallah's face is merely glimpsed. Rays of the sun can be seen beaming down from on high, fleetingly touching on the grass, or dancing on the loch's surface, before sweeping on like some divine searchlight.

Political Geography

The lands of Kileirey are divided into five Kingdoms, most of whom were resettled and reorganized during the reunification to separate bitter enemies from one another. The Kingdom of Cleave is ruled over by the royalist House Cleave from Caer Cleave; Olricsholm is a kingdom ruled from the city of the same name by Lotar of House Olric; Ellisia is ruled by House Brene-Ellis from the city of Bleakpoint; Paralone, the heavily militant kingdom of House Caravene, is ruled from Caer Paralone, original home of the Rhuovaith's House Parth, and the Kingdom of Dorene ruled over by the kings of House Dorene at Dorenesholm is the fifth.

Cleave

Cleave were settled as Lleweith overseers, and though they have no formal ties to the High King, as the Caldares or Voeres do, they have remained Lleweith overlords in a Shaeish land, where other houses have forgotten their roots. As a result, Cleave has few friends, but this southeastern land has seldom concerned itself with how many toes it steps on. The early Cleaves claimed the best territory in Kielshoene, and continue to stake claims on the richest territory, building tors with amazing speed where something desirable appears over the border. Only when challenged have they retreated. Rich and conceited, the Cleaves look down on their people with a sense of good-natured superiority.

Olricsholm

Olricsholm occupies the land between Loch Kileirey and Caldare, in the south-western portion of Kileirey, where the particularly quarrelsome river-lords have their tors. The fief has long been staunch Shaeish traditionalists - a bastion of the old ways - and proud of their heritage and history. Olricsholm is a land where legacy is respected, and family lodges are warranted special protection. It also has a chilly relationship with the Temple of the Sun, and with it's proponents in Onen and throughout Coulbaigh, though house Olric still maintains its own cult, and a space in the Hall of Heroes.

Ellisia

The fief of Ellisia occupies the nor-eastern coast of Kileirey, and is the only Fief in the region without a border on Lock Kiel. Often known colloquially as the storm-lands in the surrounding fiefs, and in many ways the Ellisia has lived up to this reputation, both in climate and temperament. Though not expansionist, Ellisia has traditionally been quick to anger, and prides itself on choosing only the finest knights to man its tors, men who have come to be known as the storm lords of Ellisia. Frequently Ellisia and Cleave have skirmished over some minor slight, before Cleave has sent apologies, and Paralone and Ellisia periodically engage in long, and bitter struggles.

Paralone

Paralone occupies the northern coast of Kileirey, and is known for driving house Parth from Kileirey, to where they currently squat in the far south, with sheer might. Known as the 'iron kingdom', the Caravene kings require that all able bodied men in their land attend military training for a week out of every year. The laws are draconian, even by Ralstaan standards, but the people are fiercely loyal, and the warriors implacable when they march under the white sword. The fishermen of Paralone are also known for taking great risks along the harsh coast, where they pride themselves upon their courage, and also their fortitude.

Dorene

Dorene is a long, narrow kingdom occupying the borderlands between Kileirey and Balleymoore, made up of the bulk of the blue hills. Likely one of the most beautiful lands outside the starwood, Dorene has attempted to remain peaceful, and has allied itself with Paralone in the east, both to keep its borders safe, and to give others who would march against it pause. The arrangement has benefited Paralone, for Dorene is rich in resources, and has been able to dominate Dorene easily, but the Dorene kings have had the security they sought, and have been able to engage themselves in more gentile passtimes.

Social Geography

Typically of most Shaeish kingdoms, Kileirey is a land governed by class, dominated by small predominantly agrarian settlements tended by villein serfs under the watchful eye of lesser noble houses and knights bachelor. This has led to comparatively few tohls, and more spread out settlement patters in Kileirey - a rarity in Ralstaa, but by no means unique. Of course this makes serfdom simpler to enforce for the various lords, as small populations in villages often scarcely larger than a big plantation, lend themselves to more reliable enforcement. This has led to a decline in the foundation of free hamlets, meaning that those that do persist are either of ancient origin, or founded by other particularly successful free hamlets.

The folk here are a good natured, respectable, pragmatic sort. They are intensely superstitious, following many little rituals of unknown origin and dubious effectiveness, such armed with a plethora of rhymes, gestures, and folk magicks that slip into their everyday lives almost unnoticed. They are a pious people, likely more out of habit than zeal, but they are very much attached to their lodges and their spirit cults. In fact the only thing they seem to have a genuine spark of passion for is their traditional way of life. Every man is loyal to his lodge, and knows his place within it, and will never put any duty, to divh, king, or cause, above the good of the lodge. And while these folk might seem parochial at6 first glance, their anecdotes of monsters and sorcery are not the cautionary stories of the north, but half-believed bedtime fables shared with some fondness and detachment from the horrors of their origin.

Setting Trait (value): name trait

History


Abridged History

maintain formatting

Timeline

c. -1020D The Ral leave the Isle of Men with the other three last tribes.

0 D Rallah ascends, leaving Ralstaa in the charge of her people.

756 D Igwold Uth-Olric dies without proclaiming an heir. His nine wives each claim their child was proclaimed heir.
760 D The Swordfish Wars end at the behest of King Rann of Kileirey with the seven remaining Olric heirs dividing the kingdom between them.

943 D Voere marches on Kileirey under the royal banner.

945 D Voere meets the High King at Caer Nerandar, their conquest complete.

972 D Viran Uth-Rallis dies in Tohl aged seventy-one.

1110 D Carin Uth-Rallis is crowned High King.
1114 D Present Day.

People


++Folk of Kileirey
The population of the moorlands of Kileirey, like the rest of the moorlands of the central Shaeish lands, are almost entirely shaeish, with only scions the settled noble houses and their various vassals being of Lleweith descent. Churls live in lodges, even on incorporated crofts, as do most shaeish, with a council of elders guiding a learned and wise patriarch as the leader of the community. Free hamlets in the moors tend to be far apart, and thanks to serfdom still being the norm within the fiefs of Kileirey, even free people tend not to travel, for fear of being mistaken for escaped serfs should they stray onto the lands of a fief. Still, marriages between two lodges are not unknown, but usually the husband gives up his lodge in favour of that of his wife. Those who live within the protection of the fiefs of Kilierey live similar lives, though with more strangers moving through their midst, and of course the protection of the knights loyal to the king. They are self sufficient settlements, who produce enough to support themselves and keep a stockpile for lean times, and seldom have anything to trade or need anything in return. Of course, surpluses must be tithed to the crown in all five fiefs. Other races may as well be the stuff of legend, so rare are they. Stories of skral and urgrol might filter down through those who summer at Tohl, or have travelled the Starwood, but Trols are the stuff of bedtime stories, and while the fell creatures undoubtedly stalk the moors on misty nights their predations have not been heavier than the odd lone traveller on moonless nights - and even that cannot be substantiated.

Flora and Fauna

Life might not be obvious on the seemingly abandoned, bleak moors of Kileirey and Balleymoore, but it is rich with plan and animal life. Heathers, grasses and sedges, as well as sphagnum moss dominate the flat lands, with ash and fur trees creeping into more sheltered areas, and turning the moors into scrub land. Wild thistles spring up in more exposed areas, but these struggle in the shaeish lands more than they do further to the north-east. Dense stands of oak often stand on the souther slopes of steep hills, while ferns and rushes are common in boggier areas. Thorny wild blackberries and nettles make for a nasty surprise for travellers stumbling into ditches and dry stream beds.

Red deer are common to the moors, and they can be seen nearly anywhere the land is dry, but especially like areas of forest where they can shelter from predatory ikars. Small mammals such as shrews, weasels and otters are common despite many large birds of prey in the region, and find shelter making their way through the grasses and scrub. Black lions, badgers and wolverines are about as large as the predators become, with wolves and bears preferring the forests to the north. However the scions of House Cleave have reintroduced several species of wild boar to the moors, and after a few false starts they began to thrive. In the skies meanwhile thrushes, owls, many species of tit, buzzards, and grey and black gulls are all common, with eagles, hawks and falcons coming here to hunt in the lean winter, but preferring the more mountainous regions when game is more plentiful there. Herons and puffins are a regular sight along the coast, and storks are found around rivers and marshland. Walrus colonies exist around the northern coastal cliffs, while the coastal waters hold pike, perch, carp, roach, salmon, and trout, while the deeper waters see many large species of octopi, basking sharks, boarfish, Large-eyed rabbitfish, lumpsuckers, cuckoo wrasse, and thresher sharks.

Small ranches keep sheep and goats, but hunting deer is more common game. Most settlements will also have pigs, chickens, and sometimes a few cows in the more westerly lands, but most grazing animals dislike the hardy vegetation of the moors. Oxen prove more adaptable, but only prove useful for pulling ploughs or wagons. Root and leafy vegetables make for more common fare than dairy, or fruit, but venison in particular is a staple of the dinner table, though little leaves as export.

The Beast of the Loch

Many legendary creatures make their homes in the wilds of Ralstaa, but the Beast of Loch Kileirey is definitely no myth, because so many have seen it when it surfaces on still nights - or worse still, when it drags itself ashore after stray deer! Few, however, can give an accurate description of the creature, beyond saying that it is the size of a small ox, with a long, flat head, a thick, powerful neck, and mighty jaws. It is also pure white, and may have some kind of mane. Beyond that, the creature's appearance varies with every telling. However it seems to avoid men, though it has no compunctions about being observed. Anders Cleave himself has expressed a burning desire to hunt the beast, but as yet preliminary sorties in his questing days never even found its trail, let alone sighted the thing. One rendition of the Beast is used on the arms of House Dorene, and the device has spread to other realms further east as a symbol of maritime might.

Notable Individuals

His Majesty; The King of Cleave, Anders Cleave
For generations the kings of Cleave have been known for wealth, decadence, bravado and even arrogance, and Anders would be the first to admit that he puts his ancestors to shame in all these categories. In fact he would proclaim it in a clear, ringing voice with a raised foaming cup in his had, as he toasted himself. Anders has the luxury of spending his days in whatever manner he chooses, and he chooses the hunt. This avid huntsman will often uproot his entire court and lead them on a boisterous hunting joint, sometimes for days or even weeks at a time, in his royal reserves. Many say that Anders will soon adopt the name 'Beastslayer', though the king has yet to decide whether it is grand enough for his liking or not. But it would be a mistake to think Anders Cleave some ineffectual fop - for while he might enjoy the comforts of court more than a shaeish king would, he spent his questing days seeking out the most savage, dangerous and exotic monstrosities the Starwood had to offer, and the mounted heads that line his throne room at Caer Cleave more than evidence his lethality and cunning.

His Majesty; The King of Olricsholm, Lotar Uth-Olric
Lotar Uth-Olric is a shaeish king of the old guard, and is descended from a long line of men who feel the same. So impressed was Voere with his ancestor Trutha Uth-Olric when the two fought in many engagements during the reformation that Viran the Unifier's lieutenant persuaded the High King to allow Trutha's son to succeed his father as king after the old man was executed. That sort of respect and honour was something rare in those bloody days, and Lotar - like his father, and his father before him, is stoically proud of his line. It is little surprise, then, that Lotar often comes into direct conflict with the Lleweith settled house Cleave, and their brash and outspoken patriarch Anders. Tension between the two fiefs has more than once threatened to erupt into all out war, and even now the two great lands have marked the border between them, and occupied the usually unclaimed territories on either side - an act that almost always leads to war in Ralstaa.

His Lordship; The Iron King of Paragard, Tynian Uth-Henric
Tynian is descended from another of the settler-kings who were relocated to shaeish lands in the wake of the reformation, and though house Caravene has seen more than its share of breaks in the house's noble lineage, Tynian has made it his quest to make the prestige of his house equal the power of Paragard, in the wake of the domineering rule of his great uncle. It is apparent to all who meet the Iron King that there is a conflict raging within the man - determination to hold himself to the highest standard of honour and propriety battles constantly with the urge to just reach out and take what he wants by force. And while to date his self control has held, it seems like only a matter of time until he takes what is, without a doubt, the finest and most seasoned military force on Kileirey, and again sets his sights on one wealthy neighbour or another.

Bartel Con-Anwn
When Allan Caldare extended his borders to the Gulf of Shay during the reformation it was with good reason, and when he utterly smashed the lands of Kileirey who stood in the way there was good reason too. The gulf is the hub of sea trade, and while Caldare manages to drive merchant cabals out, Kileirey is the perfect place for them to go. The charming but ruthless trader Bartel Con-Anwn is suspected by most to be a ranking member of the Radu Society - most infamous of these cabals. Noblemen of Kileirey paint this man as a scoundrel, even a pirate and thief, and in many of the free hamlets of Kileirey he and his fellows are thought of as folk heroes. However to meet the man, he matches neither depiction well. A permanent resident of the free hamlet of Stormpoint, Bartel is welcomed by the local lodge, in fact he has married into it. Personable and a razor-keen negotiator, Bartel is hardly the merciless scoundrel people paint him as. Indeed, to meet him one might doubt that he is attached to anything larger than a few tax-dodging trade vessels. Perhaps when his name became associated with them the Radu Society distanced themselves from this small town trader.

Today in Kileirey…


Rumour in the lands of Cleave says that a massive boar, bristling and black boar the size of an ox has been sighted in the king's own forests. While word has undoubtedly reached Anders of this fearsome quarry, and he no doubt salivates at the prospect of its head adorning his great hall even at this moment, local lodges have suggested that there is something far more sinister to this beast than it's being a mere giant of its kind. For years local spirit cults have venerated the spirit of the forest in the form of a massive standing stone in a sacred glen, said to weep sweet water no matter how dry the clime. Some months ago King Cleave ordered this stone felled, because he felt that its following detracted from the proper worship of Rallah. Furthermore he finally formally banned such cults, insisting full conversion to the Temple of the Sun. Lodge elders say the monster pig is the spirit of the wood, come for revenge.

Meanwhile word from Olricsholm is that the recent murder of Ither Uth-Olric, proclaimed heir to Delven Tor, largest of the tors of the river-lords, was in fact an assassination orchestrated by Lotar Uth-Olric, who currently represents Olricsholm at the Oerocrast. If this is true it could be because he saw the youth as the next major threat to his place in the High King's court, or because he is readying to make a bid to unite the kingdom under his lone rule, or perhaps the accusations are false and some outsider is trying to engender more disunity than usual between the already prickly and fractious lords. In a land where layer upon layer of machination and incessant bickering are the norm, fingers are already pointing to the boy's own father, Unwold, accusing him of orchestrating the slaying of his own son to raise a popular movement against Lotar for his own aggrandizement.

The Knives of Rallah, High Kingdom of Ralstaa
The Shaeish Kingdoms Caldare, Donnaigh, Rhuovaith, Kileirey, Balleymoore, Cannavin, Wynd, Breconn, Coulbaigh
The Lleweith Kingdoms Avalaigh, Haeliard, Lammornia, Branddale, Talladale, Bradenthyr, Tohl
The Starwood Cwmbran, Kentallen Wood, Uerenuell
Tuarvael Castrette, Serlot, Friesse
The Dunsain Kingdoms Byrnham, Blackstone, Craigbyrn, Duncarrick, Strath Gorge, Garynshae, The Clanlands, Aulorn's Gate
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