Post by Head Moderator on Jan 28, 2012 4:20:44 GMT -5
ABOUT THE DUCHY
Climate: Very long, cold winters and short cool summers.
Language: Kullyrian
Capital City: Rood
Grand Duke and Duchess of Kullyr
Bjarn & Anne Lofgren, Grand Duke and Duchess of Kullyr, rule their wild land from the largest and most settled city in Kullyr, Rood. The Lofgren family has ruled Kullyr ever since they fought Dunsany and ripped the land in half, ages ago.
Margrave
Margraves are the highest ranked nobles in Kullyr beneath the Duke and Duchess, and are historically set to defend the boundaries of the land. They are known as Markiss and Markissina of their Margrave.
Markiss and Markissina da Pilkvist, Margrave of Upper Kullyr
Markiss and Markissina da Klasson, Margrave of Lower Kullyr
Markiss and Markissina da Klemens, Margrave of Middle Kullyr
Markiss and Markissina da Jensen, Margrave of Coastal Kullyr
County
This is the next step up from Baron and Baroness, and families are denoted by the use of "ven da" in their surnames.
Count Artur and Countess Britta ven da Goran
Count Gustav and Countess Ida ven da Janne
Countess Lauritz ven da Pehr
Count Lotte ven da Nels
Count Max and Countess Lykke ven da Njalle
Barony
These are the members of the landholding nobles of Kullyr. They are known as Lords and Ladies. This is the first level of nobility, all nobility of this level use "ven" to denote their rank.
Lord and Lady ven Brahe, Barony of Alfhild
Lord and Lady ven Platten, Barony of Borghild
Lord and Lady ven Grahn, Barony of Gudhild
The Duchy of Kullyr is the land of greens and white. White is the snow and ice which covers it; green for the evergreen trees that cover the landscape. The land is a high tundra plain bordered by mountains and rocky shores. Kullyr and Alzorc are home to the greatest Auroras show for most of the year.
The majority of the people here are semi-nomadic, moving from set camps following the great herds. Most of their products are made of magic hardened ice. Spears that appear to be made of glass, great snow forts, and fogged glasses to protect from glare are common items. Almost every Kullyrian nomad knows a few cantrips to deal with ice and snow. Those things not made of magic are made of animal hide or bone. However, every clan ruler has a starmetal (beaten meteor iron) item that allow them to be proof from the ice magics of the other clans.
There are only a few established cities and towns, Rood being the largest, where the Grand Duke of Kullyr lives.
To show respect and maintain proper distance between genders, men and women do not always make eye contact during conversation.
Kullyrians value education, culture, cleverness, and wisdom. Their perception of time is more flexible than the that of other lands. Kullyrians do not stress punctuality over individuals' needs, which are considered more important than schedules.
The family unit is strong in Kullyr and provides its members with a sense of identity, security, and social organization. The father is the undisputed head of the household. Large families with many children, especially boys, have been traditionally preferred. It is legal for a man to have as many as four wives if he can provide for each equally. He must also have permission from his other wife or wives and from the tribal leader if in a tribe. However, most men choose to have only one wife.
Relatives remain close. The elderly are respected and cared for by younger members of the extended family. Parents feel a lifelong commitment to children, often providing them with financial support well after marriage. Regardless of their age, unmarried persons live with their parents until they marry. Weddings are elaborate celebrations lasting as long as three days. Some couples may choose to have a temporary marriage called a handfasting as a trial or because the handfasting wedding is much less expensive than a conventional wedding. Sometimes the handfasting simply provides a legal means of entering a brief intimate relationship. The handfasting usually lasts a year and a day, and then you may decide at the end to handfast again, or have a full wedding. A woman marrying in this arrangement and any children born in the marriage do not have the same rights and privileges as conventional wives and children, but they are accepted as legitimate. Both the man and the woman must consent to a handfasting, and many women do so in exchange for financial support. When a handfasting is terminated, the woman may not marry again for at least one hundred days.
The economy of Kullyr centers around the bazaars, be they permanent or temporary.
Traditional Kullyrian instruments include the guitar, the hammered dulcimer, and the kamanch (a spiked fiddle).
Kullyr has a history of conflict, and was birthed in combat. Dunsany once ruled the entire area of Kullyr, but the Lofgren family fought and divided the land of Dunsany so that the only area of land Dunsany ruled was along the seacoast. Generations later, they finally overtook all of Dunsany creating the land's boundaries as we know it today, and Dunsany disappearing from the world map and living only in legend.
Their most recent war was with Shalott, where they managed to kill the High-King but were not able to take the land. Kullyr has finally realized they will never be able to overtake the mountains that divide them from Alzorc, so they attempt to stretch their hands back into Bryony, and across the sea even attempting raids upon the Skegg Islands a few times, which they failed miserably.
OF NOTE
Stone River
This meandering "river" of stone is a solid vein of flat, smooth stone that trails along upper Kullyr. It would serve very well as a fine road, but no animals will step foot upon it.
SHATTER ISLAND
An island in Glass Bay known only for one thing, it's very tight and secure prison. The Shatter Island Prison is composed of six different wings, each with it's own type of prisoner. Though this prison is overseen by Kullyr, it is in use by all of the kingdoms except for Rumeria and Alzorc.
Entrance: Not a wing itself, this is the only method of entry or egress for the entire complex. Consisting of 2 rooms, the first is extremely plain. The door leading to the outside is inscribed with runes, sigils, enchantments of all kinds, and half a dozen good old-fashioned locks, each the size of a girder. These defenses exist on either side of the door, providing protection against both escape and forced entry.
A set of spiral stairs lead down to the main body of the prison, protected by a locked metal gate. Not intended to be a permanent protection, it's entire purpose is to give the guards posted in this room time to lock down the complex from the outside.
The second room is the central hub of the complex, where the guards on duty are stationed. Like the hub of a wheel, each of the prisoner wings touches this room. Twenty guards are on duty within the complex, though only half of those can be found in this room at any one time. The rest are on patrol throughout the wings, checking on the prisoners and making sure everything is under control.
3 hallways lead into the wings from here, each with a spiralling stair of stone leading down to a lower wing:
The west exit leads to the lifer wings.
The south exit leads to the temporaries on top and the mental ward on bottom.
The eastern and final exit leads to the condemned (those awaiting execution) and solitary wings, on top and bottom respectively.
UPPER KULLYR
Highberg
Kirkstacke
Kirkja
MIDDLE KULLYR
Rood
Rood is the capitol of Kullyr.
Rood Wench Inn [Common]Midberg
LOWER KULLYR
Wintercrest
Wintercrest is a small village not far off the main trade road. It is known for being full of thieves and cutpurses. While this is certainly true of Wintercrest and many other small trade route villagers, Wintercrest has another secret. The majority of the residents have some degree of ogre blood in them. Those who are regularly seen are ugly, with lumpy misshappen noses and profuse warts. But they are all human sized, there are many who are poorly shaped with bent spines and gangly arms and many are half again as large as a man should be. The muggers and cutpurses in Wintercrest are these half ogres, who use cudgel-like fists to loot travelers and merchants.
Lowberg
Mossholm
COASTAL KULLYR (North to South)
Grunn Voe
Hamister
Murkinn
Murkinn is a seaside town.
Mace & Whore Inn [Common]
Bracken
Bracken Saloon [Common]
Petras
Cliffdale
Silwick
