House Tiilikainen (Tĭh-lĭh-kī-nen)
Ancient and prestigious, this storied line gained acclaim centuries ago and carried forth for generations in a tradition of honor, valor and fealty to the crown. It's small titled landholdings and dashing and brave soldiers are well regarded throughout Eadwald. Officers from the Barony are oft decorated, valorous and sought after as matches for country ladies of quality.
Though small The Noble House is mildly popular. Well-liked. And at peace with its neighbors.
Some say it rests on the accomplishments of its past scions. Noble Lords of yesteryear. And that the line is fading with age and ossification. Though its lands prosper and its people are content and productive.
Structure
THE NOBLE FAMILY
Baron - The head of the Tiilikainen noble family
Baroness - The second-highest authority of the house. Speaks with the authority of the Baron when not in his presence
Na-Baron/Baroness - The Baron's heir-apparent
VASSALS
Lords - Landowning Noble gentry, blood relatives of the Baron. Whose tribute to the House provides its wealth and resources
Knights - Sworn noble warriors of the Baron who campaign on behalf of the house and serve the crown as the baron's due
House Chamberlain - The third-highest authority of the house. Speaks with the authority of the Baron when not in his presence
House Counsels - Domestic and military advisors to the Baron, often experienced military men or courtiers
THE SWORN -Oathbound nobles owing fealty to the Baron, their Liege
Seneschals - Managers of affairs of the house estates
Stewards - Facilitators of services and estates
Marshals - Overseen by a Lord-Marshal. Oversee the men at arms of the baron. Equivalent to a Captain of the Guard
Squires - Considered above regular men-at-arms but below Marshals. Equivalent to a Sergeant at arms
FUNCTIONARIES - Merchant, Trade and peasant class members of the house
Servants within the immediate Baronial household
Craftsmen and women
Tradesmen and women
Serfs
Culture
Feudalism -
Public Agenda
To serve and enforce the will of the Crown. To provide military service to the Crown. to protect the people of Eadwald and North Morley.
Assets
- Three crown-granted estates. A modest, baronial castle in the city of Eadwald. A country estate in rural Eadwalkd. A bordermarch castle in the outer reaches of Eadwald.
- 40 Knights of the Realm. Peer ranked warriors of nobility and gentry of Eadwald.
- 1500 men at arms. Including in their rank 300 veteran soldiers. Five commanders. Two Strategists. 50 Marshals.
- House Land Holding. The Barony of Tiilikainen encompasses about 125 square miles of total holdings, incorporated into 20 Knight's Fees and 20 Lord's Manors broken into dozens of Shires. All of which encompasses only a small part of the over-arching County to which House Tiilikainen owes fealty. Which in turn is incorporated into the Duchy of Eadwald Minor, which is comprised of three Counties inside the borders of the Kingdom of Eadwald. All told, the Barony is populated by about 7000 goodfolk of North Morley, 90% of which are peasants.
History
Lost to the uncertainty of antiquity, the Barony of Tiilikainen and House Tilikainen was granted by Crown decree roughly 5000 years ago. Surviving Royal Records confirm the granting of peerage and estate with the blessing of the Count and Ducal authorities in writ. The oldest remembered Baron Tiilikainen won crown recognition through strength of arms in more than a dozen campaigns and wars. So ingratiating the crown to him for his service and heroism that the King, in unanimous consent with Arch-Duke and Count, granted the small Baronial holding to this fearless champion and elevated his line into the peerage of Eadwald.
Early generations of the House of Tiilikainen were much-beloved and strove to tame the then-savage wilderlands of old Eadwald and make the land safe for the goodfolk. They strove tirelessly to protect and expand the fields and farms of their Shires, the sons of the barons working alongside the woodsmen clearing land and the plowmen tilling fields and the harvesters reaping crops. Men of the people, they fed, fought, loved and lived among their vassals and serfs as equals for many generations.
As the wealth of House Tiilikainen and the Barony grew, the lords and ladies of the house became slowly but ever further removed from the lives of their people. Attending only festival and holy-days and the Crown's Tax Procession, to legitimize the taking. Still they held regular court and heard and addressed the grievances and disputes of the goodfolk. Dispensed justice. And ever guarded the lands against incursion by Red Orcs and desperadoes. Latter generations of House Tillikainen, including the current Baron began to attend more to the Crown Court than to their own Baronial Courts, appointing from their vassal lords Magistrates and Seneschals to hear the goodfolk and manage the crown's taxations. The House of Tiilikainen grew as its reputation diminished.
Demography and Population
The Barony of Tiilikainen encompasses about 125 square miles of total holdings, incorporated into 20 Knight's Fees and 20 Lord's Manors broken into dozens of Shires. All of which encompasses only a small part of the over-arching County to which House Tiilikainen owes fealty. Which in turn is incorporated into the Duchy of Eadwald Minor, which is comprised of three Counties inside the borders of the Kingdom of Eadwald. All told, the Barony is populated by about 7000 goodfolk of North Morley, 90% of which are peasants.
Territories
The Barony of Tiilikainen
Within its precincts lie twenty Lord's Holdings and twenty Knight's Fees. These titled lands are large enough to sustain a lord or knight's household. They typically consist of about 1 to 2 manors. Each manor having about 20 to 35 people, each knight or lord having about 20 to 60 people under their direct protection and lordship on average. The most prominent or well known of these country estates are:
Ravencroft Abbey
The Fallowdowns
Brideswell
Caer Tintagel
Westfell
The beauty and stately manor of these estates make them well known, and their Lords, well respected, throughout the barony. Wen they hold an event, goodfolk from all over the Barony come to enjoy the lovely, scenic grounds and manor houses/castles.
The most prominent Shires of Tiilikainen include:
Velvet Green - Picturesque pasturelands with rolling hills and flowered fields. The lowing of black and white spotted cows and soft bleating of distant lambs and ewes softly greet the ear. quaintly attired shepherdesses and handsome drovers greet strangers with a smile. Watch for the wise old duffer, Jethro Tull, who knows the region like the back of his hand and can sing many merry songs to delight the listener.
Gallowswatch - Dramatic ruins of an ancient castle, amid green and pleasant fields. Once the site of a legendary battle. A favored picnic spot of the gentry and nobility.
Ciderbarrel Wind - ( Pronounced 'wind' like wind up clock, not 'wind' like a wind from the northwest ) Orchards and a lovely deep and meandering river grace this enchanting rural community. Especially known for its Cider Festival.
The Tulgeywood - A delightful primeval forest with ancient and stately trees as old as the hills. Ranged constantly by The Baron's Woodsmen, a small contingent of Rangers. These forest marshals keep watch for orcs and bandits and fell creatures with diligence, priding themselves on their unsullied record of protection and safekeeping of all who wander the woods. Stories abound of a talking bear, pig and donkey said to live in this 100 acre wood. As well as other loquacious creatures. And a terrifying local legend known as The Jabberwocky is told to frighten local children but roundly dismissed and hogwash by the Baron's Woodsmen.
Flaxenfeld - Amber waves of oat and wheat sway in the mild winds of this bountiful pastureland dotted with small vineyards. Charming stone cottages accent the countryside with pest-hunting cats and dogs in every yard. The baying of mole-hounds quietly echo across the fields as they give chase to their prey.
Military
40 Knights of the Realm. Peer ranked warriors of nobility and gentry of Eadwald.
1500 men at arms. Including in their rank 300 veteran soldiers. Five commanders. Two Strategists. 50 Marshals.
Technological Level
The Barony enjoys the general technological level of all Eadwald and North Morely. Enough travel and itinerant merchantry occurs so that finer goods, books and the comforts of modern Morley society can all be had within it's borders.
Religion
House Tillikainen and the Barony of Tiilikainen follow the teachings and precepts of the Rylian Church. Baronial coronations and weddings are all conducted by Rylian High Priests.
Foreign Relations
House Tiilikainen is well regarded among the Baronial Houses. A minor house, not currently given to outstanding accomplishments or political maneuvering, they are acknowledged by the High Noble Houses of the royal line only in keeping with their station and regarding evenly and with reasonable respect.
Agriculture & Industry
The 38 Shires of the Barony of Tiilikainen are primarily agricultural and herding holdings. Produce, Sheep, Goats and cattle comprise the main of the Barony's output along with some swineherding and trade in associated fields such as tanning and dyeing, wool-weaving and cloth-making.
Education
Education in the Barony of Tiilikainen is by private tutor only. No provision for the education of commoners is made. The nobility and gentry of the barony employ a number of itinerant scholars for their households for this purpose.
Infrastructure
The Barony's infrstructure includes Castles, Roads, Bridges, Town Halls, some Walls, often short and for dividing Shires, and a small force of men-at-arms. Various knights throughout the Barony dispense justice and hold petty court to address complaints and mete out justice where needed at the request of village hetmen, Lords, country squares and the occasional rich merchant or Master-Craftsman or Tradesman.
Mythology & Lore
The mostly pastoral Barony of Tiilikainen cleaves to just three of the pantheon of Lords and Ladies of the Rylian faith. Azri, the Lord of Nature, Weather and War. The first God worshipped among the ancient peoples of the region. Field and roadside shrines still stand in his honor today erected centuries ago by the first brave folk to pioneer these lands in thanks for their successful journeys and in hopes for the future blessings of their settlements. Most folk of this Barony pay first homage to this hoary and ancient Lord.
In almost equal measure, the Lady Elliza, after whom many peasant maids take their name, with her blessings of crop and pasture, commands the veneration and worship of the goodfolk. Her holy days and festivals are perhaps the most joyously celebrated of all among the hamlets and thorps and burgs of the Shires of Tiilikainen. her be-ribboned poles, floral crowns, peasant dances and hearth-blessings are to be seen throughout the barony.
The supplication and worship of grand Gandolo, the Lord of coin, the merchants patron and the god of trade can be seen and heard in all of the towns and villages of the Barony. Craftspeople, tradesfolk, fishwives, butchers, bakers, and goodfolk with a mind for profit can be heard murmuring soft prayers to him in the markets and on the cobbled streets. Flower-girls in the square pay him courtesy in hopes of his blessing on their endeavors. Traders and merchants mount shrines in their shop-corners and in their caravan wagons to him, and daily pay for his watchful care.
The goodfolk of the barony believe that these three are their patrons and the benefacotrs whose blessings make possible the peace and prosperity of their land. Temples and shrines to other Lords and ladies of the pantheon are few and far between in this region.
Ethics
The barony is peopled by a good and ethical folk. They live simpler lives on average than the sly and clever city-dwellers of North Morley. Their work ethic is strong and woven in to their lives in everything they do. Their children are raised to be diligent and pious. And young and old are respectful of tradition and the values that keep civilization humming along. Following the teachings of the Rylian Church, decency and verity are common virtues of the Barony's people. It has been longer than anyone can remember since an Inquisitor had call to condemn one of their neighbors and they aim to keep it that way.
Priesthood
The priests and priestesses of Dama Elliza with thier brown robes with green and silver trim are to be seen in every community of the Barony. These often peasant-born men and women fit right in with the bucolic goodfolk of this rural barony, tilling fields and herding sheep right alongside the lay-folk.
Eschewing their pastoral fellows, the priests and priestesses of Gandolo are found almost exclusively in the towns and villages of Tiilikainen. With their fine robes of prosperous cloth and wool, they are seen hither and thither with their mugs of ale and fat coin-purses bestowing blessings, teaching children their numbers. buying the wares of the least prosperous craftsfolk to help them on their path to prosperity. Much beloved, these generally jolly priest-folk are welcome wherever they roam as their coin does readily outflow.
Respected by soldier and hunter alike, the sometimes grim, always pragmatic priests and priestesses of Azri, with their forest green tunis and well-worn leathers and hides cut a commanding figure in the by-roads and forests and battlefields of the barony. Their distinctive antlered helmets and head-dresses making them just as much as their well-maintained weapons of war. Friend to the huntsman, these master of the ways of the forest and the secrets of battle are trusted companions to road-weary soldier and far-ranging forester alike. The grandames and elders of the Barony give them great respect and deference.
Political Influence & Intrigue
The Barony is so minor a holding that is has little call for intrigue. House Tiilikainen isn't exceptionally prosperous or strategically placed and as such, it has little to fear from its neighbors or other noble houses. Of course, as a result it is also a house of little influence with the crown, though liked and respected by the current king. It's taxes are paid on time. It's levies of soldiers are always robust when called upon. But it is small and beneath the bother of the Counts and Dukes of Eadwald.