Enthvyre

The Seven Patrons of the Elves (~860 MH - 863 MH)

The Elven Fringe was an unknown and confusing place for the rest of the world, with a rapid succession of nations rising and falling making diplomacy virtually impossible. The populations had been in the process of integrating into the Gnoman Empire before it’s collapse, and so maintained far more tribalistic structures than the rest of the world leading to the unfortuante state of affairs. Further to this, a unified religion had failed to take root, and Cathirianism had only a tenous grasp as the dominant faith.

Over the centuries holy missionaries would travel to the Fringe in order to spread the word of the Great Lord and ever so slowly beliefs would become harmonised, the edge religions slowly eeked out. Prominent amonst these individuals was Merita, who travelled the north in the late 400s, at time when Galist war bands were in the process of looting and pillaging. Merita, who would become the Patroness of Battle, would offer her protection to the tribes that she found and in return, she would proselytise to them. Subsequently, Saint Bernard made his way through the Fringe when travelling north a century later, going to preach to the Magolist Cults. He was a canon of Saint Relicta and so brought this into the Fringe’s culture as well.

At this time, the cultures, although diverse in other ways, had become dominantly Cathirian. It was only a matter of time before they would start revering their own saints too. Joining Relicta, Bernard, Merita would be the Patron of the Elves, Carrady. Carrady was the first ‘king’, to declare his kingdom Cathirian in exclusivity. He demanded the conversion of his subjects and court, and termed the three Saints ‘the Patrons of the Elves’. In fervour of spreading this, Carrady would conquer his neighbours and route out the heretic religions that he may find, although this was mostly Hythness. After his death he too was proclaimed a Saint and Patron, but not before he had proclaimed three others, all posthumously, to be Patrons. These three were Wylm, the Patron of Fertility, a friend and fellow theologian of Carrady who had been killed during his mission, Ellwylan, Patroness of Wren, who had evacuated the northern forests during the early Galist invasions, and finally, Dog, Patron of Storytelling, who had been an avid chronicler of Saint Bernard and whose records had spread even as far as the Gnomic states, a feet unheard of for an Elf.

The Seven Patrons have a very special place in Elaraiddy cultures, although Relicta, Bernard, and Merita are far more significant internationally. The title of ‘Patorn’ is also used to elevate these saints in the Fringe and place them above other holy individuals. Even where this title pervades abroad, (notably for Merita), there is no equivalent significance to this.

The Saintly Kingdoms (863 MH - 1022 MH)

While Carrady is fondly remembered in the Elven Fringe as a unifying and peace bringing figure, his death brought about nearly two centuries of turmoil. The lands that he had conquered fractured almost instantly, with various successors fighting amongst themselves. Within these, a significant number of would be kings, began to claim they were descended from the saints. This could be more or less credible, Wylm had a large family and had lived fairly recently, so a claim that one was a scion was his was fairly clear, likewise with Carrady himself, who famously, had no children. On the other hand, Merita had settled in the north, albeit in Wren and north of the Fringe, but she too was a popular ancestor to have.

The confusion would reign for decades with claims and counterclaims being thrown around and clashes sparked by the smallest of incidents. A few stable nations would arise during this time, notably Billvyre, which secured itself with innovative military tactics and technologies, and Oendol, which did not have ambitions beyond its means. These were also nations that were not ruled by warrant of saintly blood, with the kings only claiming to be blessed by the Great Lord and given the faculties to rule prosperously.

The fighting would only come to an end when the Papacy arrived and began to formalise the Fringe. Legitimacy was granted to certain rulers, and proper scrutiny was given to claims of ancestor saints. Where conflict arose, the Papacy imposed unique rules to try to limit infighting, and alternatives including duels became common practice during the start of the new millennium.

The House of Wymyffydd (1022 MH - 1043 MH)

Throughout all of the above, nobility and aristocracy began to develop too. While rare than the rest of the West, the stable nations would have a few noble houses each, with many more vying for the historical claims that lay uncontrolled. One such family, was the House of Wymyffydd, whose members where pretenders to no less than a dozen kingdoms in the northern Fringe. The head of the family, Tegwyg ap Idwal, claimed to be a direct female line descendant of Merita, which was nothing new, bar that he claimed to have proof.

 Tegwyg sought the claim of Enthvyre, a region that nestled between the Forest of Wren and the border of the Kingdom of Palus. It was a desirable title, owing to its easily defensible location. Palus had shown no interest in conquering the Fringe, but would prove a useful ally, and Enthvyre as a region was geographically perfectly situated to allow this, but also meant many vied for the crown. The proof required would need to be indisputable.

When the Papacy began to hold court, adjudicating on the rightful claimants, Tegwyg brought forth an artifact a great importance, the Shield of Merita. At first there was scepticism, even among the Papal representatives as the Shield was supposed to have been recovered by the remnants of the Gnoman forces before they withdrew from the north and now rested in a cathedral in Lirjevo, yet here it was. Examination proved it was the genuine article and Tegwyg was probably lucky to have it returned to him. Needless to say, he was given the claim, and other Wymyffydds too were granted other smaller kingdoms. Grant of the title was all well and good, and the Papal influence on the Fringe would prevent all out war, at least for now, but there were still significant threats to Tegwyg’s rule. Chief among them were pretenders, those who claimed, and may well be, descendants of Merita.

The House of Marafal (1043 MH - 1297 MH)

Iago ap Marafal (1043 MH - 1067 MH)

Despite his provenance, Tegwyg would not reign for long, he had set about exterminating the pretenders to Merita’s lineage, but had neglected statecraft. With the Papacy becoming distant once again, it was a group of rogue clergy who deposed Tegwyg exiling him to the court of Dwyrcymru, another Wymyffydd kingdom to the south. While there, he would be executed for treason, his ambition seemingly getting the better of him and grating on the hospitality of his cousin.

In Enthvyre, a new House would reign, Marafal. It was the foundation of a noble house as the role was taken by the, (former), Cardinal of Penryhntref Llanerch, Iago ap Marafal. The new rulers would prove popular as they had the religious connections to ensure a positive spin was put on the takeover and the common folks lot drastically improved under Iago.

A period of tension occurred when the Papacy got news of what had happened. Iago had resigned unilaterally in Enthvyre and while this was accepted by the national church, the Pope was still to formerly grant this. The issue may have been less contentious, had Iago, still technically a cardinal, not taken his first wife at this time, in direct contradiction to his life of service. Iago was forced to surrender the woman to the Great Lord’s mercy, something which reportedly wounded him greatly, but in return we was released from his Cardinalcy, and made a consecrated monarch instead.

It was a triumph of sorts, but bittersweet. Iago did remarry, and sire children, but his vigour for life had dimmed. He lived a short life for an Elf, dying at the age of 94 in 1067 MH. His eldest son, Cadell, would rule. It would be uneventful, his fathers reputation and popularity would carry over to his son, the occasional assassin or rowdy lord being all Cadell would need to deal with.

Cadell ap Iago (1067 MH - 1206 MH)

Enthvyre as a whole was nothing extraordinary either, the promises of the title had been somewhat fulfilled, no-one had attacked it and militarily it was formidable, but it hadn’t been able to thrive as it had been hoped. Passing overtures of friendship to Palingvyre had been reciprocated, but no niche had been to exploit economically and the relationship was one of passing disinterest. This meant that like many Fringe nations, Enthvyre was relatively cut off. Trade within the Fringe was lively, as was the fighting and diplomacy, but with Palingvyre being its only non-Fringe neighbour, there was very little to interact with in the outside world. Cadell passed away in 1206 MH, and was succeeded by Brychan.

Brychan ap Cadell (1206 MH -1281 MH)

The Restless Fringe

Brychan’s rule would be more interesting as the Fringe grew restless. Wars had become more commonplace, not necessarily due to greed, but due to honour. Reaching back to the times of Papal adjudication, duelling had been a suitable form of resolution if both parties consented, this had been suitable when kings had been warriors too, but as with the rest of the world, these had become rarer. Ironically, the lack of war, the lack of fighting, had meant duelling was no longer an option for most Elaraiddy rulers. Champions had been used for a period, but all too often these duels would devolve into accusations of underhanded tactics, or the results would be outright ignored. When all else failed therefore, war was the only option to reclaim this honour, be it a border dispute, a diplomatic faux par, or even a simple insult, war became the solution.

The Papacy sat back and allowed this for a few reasons, chief among them being that they had nothing to lose. Cathirianism was entrenched in the culture and integral to the reigns of nigh on every ruler. While the pleasure of being a consecrated monarch may have lost its sheen elsewhere it was still vital important to the citizens of the Fringe, and the Papacy held the power to sway opinion on this, Tegwyg being just such an example. Additionally, these wars were rarely fought for the purpose of conquest, generally the aggrieved party would enforce their demand on the loser, but merely force the correction they wished, a slight shift in a border, a public apology, monetary remuneration and the like. The local churches too, could oversee this, taking the role of neutral arbiters to ensure that these enforcements were adhered to and for a long time the system worked. People died, but no more so than anywhere else, the faith was maintained, occasionally a land would be conquered, but all that remained then was to see which way the wind was blowing and side with the people. Unpopular tyrants would be removed by their own courts and all would be well.

The Duel in the Abbey (1280 MH)

With this in mind, it was not surprising when Brychan was delivered summons to a duel by Canudda ferch Llanwerch ferch Nest, the queen of Dwyrcymru, . What was surprising however, was what was on the line, as Canudda demanded the throne of Enthvyre. The Papacy had long ago decreed that a king may only hold a single title, so Gwylam claiming Enthvyre would mean he the kingdom of Dwyrcymru would be subsumed into it should he win. This was not unheard of, but that fact that Canudda would so brazenly denigrate his own title was a severe gamble and likely disgruntle his own court.

Brychan watched all of this with interest, he was no duellist, but neither was Canudda. A queen was a unique quirk of the Wymyffydd family, which allowed women to inherit, but they still did so secondary to sons. Canudda would have likely been less trained in the sword than even the average conscript. Just to be safe, Brychan presented his own champion to face Canudda, who, of course, could also be championed but chose not to. Then what remained was to pick the location. It was decided to be Coesbaty, an abbey dedicated to Merita and close to the Dwyrcymru border. Brychan accepted the terms to be for three draws, that being to wound three times and thus, aiming to intentionally was forbidden and the sisters of the abbey would adjudicate.

Canudda would attend with a small entourage, and the duel went ahead. She showed adept prowess with the blade, able to nimbly avoid the strikes of the champion. It seemed at first to be evenly pitched however, as Canudda was so much on the defence that she lacked the opportunity to counter. First blood went to the champion... Then second... Desperate and seemingly running out of time Canudda rapidly struck out, nicking the champions arm with her blade, the champion, expecting her to dodge again, had miss-swung and his blade embedded itself in Canudda’s side. The fight was immediately halted as the sisters, (adept combatants themselves), maintained order in the subsequent furore. Despite her injury, Canudda had struck the champion first, and examination of his wounds showed three distinct cuts from her blade. The duel would have been awarded to her then, but the inevitable tragedy of the duel came to a head as the Queen succumbed to her wounds.

Both Papal law and the law of Enthvyre recognised the crown could only pass to a living individual and thusly, Brychan, despite losing, could not be compelled to divulge his title. It was a technicality certainly, but it was known, even by the Canudda’s entourage. The argument was made that the champion had acted deliberately and breached the rules, in such a case the Papacy would be bound to make an exception as the duel had been disregarded, but no such judgement was granted. Then, accusations of bias flew, that Brychan had used his familial influence in the Church to corrupt the judges. This fell on deaf ears of course. The entourage left, bearing the body of there Queen, aggrieved.

The Abbey War (1280 MH - 1281 MH)

Brychan was no fool and immediately set the country on a war footing. He beseeched his cardinals to contact the Pope directly, begging them to intercede before war broke out. It was a long shot, but Brychan was a pragmatist and avoiding war was a priority, even if it sacrificed a little pride. In terms of warfare, he had no doubt he would win, and positioned his troops on the border. They were green, war had not come to Enthvyre in many a century, but they outnumbered the Cymru troops three to one.

In Dwyrcymru action was immediate too. The modest military had an experience edge, having already fought in a few wars with its neighbours, began to march, making a show of placing its elite troops on the border. It was the young King Gwylam, who would lead this army, but upon reaching the front line, both armies stopped and waited. It took nearly a fortnight for news to come from the Papacy, and it guaranteed conflict, no action would be taken.

The news came to the Enthric first, although the Cymru soon realise what was happening as their lines came under fire. The battlefield had been dug, but both sides had cleared a no man’s land that the Enthric troops now marched over. Their losses were heavy, but they took the Cymru fortifications, forcing them to retreat after four days of fighting... and then their advance halted as the were flanked by a force equal to that they had just routed... a force that was now standing firm and fighting back.

Gwylam had played an expert hand. Knowing that war could only be declared after Papal inaction was guaranteed he had paid to station a portion of his weaker troops in Billvyre. While he paraded his elite forces, drawing the eyes and ears of his enemies to the border, is troops waited. It was not without risk. To ensure secrecy his troops were cut from communications, he was relying on news of the war spreading and triggering them to act, collapsing on the enemies rear. Meanwhile, his own troops would have to withstand a brutal onslaught for as long as it took. A mix of tactics and luck, perhaps, but it had worked and decisively won them the battle at the border.

Enthvyre was no pushover, but their forces took time to reorganise and the numbers were evened out following the defeat. It took time but King Gwylam slowly advanced, winning minor victories as he did so. Things looked to be on a knife edge when Brychan made a bold move to withdraw his forces to the capital Penryhntref Llanerch. It was a major blunder. The King had been relying on his nemesis pursuing him, and attempting to siege the capital, but Gwylam instead used the opportunity to occupy the rest of Enthvyre. A small force was positioned outside the capital, enough to withdraw and rally the troops should Brychan emerge, but otherwise Gwylam was now the de facto ruler of Enthvyre.

He knew however occupation was not enough, he needed legitimacy, and an aged claim by his late great-uncle was hardly going to to suffice. Once again, showing a keen tactical eye, this time in the realm of politics, he ordered his men to arrest the sisters of Coesbaty. The were placed on public trial, in a makeshift court of chivalry, charged with breeching the honour of a duel. Gwylam knew the Papacy had two options, denounce him, or endorse him. The former, he had no doubt, they would have loved to have done. He had entertained several heated conversation from his cardinal following the accusations of bias, and here he was meddling in Church affairs. The audacity to put the sisters on trial would be enough to see many men put to death. He also knew however, that he held the cards, the Churches grip on is people was to universal, he had a direct dependency from a Saint, the Papacy had proclaimed such and he occupied Enthvyre. Brychan was not going to win.

A Papal emissary attended the King’s war camp and negotiations began. They demanded he release the sisters, Gwylam refused. Thus, they offered to split the kingdom, to create new titles, or grant him a historic title of greater prestige and the sister would be released. Gwylam refused and set out his demands. He would be proclaimed King of Enthvyre, in its entirety. Brychan would be delivered to him, personally and publicly by the Cardinal of Penryhntref Llanerch, to make it clear the Church were endorsing him. In return, he would declare the sisters guilty and expel them from the Sisterhood of Meritah, they would be put to death, but it would be made clear that they had been swayed by the charisma and whiles of the corrupt former ruler. No rumours would be spread that the Enthric Church in its entirety was involved. No suggestion that it would have conspired against a verified descendant of one of the Seven. Most importantly, the Papacy would not need to face questions of why it had not intervened sooner to prevent what would devolve into an Enthric civil war if they denounced a party, only after they had occupied virtually all of their opponent. Deliberations did not take long.

On the 10^th Primensis, King Gwylam was welcomed by the Cardinal of Penryhntref Llanerch and escorted by Church troops to the city square. Alongside them, the guilty sisters where brought and sent up the platform alongside Brychan. Their vestments where removed and one by one, they were executed by being stabbed in the back, an insult for a warrior not to face death with a weapon in hand. Brychan was hoisted onto a scaffold and Gwylam took up his sword and plunged it into the disgraced King’s side. It was left there, embedded into the wooden board Brychan was mounted upon and he was left to bleed to death, just as Gwylam’s mother had nearly a year earlier.

The House of Wymyffydd (1281 MH - Present)

Despite his age, Gwylam the Wise still rules Enthvyre to this day. His reign has not been easy, but the early sparks of brilliance has not faded either. He has shown himself to be adept at statecraft and politics, has balanced his strained relationship with the Church and even secured a union with the neighbouring nation of Palingvyre for his son, Tegwyg. Assasins, revolutions, and illnesses have all failed to stop the old elf, although his reign is undoubtedly in its later years.