The Strangers

Current Events

Town criers and gossips around the Kingdom have been talking about various happenings in the land of late.

• Highcourt is awash with the news that the Emissary from House Innis Keena Gallchobhair of Aediobori was ejected from the city amid a scandal that involved King Giles II himself. Rumor is that House Richter was behind the Woodfolk emissary’s removal from the capital and this has only served to raise already-high tensions between those two houses.
• Reports and rumors have come in from around the Kingdom of religious unrest. Zealots of the Aurorym faith hungry to have their religion recognized as official. While violence has been rare, some feel it may not remain that way for long. These reports seem to be primarily coming from the Dusklands and the Sovereignlands, who both have high Aurorym populations.
• There is talk of war in the North and armies preparing and drilling more than usual. While it’s unclear who may be going to war, with Houses Richter, Hale, and Innis all in close proximity to each other, some say it is a powder keg just waiting to explode.
• Highcourt is alive with gossip and talk about the poisoning at the event held by King Giles II several months ago. There are some who have whispered that it was unfortunate that the King was not more unlucky and supporters who say that the poisoning was nothing less than an attack on the Kingdom itself. No one has been accused of this horrendous crime thus far.
• Rumors are already spreading throughout the Annwyn as to the cause of Lord Brendan Bannon’s absence from his granted land. Bannon settlers have not seen Lord Bannon, his cousin Sophia, or his retinue of knights since the event at Highcourt.
• Quite a few Rourke ships have been sighted far more regularly in ports all up and down the western coast of Arnesse. Some fear that the Rourke captains may try to flex their newfound status now that they are official landowners in the Kingdom.

The Arrival

Word has spread quickly throughout the region that Lord Hugh Blackwood, brother of Lady Catherine Blackwood of Caer Caddock in the Sovereignlands has asked the nobles of the Annwyn to a meeting. The twist to this is that the meeting site has yet to be fully explored and Lord Blackwood has asked the nobles who wish to attend to bring their own parties to help clear a section of the site with shelters and a tavern on it. Lord Blackwood has committed his forces to securing the territory around the ruined settlement so those troops will be busy otherwise.

The meeting will be held on a small promontory of land in the Annwyn that has been given to no noble. It is held in trust to the King and this makes it about as close to ‘neutral ground’ as can be given in the Kingdom. The King’s Law and the newly founded Morality Laws are in place here, but little else.

This meeting has not only attracted the attention of the nobility. Those with an eye to settle in the Annwyn, the servants of nobles, and explorers all have heard about the impending gathering and many are curious to show up and see what will happen. There has been a strong undercurrent in the region amongst commoners and merchants alike to establish a regular moon market in the new land that gathers on a semi-regular basis to trade goods and gather for public events and celebrations.

For everyone arriving at the site, this would be their first time there, and for some, their first time even setting foot in the Annwyn. While there is rampant speculation about the site and what it is, the only fact that is known is that there are some kind of shelters and buildings there. This alone has caused all manner of talk as the land itself just recently appeared out of the mists and no one is known to have lived there or been a resident. Because of the potential danger that is involved, there is no restriction on weapons and the nobles are being encouraged to have a few knights and men-at-arms along with them in case of a fight. Those who cannot defend themselves are being encouraged to seek the aid and protection of those who can wield a sword. Given the uncertainty about this site and the new land, speculation, excitement, and trepidation are high among all the new arrivals.

King’s Day

This is the time of the year that King’s Day is celebrated throughout the land. King’s Day is a patriotic holiday that commemorates the rise of the Ardan monarchy under King Edric Bannon I and his daughter Queen Catherine three hundred years ago. The King and Queen welcome the new year and oaths of fealty are often sworn and reaffirmed during this celebration. This is also often a day for exchanges of power, treaties are signed, and disputes settled. No conflict is allowed in the Kingdom during this celebration, not even personal duels. Commonfolk and gentry alike play games of skill for prizes of sweets and the privilege to brag to their counterparts.

There is no single day in the 1st month that the holiday is celebrated, and different towns and regions celebrate King’s Day on different days. When it is celebrated, it is a common practice to pass out cloth leaves (like those on a tree). The whole day there are challenges issued to gather the most leaves. Typically competitions are held at local markets or in villages and one gathers leaves by winning those tests of skill. At the start of the festivities, competitors face off against ‘the house’, and as the day wears on and ‘the house’ runs out of leaves then challenges between competitors begin to take place. Any variety of competition is included, usually games of skill, but sometimes games of physical prowess or cunning are played; indeed, any challenge (that is accepted by both parties) is allowed. The winner takes the loser’s leaves and often proudly displays the number of leaves they claimed.

The three people with the most leaves by evening are declared the Champions of the Queen, and they tie their bundles of leaves to a tree on the road to the main entrance to the town – to show that this town is under the protection of Champions of the Queen, and therefore loyal to the Queen herself. This ritual is said to tie back to the early days of the Age of Kings, when Queen Catherine sought revenge against those who murdered her father, the First King of Arnesse, Edric I. Those villages and nobles who were disloyal to Queen Catherine were often brutally attacked and killed, their homes, wealth, and lives forfeit to the Crown as a price for disobedience.