Work In Progress
House Name: Ildra (meaning: "Handless")
Sigil / Words: A snake eating a hand by the wrist, strangled by the hand. Bronze on Green "Defiance Cannot be Winded."
Lord: Promentor Zephethres Ildra, Age 14, unmarried
Regent: Hala Ildra, his paternal aunt. Widowed, Barren, 66.
Restra, his younger sister, 10
Jintor: His lordly fatherdeceased, Forced suicide after the war of the Pale Brothers
Ula Brimbloss: His Lady motherdeceased, Forced Suicide as above
Ancestors: Dadric Ildra, Raised from Quartermaster of Handerholt to the Lord of Handerholt and Lord Protector of the Chibor Republic by it's Senate.
Holdings:
Handerholt (castle) A
fortified palace cresting a steep foothill at the confluence of the Chibor River. The lands of Handerholt are densely forested and act as a natural barrier to civilization. Logging is a staple industry as timber is floated downstream to be milled and traded in Cruxford. modest bridge tariffs on non-local merchants supplement incomes.
Cruxford (township) An
industrial center for the production of bronze, iron and timbergoods. The Ildran tin monopoly means that Cruxford is one of the only places in the world where bronze is produced in quantity.
Caltra (township) A central hub for the many
agricultural satellite settlements. Large landowners operate commercial farms near the city with communal peasant villages in the hinterland.
Halma (township) Halma is an affluent and
highly cultured settlement filled with artisans. Timber, Iron, tin, bronze, and imported copper, gems, jade and gold are carved, moulded and cut into exquisite works of art. Thanks to the locality of fine artisans and entertainers, this cosmopolitan and fashionable city are widely renowned for everything from it fine bronze ornamental pieces to its Korga plays.
Siltstone (castle) This
thickwalled but small castle overlooks the mouth of the Chibor River as well as the chokepoint between the river and the nearby lakes. Fishing and modest tariffs on foreign merchants are the primary source of income.
Crossingfield: (castle) A large, but short walled castle surrounded by
farming villages. Relies on tax from farmers for income.
Sundermarch: (castle) A s
trategic but often neglected road system capped with a ill-repaired castle. The rocky land is poor, but often given grants from other lords for passage or succor in the past.
Tinhead (township) A mining town filled with ruffians.
Tin and vermillion are barged down river for processing.
Awaaji(castle) A castle hosting the decedents of the Painted Children. This Ominous place was the center of the exploitation of the Painted Children in
Iron and tin mines in the area. A slave rebellion in the area ended up with the Children taking the castle, who were then enslaved once again by their own leaders to further fortify the place and prepare for future wars by stock piling iron. The Children would eventually be bred out of existence and brought back into the fealty of House Luseysi,but their decedents are still independent in spirit.
Salma (township) Once Halma's sister city, this remote town now services local
farms and fishing villages as both cities once did. Produces a modest food surplus while being self sufficient in manufacturing.
Prorta (township) A large cultural city containing no less than
3 world renowned actor colonies. This is an entertainment mecca, with poets jongoliers, dancers, mummers, and musicians living in a town devoted to their crafts. The economy is based on patronage, cultural pilgrimage and and the many fashions that emanate from hands of seamstresses. The city is also home to the
Prorta Imperial Mint, the source for almost all bronze coinage in the empire.
Lonely Priory (monastery) This monastery is a
former Order of the Stone sect that sought refuge in the remote cliffs it stands atop of. Some say it still harbors support for the False Stone, likely eminating from the secretive and overtly militant mould of its monks.
The Summer Palace (Imperial palace) The Summer Palace is a fiefdom consisting of Dysean's Peak, which stands alone, being very tall. The Summer Palace is a unique place held by the Emperor in fealty to House Ildra. This Strange conflicting relationship means that the holding pays no scutage to House Ildra, and is merely the
Emperor's country retreat for when the southern summers or city politics get too hot.
Dysaun-gor (grand temple) This grand temple dedicated to the world-creator was once a wonder of the world. Sitting atop a great hill, this
sprawling terraced complex has now been overgrown by timber. Local taunesiis have restored it to a functional and habitable state. The material graduer is gone, but the epic awe of the superstructure remains. Attempts to restore it have greatly underestimated the cost necessary.
Retainers:
Obiya of House Dracaster ("handthrower") Lady Mistress of Crossingfield. A slinger casting his own severed hand, proper, on teal. A cadet family of House Ildra.
Pristor of House Wyntin ("Tin Hill"), Lord Mayor of Tinhead, 3 silver cups in delta, the right is cracked, on a vermillion field.
Malkus of House Brist ("Reputation-keeper") Lord Mayor of Prorta, A gagged harpist proper, on a violet field
Kaltas Krim, Aulryir of Dysean-gor. Uses a painted umbrella as a banner.
The Order of Sacred Polishers, Holders of of Lonesome Priory. The Purity Sutra, hung from a pole.
Vriskon of House Brimbloss ("Prim-flower"), Lord of Salma and Siltstone. A thorny briar on Tan.
Ryatsuuki of House Awaano ("Mornful-rage"), Lord of Awaaji. A centipede in vortex, eating a bat, black on white.
Salka of the Shalks, Seneschal of The Summer Palace. An eclipsing sun with jade moon on white.
Walkras of House Braxer ("brazier") Lord mayor of Halma, 2 blue fillets on tan.
Nistro of House Sundermarch ("broken borderland") Lord of Sundermarch, A broken cart-wheel, on red.
Histra of the Halls, Lady Mayor of Cruxford, A blue saltire on skyblue
Sources of Income: A monopoly on tin and bronzework, some iron exports, high-end craftwork,tourism,
inflation of the Imperial Mint, nominal tariffs, pilgrim donations, Imperial favors.
History:
~230: Migration Era. Legend has it the tribe of Casterai ("sling-founded") so called because the true name of its progenitor is lost, was one of the vanguards of Luseysi's party. Upon entering the Chibor watershed, many wanted to settle there, but none could agree on who should be allowed to take ownership of what. This dilemma was of such acuity that it threatened the peace of Luseysi's horde. Luseysi organized a contest offering that the first of the contestants to lay hands on the Ryaakin summit stone of the nearby hill would be the arbiter of settlement for the Chibor basin. Casterai was one of these contestants. Though he was not the fastest he was the most ambitious. When the contestants approached the summit stone, Casterai found him self lagging. He took his longknife and struck his own wrist and cast his left hand with a sling. Legend has it he did this from the bottom of the hill, now known as Handerholt, though the summit is hundreds of feet high. The contestants confronted Luseysei about Casterai's methods, claiming he cheated, but Luseysi is said to have remarked that any man willing to chop of his own hands for the sake of ambition is willing to to much more to the flesh of those who would deny him. The mummerers were silenced afterword. In other variations of the legend, Casterai conspires with a fantastical beast, such as a griffyn or giant eagle, who offers to win him the race, but ends up taking his hand.
Almost all of the noble families of Chiboria claim descendence from Casterai, a dubious and often foggy assertion. His name lends legitimacy to the local rulers who often adopt names and sigils symbolic of his legend.
~330: The first "Venerable" Chibor Republic The fractured political state of the Chibor basin resulted in years of infighting untill the formation of The Venerable Republic. This was a body of the ruling nobility that met to deal with region wide issues and external threats, namely as shows of military solidarity Imperial meddling and House Godhart. The Republic was so named venerable in later ages, when many ruling nobles groaned beneath the yoke of one particular lord paramount or another and failed to establish a republic that had any staying power.
~545: The Crown of Chibor The Venerable republic ended when its lordly members began to disregard its authority. The lack of trade and infrastructure leading up to this era produced startlingly localized xenophobia, where even the neighboring village was considered foreign. This eventually led to a unification war. The now extinct ,and later posthumously dubbed House Renkiwar ("Hedge-Weasle") of Salma by the Awaajin scholar Ossutsu, was able to beat and deceive their competitors into submission. The head of House Renkiwar was officially crowned the First Promontor of Chibor in 545 by the Pale. The Summer Palace and Prorta Mint were also founded near this time period.
~612: The Final Capitulation of Awaaji occurred. Migration of commoners and noble political marriages have largely bred the Ryaakin inhabitants out of existence.
~620: The Second "Bloodletting" Chibor Republic The Second Republic was a successful but ill-fated attempt to restore the now overly-revered First Republic. The deposing of the Renkiwar dynasty was ultimately successful, but the ensuing regime was nothing more than a 7 year war to determine who would lead the new republic.
~627: The Restoration of the Crown The end of the Second Republic came at the intervention of the House Deregan of Tenday west of Chibor. House Deregan installed their own ruler to the Crown of Chibor. This foreign strongman was a greater man in Chiboria than his own homeland and many of the local nobles resented his and his decedents rule, despite its competency. However, no line is free of fools.
~680 Suppressed by the foreign liege lords of House Deregan, it was during this time that Chiboria developed distinct regional culture. Especially noteworthy is Chibor dialect which pays special attention to subtones and harmonics, creating unique and bizarre quirks to both
speech and
music, which were used to confuse and subvert The Deregan Promentor's court, as well as maintain a distinct Chiborian culture.
~720: Sibor or Merchant's War The Sibor or "Merchant's War" was a conflict regarding the legal boundaries of Crossingfield. The disagreement centered on the precise location of the boarder within the Sibor river. Was it along one of the banks, or in the center? This disagreement lead to the merchants of Crossingfield to erect a low bridge across the mouth of the river, one that stopped Siborian river merchants from entering the sea, and gave control of trade to the land based merchants of Crossingfield. After the Siborian merchants destroyed the bridge, the ensuing conflict was prosecuted by the last Deregan who held the Crown of Chibor, who soon found support for the war among his vassals waning. The combined efforts of House Godhart and dissension within Chibor resulted in Crossingfield flying Godhart banners and Sundermarch besieged. Chibor nobles entered into negotiations with House Godhart, deposing House Deregan of Tenday and installing a Lord Protector, creating the Third Chiborian Republic.
~723: The Third "Concessional" Chibor Republic The Third Republic was lead by Lord Protector Orlas of House Dandercooth ("fur-clothed") of Handerholt who was a figurehead and no more. By design of the petty Chibor lords, and with House Godhart's approval, The Third Republic itself was powerless as the law required agreement from both the Lord Protector and the Senate of Nobles to act, something that almost never happened. This resulted in local nobility having nearly infinite local power, subservient to no one less than the Emperor himself.
Despite this, the lethargic government ruled for centuries. Nobles largely kept to their own fiefdoms, but some intra-regional wars did occur. These were usually petty boarder disputes and inheritance wars. Whenever one lord began to consolidate the region, the Senate of Nobles often denounced the lord and worked to rebalanced power in the region. This actually led to several wars, but Senate forces won these wars without exception. The highly localized culture that Chibor developed in opposition to its fealty to Tenday and House Deregan continued to divide the region, with locals considering their neighbors foreigners.
During this dynamic time, many houses rose and fell. Each had many irons in the fire, with the intent of their expansion and self preservation in mind. The Court of Handerholt, as little more than a titular lord paramount, first among equals in a republic that was little more than a geographical distinction, took great efforts to align itself with the Imperial Court in an effort to maintain regional primacy. This relationship, a special one in the region, helped maintain the nominal supremacy of the Dandercooths, and would be inherited by House Ildra.
~900: The Solemn Age The Solemn Age saw the construction of Dysean-gor, a temple that more resembles a mountain than a place of worship. In its hayday, Dysean-Gor was complex of temples, ancestor shrines, monk quarters, gardens, an imperial palace and even a fortress, all in a single superstructure the rose from the top of a hill. It was a city build on a mountain built on a hill. It is now a partially restored ruin, but without the material grandeur of its day.
The Order of the Divine Polishers was also founded at Lonesome Priory. This militant order of monks tasked themselves with maintaining the Emperor's good name, known to beat people to death or hang them from their ankles on roadside trees for days for even musings of passing slights of the imperial face.
Ascension of House Ildra occurred in 1220 when House Dandercooth died out. Dadric then a lowly quartermaster of house Dandercooth, was given the title of Lord Protector by vote of the Senate of Nobles and named Ildra ("handless") to legitimize his rule, tieing him to Casterai though a dubious but entirely plausible claim of relation. It was thought by the Senate of Nobles that choosing the weakest candidate for Lord Protector would ensure the weakness of the office.
1300-1350: The War of the Pale Brothers
For most of the time it was fought, the war was merely a talking point in Chibor. Lord Protector Kortor of House Ildra along with his decedent Lord Protectors made only token commitments to the Old Emperor. Such was the lack of a response from Chibor, that when the New Emperor began to take supremacy in the war, the politics of the region were still largely ignored. The reason for this was that the Chibor Republic could not present a united answer to any war summons, nor was it expected to. Declarations of the Lord Protector for either side would be immediately recognized for what it was, him speaking only for himself. However, this is not to say there was not a war in Chibor. The War of the Pale Brothers was an extension of local feuds. Where one lord favored The Old Emperor, his enemies would favor the New Emperor for no other reason than the old saying, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." All loyalties were merely token gestures and rhetoric used to prosecute local feuds and petty rivalries. These declarations were so uncommitted that loyalties seemed to vary with the waxing and waning of the literal and figurative moons.
The end of the Pale Brothers was about as insignificant to Chibor as its beginning. Local feuds and rivals continued without interruption, only the rhetoric of the day changed from imperial politics to the local court drama that fueled the thriving theater culture in Prorta. But the consequences of The War of the Pale Brothers would come after it had ended.
~1370: The Chibor Crown Restoration Regency
The Lord Protector of Chibor is Zephethres' father, Jintor Lord of Handerholt. For 45 years the Ildran lands have avoided involvement in the Pale Brothers war, but in the closing years Zephethres's father, Jintor, secretly conspires to join the False Stone along with a sizable portion of his titular vassals in the republic of nobles. The nobles tend to fall on political concerns rather than loyalty, seeking a reason to invade their local neighbors while procuring allies at the same time. At this time Galmor, Zephethres's older brother is lord of Caltra as Jintor's vassal, but too young to rule and regent-ed by Hala. Regent Hala sees an opportunity for gain and secretly informs The New Emperor of ambiguous treachery as well as offering up an anchor of support in Chibor to The New Emperor. The New Imperial Court accepts, Caltra unexpectedly declares for The New Emperor, and shows their support with action, tipping the local balence. The False Stone lords capitulate after some initial fighting, but certain order of the moon strongholds persist.
Galmor becomes deathly sick when the war ends. Fearing the loss of her regency, and the security against Lord Protector Jintor it provided, Hala postpones informing The Emperor of Jintor's treachery until he sires a second son, Zephethres. With a replacement for the waning Galmor, Hala informs on Lord Protector Jintor along with several Lord-Senators, producing a royal demand for suicide, along with many spears to make sure its carried out. Not only is Jintor executed in the manner, but all of House Ildra present in Handerholt. Galmor, Zephethres, Restra and Hala are spared for being a court apart from Handerholt. Galmor dies soon after of "Brainfire."
With the Lord Protector and many key Lord-Senators dead, and a region known for its political chaos in an uproar, The Pale decides its time to consolidate the region, seeing The Third Republic for what it was, a politically backwards realm of disloyal lords with too much individual power. Drawing upon old titles, The Pale Restores The Crown of Chibor, granting it to Zephethres, naming him Promontor of Chibor, Lord of Handerholt and Caltra. In one fell sweep, the Republic is dissolved by Imperial authority, backed by enthusiastic Ildran consent.
Hala Ildra is still regent. With the local republic dead with the old emperor, the new emperor entitles Hala, by proxy of Zephethres, with more substantial power over the local lords, who are very resentful of the Emperor's and House Ildra's mitigation of rights they have held for 600 years.
Zephetres is despises the emperor for
Zephethres' court is diplomatically tied to the emperor, but his court is greatly distrusted and by the imperial court at the same time for its treachery in the past and lack of prestige. Few nobles rose so sharply for doing so little, or being so weak.
Zephethres has begun to realize his brother was used as a tool, and has begun contemplating out how to depose Hala's regency before he himself is replaced.
Previous support of the False Stone as well as strong sentiments for the Order of the Moon lead one to suspect the leanings of the lesser lords.
Thanks sis...
