jackelgull
An aberration of nature
Joyous Gard and its Environs:
Joyous Gard: The Du Lac’s ancestral home, built by Lancelot himself. It sits upon a hill by Lake Mothira, across from the Abbey. A series of flying butresses and the towers on top give the appearance of rising out of the water, a fairy castle made real through fearsome magic.
Lake Mothira: According to the Church, Saint Geoffrey slew a sea monster in this lake in the name of the Lord, bathed in its blood, had a vision from God and went on to beatback an invasion by an army of mounted barbarians set to sweep through the continent and turn the sea red with the blood of the pious folk. Is this the truth or internal Church politicking? Who knows. Either way, many pilgrims come to the lake, hoping for a vision or a cure to their ailments, and the city of Bordeu and the Abbey make a profit in selling relics and cures.
The Abbey of Pentherve: As penance for taking his wife Guinevere from her vows,Lancelot built a large extravagant abbey across from his castle. Several centuries ago, it became the center of a Church reform movement that sought to make the Church more active in people’s lives (which meant charity and of community outreach). It attracted a large flock of faithful and not soon after, the Lake by which it was built was recognized a holy site.
The Forests of Silence: The Forests of Silence is one of the final frontier of wild magic, one of the last places on earth where wild things still roam. Weeping bells, bloody hydrangeas, Death worms, Stalking Shadow Bats, the undead, kelpies, and in the deepest parts of the forests lie things yet unnamed and unknown. Few dare to travel far within the forest. It is said the only way to reach the center of the forest is to become one with the wild, to hear the tiny crunch as the stalking shadow bat treads on a leaf, or feel the way the shadows shift and the wind moves. The Du Lacs once had a ritual before taking the geas in which the presumptive heir would spend three days deep in the forest and had to survive to return home. This practice was eventually abandoned, though there are some who suggest it is what made the Du Lac family great, and that it embodied the spirit of struggle that characterizes Taliese.
During the tyrant’s reign, a group of bandits known as the Merry Men operated in the edges of the forest, stealing from the emperor to feed the destitute. The forest as well as the Duc’s tacit approval helped save the Merry Men until their disbandment after the civil war.
Santomal: The only port city worth mentioning in Pentherve, there is an old joke known throughout the duchy attached to it: “From the city gates to the piers, a traveller will be swindled thrice, pickpocketed twice and stabbed once”. While overblown, this reputation comes from the cities status as a privateering haven, and all the criminal activity those who operate outside the law attract. The Du Lacs have long bristled at having such a shameful trade within their borders but their ability to clamp down was hindered by the fact that one third of all the gold privateers made went to the Emperor, who was extremely vested in making sure nothing touched this source of gold. In the end, Galahad’s great grandfather made the situation somewhat more respectable by simply parking his army in the city to act as a second city guard, replacing the corrupt city guard, and inflicting a variety of cruel punishments on those he deemed corrupt (the punishments included boiling in oil, being dissolved in acid, burning alive, whipping the skin off, pulling apart by horses). In the end, the emperor not wanting to be seen taking the side of criminals against a vassal and Du Lac facing the censure of the Church for his methods came to an agreement - the Du Lacs would scale back their involvement in the affairs of the City and the Emperor would allow them a share of the gold. Whilst the torture itself was ineffective, bringing a formalized and organized set of procedures, as well as oversight to the city guard did make the city barely civilized.
Bordeu: The capital of Pentherve, it was built around the castle Joyous Gard. A thriving city, and the cultural center of the duchy, where bards gather to sing praises of heroes long past, and where the image of chivalry and heroism Pentherve is known for is most carefully cultivated. There are several attractions to be found in Bordeu. One is the Colosseum, built in better days for the Du Lacs. A large arena seating up to ten thousand, all manners of tournaments and jousts are held here, and competition is fierce. For the Colosseum does not simply hold tournaments, it only holds tournaments with the elites of the elites. In order to ensure that the standards of quality are met, a Master of Arms challenges every applicant who wishes to enter the tournies here. In addition, the Du Lacs have been known to love experimenting with all manner of challenges and shower particularly entertaining fighters with gold. During the tyrant’s reign, the Colosseum fell into disrepair because there weren’t enough ticket sales to maintain it, mostly because nobody had any money. The capital is also the administrative center where all bureaucratic concerns are brought and where cases are brought to court for a legal judgment.
Joyous Gard: The Du Lac’s ancestral home, built by Lancelot himself. It sits upon a hill by Lake Mothira, across from the Abbey. A series of flying butresses and the towers on top give the appearance of rising out of the water, a fairy castle made real through fearsome magic.
Lake Mothira: According to the Church, Saint Geoffrey slew a sea monster in this lake in the name of the Lord, bathed in its blood, had a vision from God and went on to beatback an invasion by an army of mounted barbarians set to sweep through the continent and turn the sea red with the blood of the pious folk. Is this the truth or internal Church politicking? Who knows. Either way, many pilgrims come to the lake, hoping for a vision or a cure to their ailments, and the city of Bordeu and the Abbey make a profit in selling relics and cures.
The Abbey of Pentherve: As penance for taking his wife Guinevere from her vows,Lancelot built a large extravagant abbey across from his castle. Several centuries ago, it became the center of a Church reform movement that sought to make the Church more active in people’s lives (which meant charity and of community outreach). It attracted a large flock of faithful and not soon after, the Lake by which it was built was recognized a holy site.
The Forests of Silence: The Forests of Silence is one of the final frontier of wild magic, one of the last places on earth where wild things still roam. Weeping bells, bloody hydrangeas, Death worms, Stalking Shadow Bats, the undead, kelpies, and in the deepest parts of the forests lie things yet unnamed and unknown. Few dare to travel far within the forest. It is said the only way to reach the center of the forest is to become one with the wild, to hear the tiny crunch as the stalking shadow bat treads on a leaf, or feel the way the shadows shift and the wind moves. The Du Lacs once had a ritual before taking the geas in which the presumptive heir would spend three days deep in the forest and had to survive to return home. This practice was eventually abandoned, though there are some who suggest it is what made the Du Lac family great, and that it embodied the spirit of struggle that characterizes Taliese.
During the tyrant’s reign, a group of bandits known as the Merry Men operated in the edges of the forest, stealing from the emperor to feed the destitute. The forest as well as the Duc’s tacit approval helped save the Merry Men until their disbandment after the civil war.
Santomal: The only port city worth mentioning in Pentherve, there is an old joke known throughout the duchy attached to it: “From the city gates to the piers, a traveller will be swindled thrice, pickpocketed twice and stabbed once”. While overblown, this reputation comes from the cities status as a privateering haven, and all the criminal activity those who operate outside the law attract. The Du Lacs have long bristled at having such a shameful trade within their borders but their ability to clamp down was hindered by the fact that one third of all the gold privateers made went to the Emperor, who was extremely vested in making sure nothing touched this source of gold. In the end, Galahad’s great grandfather made the situation somewhat more respectable by simply parking his army in the city to act as a second city guard, replacing the corrupt city guard, and inflicting a variety of cruel punishments on those he deemed corrupt (the punishments included boiling in oil, being dissolved in acid, burning alive, whipping the skin off, pulling apart by horses). In the end, the emperor not wanting to be seen taking the side of criminals against a vassal and Du Lac facing the censure of the Church for his methods came to an agreement - the Du Lacs would scale back their involvement in the affairs of the City and the Emperor would allow them a share of the gold. Whilst the torture itself was ineffective, bringing a formalized and organized set of procedures, as well as oversight to the city guard did make the city barely civilized.
Bordeu: The capital of Pentherve, it was built around the castle Joyous Gard. A thriving city, and the cultural center of the duchy, where bards gather to sing praises of heroes long past, and where the image of chivalry and heroism Pentherve is known for is most carefully cultivated. There are several attractions to be found in Bordeu. One is the Colosseum, built in better days for the Du Lacs. A large arena seating up to ten thousand, all manners of tournaments and jousts are held here, and competition is fierce. For the Colosseum does not simply hold tournaments, it only holds tournaments with the elites of the elites. In order to ensure that the standards of quality are met, a Master of Arms challenges every applicant who wishes to enter the tournies here. In addition, the Du Lacs have been known to love experimenting with all manner of challenges and shower particularly entertaining fighters with gold. During the tyrant’s reign, the Colosseum fell into disrepair because there weren’t enough ticket sales to maintain it, mostly because nobody had any money. The capital is also the administrative center where all bureaucratic concerns are brought and where cases are brought to court for a legal judgment.