CAPITULO III. CONFORMACIÓN DEL GOBIERNO ESCOLAR
DEL SISTEMA ESCOLAR DE CONVIVENCIA ARTICULO 65. OBJETIVOS DE LA REGULACIÓN DE LA CONVIVENCIA
THE EARLDOM OF PREDEGAR
The southwest part of Duneane, from the Scarva Morrel and Brug na Berna south and the edge of the Kylle Gransha west, falls under the rule of Earl Arvin of Predegar. His fortress of Dun Predegar was built centuries ago on the site of a famous victory by the Predegar warriors over an invading clan from Len- amore. Earl Arvin, a gruff yet friendly lord, guards the Ath na Fedroch (the ford Lenamore clans most often use when raiding into Duneane) and Ath na Derclo- gan, the Ford of the Red Stepping-Stones (which links Duneane to Dratha). Fearing the Cormac might try to invade Duneane through the Derclogan after he conquers eastern Dratha, instead of trying to force his way through the steep Oriel Hills, Earl Arvin has built a large tower, Toros Grentath, near the ford. He has also sent two of his sons, both strong spearmen, to the town of Tawnamore.
THE DUCHY OF UMBR
North and east of the king’s lands around Cathair Duneane, the Duchy of Umbr is the larg- est fiefdom in Duneane. Bounded by the Rivers Glasten and Cobar, Nechta’s Road, the Brug na Berna, borders defined by clan treaties, and the Kylle Duvtach, it varies from hills in the southwest (including Cor Calliach, home of a fearsome hag), to marshy land near the Glasten, to fields and plains in the north.
Umbr’s proximity to the dark forest of Duvtach causes it some problems. Trolls, Pictoi, Unseelie faeries, and other dangers live beneath Duvtach’s shadowy boughs, and sometimes creep out at night to waylay the Duke’s subjects and travelers on his roads. People living near the forest, such as the inhabitants of the town of Roscador, have a reputation in the rest of Duneane for being strange, or even possessed of spiteful witch-powers.
Sitting on his throne Ronclaine in the castle of Cathair Umbr, located in the very heart of his realm, Duke Garvan of Umbr rules his realm with a firm hand. From the cobbled streets of the town surrounding Cathair Umbr, to the farthest reaches of the hills along the River Cretha, every one of his subjects can expect justice when he comes before the Duke. Those evils he cannot eradicate, such as the hag of Cor Calliach or the trolls of Kylle Duvtach, he guards against as best he may. His band of fighting-men, led by his son Sir Rhorec, is one of the finest in Tuala Morn.
In addition to Rhorec, Duke Gavran has three children, all daughters: Riona, the eldest, who defied his wishes and became a wandering bard; Granna, the middle daughter, presently affianced to Auliffe MacLeith of Delgan; and the youngest, Devnet, still but a child and the very apple of her father’s eye. His wife, the Lady Rhianne, is a wise and capable leader in her own right and a true helpmeet to her husband.
THE BARONY OF DELGAN
Aith MacLeith, the blunt-talking, often foul- mouthed scion of a long line of skilled and noble warriors, rules Delgan, the northwestern realm of Duneane. His lands run from Loch Corrib to the boundary stones of Dunrioga, and from the eaves of Kylle Duvtach to the western shore of Loch Sheel.
Most of Delgan is grasslands; in fact, the hill occupied by Dundelgan, the MacLeith fort, is an artificial one, raised by hand centuries ago. Having so much open land at their disposal has allowed the men of Delgan to become expert horse-breeders. Horses sired and trained in Delgan are the fast- est in Tuala Morn. Most desirable of all are steeds descended from the Grey of Cora Mala, the famed stallion of Drohor MacLeith. Many a knight and noble has paid a pretty price for a “get of the Grey.”
Most settlements in Delgan are small — little more than villages that spring up around a cross- roads or a source of water. Delgans often prefer to live by themselves in dells sheltered from the wind by a short stretch of trees or a low hill. Besides Dundelgan, the barony contains only one town of any size, Keshcorran on Loch Corrib.
THE DUCHY OF MORLECH
Delgan’s eastern brother of the northern fields is the Duchy of Morlech, which runs from Loch Sheel to the source of the River Shanra. Living in this sleepy, quiet realm, with little else to divert them, the men of Morlech spend their time in cattle-raids, games, and sporting competitions. Someone once joked that Mor- lech herdsmen don’t increase their herds by breeding calves, but by breeding sons to go steal some other clan’s cattle! Morlech women, who end up doing most of the hard work while their men engage in such fool- ish pasttimes, take a much dimmer view of these prac- tices, and don’t hesitate to heap scorn and abuse on their menfolk because of it. A sword said to be “sharp as a Morlech woman’s tongue” is sharp indeed!
Duke Lossach Mac Morlech rules this land of half-grown men and ever-changing cattle herds. An easygoing ruler, he bears no enmity towards his neigh- bors and attracts none, and so sees no need to main- tain more than a small war-band. He’d rather spend his days hunting, falconing, racing horses, or buying and selling cattle with other nobles. He belongs to the Golden Temple, and has built a large, ornate temple in Rath Morlech which is the pride of the coharbas. But he dislikes religious strife and freely allows the Lan- vans to practice their ancient faith; several holy sites, including the Stone of Strenmoy where the Morlech dukes traditionally receive their crown from the king, exist within his lands.
THE EARLDOM OF FIRSTOC
Just as Umbr abuts the feared Kylle Duvtach, the Earldom of Firstoc occupies the land next to another dangerous wood — Kylle Draichta, the Enchanted Forest, where many faerie-folk live and a man must watch his step, lest he unwittingly offend one of them and find himself turned into a toadstool. Except for a few hardy woodcutters and seilgara, most of the Earl’s subjects prefer to stay away from the forest, content to raise their sheep and cattle or till their lands.
Earl Anmire of Firstoc, an old yet hearty warrior who’s spent many a night skulking across the land to raid a neighbor’s herds, and many a day fighting his enemies on a blood-soaked battlefield, rules this realm. With his children long ago married, and his wife dead these five years, he finds himself alone in Rath na Firstoc, reminiscing about days of past glory. Some say that to ease the loneliness, he has rekindled an old interest in wizardry and begun to study the Arts Arcane under a succession of tutors, but most people discount this as little more than court gossip. Since he has no sons, when he dies his thanes may fight among themselves for control of the realm, rather than let one of the daughters’ husbands take it from afar by right of succession. Whose claim the king will recognize remains to be seen.
THE DUCHY OF OGMORE
Far to the east and south of Duneane, in the hills flanking the steep peaks of the Sleve Fergairon, lies Ogmore, a realm of tough and hardy men. Their leader is Duke Ronal MacSelva, the Ogmore, who’s built like one of the hills himself: big and rawboned. In battle he wields a huge axe he took from a troll-lord he killed singlehandedly. Rather than rise above the feuding of his subject clans, he leads his own, Clan Fethy, on all the raids and feuds he can, throwing his influence one way or another depending on who he must help and who hinder to maintain his power.
People in the northern part of Ogmore can farm and raise animals like most other subjects of the king, but the men of the hills have to find other ways to survive, since they have little arable land. Some mine copper, iron, or silver, others fish in the icy rivers and streams rushing down from the mountains. They must beware, though; goblins, fuath, and things more foul lie in wait, ever ready for a meal of the juicy flesh of men.
THE DUCHY OF ORIEL
Even more hilly than Ogmore is the Duchy of Oriel, wedged between the Kylle Gransha and the mountains. Duke Kenelm ConCaergal rules over a land that breaks invading armies, yet shelters and supports the people who know it well. Through mining, hunting, and herding, his subjects not only feed themselves, they enrich his coffers as well. Like the people of Ogmore, they have to beware the many threats that living among the hills and lurk in the dark valleys where chill mountain streams run, but somehow they survive.
Perhaps the worst threat in Oriel is clan war- fare. The chief clans of the Earldoms of Orbaill and Dinismere have feuded for many long years, and their actions in turn have caused or inspired other feuds. Cattle-raids and border skirmishes occur nightly, and Duke Kenelm has despaired of ever ending them. It has reached the point where he would prefer simply to lead his war-band against one tashac or the other, thus deciding the matter, but unfortunately for him he has a geasa that he must never kill one of his vassals — which he almost certainly would in the inevitable single combat that would occur between himself and the lord he moved against. Since to send warriors but stay out of the fighting himself would brand him a coward, he does nothing, hoping the feuds somehow resolve themselves.
Tuala Morn pChapter Three 83
F
ar to the northeast of Tuala Morn, amid the peaks of the Sleve Daireanne, lies Duvárach, the High Land — a mountain realm of strange speech, strange customs, and hardy warriors. Though they prefer to isolate themselves in the high meadows, far from their southern kin, the Duvárachans are Tualans still, possessed of the same singing souls, strong arms, and open hearts as their lowland kin.HISTORY
Bards from outside Duvárach often say “the mountains have no history,” and compared to other realms they’re not far wrong. Duvárach has expe- rienced little of the turmoil and upheaval that has beset the other Tualan kingdoms since the time of the Three Brothers. It’s never gone to war against another kingdom, participated only marginally in the Pictoi and Barbathan conflicts, and has suffered no plagues or evil enchantments.
The only events of note occurring in Duvárach are the constant cattle-raids and clan feuds, be they lighthearted or deadly serious. Duvárachans some- times seem to trace the years not based on who was
tasach of their clan, or who their king, but which
clan was feuding with which, and who stole from whom. Beyond the mountains, these events are meaningless, but within the High Land they have deadly import. Feuds determine who can marry whom, which clans have the right to use which grazing lands or fishing streams, the politics of choosing the king, and many other things besides. Duvárachan riddle-masters know by heart dozens of saicht (lore-riddles) about these events that are inconsequential to anyone from another realm — for a people who supposedly have no history, the Duvárachans certainly enjoy discussing the events of their past in great detail.
The only story bards from other lands tell of Duvárach, besides tales of a few heroes and some well-known feuds, is how the Duvárachans estab- lished the method for choosing their king. Accord- ing to the most popular version of the story, when the Tualans fared south to establish kingdoms and homes, some remained in the north, preferring the quiet solitude of the mountains to the more pleasant climes of the central and southern plains. As they raised families and established clans, they spread out more and more, until some clans’ herd- ing-lands and hunting-lands butted against another clan’s domain. Strife and fighting followed, to the benefit of no one save the Morrigan and her ravens.
Finally a wise old man, Casnar of Glenvarna, decided enough was enough. He’d lost three sons and uncountable property to the pointless feuds. Determined to end them, he built a large, open feasting-hall, Carmarthen, and invited the other
tashacs to a feast. Unarmed and unguarded he met
them, offering food, drink, and fellowship instead of hatred and harsh words. Through skillful argu- ment and masterful dealing, he convinced them they could choose from among themselves a king to keep order throughout the land, while giving up very little of the freedom they so fiercely cherished. Proclaiming their approval with loud shouts and the banging of fists on tables, they sought to make Casnar himself the first king. He declined, saying he was too old to sit upon a throne. Instead he put forth the name of Dorgal of Inverness, called “the Fisherman” for his love of that pursuit and his skills as a mariner. The other clan-chiefs accepted his counsel with acclaim, making King Dorgal their first ruler.