[center][u]- House Anselm -[/u][/center] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/1EjhJB2.png[/img][/center] Head of House: Lord Barad Anselm House Specialty: Nothing in particular. House Ancestral Weapon: Perdition - A short-sword named for being used to send three Wyrms to damnation. Two scales from the Wyrmlord Golborag have been woven into the hilt wrappings. Important members: Lord Barad Anselm (33) - One of the least powerful lords in all of Elyden. Barad "the Bitter" resents his impoverished house and wishes to see its glory expanded, even if he does not have the means to any such thing. Marisa Anselm (31) - Wife of Barad Anselm. Serves around the keep and oversees many roles that would be done by servants in wealthier houses. A seemingly talented cook. Thadeos Anselm (4) - The youngest of Barad's two children and heir to the Weald. Likes elephants. Elise Anselm (14) - Barad's eldest child and older daughter. Often helps her mother and servants with the upkeep and chores of Gullstone and sees that little Thadeos minds the rules of his parents. Sir Alfric (38) - Knight owing fealty to House Anselm and trusted friend to Barad. Bawdy demeanor and an apparent penchant for swearing. Heldan (??) - A very elderly man of Eldfolk descent. His council is respected by all who hear it, even Barad who has little love of the Eldfolk. He advised Lord Hamel Anselm and every Anselm Lord since, making him at least 74 turns old. Was appointed Seeker of Secrets. Lord Osweld Verne (44) - Lord of the (very) minor House Verne. Rules from his keep in the northern port town of Gliss. Owes fealty to Barad as a vassal to House Anselm. Somewhat overweight. Nation/Realms Name: The Weald Region/color on map: [img]http://i.imgur.com/sBl8D2f.jpg[/img] Race name: Standard Humans, Eldfolk Racial appearance (Eldfolk): No discernible height difference from men of the southern lands. Paler, ashier skin than other peoples. Emerald-green eyes are almost exclusive to the Eldfolk, though they will also possess blue or grey eyes. Their hair is often a ruddy brown or red color, and typically very wiry and curly. Their men have a proclivity to grow beards, the women are reknowned for their wide hips; they are not ashamed of the coarse hair on their forearms. Racial traits: The Eldfolk are the hardy men of the deep woods. On the account of their affinity for a hard day's work, they have carved tiny, remote hamlets throughout the wilderness of the Weald. They are independently-minded, and those in the deep woods care little for Imperial politics and word from the lands abroad. The Eldfolk live predominantly in the forested interior and the Southerners tend to live along the more open fringes on the coasts and riverbanks. No census has ever been taken of the Weald, though it is thought that the Eldfolk outnumber the Southerners one and one and three-fifths to one. Capital: Riddom Capital Population: 5,220 Other Major Settlements: - Mosskeep - Brackish Ford - Gliss - Braveck (Brawyk) Population: ~400,000 Culture: There are two distinct cultures present within the Weald: that of the Imperial South, and that of the Eldfolk of the deep forests. Since House Anselm was awarded the Weald on behalf of Yorick Anselm's valor against the terrible Wyrms centuries ago, the Anselm heirs and their southern countrymen have been at odds with the indigenous Eldfolk who had called the Weald their home for far longer. House Anselm blames the impoverished state of their lands on the unwillingness of the Eldfolk to assimilate to the feudal society of the wider Valerien Empire. At the same time, the Eldfolk understandably have little interest in being serfs to foreigners. The early lords of House Anselm tried to wrestle the unruly Eldfolk into submission by treating the people of the deep woods as one would with a peasant revolt. Military forays into the Weald proved utterly fruitless on the account of the unfavorable terrain, and served only to exacerbate Eldfolk raids on the villages. As generations passed, the Anselm Lords learned to leave the Eldfolk be, allowing mutual peace and cooperation to take hold between the two peoples. Type of Government: Feudal aristocracy Influence and relations: WIP Military: - 1,400 Bondsmen: Comparable to bannermen, though usually more-poorly equipped. - 520 Yeomanry: Better armed and armored footsoldiers. - 200 Foot Knights - 114 Horsed Knights Landscape: [img]http://www.gardenrant.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/12/17/hemlock.jpg[/img] The Weald is a ruggedly beautiful land that has seen remarkably little change over the centuries. The land is poorly suited for cultivation, stunting the development of the realm. Though the coasts and riverlands have been cleared for marginal farmland, the dominant environment in the interior is a dense forest of mixed hardwoods interstitiated with hemlock groves in the bottomlands. In the interior, rocky hills rise up from the forest, leaving exposed cliff faces and flat buttes to peer out of the canopy. Deep crags and caves abound in the deep woods. Standing stones carved with lichen-encrusted glyphs may be found atop the hills, indicating sites of importance to the Eldfolk that call the land home. Wildlife: Deer, boar, and wood oxen provide ample game for those hunters in the forests of the Weald. Brown bears prowl the foothills and lowlands in search of berries or small game. Wolves too live in the northern reaches of the realm, though they are small and rarely seen by man. Of great cultural importance to the region is the great mountain wolverine that inhabits the hills of the Weald; Eldfolk legend state that their people were born from the she-wolverine Nisti. In homage to the iconic predator of the Weald, House Anselm adopted the mountain wolverine as their sigil. History: WIP Strengths: - Dense forest with plenty of quality lumber to harvest. - Mineral wealth in the hills. - Rugged, defensible terrain that would prove difficult to invade. Weaknesses: - Very small population concentrated on the coasts and rivers. - Poorest house in Elyden. - Eldfolk refuse to assimilate.