[@MissCapnCrunch][@Ylrud][@Pyromaniacwolf][@MikkishtheLeprechaun][@Cliffspiracy][@TwilightShadow][@Leo Khan][@Lurking Krog][@Emma][@Noodles][@SantosGabriel77][@SantosGabriel77][@twannyman]

Hello everyone!

I'm going to be posting the RP tomorrow! I have the intro, NPC descriptions, and the CS ready and have posted them below. I intend to expand the intro somewhat before posting the official RP, and give the ranks beneath more detail. [b]Please keep asking questions and suggesting ideas![/b] Part of why the below text is somewhat brief is because I want to keep hearing from everyone. I'm still not sure, for example, how fantastical I'd like this to be, so any thoughts on the presence of magic and especially witchcraft are particularly welcome.
Also, please refrain from posting a completed CS here in the interest thread, I've only included it so y'all can better see what I'm looking for in your characters and, if you so desire, you can start working on it now. If you have questions, feel free to reply here or PM me!

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Wych

	The oldest stories tell of the Britons, your ancestors, and their home within the wood. They were placed among the sacred trees by Woden, the ruling god of knowledge, and this place was called Wych. The ancestors built beautiful villas in the meadows of the wood, where the earth goddess Frige blessed them with cattle and wheat, and they called their home Caer Ceri.
	The Romans saw how clever the Britons were with their blessings, and in their wonderment called your home Corinium, and named it the capital of Britannia. The Romans built marvelous structures, making your home yet more glorious a tribute to the gods that blessed them so.
	As time passed the Romans fell out of the gods favor, and with them fell the ancestors, who had abandoned the old gods for the cults of Rome. The gods cast them all from the Wych and from Caer Ceri, leaving the ancestors to fight with rival tribes for their folly.
	From the peoples cast out arose the Hwicce. These ancestors were faithful to the gods, and thus the gods allowed them back into the Wych, and they were blessed, creating a kingdom whose wealth rivaled the southern coasts.
	Alas, a line of weak kings lead to the subjugation of Caer Ceri and the Wych to the Saxons, until the Mercian king Penda finally took it once and for all in the name of the old gods, and renamed it Cirencester. But that was many years ago.
	Today the old gods have been forgotten, cast into the fire by bishops and kings loyal like whimpering dogs to their southern masters. As servants of Woden threaten the north, the king scrambles to defend his empire, and it’s time for the faithful to descend once more into the Wych.
	Where does your loyalty lie? Will you defend the kingdom of Mercia, or the old ways of the Wych?

THE NOBILITY
		[i]thegn[/i]
	Any member of the ruling class of the Heptarchy. Descendants of kings may be called 'high-born.' The nobility of Mercia are rulers and justiciars over villages, fortresses or counties. They are wealthy, influential, and live on massive estates with luxurious villas on several hides* of land. The most trusted among them have Coenwulf's ear as [i]aeldormen[/i] as part of the [i]witan[/i]; the king’s council.

THE FREEMEN
		[i]ceorl[/i]
	While they may not lead glamorous lives like the nobility, freemen are not called to compulsory military service or under the same scrutiny from the high-borns. Freemen are typically simple peasant farmers, and while most are quite poor, some do have large plots of land and live quite comfortably.

THE THRALLS
		[i]thēow[/i]
	Slaves are at the bottom of the social ladder. They are bought and sold as property, both by their owners and as children by freeman parents indebted to another. In Mercia, slaves are usually Welsh or Celtic, but Saxons who cannot repay debts also sell themselves and their families into servitude. Particularly in cases of debt, it is within possibility to earn ones freedom, but even in other cases this may be possible.

[i](a "hide" is a measure of land equivalent to 120 acres. the standard size of a thegn's estate was at least five hides, while a ceorl's may just be one. if you're like me and you have a hard time visualizing that, i recommend using [url=http://www.bluebulbprojects.com/measureofthings/default.php]this website[/url] that will give comparisons of measurements in plain language with real world examples. it certainly helped me!)[/i]

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Lord Banweald of Cirencester
	A local nobleman ruling over Hwicce, which he helped conquer when he was a young but accomplished soldier. He aspires to join the witan and become an authoritative force over Mercia.

Hwithryth the Barren
	Banweald’s Hwiccan wife. She was only a girl when Hwicce submitted to the Mercian king Offa the Great, and just as young when Banweald took her as his wife. She hardly conceals her hatred for him, and often retreats into the Wychwood for some solace and solitude.

Winoc the Dog
	A humble freeman raising hunting dogs and cattle on his hide of land. Banweald has praised these hounds before, and has made him quite wealthy for a freeman. It’s rumored that he helps pagans flee to Denmark.

Judge Alexius
	A justiciar of Lord Banweald and enforcer of her orders. Principally, he seeks to bring pagans to justice, and thus is highly suspicious of Hwithryth and wants to prove that Winoc is harboring pagans.

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Name: 
Gender: 
Age: 
Rank: (nobleman, freeman, thrall, other)
Appearance: 
Personality: 
History: 
Loyalties: (the church or the Wych, the king or the vikings, etc)