GENERAL LORE
Choice excerpts from
Bariun: The Histories . Written by Scholar Eliz Bren, first master of house Bren.
(I strongly recommend reading this page completely at some point.)
DeLayne (Dee-LANE-ee) the Disgraced (of Birm)
Master tactician, Veteran Swordsman, and exiled member of the house of Birm in the kingdom of Dultane.
At the age of twenty DeLayne led a revolt against his kingdom, stemming from a dispute between himself and his uncle, who was then King. DeLayne had wanted to marry a girl he had attended Acadamy with, who was also the daughter of a wealthy trade guild member. The proposal was refused by King Lacion (Lay-SHE-un). When the king was confronted by DeLayne, it was revealed that Lacion had already arranged a marriage with the Duchess of Tandi (Tan-DEE) to ease tensions between Dultane and the Telsanan Empire. DeLayne refused immediatly but was informed that the preparations had already been made and that he would be wed in a fortnight. He left the palace and went immediatly to Leah, His lover's house and made plans for the two to run away together and then returned to his own home to prepare. The next day DeLayne went to fetch her but to his horror and anguish, he found Leah murdered, presumably by his unlcle's designs. DeLayne then took his personal guard and disappeared. A year later he marched on the kingdom from the northern wildlands with a small army, the core of which being his personal guard, routing the imperial army several times.
The war looked to be going DeLaynes way until he was betrayed by the captain of his scouts who was originally a member of Delaynes personal guard. The man did so in return for a title of nobility and acceptance into the royal house of Moor. DeLayne was taken alive, charged with treason, and sentenced to life imprisonment in the palace dungeon.
Shortly after, DeLayne was visited by his betrayer, who also revealed himself to be Leah's murderer. Delayne vowed he would kill the man with his own hands, to which the ex captain laughed and walked away, saying that when they both got to hell, Delayne was welcome to try.
one year into DeLayne's imprisonment, Telsana invades. Two years in, they reach the imperial city, Dultani. DeLayne is summoned to the king's bedchamber, where he finds his uncle on his deathbed, resulting from an arrow wound inflicted during an earlier battle. The king promises Delayne his indefinite freedom so long as he remains to defend the city and survives the battle. DeLayne agrees but before he leaves to outfit himself for the battle, he asks Lacion why he ordered Leah's death. The king admits to placing a spy as a captain in DeLayne's guard, but that he would never order the death of any of his subjects, which he reminded DeLayne, was why Delayne still had breath himself. DeLayne hugs his uncle and leaves to join the fight.
His first stop is Leah's father's house. Leah's father, Oris (or-ISS) had been DeLayne's informant during his years in the wildlands by using trained pidgeons. On the way however, DeLayne runs into his betrayer, who attacks DeLayne. DeLayne easily kills the man, who with his dying breath cryptically tells DeLayne that the fate of everyone gets nearer with each day. Delayne then takes control of the mans personal guard, each of which is more than willing to be under his command due to his reputation as an excellent warrior and tactician.
After finally arriving at Oris's house, DeLayne sends a pidgeon to his troops, who had been exiled back into the wildlands, along with their families. The message oulined DeLayne's plans for a rear assualt on the Telsanan army. DeLayne then joins the fight at the gates.
Delayne's forces had already been on their way. They had been informed by Oris of the invasion and had been planning to use the seige on the capitol as cover to enter the city and free their commander. Becuase of this they arrived at the battle within the day.
Following DeLayne's orders, the troops were able to pull off a surprise flank attack, pinning the Telsanan forces between DeLayne's Shaman and stone shooters and the imperial archers and mages. the charge that followed, led by DeLaynes cavalry trailed by the infantry decimated the Telsan army, causing them to break and flee. Those that couldn't run were slaughtered. Those that fled were ran down by the cavalry.
An explanation of the House system
There are several main houses in Dultane and many more within the Telsanan Empire. Means of entry are varied between the two, with one exception. The surest way to gain entry into either one, is by gaining the king's or emperor's favor, either by a personal favor, or by a distinguished lifetime of service.
Once a person has done either of these, or any other things that a ruler deems deserving, the individual then applies to the houses one by one, starting with their most favored. Most individuals first application is to the Royal House of Moor for Dultane and the Royal House of Telsan for Telsana. These two houses are extremely difficult to gain entry to however, and most don't make it unless they are directly referred by Telsana's or Dultanes current leader. The next choice for most individuals is a House that Specializes in a trade. These houses are sometimes referred to as Guilds. The application process is the same, though each of these houses values different traits, and looks at applications differently.
If an individual goes through each House without gaining entry to any one house, they have the right to pettition their ruler for the rights to start their own house. Whether they are given permission or not is at the sole discretion of the ruler. This has only happened two times in recent history, both times in Dultane. Once for a horsebreeder by the name Evrett Chambers and again a few years later for a woman named Scinda Brevall. The House Chambers is now considered the top animal breeder on the continent while House Brevall has become a school of magics. If a person is denied acces to any house and also denied the right to found a house, they are then given entry to a lesser house by the ruler. Founding a new house, or having to be given entry rights by the ruler are both extremely rare occurances however.
Once a new House is established they have all the rights of the other houses. Houses in the empire function in a council-like role for whoever the current emperor is, but new houses do not gain the right to vote until they have been a House for a full year. Houses in Dultane basically serve the King in some specialized service; Horsebreeding, cooking, infantry training, etc etc.
The oldest Houses in Dultane, Houses Bren, Birm, Dultane, Aknel, and Eyr (pronounced air) were created by the five founding fathers of the kingdom itself, and serve as officer and lady training houses. Together the five houses form Dultane's Acadamy, where young men of noble blood go to learn the arts of war, including melee fighting, archery, wrestling/unar
med fighting, and war tactics. The men cycle through the houses, each year taking part in "war games" which are overseen by each Houses' respective leader. Each class, (a unit of pupils roughly the size of a platoon) are also assigned a teacher, who teaches them the proper ways for a Nobleman and a Lady to act in public, and also how they should address other noblemen and ladies, and how they should address their king. Noble Girls are also permitted to attend Acadamy, though it is less common for them to do so. Most noble women are taught by tutors that are hired by each house's respective leader and it is not uncommon for each house to have two or three tutors apiece.
****(House Brevall is currently attempting to gain entry into the acadamy, using the very valid point that now that magic has become an excepted tool of war, it would benefit the pupils to have some experience with it, whether they show signs of the gift or not.)
****(Magic was, up until several years ago, considered the practice of demons, thanks in part to a necromancer who led a revolt using animated corpse. He was narrowly defeated and exiled to the lands beyond the mountains to the north of the wildlands. This story has now faded to legend, and people are now more accepting of its practice, though some still see magic as unnatural.)
Short History of the Royal House of Moor
House Moor was founded fifty years after Dultane itself was founded, by a man named Alez (al-EEZ) Moor, a hero during the first war between Dultane and Telsana. The son of a farmer and house tutor, Alez had never settled well with farmwork, nor did he show skill in the arts of teaching. Becuase of this, when he came of age his father sent him to be a soldier, work Alez immediately found to his liking. He was naturally skilled, but was not considered an exceptional swordsman or steedmaster. During the first battles with Telsana however, he found his stride.
After his platoon was routed during the battle of Kandor, they fled the city, intending to regroup and take positions in the swampy land near the Crimson Delta, an hours march to the east. Alez got seperated from the rest however, and ended up coming upon a Telsanan cavalry man tending his horse, which had thrown a shoe. The young soldier snuck up on the steedmaster and dispatched him, then quickly dressed in the dead mans battle gear. He then mounted the horse and found a Telsan platoon, claiming that he had seen the path the Dultane troops had taken in their flight. After showing the commander the path he asked permission to get a new horse, which was granted. Alez returned to the Telsan camp and got a new horse, then returned to where he had left his rightful armor and changed. He then set out on the path the Telsan's had followed, a path that would lead them directly into his comrades planned ambush. He arrived a half hour after the battle had begun, in time to help clean up what was left of the Telsan troops. After telling his story to the platoon captain, he was given a feild promotion to second captain. After a handful more battles Alez was given another promotion, making him captain of a cavalry unit. During the final battle at the Tol river crossing, Alez took his unit and appeared to flee. In reality, Alez spotted enemy reinforcements, a mixture of archers and infantry, making their way down the banks of the Tol river, just inside the Alyent forest, which was on the Dultane side of the river. He took his unit and ambushed them just before the archers got into effective range, saving the battle, and ultimately the war for Dultane.
Once the war ended, Alez was granted entry into a house, but due to his disregard for orders, was not accepted into any of the houses. King Silden of house Birm then granted him permission to form his own, and gave him the lands between the marshes of the Crimson Delta and Kandor.
House Moor became the Royal house Twenty years ago, after King Aker, son of House Birm failed to father a son to succeed the throne. Aker's daughter, Princess Darna had met Lacion a handful of times when visiting House Moor to inspect the royal orchards. She asked her father, who was passed the age considered able to father children, for permission to marry the young Lacion. The king gave permission and Lacion acceeded the throne, thereby making House Moor the Royal house.
Telsana's Origin
The empire of Telsana almost entirely covers the western half of the Bariun Continent. The only areas not under Telsanan control are the Dunestep, a desert that occupies a strip of the southern part of the continent, and the Dragon's Roost Mountains, a mountain range that borders most of the western side of the continent.
the origin of the empire has been forgotton by nearly everyone. The commoners simply accept that it is while the other kingdoms were founded after its expansion to its current size.
Originally Telsana was a small kingdom nestled in the southwestern corner of the Thalen Flatlands, backed by the Dragon's Roost Mountains. Telsana then made its living off of the little farmland it controlled and by selling out its army as mercenaries. After years of hoarding money, when the other kingdoms around Telsana were weakened from years of fighting for control of the fertile lands near the Tol River and around the Sea of Tormir (Tore-MEER) Telsana made its move.
Executing lightning quick attacks using carefully placed spies and military forces stationed at various key points in the other countrys, Telsana quickly took control of nearly the entire continent. The kingdom of Gilain, occupying a peninsula on the west coast between the Dragons' Roost and the Mountains of Exile fell quickly and with little bloodshed to Telsana's newfound might. The first emperor of Telsana then decreed that the previous ruling families of each country would remain in control of their respected areas, in the form of Houses. It was decreed that peace among them all would be maintained or the consequences would be severe. Under the empires rule, the entire region has flourished, and is now almost completely self sufficient, only trading with the trading isles.
Each emporer since has been in control of an elaborate network of spies, which put down rebellions quietly. The spies identities are not known to each other, and the emperor is the only person that knows the identity of each.
The Forgotton Houses
At times, a house may go against the common good of the kingdom. This usually results in a reprimand of some sort, often in the form of a large sum of gold, or sometimes in the dismissal of the offending house, but if the offense is severe enough the punishment can be far worse.
House Aner (AY-ner) was a well respected trade house formed some time after the first Telsanan war but before House Moor became the royal house. They frequented the capitol and the imperial palace with business affairs, mostly hammering out deals with some of the larger vendors and consumers of the city, most notably the imperial guard, the imperial army, and the imperial kitchens. It was not uncommon for at least one representative of House Aner to be in the palace conducting business, finalizing trade deals for fruits or silks from the smaller island nations to the south.
This, of course, was perfect cover for the spying operations of those same Aner representatives. A simple captain of the guard intercepted, by chance, a note meant for a representative of house Aner by the name Oto (OH-toe) Belnas (bel-NOS). The note contained orders for the requisition of Troop numbers, troop placements, and most used trade routes. The captain immediately took the note to his ranking officer who took it immediately to King Silden. The king was of course enraged and ordered the immediate eradication of house Aner.
Three platoons of troops were ordered to hunt and kill all members of house Aner, even those that may be related to the royal house, and those that had no part of the scheme. One platoon was sent to the house itself with orders to burn it to the ground after confirming that all present residents had been executed. One was sent through the imperial city with orders to round up any representatives that may be on business to be hanged outside the city gates. And the last platoon was a platoon of trackers and hunters, tasked with scouring the kingdom for any remaining members of house Aner.
After wards, House Aner, in the same manner of all Forgotten houses was erased from the history books of Dultane. There are few alive in Dultane currently that know the name, and even fewer that would dare to speak the word.
A common sayings among commoners, "When the Forgotten houses rise again."and "And the Forgotten houses rule the Empire." attest to the belief that none survived from any one of those houses.
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