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Breidhel
Breidhel, commonly called the Sea-Lords' Kingdom, is famed for the skill and daring of its sailors. Though Faelbyn's ports are better, and V'tavia's trade far richer, no other realm in Meditra has such treacherously unpredictable waters -- and, correspondingly, such tested and capable crews. In Breidhel, a sailor must learn to become very good very fast, or else the sea will take him. Only the canniest pirates of Tartessos, who must master the spiral winds and fog-cloaked reefs of their islands, begin to approach the Breidhel Navy -- and many of them began there.
In the dimly remembered ages before the rise of the Otessan Empire, the raiders of Breidhel were the terror of the coasts. They obtained the arts of ironcrafting from the Northmen early on, and soon had better weapons than most of those who lived to the south. Combined with their mastery of seafaring, this allowed the Breidhain to raid settlements as far down as modern South Hold with near-impunity. Ironically, this dominance at sea eventually contributed to Breidhel's conquest on land; the southern peoples built castles and fortresses to protect themselves from Breidhain raids and allied with the Otessi more readily than they might have absent that common threat.
Today, the Breidhain have become far more peaceful. Their current "looting" is mostly done through trade, and their battles are fought mostly against the sea. Breidhel is known for its rocky and forbidding coasts, its misty cliffs, and the treacherous violence of its waters. Scattered, partially submerged rock formations surrounding the coasts lend its bays and headlands such colorful names as the "Bay of a Thousand Fangs." Against such natural challenges, the sailors of Breidhel readily pit themselves, and pride themselves on winning.
Ships and seafaring play an important role in the Breidhain national identity. The kingdom's cities are disproportionately concentrated along its coastline, with only three major cities located inland. Unlike in other countries in the Twelve Kingdoms, women in Breidhel are commonly permitted to serve in ship's crews alongside the men; this has contributed to Breidhain women's reputation for stubbornness, independence and ungovernability. Both men and women pride themselves on their knowledge of the seas and ability to master the waves; being granted the captaincy of a King's Ship is coveted as greedily as knighthood or ennobling in other realms.
Religious life in Breidhel is dominated by the Temple of Rathenor and, to a much lesser extent, that of Vellunan. Captains and crews regularly make offerings to the Wayfinder before setting out, praying that the Lion will shelter them and see them to a safe return. Ygorl's is another popular faith, for anyone who trusts his life to the sea is a gambler whether he wills it or not.
The Neverlost
Breidhel is home to a reclusive, mystical sect known as the Order of the Neverlost. These individuals, though dedicated to Rathenor, stand outside the normal hierarchy of the temple and answer to no authority outside their own Order.
The Neverlost are devoted to divinatory arts, by which they claim to chart the spiritual world as well as the physical. Astromancy, hydromancy, and the consultation of oracles are common practices. Members of the sect are often sent out across Meditra to affect the course of events glimpsed through the Order's divinations, and just as often to obtain or protect oracles that come to light elsewhere in the world. The Neverlost themselves attract a great deal of attention from other organizations, ranging from the relatively benign curiosity of the Illuminers and Phet-S'nar's servants to the darker interests of the Circle of Nightingales and other, still more evil, powers.
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