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The Kingdom of Faelbyn
- Part of the Twelve Kingdoms
Realm: Sovereign
Population: 2,200,000
Military: 11,000 (Bocharelli), 7,000 (Alarazzo), 5,000 (Church of Ahlrigh), 4,000 (Shaertyn's Thanemen), 2,000 (King Scioli)
Economy: Poor but functioning: most wealth is land-based, while wealthy merchants and nobles are deep in debt
Language: Common, also Thaegen in the northern areas
The Kingdom of Faelbyn is a lasting political monument to past glory. Its capital, Otessa, once controlled an empire stretching from the Spinning Winds to the gates of V’Tavia. Now Faelbyn’s rulers, claiming to be the true heirs to the Otessan Empire, surround themselves with more pomp and luxury than can be found in the courts of Aridoc or Ardashir—but their commands have little weight even inside their own palace.
There are five true power centers in Faelbyn. The first is the Ahlrighan church, which is centered in Otessa. The Supreme Arbiter of Ahlrigh is housed here in a surprisingly austere palace, but that belies his true strength in Faelbyn. The Church of Ahlrigh in Faelbyn is one of the largest landowners in the country, with thousands of men-at-arms to call upon. The church also receives income from a variety of ecclesiastical taxes as well as payments from the national branches of the Ahlrighan church, and they use this wealth and power to promote their interests.
All this temporal power invites accusations of corruption. In fact, these suspicions are mostly without merit. While Ahlrigh’s priests and paladins can choose to live comfortable lives if they so wish, any serious ethical lapse would result in the loss of divine power. The Ahlrighan priesthood, even through its elite here, remains by-and-large committed to a militant defense of justice and good. As such, Faelbyn has laws even stricter than the Coeur’s famous Edicts—not only is the worship of evil deities like Anvhad and Kliasta banned, for example, but that of Tharacia as well. The current king of Faelbyn, Baltisar Scioli, who has been surrounded by Ahlrighan religious advisors his entire life, is a notable fanatic and gives church authorities wide latitude. With Ahlrighans unchecked by any temporal power, it is not unheard of for even powerful nobles to be hauled before the Lawgiver’s tribunals.
Despite all this power, however, Faelbyn is no Ahlrighan paradise. The Otessan underworld is nearly as pervasive as the church. For all the Ahlrighans’ power, they are incapable of effectively governing even just the capital city, much less the entire country. Criminal interests, in alliance with dark temples, reap huge profits. Faelbyn’s criminal interests shroud themselves in layers upon layers of protection, including ownership of legitimate business interests, so that many work to fill the crime lords’ coffers without any suspicion of their true masters—a fact that helps when Ahlrighan priests are ready to sense the slightest guilt.
There are also three principal Faelbyn nobles who compete for power and influence in the court and on the battlefield. Duke Bocharelli, an Otessan noble, controls close to a quarter of the country’s land, either directly or in fief. His chief rival is Count Alarazzo, whose smaller holdings have not prevented him from forging an alliance of nobles wary of Bocharelli’s dominance. The two feud constantly, fighting for influence with the king and church to procure appointments for their vassals and blessings for their more martial quarrels. Enormous fortunes have been poured into skirmishes on both sides. The irony is that since neither noble is willing to risk everything in a climactic battle, most of their campaigns against each other are longer on maneuvers than actual fighting. It is not unusual for a “battle” between the two to have not a single casualty, with the two armies marching around until one takes the high ground, upon which the “loser” withdraws from the field.
Much less concerned with these niceties is Prince Shaertyn, a Thaneman noble. Faelbyn is principally Otessan in ethnicity, but its northern reaches include a prominent Thaneman population. Shaertyn, now in his seventies, has been the leader of the Thanemen in Faelbyn since he was 15, far outlasting any of his Otessan rivals. Shaertyn’s chief concern is to guard his land’s autonomy from any and all encroachment. His warriors are professional fighters who would mutiny if asked to withdraw because of an unfavorable placement on the battlefield. Shaertyn has fought most powers in Faelbyn and Seawatch two or three times over in his lifetime, and has almost always won. The “Old Wolf” is as clever as he is ruthless, proclaiming his undying allegiance to king and church while working against the influence of both.
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