Post by gamedave on Mar 17, 2013 12:49:12 GMT -5
In the kingdom of Colwen, Good King Anselm has died without an heir, sparking a civil war between noble houses for the crown. Amidst the chaos, giants have appeared from the Dragonspine Mountains, raiding settlements and farms in the foothills and lowlands. With the nobles and their knights squabbling over the throne, the common folk of Colwen are defenseless before the onslaught of the giants. The people of Colwen are in desperate need of heroes to defend them...Against the Giants!
COLWEN
Arcana
The lands of Colwen are not known for any particular ancient mysteries or magical traditions, with one exception. As a land particularly plagued by marauding giants, Colwen is renowned for producing a number of magical giant-slaying weapons, many of them intelligent. Most prominent is the warhammer, Grontdrengi, which is the greatest magical artifact of Colwen. It is an intelligent, giant-slaying warhammer, which returns when thrown, and produces mighty peals of thunder and lightning.
As in much of Anderoth, wizards are generally respected for their skill and learning, but slightly feared for their mysterious powers. For those who understand the difference, sorcerers are mistrusted for the wild nature of their powers. It is nearly universal for Colwen nobles to appoint a mage to act as counselor and advisor on arcane matters.
Dungeoneering
Colwen is not particularly rich in caverns or dungeons, but there are a few. There are ancient elven ruins, from the age before the Atlantean Empire. In the more populated southern baronies, these have all been quarried for building materials or incorporated into currently occupied buildings. There are probably still a few unexplored elven ruins in the more sparsely populated northern baronies of the woody, hilly Highlands. Although the region of the Dragonspine Mountains claimed by the Kingdom of Colwen are not as rich in caverns as other regions, there are known to be at least a few such complexes, mostly inhabited by giants.
Engineering
Colwen's best known engineering feature are its castles, which combine the best elements of dwarven durability and the Taldan sense of style. "Colwen castle" is a byword for an ideal blend of form and function.
Geography
The land of Colwen is comprised of three major geographic regions. Those regions are the Lowlands to the south, the Midlands in the center, and the Highlands to the north. North of the Highlands lie the southern reaches of the Dragonspine Mountains.
The southern Lowlands is a vast, grassy plain, broken in a few places by small regions of forest or fen, and by the famed castles of Colwen. Most folk in this area are shepherds or cowherds. The land is also ideal for the heavy cavalry which comprises the bulk of Colwen's fighting men.
The central Midlands is a plateau of rich, loamy soil. It is the most densely populated region of Colwen, and serves as its breadbasket. Most of the folk of this region are farmers, but there are also numerous market towns which support a thriving mercantile class. Although it once contained many thickly forested areas, virtually the entire region is now given over to farms, towns, and villages.
The northern Highlands are thickly forested hills with deep river valleys. These hills are the foothills of the southern reaches of the Dragonspine Mountains, and Wennish folk consider the Colwen Highlands to stretch deep into these Mountains, although few dwell there beyond a handful of dwarfholds.
The people of Colwen are mostly human of Taldan stock, although there are small populations of the other peoples and races of Andoroth. The humans of the Highlands still retain significant Kellid traits, but the humans of the Midlands and Southlands are mostly quintessential Taldans.
Dwarf merchants and craftsmen can be found in any town in the Midlands, as well as a number of dwarfholds in the far north Highlands, although these owe only nominal allegiance to the kingdom.
Elves can still be found in the scattered woodlands of the Lowlands, and in the deep forests of the Highlands they still maintain courts, many of which are functionally independent of the kingdom.
Gnomes and halflings, as in much of Andoroth, can be found throughout Colwen, living alongside the "big folk". Halflings are particularly common in the Midlands, while gnomes are more often found in the Highlands.
Half-orcs are mostly concentrated in the larger towns of the Midlands, but they can also be found working as itinerant farm labor. There are still a few scattered tribes of "true orcs" living in the Dragonspine Mountains, which intermittently raid or trade with Highland communities.
Climatically, Colwen is typically of Southern Andoroth, with a mild, temperate climate.
History
In the ages before the coming of humans, the lands now known as the Kingdom of Colwen were typical of Andoroth. Orcish tribes roamed the southern grasslands, elves held court in the forests of the mid-land plateau and foothills, and dwarves dwelt in their holds in the Dragonspine Mountains. There were also giants in the earth in those days, mostly reclusive and peaceful stone giants.
Then the Kellid came, upsetting the balance of the land as they did elsewhere. The Kellid fought bitter wars against the orcs across the plains, felled the forests of the mid-lands, and pushed into the hills and mountains. Then the giants descended in their fury.
Giants of all sorts, hill and frost and fire, raided and destroyed dwarven, elven, human, and orcish settlement alike. None could stand long against their power and fury. Until a Kellid shephard slew their king. Coll, a youngster scarce old enough to shave, stood before a giant raiding party, armed only with his sling, and challenged the mighty King Snurre to single combat. The king, laughing almost too hard to keep his balance, strode out - and promptly fell dead, smote with a sling stone. The giants retreated, and the Kellid dominated the land.
The name of that might hero still lives in the land today. "Colwen" is a corruption of "Coll's Wen" - a wen is a Kellid term for the sort of deep river valley between hills that is common in Colwen's Highlands.
Then came the Azlanti Empire, once more upsetting the balance of the land. And once more, the giants descended from their mountain fastnesses. This time, however, they were not facing scattered peoples, but the full might of the Azlanti Empire, which defeated them, and brought peace to the land.
As time wore on, however, the Empire began to crumble. The human folk of the Satrapy of Colwen were now mostly Taldan, rather than true Azlanti, and began to feud among themselves, as the Satrap declared himself an independent king. And, yet again, the giants descended upon the land. Without the power of the Azlanti Empire behind them, the people of Colwen were seemingly lost. The putative King of Colwen promised his the hand of his daughter and position as heir to the new kingdom to any who could stop the onslaught.
A brave Taldan knight of common birth, Sir Theodoric, went to the dwarves of Hammerfast Hall, to beg them forge a weapon to defeat the giants. He brought with him the sling and stone Coll had used to slay King Snurre centuries earlier. The dwarves combined their own magic with the Azlanti magic of the mysterious Arch-Mage Origen, to forge a truly wondrous weapon, the hammer Grontdrengi. Armed with this weapon, Sir Theodoric slew dozens of giants, and, finally, King Snurre II himself, and drove the giants back. He married the princess, and, in due time, became king, Theodoric I, the greatest king of Colwen.
In the centuries since, Colwen has grown into a wealthy land, with extensive grazing pastures in the south, fertile farmlands in the center, and rich forests in the north, and beyond that the mineral wealth of the Dragonspine Mountains. Although usually peaceful, the barons of Colwen occasionally allow their squabbles to fall into open war, and then the giants, perhaps sensing weakness and division, descend from the mountains in their fury, only to be turned back by a strong king or valorous knight wielding Grontdrengi.
Local
King Anselm, widely known as Good King Anselm, was a much beloved monarch. He was a kindly, moderate, and generous man, popular with noble and commoner alike. Alas, his wife, pregnant with what would have been their first child, died in childbirth, along with a stillborn child, decades ago, and he never remarried. Nor, apparently, did he ever "dishonor her memory" by taking a consort or even casual lover. As a result, when he died recently, he had no natural heir. Perhaps due to his peaceful nature and desire to avoid confrontations and resentment, he never designated an heir, leading directly to the current civil war.
There are three main contenders for the throne, popularly known as the Golden Prince, the Iron General, and the Silver Princess.
The Golden Prince, Xanthan Lancaster, is the dead king's closest male relative, albeit a distant one. He is also the nephew of Baron Stilicho Lancaster, one of the wealthiest and most powerful barons in Colwen. Prince Xanthan is a young man, named "the Golden" for his lustrous hair (typical of the royal family), his charisma and honeyed tongue, and his generosity with his wealth. He is also a Knight of the Order of the Cockatrice, renowned for his skill, panache, and flamboyant adherence to the chivalric code. However, many see his "generosity" as carelessness, his eloquence as hollow boastfulness, and his adherence to chivalry as more concerned with appearance and the letter of the code than with the spirit.
The Iron General, Domitian Neverion, is the Lord Marshall of Colwen. He is a blunt, dour, and pragmatic soldier, but respected even by his foes as courageous, skilled, and intelligent. He is a Knight of the Order of the Lion. Lord Marshall Domitian is supported by the King's Knights and most of the king's former household, as well as many smaller baronies, who fear the influence if Lancaster's or Highever's candidate takes the throne. However, his legal claim is extremely thin (a letter from the late king describing him as "like a brother or son"), his claim to nobility almost as thin (he is a knighted member of the gentry, and even status is in dispute), and even his claim to Taldan blood is in doubt, even among many of his supporters. Perhaps most critically, he lacks style, an important consideration for a man who would be a Taldan king.
The Silver Princess, Viviana Highever, is the dead king's closest living relative, but still rather distant. She is also the granddaughter and ward of Baron Vors Highever, whose only rival in wealth and power in Colwen is Baron Stilicho Lancaster. Viviana is known as the Silver Princess due to her hair, in which the royal blonde shades a platinum, nearly silver, blonde, and her purity and innocence. She is only thirteen years old, too young to rule in her own right, which leads to the conclusion that Baron Vors intends to rule as regent until she attains the age of majority, and probably to remain the power behind the throne after that. Vivana is also, of course, a girl, and there has only been one reining queen in Colwen's history, and she was the daughter of a king. Furthermore, the Highevers are followers of the Old Gods, while all of the other Barons, most of the commoners, and every king in Colwen's history have been followers of the Empyrean Gods. Finally, the fact is, very little is known of the girl herself.
As if the civil war were not bad enough, the giants have returned. They began raiding the Highlands, but have ventured all the way to the Lowlands, pillaging and razing entire settlements.
Worst of all, in the chaos and confusion following the death of Good King Anselm and the initial scramble for the throne, a giant raiding party stole Grontdrengi, the giant-slaying hammer and symbol of the kingdom! And still, the nobles fight among themselves for the throne! Surely the end of the Kingdom is at hand!
Nature
Colwen's flora and fauna are, for the most part, typical of southern Anderoth. There are few wild animals left in the Lowlands, but the scattered forests and fens still harbor a few deer, bears, and fey. The densely farmed Midlands leave little room for anything else, but household fey can be found in many farms and shops. The deep forests of the Highlands still contain many wild animals, deer, elk, bear, wolves, and the like, in addition to a fair number of fey. The deeper one goes into the Highland hills, and into the Dragonspine Mountains above them, the more likely one is to encounter dire animals, larger, more aggressive versions of their cousins in lower regions.
Most prominent of Colwen's native creatures, however, are the giants. In times of peace, the shy and reclusive stone giants will sometimes visit dwarfholds and highland steadings, seeking to trade labor for trinkets and worked metal. On rare occasion, mighty cloud and storm giants will venture from their lofty abodes. In times of war and chaos, the worst giants come forth, the brutish hill giants, coldly brutal frost giants, and the powerful and raging fire giants.
Nobility
Colwen is ruled by a hereditary monarchy, which traces its lineage back to the legendary King Theodoric I, and before him, to King Eudoxius I (formerly the last Satrap of the Azlanti Imperial Province of Colwen). In truth, there have been several breaks in the lineage, but "creative" genealogy has kept the line intact on paper. In cases where no clear, natural heir apparent exists, the barons select the heir by a 2/3 majority vote.
Beneath the king are twenty-three barons, who owe feudal loyalty to the king. Most of the kingdom is administered by the barons, with only a few estates and wild places directly administered by the king. The two most powerful and wealthy barons are Highever, of the Oakhills Barony in the Highlands, and Lancaster, of the Colchester Barony in the Lowlands.
Below the barons are the lords, lesser nobility who owe feudal loyalty to the barons. They administer the castles, estates, towns, and lands of the baronies.
There are also two special classes of nobility, the Lords Councilor, and knights.
The Lords Councilor administer the King's Household, and by extension the lands directly administered by the king, and the kingdom as a whole. Lord Councilor is purely an appointed, not hereditary position, and as lords, they technically fall below barons in order of precedence, and without personal lands, or income beyond that of their official office, and not generally wealthy. However, they speak for the king, wielding considerable power, often sparking conflicts with the barons. The three most important Lords Councilor are the Lord Chancellor, who administers the king's (and the kingdom's) finances, the Lord Chief Justice, who oversees justice throughout the kingdom, and the Lord Marshall, who leads the king's household knights, and oversees the defense of the kingdom.
Knights are the backbone of the armed forces of Colwen. All barons, lords, and kings of Colwen are, of necessity, also knights, as are most or all of their male relatives. A male member of the nobility may become a priest or a mage, but otherwise must become a knight or face disgrace and disinheritance. A member of the gentry, or even a commoner, may also be knighted, by any member of the nobility, including another knight. In theory, all knights are equals as brothers-in-arms, but in practice, knights from the lordly and higher nobility look down on "hedge knights" from the gentry on common folk. A knight who holds no other noble titles ranks between a lord and a member of the gentry, as the least noble order.
Below the nobles are the gentry. While not technically commoners, neither are the gentry nobles. In particular, members of the gentry are not knights (gentry who become knights are considered members of that social class rather than gentry). Gentry form the upper crust of the common society, and are generally merchants, mages, priests, magistrates, and other officials. The lines between commoner and gentry are not particularly clear, and it is not uncommon for a run of good or bad luck to lead a family to drift from one class to the other.
All of the kings and barons of Colwen are humans of Taldan extraction. Although not, strictly speaking, a legal requirement, it is a clear social understanding that non-Taldan cannot ascend higher than the level of a lord. Most lords and knights are also Taldan, but a fair number are non-Taldan humans, dwarves, and elves. The gentry is more diverse. Taldan are still predominant, but dwarves, elves, and even gnomes and halflings are common in areas where those races are found in numbers. Half-orcs are all commoners, and generally considered the lowest of the common at that. However, a handful of half-orcs have been granted knighthood for acts of truly great valor.
Planes
Colwen is on the Prime Material Plane.
Religion
As in much of Anderoth, the Empyrean Gods predominate. However, worship of the Old Gods is tolerated, particularly in the Highlands, where the Kellid and elven influences are particularly strong.
The Empyrean Church is powerful and wealthy in Colwen, but not independent. The church in each barony is overseen by a bishop appointed by the baron - usually a younger son of that baron. The Arch-Bishop of Casterwell Cathedral, appointed by the king, is nominally the head of the entire church in Colwen, but the individual bishops, backed by their baron patrons, are largely independent.
Colwen has no particular religious traditions beyond those common throughout Anderoth, but Keter and Binah are the most popular gods among the nobility, Gevurah and Tif'eret among the commoners.
COLWEN
Arcana
The lands of Colwen are not known for any particular ancient mysteries or magical traditions, with one exception. As a land particularly plagued by marauding giants, Colwen is renowned for producing a number of magical giant-slaying weapons, many of them intelligent. Most prominent is the warhammer, Grontdrengi, which is the greatest magical artifact of Colwen. It is an intelligent, giant-slaying warhammer, which returns when thrown, and produces mighty peals of thunder and lightning.
As in much of Anderoth, wizards are generally respected for their skill and learning, but slightly feared for their mysterious powers. For those who understand the difference, sorcerers are mistrusted for the wild nature of their powers. It is nearly universal for Colwen nobles to appoint a mage to act as counselor and advisor on arcane matters.
Dungeoneering
Colwen is not particularly rich in caverns or dungeons, but there are a few. There are ancient elven ruins, from the age before the Atlantean Empire. In the more populated southern baronies, these have all been quarried for building materials or incorporated into currently occupied buildings. There are probably still a few unexplored elven ruins in the more sparsely populated northern baronies of the woody, hilly Highlands. Although the region of the Dragonspine Mountains claimed by the Kingdom of Colwen are not as rich in caverns as other regions, there are known to be at least a few such complexes, mostly inhabited by giants.
Engineering
Colwen's best known engineering feature are its castles, which combine the best elements of dwarven durability and the Taldan sense of style. "Colwen castle" is a byword for an ideal blend of form and function.
Geography
The land of Colwen is comprised of three major geographic regions. Those regions are the Lowlands to the south, the Midlands in the center, and the Highlands to the north. North of the Highlands lie the southern reaches of the Dragonspine Mountains.
The southern Lowlands is a vast, grassy plain, broken in a few places by small regions of forest or fen, and by the famed castles of Colwen. Most folk in this area are shepherds or cowherds. The land is also ideal for the heavy cavalry which comprises the bulk of Colwen's fighting men.
The central Midlands is a plateau of rich, loamy soil. It is the most densely populated region of Colwen, and serves as its breadbasket. Most of the folk of this region are farmers, but there are also numerous market towns which support a thriving mercantile class. Although it once contained many thickly forested areas, virtually the entire region is now given over to farms, towns, and villages.
The northern Highlands are thickly forested hills with deep river valleys. These hills are the foothills of the southern reaches of the Dragonspine Mountains, and Wennish folk consider the Colwen Highlands to stretch deep into these Mountains, although few dwell there beyond a handful of dwarfholds.
The people of Colwen are mostly human of Taldan stock, although there are small populations of the other peoples and races of Andoroth. The humans of the Highlands still retain significant Kellid traits, but the humans of the Midlands and Southlands are mostly quintessential Taldans.
Dwarf merchants and craftsmen can be found in any town in the Midlands, as well as a number of dwarfholds in the far north Highlands, although these owe only nominal allegiance to the kingdom.
Elves can still be found in the scattered woodlands of the Lowlands, and in the deep forests of the Highlands they still maintain courts, many of which are functionally independent of the kingdom.
Gnomes and halflings, as in much of Andoroth, can be found throughout Colwen, living alongside the "big folk". Halflings are particularly common in the Midlands, while gnomes are more often found in the Highlands.
Half-orcs are mostly concentrated in the larger towns of the Midlands, but they can also be found working as itinerant farm labor. There are still a few scattered tribes of "true orcs" living in the Dragonspine Mountains, which intermittently raid or trade with Highland communities.
Climatically, Colwen is typically of Southern Andoroth, with a mild, temperate climate.
History
In the ages before the coming of humans, the lands now known as the Kingdom of Colwen were typical of Andoroth. Orcish tribes roamed the southern grasslands, elves held court in the forests of the mid-land plateau and foothills, and dwarves dwelt in their holds in the Dragonspine Mountains. There were also giants in the earth in those days, mostly reclusive and peaceful stone giants.
Then the Kellid came, upsetting the balance of the land as they did elsewhere. The Kellid fought bitter wars against the orcs across the plains, felled the forests of the mid-lands, and pushed into the hills and mountains. Then the giants descended in their fury.
Giants of all sorts, hill and frost and fire, raided and destroyed dwarven, elven, human, and orcish settlement alike. None could stand long against their power and fury. Until a Kellid shephard slew their king. Coll, a youngster scarce old enough to shave, stood before a giant raiding party, armed only with his sling, and challenged the mighty King Snurre to single combat. The king, laughing almost too hard to keep his balance, strode out - and promptly fell dead, smote with a sling stone. The giants retreated, and the Kellid dominated the land.
The name of that might hero still lives in the land today. "Colwen" is a corruption of "Coll's Wen" - a wen is a Kellid term for the sort of deep river valley between hills that is common in Colwen's Highlands.
Then came the Azlanti Empire, once more upsetting the balance of the land. And once more, the giants descended from their mountain fastnesses. This time, however, they were not facing scattered peoples, but the full might of the Azlanti Empire, which defeated them, and brought peace to the land.
As time wore on, however, the Empire began to crumble. The human folk of the Satrapy of Colwen were now mostly Taldan, rather than true Azlanti, and began to feud among themselves, as the Satrap declared himself an independent king. And, yet again, the giants descended upon the land. Without the power of the Azlanti Empire behind them, the people of Colwen were seemingly lost. The putative King of Colwen promised his the hand of his daughter and position as heir to the new kingdom to any who could stop the onslaught.
A brave Taldan knight of common birth, Sir Theodoric, went to the dwarves of Hammerfast Hall, to beg them forge a weapon to defeat the giants. He brought with him the sling and stone Coll had used to slay King Snurre centuries earlier. The dwarves combined their own magic with the Azlanti magic of the mysterious Arch-Mage Origen, to forge a truly wondrous weapon, the hammer Grontdrengi. Armed with this weapon, Sir Theodoric slew dozens of giants, and, finally, King Snurre II himself, and drove the giants back. He married the princess, and, in due time, became king, Theodoric I, the greatest king of Colwen.
In the centuries since, Colwen has grown into a wealthy land, with extensive grazing pastures in the south, fertile farmlands in the center, and rich forests in the north, and beyond that the mineral wealth of the Dragonspine Mountains. Although usually peaceful, the barons of Colwen occasionally allow their squabbles to fall into open war, and then the giants, perhaps sensing weakness and division, descend from the mountains in their fury, only to be turned back by a strong king or valorous knight wielding Grontdrengi.
Local
King Anselm, widely known as Good King Anselm, was a much beloved monarch. He was a kindly, moderate, and generous man, popular with noble and commoner alike. Alas, his wife, pregnant with what would have been their first child, died in childbirth, along with a stillborn child, decades ago, and he never remarried. Nor, apparently, did he ever "dishonor her memory" by taking a consort or even casual lover. As a result, when he died recently, he had no natural heir. Perhaps due to his peaceful nature and desire to avoid confrontations and resentment, he never designated an heir, leading directly to the current civil war.
There are three main contenders for the throne, popularly known as the Golden Prince, the Iron General, and the Silver Princess.
The Golden Prince, Xanthan Lancaster, is the dead king's closest male relative, albeit a distant one. He is also the nephew of Baron Stilicho Lancaster, one of the wealthiest and most powerful barons in Colwen. Prince Xanthan is a young man, named "the Golden" for his lustrous hair (typical of the royal family), his charisma and honeyed tongue, and his generosity with his wealth. He is also a Knight of the Order of the Cockatrice, renowned for his skill, panache, and flamboyant adherence to the chivalric code. However, many see his "generosity" as carelessness, his eloquence as hollow boastfulness, and his adherence to chivalry as more concerned with appearance and the letter of the code than with the spirit.
The Iron General, Domitian Neverion, is the Lord Marshall of Colwen. He is a blunt, dour, and pragmatic soldier, but respected even by his foes as courageous, skilled, and intelligent. He is a Knight of the Order of the Lion. Lord Marshall Domitian is supported by the King's Knights and most of the king's former household, as well as many smaller baronies, who fear the influence if Lancaster's or Highever's candidate takes the throne. However, his legal claim is extremely thin (a letter from the late king describing him as "like a brother or son"), his claim to nobility almost as thin (he is a knighted member of the gentry, and even status is in dispute), and even his claim to Taldan blood is in doubt, even among many of his supporters. Perhaps most critically, he lacks style, an important consideration for a man who would be a Taldan king.
The Silver Princess, Viviana Highever, is the dead king's closest living relative, but still rather distant. She is also the granddaughter and ward of Baron Vors Highever, whose only rival in wealth and power in Colwen is Baron Stilicho Lancaster. Viviana is known as the Silver Princess due to her hair, in which the royal blonde shades a platinum, nearly silver, blonde, and her purity and innocence. She is only thirteen years old, too young to rule in her own right, which leads to the conclusion that Baron Vors intends to rule as regent until she attains the age of majority, and probably to remain the power behind the throne after that. Vivana is also, of course, a girl, and there has only been one reining queen in Colwen's history, and she was the daughter of a king. Furthermore, the Highevers are followers of the Old Gods, while all of the other Barons, most of the commoners, and every king in Colwen's history have been followers of the Empyrean Gods. Finally, the fact is, very little is known of the girl herself.
As if the civil war were not bad enough, the giants have returned. They began raiding the Highlands, but have ventured all the way to the Lowlands, pillaging and razing entire settlements.
Worst of all, in the chaos and confusion following the death of Good King Anselm and the initial scramble for the throne, a giant raiding party stole Grontdrengi, the giant-slaying hammer and symbol of the kingdom! And still, the nobles fight among themselves for the throne! Surely the end of the Kingdom is at hand!
Nature
Colwen's flora and fauna are, for the most part, typical of southern Anderoth. There are few wild animals left in the Lowlands, but the scattered forests and fens still harbor a few deer, bears, and fey. The densely farmed Midlands leave little room for anything else, but household fey can be found in many farms and shops. The deep forests of the Highlands still contain many wild animals, deer, elk, bear, wolves, and the like, in addition to a fair number of fey. The deeper one goes into the Highland hills, and into the Dragonspine Mountains above them, the more likely one is to encounter dire animals, larger, more aggressive versions of their cousins in lower regions.
Most prominent of Colwen's native creatures, however, are the giants. In times of peace, the shy and reclusive stone giants will sometimes visit dwarfholds and highland steadings, seeking to trade labor for trinkets and worked metal. On rare occasion, mighty cloud and storm giants will venture from their lofty abodes. In times of war and chaos, the worst giants come forth, the brutish hill giants, coldly brutal frost giants, and the powerful and raging fire giants.
Nobility
Colwen is ruled by a hereditary monarchy, which traces its lineage back to the legendary King Theodoric I, and before him, to King Eudoxius I (formerly the last Satrap of the Azlanti Imperial Province of Colwen). In truth, there have been several breaks in the lineage, but "creative" genealogy has kept the line intact on paper. In cases where no clear, natural heir apparent exists, the barons select the heir by a 2/3 majority vote.
Beneath the king are twenty-three barons, who owe feudal loyalty to the king. Most of the kingdom is administered by the barons, with only a few estates and wild places directly administered by the king. The two most powerful and wealthy barons are Highever, of the Oakhills Barony in the Highlands, and Lancaster, of the Colchester Barony in the Lowlands.
Below the barons are the lords, lesser nobility who owe feudal loyalty to the barons. They administer the castles, estates, towns, and lands of the baronies.
There are also two special classes of nobility, the Lords Councilor, and knights.
The Lords Councilor administer the King's Household, and by extension the lands directly administered by the king, and the kingdom as a whole. Lord Councilor is purely an appointed, not hereditary position, and as lords, they technically fall below barons in order of precedence, and without personal lands, or income beyond that of their official office, and not generally wealthy. However, they speak for the king, wielding considerable power, often sparking conflicts with the barons. The three most important Lords Councilor are the Lord Chancellor, who administers the king's (and the kingdom's) finances, the Lord Chief Justice, who oversees justice throughout the kingdom, and the Lord Marshall, who leads the king's household knights, and oversees the defense of the kingdom.
Knights are the backbone of the armed forces of Colwen. All barons, lords, and kings of Colwen are, of necessity, also knights, as are most or all of their male relatives. A male member of the nobility may become a priest or a mage, but otherwise must become a knight or face disgrace and disinheritance. A member of the gentry, or even a commoner, may also be knighted, by any member of the nobility, including another knight. In theory, all knights are equals as brothers-in-arms, but in practice, knights from the lordly and higher nobility look down on "hedge knights" from the gentry on common folk. A knight who holds no other noble titles ranks between a lord and a member of the gentry, as the least noble order.
Below the nobles are the gentry. While not technically commoners, neither are the gentry nobles. In particular, members of the gentry are not knights (gentry who become knights are considered members of that social class rather than gentry). Gentry form the upper crust of the common society, and are generally merchants, mages, priests, magistrates, and other officials. The lines between commoner and gentry are not particularly clear, and it is not uncommon for a run of good or bad luck to lead a family to drift from one class to the other.
All of the kings and barons of Colwen are humans of Taldan extraction. Although not, strictly speaking, a legal requirement, it is a clear social understanding that non-Taldan cannot ascend higher than the level of a lord. Most lords and knights are also Taldan, but a fair number are non-Taldan humans, dwarves, and elves. The gentry is more diverse. Taldan are still predominant, but dwarves, elves, and even gnomes and halflings are common in areas where those races are found in numbers. Half-orcs are all commoners, and generally considered the lowest of the common at that. However, a handful of half-orcs have been granted knighthood for acts of truly great valor.
Planes
Colwen is on the Prime Material Plane.
Religion
As in much of Anderoth, the Empyrean Gods predominate. However, worship of the Old Gods is tolerated, particularly in the Highlands, where the Kellid and elven influences are particularly strong.
The Empyrean Church is powerful and wealthy in Colwen, but not independent. The church in each barony is overseen by a bishop appointed by the baron - usually a younger son of that baron. The Arch-Bishop of Casterwell Cathedral, appointed by the king, is nominally the head of the entire church in Colwen, but the individual bishops, backed by their baron patrons, are largely independent.
Colwen has no particular religious traditions beyond those common throughout Anderoth, but Keter and Binah are the most popular gods among the nobility, Gevurah and Tif'eret among the commoners.