Introduction to Dhoesone

My brother calls for my aid, in addition to the bonds of blood Tuarhievel is both Dhoesone's strongest ally and potentially its most perilous foe, thus I cannot deny his call. He would not call unless there was dire risk and so I must make preparations should I fail to return.

Dhoesone is, I fear, a realm in chaos; our army was routed last season by giants and other vermin raiding from the north – without the hasty reinforcements sent from Anuire we would be in a parlous state, as it is few of the troops in the realm truly answer to you.

Dhoesone is often described as a cross-roads. Rjurik meets Anuirean, human meets sidhe, boreal meets northern plain. In some respects this is a strength, to our call will answer Anuirean knights or Rjurik archers, and we can call on the advice of Erik's druids or Haelyn's law-priests. In other respects however, Dhoesone is more vulnerable to the stresses that can tear a realm apart. In the past two decades these latter forces have been in ascendant, perhaps with careful leadership the realm can regain the strength and prosperity it once held as the gateway to the north.

Many guilds claim rights within Dhoesone, none treat the realm with love for all see it merely as a source of wealth. From the south came Mheallie Bireon, long a thorn in the side of the Barons of Dhoesone and contemptuous of our laws and love of the land. Mheallie's Northlands Exchange is run locally by Gareth Cayne and is supported by Entier Gladanil the Count of Cariele. The Northlands Exchange has however seen many of its plans ruined of late by the abrupt and unexpected rise of the Stjordvik Traders led by Storm Holtson, who seeks his own mastery of Dhoesone's guilds. Holtson relies on Óski Osricsson to manage his affairs in Dhoesone on a day to day basis but remains the guiding force behind the Rjurik-based guild.

Adaere Doneim also runs a small guild in Dhoesone and Tuarhievel, and takes advantage of his guilds relatively small size by responding swiftly to events, capitalizing on the occasional delays of the other guilds as they seek guidance from their more distant masters in Cariele and Stjordvik.

Gaelin Thuried runs the Upper Anuire Traders and specializes in trading goods in Thurazor, maintaining only a few factors and agents in Dhoesone to purchase whatever the goblins will pay for. Bannier Andien alone is a native of Dhoesone, he tries to run his guild in a legal if grasping manner and gets squeezed by the other less moral guilds as a result. Aside from Andien, and to a lesser extent Doneim, the guilders put aside their mutual dislike of one another and their business rivalry to combine against the crown whenever it attempts to regulate commerce.

The churches of Dhoesone also strive against each other to the realm’s detriment. Larra Nielems leads the Northern Reformed Church of Sarimie which is rapidly growing in strength on the back of support by the guilds and has vocally opposed all attempts to subdue the guilds as a result. Nielems' lieutenant, Darien Nolien is the Sacred Minister of the capital, Sonnelind although Darien has little real independence - Nielems is in Dhoesone fairly frequently, spending about half of her time in the realm.

Bjorhtwald Bjondrig is the Archdruid of Dhoesone. Cariele's exiled Archdruid, Euric Aelis, holds court as Bjorhtwald's welcomed guest. The druids have long quietly held court over the more rural areas of Dhoesone but have taken a more aggressive stance of late as Sera’s church grows. James Ardannt is the Prelate of Haelyn's Bastion of Truth, once the pre-eminent church of the land the Bastion is now fading swiftly as the knights grow few in number as they fall defending the land.

My two cousins, Clumine and Daeric, are both wizards and split the sources of the realm between them. They have ever do what they can to aid me and the realm without giving any advantage to each other.

When the cousins joined together to drive out the dreaded mage Laak the Serpent a decade ago most of the populace expected the realm to finally know peace in arcane matters – the realm has long suffered both the attentions of exiled Rjurik fleeing their sorcery-hating brethren and wizards driven out of the heartlands to ‘the last bastion of civilization in the north’.

Clumine and Daeric however fell out in a terrible and unexplained manner almost immediately after their victory, their constant rivalry has some wishing for the days when Laak ruled in the north and ‘while being turned into a frog was a possibility at least one always knew which way the wind would blow’.

As you know the former Baroness has returned to Tuarhievel, amazing as it may seem to a noble such as yourself, it seems that Fhiele simply decided that she was not wanted by the people, and therefore should not seek to impose her will upon them – a very elven way of thinking I must say – indeed in further proof, should any be required, of her elven nature she often described rulership as a burden rather than Haelyn’s blessing to his favored children!

Her grace’s missive shows you the task you face, the realm suffers from great problems your grace, I pray that you are equal to them. Be assured that you will have my fullest support in dealing with them.

Helaene Dosiere Seneschal of Dhoesone

A new lord rises above us, and a new day dawns. Let us seize this day my friends! Let us cast off the ties of hidebound tradition that hold us back and dare to seek a more profitable future! Haelyn’s tradition serves only to bind us to the mistakes of our fathers; Erik’s caution would have us starve before we took what we need from the land and wrought of it what we wished to better our lives. Let a new day dawn! Let us dare to seek a better life for ourselves and our children!

Lord Baron, my troops are fallen but my lord still supports Dhoesone - give me leave to raise a levy of your people. I will train them in war as only the armies of Boeruine are truly trained and lead them in the defense of your people - the giants of Bjondrig shall fear our vengeance and the land shall be free for your people to return.