Regis Caeli Dyntasy

The Kingdoms of the Regis Caeli, also known as the Regis Caeli Dynasties, is a group of highly martial feudal petty kingdoms that reside at the peak of the Dragon’s Spine, a mountain range. The Regis Caeli Kingdoms are second only in size to that of the Aramoor, both their chief rival and closest ally. Their culture and society revolve around the ideals of nobility, social birthright, and the upholding of a strictly enforced code of chivalry.

Ruled by the petty kings, the Regis Caeli is known throughout Aether for having some of the greatest Gryphon-knights, sometimes surpassing that of the Dragonguard of Aramoor. A proud and honourable kingdom, the armies of the Regis Caeli are composed mostly of Gryphon-knights and noblemen, who ride into battle with lance, gryphon, and sword, seeking glory and rooting out injustice wherever they go.

Gryphon-knights are trained to fight from childhood, and even the lowliest Knights are considered superior to regular warriors. Their skills are further enhanced through constant training, battles and tournaments.

However, while the loftiest ideals of personal bravery and strength can be found throughout the many Gryphon-knights, there is a much grimmer existence for its vast peasant population. The peasants are, for the most part, ill-fed, downtrodden and little use as soldiers. For their part, the Gryphon-knights are far superior in physique and ability and often fail to see the woeful conditions the peasantry must endure.

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## History

Like all societies on Aether the Regis Caeli can trace their origins back to the Great Awakening, gaining consciousness outside of what will be Aramoor. The group that became the Regis Caeli were initially three individual groups, they had grown tired of the lack of emergent leadership among the people and felt without decisive leadership, nothing would be achieved.

As such three groups left Armoor under the same pretence to found their own realm on Aether and achieve what Aramoor has failed to do. These groups were led by three families: The Bordeaux, the Robair and the Lyonfort. These three families would go on to become the founding members of the royal petty kingdoms of the Regis Caeli.

### Petty Kings

All though the three groups had left Aramoor at the same time and in the same direction, the three refused to work together at all. They would argue and even fight on another as they moved across Aether. Despite these interactions the three seemed intertwined by the fates, following a similar path across Aether.

Eventually one by one the groups arrived at a mountain range. A long range of mountains, folklore claims the mountain range to be the skeletal remains of a huge ancient dragons’ spine, hence the name DragonSpine Mountains. The three groups claimed one mountain and the surrounding foothills as their domain. And so the kingdoms of Bordeaux, Robair and Lyonfort.

Three groups seemingly tied by destiny, since they left Aramoor, each finding the same mountain range and settling within close proximity. An odd confluence of fate, for the three had grown to despise one another after their interactions on the road. Now settled little changed among the three kingdoms.

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### First Winter

During the summer and spring, small raids were conducted on each other, little was taken in these raids or damaged; it was just proving the other was weak. Come the winter this all changed, winters atop the mountain are hazardous even now with modern solutions but in the first few years it was basically a death sentence.

Crops that had been grown in the summer and spring had been stockpiled, and housings were cladded with extra materials in an attempt to keep the heat in. This worked for the most part, many did not make it through the first winter, but as the winter's passed lessons were learned and less perished.

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### Gryphons

Gryphons are now synonymous with modern Regis Calie but it was only after the second winter that the first Royal Gryphon tamed. During the winter months the snow was so thick it would often cover the mountain passes making trade impossible, any product that did make it to the border settlements failed to make it any further into the kingdom.

The solution, flight. Gryphons did not need roads to traverse the world and were plentiful, having roosted atop the mountains. It was the 1st king of Robair that took upon the task. It is claimed his majesty and pureness swayed the beast and the two formed a union of equals. Whether this was true, only the royal records of Robair would tell. After this the Gryphons would be tamed and partially domesticated for the nobility.

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### The Queen of Witches

Unbeknownst to the petty kingdoms, the DragonSpine mountain was home to more than just Gryphons, in the snow peaks was the Fae Steading of the Queen of Witches, perfectly hidden by fae magic. Only when she wanted to be found would she. She was aware of these humanoids that had taken home among her domain, but she was not concerned by their presence.

It was during the 5th winter that the Queen of Witches will make herself known to the Regis Caeli. The snow this year was worse than previous. The roads were impassable and the blizzards were relentless. So much so even the Gryphons refused to fly in such treacherous weather. But food stocks were running low and the people of Lyonfort weren't going to make it.

The King of Lyonfort was left with little choice unable to fly  and with his people on the edge, he donned his winter furs and exited his castle, he said “If I die then I died protecting my people, and they shall soon share my fate, at least I tried”. He ventured out into the snow alone to try and save his people. He’d been gone for two days when he returned with fresh food enough to last the winter for all.

When asked what had happened King Lyonfort claimed he’d met with the goddess Themega, she had listened to his plight and deemed him true of heart and a true agent of justice. Suddenly he claimed he felt invigorated and rejuvenated with the strength of 5 men. With this new found strength King Lyonfort was able to march down the mountain, retrieve the supplies and drive the oxen-cart back.

From this day all Seigneur knights and petty kings of the Regis Caeli have met with Themega being granted the same blessing as king Lyonfort  having proved to be true of heart and a true agent of justice. In fact Themega, is not Themega she’s  the Fae Queen of Witches. Having found King Lyonfort on that day the deranged king cold, hungry and tired confused her for the goddess Themega, this amused the Fae and she felt no need to correct him.

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### Unification

The three kingdoms had operated individually for a time. But after the 5th winter and the story of King Lyonfort spread to the other two kingdoms. The Kingdom of Robair and Bordeaux met in an emergency meeting. They were worried that this would set King Lyonfort above them and he would rule all three mountain kingdoms.

King Robair and Bordeaux now unified in approach met with King Lyonfort. To their surprise King Lyonfort was different to how they remembered him, he seemed wise for his years and almost shone. He proposed a new system, the three kings would rule independently and together at the same time.

Each king would be a petty king under Themega the true ruler, the three will manage their own kingdoms internally, however any foregin trade or dealings with other sovereign states will be dealt with as equals not individuals. The other two were blown away by such a proposal, they found it hard to deny him. As such the modern Regis Caeli was born and the dynasties would rule equally.

New legislation and laws were drawn up around the right to rule. To be a petty king one must be chosen by Themega, the armies of the three kingdoms were consolidated into one force and a new knight rank was added ‘Seigneur Knight’ this was a knight chosen by Themega.

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## Government

The Regis Caeli Dynasty is the amalgamation of three petty kingdoms, each rule their peak of the mountain range and acts independently of one another. However, in times of crisis, or when dealing with outsiders, the three kingdoms will meet and work together as one sovereign entity, making decisions and deals for all the three kingdoms.

The governmental system of the Regis Caeli society is the use and implementation of a feudal system, an outdated archaic political system that was widely used within Aether many centuries ago, but has since been removed and replaced with more efficient systems of government. The petty kingdoms are now the only humanoid kingdom to still follow this system.

The functionality of the feudal system is based upon oaths of loyalty between individuals within a society or nation, from which there is little to no direct form of a centralised government. The basic principles of the feudal system are: those below the social ladder must give up their goods and service to those of higher nobility in exchange for protection and certain rights, privileges and titles.

The peasantry of Regis Caeli form the foundations of this feudal system and are required to serve and obey the nobility without question in exchange for their protection. As such, the vows of the peasants are those of servitude. Above the peasants are the nobles, whose responsibility is the protection of their lands and subjects from the depredations of outside threats, who in exchange for land and a title, shall fight for the petty kings when called into war. Thus, the vows of the nobility are ones of fealty.

At the very top of this social pyramid is the petty kings. There are three petty kings Their rule is sovereign and absolute, no laws made within the kingdoms having any hold upon the actions of the petty kings. The three petty kings have the right to do anything they please within their realm, and can create new laws or legislation should they wish to do so.

Nearly all petty kings of the Regis Caeli are a shining beacon of chivalry, justice, and bravery. The petty kings have been known to truly care for all of their people, constantly finding ways to better the lives of their subjects under their rule and to root out injustice wherever it grows. Thus, the petty king's power serves as a check on abuses and exploitation made by the lesser nobility.

Below the petty king are the dukes. A duke of the Regis Caeli has royal power within their dukedom, but they are still subject to their petty king. That means a duke acting within their dukedom can break the law unless they disobey a direct order from a petty king themself.

Unlike royal power, the power of the dukes has been abused. All dukes hold their land directly from the King. In theory, the petty king can create as many dukes as they want, though the title is meaningless without land, which is in short supply.

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## Geography

The mountain realms of the Regis Caeli are notable for their spectacular scenery. Soaring cliffs and thundering waterfalls mark the outer edges of Dragon’s Spine mountain range, and on clear days, the peaks seem to shine from the snow on them. Farming and mining communities dot the edges of the mountain range, renowned for the extremely steep roofs of their houses, designed to shed snowfall quickly. Some of these communities are cut off from the rest of the Aether by foot for months at a time in winter.

The lands of the Regis Caeli is considered to be one of the most beautiful lands in all Aether. Regis Caeli chefs are famous for their culinary skills, and the wine produced in the lofty mountain vineyards of the country is renowned throughout the world. It is seen as a land of honour and virtue, where noble Gryphon-knights keep the domain safe as peasants work the sky fields, where chivalrous heroes slay monsters. This is the image the Regis Caeli want to project, and it is not entirely false.

## Religion

The religious spirit of the Regis Caeli is as divided as the division between the nobility and peasantry. The state religion is Viothism and all are encouraged to worship the divine pantheon apart from one. Themega the Goddess of Justice is highly revered among the Regis Caeli, so much so that only the nobility are allowed to worship her. Most nobles exclusively pay respect to Themega, ignoring the other divine gods. The peasantry are free to worship any of the other divine gods.

The reason why Themega is reserved for the nobility is because they believe she is here on Aether and supports their lofty ideals. What they have found is a being of great power hidden among the mountains but she isn’t Themega, she is Fae known as the Queen of Witches ruler of the Autumn court.

The Queen of Witches, was found by the people that would go on to be the Regis Caeli. They amused her, and she liked that they thought she was the god Themega. The people of Regis Caeli pay her much respect and do not get in her way, so she sees no harm in entertaining the few Knights of the Mountain that stumble into her realm. The stories say that Themega turn the Knights into paragon of absolute justice. In truth it’s fancy Fae magic that doesn’t do anything apart from looking pretty.

## Language

There are two main languages spoken within the Regis Caeli, Common and High Common. The most important is the high tongue, a dialect that is spoken only amongst the nobility. Almost exclusively spoken within the ducal and royal courts, it has a highly complex and rigidly formalised grammar, which was originally intended to create a language barrier between the upper and lower classes of society. Someone not raised to the tongue thus stands out immediately, preventing pretenders to nobility from easily entering a noble court.

Over time, it has grown to become an almost entirely foreign language, far greatly refined as compared to that of the rather course Common. Thus, High Common has also become a universal form of converse amongst the noble ranks for use in parlay and contract and all negotiation, a fact that any foreign visitor is wise to consider if he wishes to gain any respect and consideration in dealings of trade and commerce there.

All conversation with foreigners will be done exclusively in High Common, and the failure of proper diction will be seen as amusing, as well as inviting the unvarnished contempt of the local noble party, a fact that has led most foreigners to see them as being generally brusque, rude, and even arrogant.

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## Society

### The Nobility

The land of the Regis Caeli is a feudal, traditional society where peasants and commoners sever noble knights in return for protection, while the Gryphon-knights are bound militarily to serve their lords in return for certain rights, privileges and landed titles. As the top of this feudal hierarchy is the petty kings. Beneath the petty kings are the dukes. Beneath them are lesser ranks of nobility such as marquises, earls, viscounts, lords and Gryphon-knights, all in descending order.

Each of the senior nobles is also master over several Gryphon-knights, who are the lowest noble rank of society. Each Gryphon-knight, including the higher nobles, has to raise their full-time force of Men-at-arms, chosen in front of the most physically able peasants within their domain. In return for serving their Knightley lord, each peasant is given a small tract of land to sky farm for their family and be expected to be called upon in times of war, to form a peasant militia of archers and piked commanded by the highest-ranking noble present.

The Gryphon-knights of the Regis Caeli dynasties are divided into four generalised rankings, from Gryphon-Knight they are granted and allowed to ride Gryphons into battle:

* Knight Errant - The young of noble families must prove themselves in battle to earn their spurs.

* Gryphon-knights  - Should they survive to become fully honoured Gryphon-knights, they are granted their own small landed estate to govern, called a knight’s fee or tithe, and are obligated to defend that estate and the Regis Caeli should they be called to muster.

* Knight of the Mountain - These are brave individuals, revered as the mountain’s most dedicated and selfless heroes. They willingly renounce all titles and worldly possessions, so to journey unto faraway lands, all in hopes of finding Themega and being deemed worthy to become a Seigneur Knight.

* Seigneur Knight - These are the most powerful and revered individuals in the mountain kingdoms. They are considered living saints who represent the fearsome might and power of the Regis Caeli, chosen by Themega herself they answer only to the petty kings themselves; a petty king can only be chosen from within their ranks.

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### The Peasantry

The dynasties are notorious for their oppression of both the commoners and peasants, which most agree is stricter and harsher than those of other nations. This dark side of the Regis Caeli culture is placed unashamedly out in the open where all nobles and nobility are set high above the peasantry in all ways. Nobles have all the say in most matters, and peasants often live in far worse conditions than those in the Aramoor, Silia De La Notre, The Oushivia Tower and perhaps even the brutal Occidere Empire.

Nonetheless, the peasants have very few, if any, rights at all, and are kept illiterate and uneducated by law. They are often considered the mere property of their feudal lord, and must surrender nine tenths of their crops each harvest. As a result, most remain extremely poor throughout their entire lives. They may not leave their home estate unless allowed.

Justice is extremely harsh and entirely ruled by superstition; any peasant who is caught stealing or poaching is usually hanged. Far harsher punishment is dealt to any peasant who attacks a noble. They and their entire family will be drawn and quartered while all their closest friends and acquaintances will be crippled. Such is the price of rebellion.

A small but growing middle class of commoners, also referred to as Freemen, make up both the professional trades and merchant class within society. Although literate for the most part they can be either self-taught or instructed, as there are no public schools. All education is thus done by private arrangement and for a steep price.

Freemen remain socially segregated from the bonded peasants and give fealty unto a lord or landed knight but remain free to move, with permission from local authorities, if their skills are not considered too important to their current master and or community. Intellectuals such as scholars, magical-doctors, and other similar professionals are well-respected for their duties but remain of a lower class than the nobles, usually having about the same rights as a well skilled commoner with money.

The ownership of gold jewellery and the hoarding of gold is forbidden to all common classes, forcing merchants to deal almost exclusively in copper and silver. Gold is officially used only amongst the nobility, usually as tax and tithing unto the royal treasury. Any gold received in trade must be declared and handed over to a merchant's noble master, this being done each tithing day, and at an exchange rate that is considered criminal in nearly all other countries.

The Sumptuary Laws are most strictly applied to this class, with gold and certain gems forbidden to be worn publicly, as is cloth of purple, bright yellow, or green thread, or silk of any colour. Furs are restricted to rabbit, cat, and rat. The use of plate armour is strictly forbidden for the lower classes, as is the carrying of heavy swords or any weapon class above a rapier or light cavalry sabre.

Foreign visitors are permitted the use of both armour and heavy weapons upon being issued a licence at the border for a steep price, usually in the form of a bribe to the local petty noble forced to command a frontier estate, either due to dishonourable behaviour or powerful rivals within his duke's court.

Such duties are considered highly undesirable as it involves constant dealing with uncultured foreigners, whilst also living isolated from all centres of decent courtly civilisation. Papers must be carried at all times and adventurers can expect to be questioned and considered suspect by any local authorities when travelling beyond the border settlements.

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## Military

The Gryphon-knights of the Regis Caeli are feared and respected throughout the known world. Soldiers of valour and honour, they are exceptional warriors and guardians who protect a land founded upon the most heroic of ideals. In the name of the petty kings and for the glory of the dukes, they sweep aside evil on the field of battle, for none can stand against their glorious charge.

The Regis Caeli military is a powerful army formed around a core of brave Gryphon-knights supported by low-born peasants. Any who invade their domains face the fury of their powerful Gryphon-knights and few foes can match them in the skies. The knights range from the youngest Knights Errant, eager to prove their worth, through the Gryphon-knights, defenders of the land. Rarer still are the Knights of the Mountain, wandering warriors engaged in a quest. And then there are the legendary Seigneur Knights themselves, who have succeeded in their quest. Riding into war atop the finest Gryphons, the Knights of the Regis Caeli are warriors with few equals.

When a lord must go to war against the enemy, he appeals to the military assistance of his vassals. They in turn take the long process of summoning their own vassals to their banner, with most knights taking with them local peasants drilled in basic ranked pike combat or archery.

Due to feudal law, the military is well known to shun advanced weaponry, seeing them all as dishonourable weapons that go against the ideals of chivalry.

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**Created by MrBiscuits**

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