Kingdom of Clonran

The **Kingdom of Clonran** is a well-established kingdom east of the Holy Empire of Visimar and North of the Petty Kingdom of Ive. Its kingdom is a feudal heavy kingdom that came to power around 900 after a feudal clan confederacy took over the tribal controlled area and confessed their faith to Garung and converted their political ways to more traditional feudalism. The kingdom has close ties with the Holy Empire west of them as several marriage ties and non-aggression pacts had made the population more than happy to be in the mighty empires' good side. There has been talks between nobility within the kingdom to request being entry into the Holy Empire of Visimar, but opposition developed, creating a faction crisis within the kingdom.

### Geography

The Kingdom of Clonran, despite being a small kingdom has access to the great Rollie Sea. The kingdom also is known for the many foothills and plains to the north that has more than fertile land in all parts. Despite what the East Region might say geography-wise, the kingdom's land is ok for the farming seasons unlike their cousins down south that suffer from the swampy bogs and highlands that stop them from farming. The broken hills and rolling fields of Clonran has also allowed for a proper shepherd culture to develop which is mostly dominated by sheep and pig herding. This area of shepherd dominated land has been designated the name of Black Lands, the translated tribal name given to the land by the tribes that inhabited it prior to confederation. For this reason, an increased population in searbh-chas dogs; also known as corgis, have accompanied the shepherds development. Many roving bands of wild corgis have been known to harass shepherds, and often make up the predatory population of certain regions within the Black Lands.

### People and Economy

The common folk of Clonran can resemble many aspects that the peasants and freemen of the Empire of Visimar carry albeit with a touch of clan roots embedded within their way of life. As they follow traditional feudal traditions, their society can be divided between Peasants/Freemen/Merchants and Petty Nobles/Nobles and Knights/King. The few clans that are within the borders of Clonran can also be tied into this foreign feudal system in their own respects. Economically, Clonran has fat coffers during peacetime as their tariffs and tolls that many nobles introduce to the famous Road of Odin that crosses their land. This can also be thanked by the abundance of foreign traders as well as a lack of outlaw and bandit issue that would threaten the lives and business of many merchants that use the roads of Clonran to take a cheaper route to the ever famous Jade Road. Through the Road of Odin is a tough journey to take, many merchant guilds have been established to police the road for tariffs and tolls, with respects paid to the king with a minor cut of the toll rates. Although the merchant guilds aren't as lucrative as the Free State's and Visimar's, they are among the most profitable in the Eastern Realm due to the Road of Odin alone.

Shepherds have also made their way into populating the countryside's of Clonran. Their continued presence allows the economy of villages and small towns along the countryside to dominate the Eastern Realm's wool and pork economy, rivaling even Maol-Moirel's mighty shepherd clans. Most folk in the countryside spend their days tilling the ground as well as protecting their herds from roving animals and the occasional bandit. Shepherds are well known along the countryside to be proficient in the use of a sling. This weapon is accurate among seasoned shepherds and many bring it as a weapon of war when called into military service. Many younger adults who do not marry and aren't tied to nobility usually flee into the hills for a period of time and harass other shepherds and rivals. These bandits are often dubbed "hillmen", with groups usually consisting of 10-30 men of Visimarian and Clannish decent. Sometimes they are often hired by mayors and barons to raid and harass their rivals, who usually are paid to raid clannish territory in the South West and rivaling baronies including the Barony of Luutz and the Barony of Gelbar, two historically heated tribes with a rivalry spanning back hundreds of years before confederation.

The kingdom of Clonran also has a small amount of clan folk within their territory. Migrations from earlier eras before the establishment of Clonran meant that some accommodations had to be made to facilitate this culture. Treaties have been negotiated between the two major clans in the south-western part of Clonran that allows for the settling of clannish folk as long as they provide military service in times of "external and internal strife". Many caterans as is usual among confederated clans under feudal territory bring only what is bare minimum as dictated in their contracts, making the relationship between the kingdom and these clans dubious at best. Clans including the White Fish clan and the Skinned Ewe clan; two of the major clans that have negotiated treaties with Clonran, are used to bully the minor clans into submission during times when clan integrity was rebellious. They also copy the lifestyle of the civilized tribes of the Black Lands

### Military

Just like many other feudal kingdoms of Clamund, the Kingdom of Clonran relies on the ever so trusty feudal system that backs their entire kingdom. A common army would rely heavily on the use of spear-armed levy backed up by wings of knights and mounted retainers. Because of the small area that Clonran controls. There is little land to be given to nobles and knights under the service of the king. This leads to smaller armies that could be raised in times of war.

Many levies are pulled from Clonran's general population. Since most are drawn from the city and towns, a collective interest in spear and shield heavy infantry formation seemed to be the most trainable and easy to produce. This is common across all feudal kingdoms in Clamund and continues to be the most dominant. Levies are seldom given equipment of good quality by their lords, leaving some without armor or even a long spear. Luckily it is also common in Clamund to have levies closely put behind or in front of better quality footmen. In Clonran, this is usually knights and their retainers who are trained in combat. Their equipment, unlike the Imperial armies of the Holy Empire, is dominated by the use of chainmail and coats of plates, a cheaper alternative to breastplates and plated armour.

Hillmen and clansmen under treaty contract are often huddled together as a separate fighting force from the spear dominant main force. These formations are unique as clansmen often fight in mixed formations with sword and arrow as well as hillmen who often bring sling and shield to battle. This medium-style of fighting allows for these formations to easily adapt to situations that develop on the battlefield, making them perfect for flanking and small-scale skirmishes with patrols and enemy warbands. It is seldom seen but there are some clans that dominantly use horses in battle, but their numbers often don't add up to full battlefield formations, often being integrated into what little mounted knights exist in a Clonnish army.

A unique portion of Clonran's armies include the heavy reliance of the sling as the ranged portion of a muster. Since slings are often used by country shepherds, it was deemed unnecessary to divide a levy into soldiers that use spear and men that use bow and crossbow as shepherds and hillmen often use a sling to deadly effect. Since many countrymen are able to be mustered during times of war, most are delegated as ranged formations who skirmish in front of the main force, retreating to the flanks of the enemy once battle is met to attack rear units with knife and shield. Slings are often heralded as the perfect weapon as ammo is easy enough to come by while maintenance of a good sling is not an issue, making it perfect for the broken hills of the Black Lands on and off the battlefield.

## History

Despite being a newly confederated kingdom at around 900, The kingdom of Clonran has an extensive history of tribal disputes and heritage which can be traced all the way back to the time of the Wizard Kings. Although lacking in historical records, oral historians of the remaining tribal population in Clonran focused in the shepherd communities in the Black Lands, as well as limited logs of Visimarian settlers and colonists.

### Age of Magic 0-600

Although records are limited. A famous oral tale exists that supposedly chronicles the early accounts of human tribes slaying a local Wizard King, this Wizard King is the only record of one ever being established in the Black Lands, it is speculated that Wizard Kings could not establish themselves here properly or a dominant Wizard was powerful enough to confederate tribes that roughly control the borders of modern day Clonran.

#### The Legend of Helmor Guarded Tongue, 0-10

The oral story of Helmor Guarded Tongue; or just Helmor, is a common story shared by Black Lands tribals since the early accounts of Visimarian contact. The Black Lands tribals claim the story predates the established date of the Age of Magic as Helmor is a myth that is usually a figurehead for a rebellion against wizard kings since the dawn of Clamund's history.

The Legend of Helmor begins by accounting the Black Land's tribal history and society while accounting the tale of a terrible wizard king who terrorized and hunted the tribesmen. The ballad accounts of a hero named Helmor who rallies the shepherd tribes against the wizard king using an army of shepherds. Many variations of this ballad have been made depending on the tribe who spoke of it, but the general story is common throughout it all. Many elders have claimed that every account was different as before the arrival of the Visimarians, each tribe in the Black Lands perceived reality in a different way, making each experience with Helmor during his rebellion different in some accounts.

In the end, Helmor defied a growing threat of the Wizard King by rebelling with the Black Lands tribes. Using this poem accounts for the early days of Clonran's history, but as the Wizard King's rule decreased in Clamund following their rapid deaths without heirs, the human tribes began to gather in fertile territories.

#### Migrational Period, 10-100

The Migrational period can be described as the period in Early Clamundian history that where races originally under Wizard King reign found themselves in inhospitable hinterlands and hostile territories. Since the greenskins were the dominate force in Clamund for much of its early history following the defeat of the Wizard Kings, many human, dwarf and elf tribes migrated across Clamund in search of habitable lands not occupied by any civilization. The Eastern Realm saw little emigration into other territories due to its seclusive nature and natural boundaries including the great swamps of Maol-Moirel and the mountain ranges in Northern Clonran. Although there is some evidence of early migrational conflict as tribes outside of Clonran attempted to settle in populated territory, these conflicts were usually extremely small in scale and involved most of a tribe's male population, resulting in the loser's tribe being decimated and integrated into the winner's as slaves and wives. This tradition was common throughout Clamund and is not unique in the Black Lands. This was a period of constant conflict and settlements were often sacked and razed along the borders.

#### The Black Confederation, 120-350

Under tribal rule, the Black Lands rapidly developed into a confederated tribal system, copying the unique clannish system of the Union of Maol-Moirel in 120. The Black Confederation consisted of smaller shepherd tribes uniting into a much larger form of government in order to centralize rule and military action in the region. This confederation was created out of the threat of invasion from the fledgling Kingdom of Visimar as well as the Kingdom of Davenburt in the South in fear of the rise of feudalism and its expanding realm. The confederation also helped in coordinating armies and raids which were utilized to regularly harass clans in the South as well as Visimar and Davenburt. Control over who dominated the confederation often resulting in infighting. Which finally resulted in its fracture in the fifth decade of the 4th century. After the collapse, the lands were largely associated by its former name, the Black Lands.

#### The Nine Boar War, 357-364

The Nine Boar war was a period of conflict between several clans of the Union of Maol-Moirel over lands disputed by the Grey Boar clan. The conflict lasted over seven years as several clans led by the Great Boar John led several minor clans in an offensive against the black tribes. As the Maol-Moirel clansmen were better equipped and organized, the only organized tribal army of the Black lands fell at an unnamed battle near the borders of the two territories. What remained of the final years of the conflict was months of raiding and pillaging across the borderlands, forcing shepherds to relocate their herds further inland. The conflict ceased to continue after the Great Boar clan army retreated back to the union of Maol-Moirel after the borderlands were thoroughly looted.