Gramarye

Seperated from the island of Albion by the Misty Strait, the island of **Gramarye** is home to a number of Human kingdoms, all of which have united together in a feudal empire known as the **United Kingdoms of Gramarye**.

As the United Kingdoms rule the whole of the island and there are no realms independent of it to be found there, the empire as a whole is often simply called Gramarye as the political entity and the geographical reality of the island are essentially interchangable. The only real exception is the kingdom of Loudoun, an exclave member of the United Kingdoms in the far north of Albion.

## History

The United Kingdoms were founded by the conquests of King Uthyr Pendraig, King of Gwynedd, who conquered the various other kingdoms of Gramarye and united them all under his rule.

## Government

An empire of several united kingdoms, Gramarye consists of a handful of kingdoms, each ruled by a king who has sworn fealty to the High King. A lifetime but not hereditary position, the High King is chosen neither by lineage nor by election, but instead by magic. Whosoever, be he king or peasant, that can draw a magic sword from a magical stone is annointed High King. Upon the death of a High King, the sword is returned to the stone, and the challenge is issued anew.

The current High King, Geoffrey Dragonshead, is in fact a distant descendant of King Uthyr Pendraig, and many have come to believe that he is in fact Uthyr's prophesized reincarnation.

Although an absolute monarch, the High King is but one man and, naturally, has a council of trusted advisors and officials to aid him in the administration of the realm.

* Sir Bedwyr the Battle-Crowned, Marshal of Gramarye.
* Sir Cai the Worthy, Steward of Gramarye.
	+ Sir Luke the Majordomo, Steward of Logres.
* Myrddin, Lord Arcane of Gramarye.
	+ Lady Mariah Moonglow, Lord Arcane of Logres.

## Culture and Society

Although the handful of kingdoms which constitute the united kingdom of Gramarye each have their own cultural histories and practices, and in most cases were initially settled by different Human tribes, a shared and common culture of feudalism, chivalry, and mythic history has nonetheless grown out of Gramarye and taken hold among its peoples.

### **Hospitality**

In Gramarye as in many cultures, and especially feudal cultures, a person's home is considered to be sacrosanct. A person need not invite anyone into the safety of their home, but if they do, than both parties must obey certain rules of respect and safety. Once inside, peace must reign between host and guest, even if they are to discover they are hated enemies. They can go outside and fight, if they wish, or one may leave and then return with hostile intentions (presuming they are allowed back in) but while inside, both parties must remain peaceful. Indeed, a guest is even obligated to aid the owner of the home in its defense should they be attacked.

Hospitality is seen as one of the most sacrosanct and important rules, both mundane and divine, and breach of it as one of the gravest crimes. Those who violate the rites of hospitality will find themselves shunned by society, and cursed by men and gods alike. To violate this sacred rite is to willingly excise oneself from the whole of civilized society.

### **Knighthood**

Gramarye places enormous importance on knighthood and, as in many other cultures, there is a formal path that nearly all knights must follow, which takes them from a lowly page to a full-fledged knight.

In Gramarye, aspiring knights begin their careers as **Pages**. Young nobles between the ages of ten and fifteen, pages learn the ways of courtly life by observing their elders and performing the tasks assigned to them. At fifteen, young men seeking to continue their pursuit of knighthood may be promoted to the rank of **Squire**. As in many other cultures, squires are apprenticed off to proper knights to serve and learn from them. Most squires will, in fact, remain a squire their entire lives and never make it to true knighthood, while a minority will, after six or more years of service, be promoted to the rank and role of a full **Knight**. In certain exceptional cases, typically owing to either political connections or exceptional abilities, squires may be promoted to full-fledged knights prior to their 21st birthday, but such cases are quite rare.

The knights of Gramarye; particularly those of Gwynedd and Logria, are held to be among finest in Asul and to be surpassed as warriors only by those of Benoic.

### **Oaths**

As an oath is a sacred promise made under the witness of gods and men, it cannot be be broken without invoking the gravest of consequences. Implicit among these consequences are spiritual ones, risking one's soul being condemned to the Lower Planes, but the more immediate social consequences are no less important.

All members of society in good standing shun oath-breakers. A man's sworn word is among the few possessions he has which cannot be taken away, and is perhaps his most important. A breaker of oaths has no honor, and cannot be trusted. To break an oath is to forfeit one's place in society; all of feudal society after all is based upon oaths and the keeping of one's word, and thus an oath-breaker logically cannot be a part of society.

### **Society**

Owing to their feudal nature, all land in the United Kingdoms ultimately belongs to the High King. All legal rights, too, derive from him, although he has obviously delegated some of his land, rights, and responsibilities to his vassal kings who have in turn further delineated them amongst their own vassal lords.

Reciprocality is in many ways the heart of feudalism as lords are believed to have obligations to their vassals just as their vassals do to their lieges. As Gramarye is seen by many as an example of feudalism 'done right' these obligations are taken quite seriously by both parties, and the interactions between lords and vassals in Gramarye are generally tempered and colored by compassion and understanding.

#### **Class**

As in other feudal polities, the populace of Gramarye can be divided into three general classes; the nobility, the clergy, and the commoners. Operating within their idealized feudal framework, none of these three castes are seen as necessarily superior or inferior to any other, at least in theory, and each are at least nominally said to be vitally equal to society's function. It is, so the folk of Gramarye claim, in right and responsibility that a lord and a peasant differ, not in dignity or value.

#### **Gender**

In the kingdoms of Gramarye the traditional role of women as wives, mothers, and widows. Similarly, it is expected for all proper knights and gentlemen to afford women a high amount of respect and deference, and many social customs exist in service to this. Lastly, as noted below, the inheritance laws and customs of Gramarye are agnatic in nature and only in unusual circumstances may women inherit property.

All this being said, the gender norms of Gramarye are not as entrenched as they are in Benoic, nor are they as legally enforced. There exist many instances of women at arms, and even some female knights, in the history of Gramarye and many of these women are celebrated and held up as paragons of virtue and prowess the equal of their male counterparts. A woman in Gramarye seeking to enter into what is seen as a man's field will generally face some cultural opposition and possibly legal difficulty, but should she manage to distinguish herself will quickly find that her gender no longer affords her a handicap.

## Geography

The United Kingdoms of Gramarye are spread out across the eponymous island of Gramarye, although one of the member kingdoms, Loudoun, is in fact an exclave in the northernmost part of Albion.

At the island's north, the Misty Strait seperates southern Albion from northern Gramarye. An enormous stonewrought bridge, a marvel of Dwarven engineering and one of the wonders of the world, crosses the strait and has linked the two islands since ancient times.

### **Alclud**

The northernmost realm of Gramarye, **Alclud** is in many ways culturally more akin to the realms and peoples of Albion than of Gramarye. Indeed, nearly all the folk of Alclud speak with a distinct Albion accent.

### **Gwynedd**

The homeland of the ancient Combrogi, **Gwynedd** is the rainy kingdom of King Culhwch pen Gwynedd, a pastoral realm of mountains and hills where the sheep greatly outnumber the Humans.

### **Logres**

The political and cultural heart of Gramarye, **Logres** is the kingdom of the High King himself.

### **Loudoun**

An exclave in Albion, **Loudoun** is the realm of King Gawane Orcades the High King's own nephew by way of his sister, the infamous Anna Orcades. Due to its location in Albion, the Kingdom is generally rather distinct from the kingdoms of Gramarye, and frequent raids by Norsemen has served to make it culturally distinct from its neighbors in Albion as well.