Scanbrough

Scanbrough is a country on the south shore of the Trade Lake. It borders Faramond, Dunfleasel, Oshijan, Senheim, Roumidia and Falsil.

Scanbrough has strong ethnic ties to Faramond, Dunfleasel, Omeland and Talor.

Scanbrough is divisible into the Southride, Midride and Northride, though the latter contains the capital and is a region only in name.

 History

### Scanbroughan League

Scanbrough was formed by several dozen rebelling Farmondian nobles led by three Caped Men. The Caped Man of Sturlmere, Aldric Higwalding, declared his independence in 634, bringing his vassal Riding Men with him. This caused a chain reaction in which the Caped Men of Calcherth and Arkwell also rebelled. This brought all of modern Scanbrough into the rebellion, which would come to be known as the Scanbroughan Secession.

Initially the Caped Mens' forces were divided and did not work together. After the Faramondian army inflicted several crushing defeats, Aldric Higwalding sought the support of the other Caped Men. It was agreed that they would fight together, and the now-united Scanbroughan forces faced and defeated Faramond at the Battle of Shepsted Hill. This battle resulted in the deaths of the Caped Men of Arkwell and Calcherth and the extinction of their lines (Houses Farnton and Standler respectively). Subsequently house Higwalding inherited their titles and fully united Scanbrough as a monarchy with Aldric at its head.

### Grand Riding of Scanbrough

   Shepsted Hill led directly to an armistice, with Faramond recognising Scanbrough's independence in 636. Relations with its neighbours were good; house Higwalding was ethnically tied to the peoples of Talor and Satï, even if common Scanbroughans were not, and trade was plentiful between Scanbrough and its cousins.

With the disintegration of the Vardanid state to the south several decades later, Scanbrough's southern neighbour Roumidia became significantly more belligerent as it realised it could take advantage to expand into the ex-Vardanid states while they were weak and

fractured. This led to border friction between Scanbrough and Roumidia, and relations have been shaky ever since. More importantly, Roumidian border raids meant that house Higwalding raised a permanent force of horsemen to guard the Roumidian border, the Calcherth Riders.

Lately Scanbrough has been friendly with Lacrive due to the ambitions of its new Throned Man Stalric. The new monarch wishes to expand, and sees the conquest of its smaller neighbours as the way to accomplish this. Scanbrough is taking part in the War of the South Lake, fighting the Dalforean League for hegemony over the southern shore of the Trade Lake.

## Geography

### **Administrative Regions**

There are three regions in Scanbrough: Northride, Midride and Southride.

The former, Northride, is home to the capital city Sturlmere, and is rather built up in the surrounding area in the form of the towns Langsea, Guildwich, Ottenden, Ilheiy and Ovardale as well as Hindbeck, Crunford and Newcrenne further away.

Midride lies in the centre of the country and is governed from the city of Calcherth in the far east. It is composed of the towns of Torncastre, Kalde, Wolfden, Pryebank, Bredon and Aldcast.

In the southern region of Southride, the administrative centre is Arkwell, and the region consists of the towns of Dalry, Yarrin, Shepsted, Wodeley and Larchton.

## Politics

### **Government**

Though Scanbrough is governed by a generic feudal monarchy, it has rather unique titles for its government ranks. The monarch is known as the Throned Man, and those who would be Dukes in other nations are called Caped Men in Scanbrough. These Caped Men have control over Riding Men, synonymous with Counts.

### **Legal System**

Most issues are resolved in local courts by the Riding Man of the area. Any larger issues are passed on to the local Caped Man, and very rarely issues may make their way to the Throned Man.

## Military

### **Strength**

The Scanbroughan army is entirely levied in times of war, with the exception of the Calcherth Riders - though these are exempt from normal military service in all but the most dire of circumstances. Following the pattern established by the Riders, the Scanbroughan levied army is comprised of mounted men only - a maxim of Scanbroughan warfare is that speed matters more than anything else, so infantrymen are regarded to only slow the force down.

There is a core of around seven hundred highly-trained and disciplined Riding Men, Caped Men and knytes dispersed around the country. In times of war, each of these men will raise local levies, provide horses if necessary, and join the royal army wherever they are gathering. A typical knyte can raise eighty to one hundred levies, Riding Men up to two hundred men and Caped Men up to five hundred, though this number fluctuates wildly depending on the availability of horses and men. Normally this is only half to one third of the potential forces raised, but many are turned aside if they lack a horse.

### **Equipment**

Scanbroughan horsemen are equipped for a wide range of roles, but rarely are they split by role. Horse archers, lancers, melee cavalry and skirmishers ride together in one mass, similar to the Belgodonski style of warfare - though the similarity of the two styles is entirely coincidental.

The typical Scanbroughan horseman wears a leather brigandine or chainmail vest over a padded coat. Helmets of iron are growing more common, and tend to be adorned with equine patterns and designs. The richer among them have designs on their weaponry as well, picked out in bright brass on the hilts and pommels of their swords. Most rank-and-file horsemen cannot afford swords, however, and make do with axes, clubs and spears.

## Culture

### **Flag**

Scanbrough's banner consists of the Higwalding arms on a blue field. A simplified version of the Higwalding arms, 'Chevronny Azure and Or, counterchanged per Pale', is supported by two horses to represent the prowess of Scanbroughan horsemen.

The flag of the original Scanbroughan League was 'Gules, three horses rampant Argent'. These horses represent the three Caped Men.