The Holy Empire of Alenthyl

#### **The King**

The King acts as the ruling and sovereign monarch of Alenthyl. In addition to this, the King is also the acting Emperor of the Empire of Alenthyl. Like other nobles in Alenthyl, the King and his family adopt namesakes from past heroes. An example is King Avan Capewell II, who took after the famous namesake of King Avangtamos Capewell I. It should be noted that the title Queen may be a substitute should the ruler be a female, though this is less common in the nation’s history.

### **The Dukes**

The Dukes rule over duchies under the King, and are his direct vassals. The kingdom of Alenthyl is divided up into seven different ‘duchies’. One of these duchies is the capital lands, one of the smallest in size, but also heavily populated. This duchy is ruled directly by the King of Alenthyl.

The other distinctly different duchy is the duchy of Westershire, whose Duke or Duchess is referred to as Prince or Princess instead, referencing their royal family’s history. The other five are simple duchies, ruled by a Duke or Duchess. These nobles report to the King of Alenthyl himself.

### **The Counts**

Counts are nobles who own large amounts of land inside of the Duchies. These land masses tend to encompass multiple farmlands, patches of wilderness, and settlements ranging from small villages to sprawling cities. The counts report to their respective Duke or Duchess.

### **The Barons**

Barons are landowners within Counties who help the reigning Count run the territory. Baronies tend to span over various farmlands, villages, towns, and wild lands. Barons also tend to serve as advisers and stewards to their Count.

## Regions

### **Duchies**

#### **Westershire**

The oldest of all the duchies, with its roots going back before even Saint-King Alen. Out of every original kingdom in Alenthyl, Westershire was the only to withstand Alen’s conquest, and was only incorporated into Alenthyl once its king and queen peacefully abdicated. As a sign of respect, King Alen allowed the family control of the duchy, and allowed them to keep the title of “prince” and “princess”.

Westershire is located in the westernmost region of Alenthyl. It contains the river and swamp lands, a singular mountain known as the Western Watchpoint, as well as the three isles of Derth. Its main influence and power comes from its ruling family, the Westermonts.

Prince and Princess: Jason Westermont and Arielle Bywater

Capital: Westershire

Counties: Stonehelm, Prongton, Sweetbridge,

#### **The Arbor**

Located in the easternmost region, the Arbor is known for encompassing Alenthyl’s lush and verdant forests, east of the Bastion. During Alen’s conquest, the Arbor was sparsely inhabited, and those who had settled offered up little resistance. Isolated by the Bastion mountain range, the duchy of the Arbor continues to have a small population of mostly foresters and miners. The ruling Duke changes families frequently, as owning the Arbor doesn’t offer much prestige.

Duke: Simon Morrigan

Capital: Norianne

Counties: Nature’s Retreat, Rollen, Wood’s Hall,

#### **The Capital Lands**

Settled in the north, these lands are the capital of the kingdom of Alenthyl. Originally Saint-King Alen’s kingdom, it has since grown. It contains the great lake of the Lady’s Eye and is the largest trading center in Alenthyl. The kingdom’s capital, Alenton, is widely known as the wealthiest and largest city. However, the Capital lands are only recently being repopulated after the Broadwing’s rampage. Only recently was the capital city recovered, and the population moved from the large mines they had been living in. The Alenthylian Templar has its home in the Capital lands, as well as the reformed Arcane Order.

Emperor: Gideon Capewell

Capital: Alenton

Counties: Fort Daybreak, Tarry, The Spire

#### **Lordharbour**

A somewhat unusual duchy, in that it hardly encompasses any land. However, it controls the Goldensea, the largest bay in Alenthyl. The expansive Alenthylian navy is kept entirely in this bay, and Lordharbour benefits greatly from containing the military. Many of the port cities and keeps situated on the banks of the Goldensea are home to large garrisons and militias, and are widely known to be the greatest providers of military support during wartimes. Most recently, the Granthel-Alenthylian war. Lordharbour is often called the most prestigious duchy, and its ruling family can date back to the original courtiers King Alen placed in control.

Duke and Duchess: Martin Bywater and Loretta Macy

Capital: Port Darendale

Counties: Ashford, Martinople, Vance

#### **The Crags**

This duchy encompasses the Bastion mountain range of eastern Alenthyl. The Crags is a relatively small duchy, and yet one of the most well known. It also remains one of the wealthiest, with its gold mines seemingly ever fruitful. The Crags were, at one point, a Centrafield county. However, as their resources and wealth grew, the king decided that it would be more prudent to split the two, so as not to give one duchy too much influence.

Duchess: Morella Vincent

Capital: Gouldhearte

Counties: Stoneshaw, Boothe, Mellerne, Saintsvale

#### **Antonelle**

Located in the south, Antonelle is a Duchy with a particularly unique culture.  Historically, during the time before Saint King Alen’s conquest, Antonelle was one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms within Alenthyl. However, their size and strength didn’t come from military might, but from skilled diplomats and a talent towards political matchmaking. This strategy won them lands and people, albeit at a slow, yet steady pace and allowed their citizens to primarily focus on art, literature, and other more cultural pursuits. When Saint-King Alen’s conquest began, Antonelle failed to muster a large and experienced enough force and was summarily crushed.  Shortly after, the people of Antonelle yielded and allowed their lands to be taken, although the culture they spent centuries perfecting remained intact.

Amidst the chaos of the Broadwing Destruction, shortly after the Razing of Tarry, a great deal of Antonellans used their access to the sea to flee Alenthyl. Many of these refugees settled in Deurlyth, forming the Republic of Novania. Others found themselves in Elterlein, Volvar, or Sinval, and an unfortunate few were captured by Aurosi slavers.

Control of the Dutchy of Antonelle has changed a total of three times following the unification of Alenthyl. The original Dukes were known as House Gilbeault, however, they were ousted by an old and bitter rival, House Valentine, who went on to hold the title for centuries. However, following the exodus of people leaving Antonelle, House Valentine fled Alenthyl, leaving the position open to any house with enough influence to take control of the duchy. Since then, the role of Duke has been filled once more by House Gilbeault.

As per the typical arrangement, the greater duchy is divided into four counties, each of which has anywhere between ten to sixteen baronies within the county, which manage the everyday affairs of the various settlements located therein.

Duke and Duchess: Ralph Gilbeault and Tatianna Bissette

Capital: Lavette Rochelle

Counties: Mon Michel, Arlenne, Calcassonne, Challex

#### **Centrafeld**

Located in the center of Alenthyl, Centrafeld is known for its verdant, expansive fields. Known to be the biggest duchy, Centrafeld has several large cities and several more keeps. The great city of Florham once stood here, and since its destruction its ruins have remained untouched. Many take pilgrimages here, to see the city where the first Pontiff was stationed. Several great cities have sprung up in Centrafeld, and with each came another Baron vying for power.

The title of Duke has been passed around more times than any remember, with the longest to have held it only holding it for thirty years.  Furthermore, Centrafld is the breadbasket of Alenthyl, providing over a third of all food consumed within the country, and competition between villages is fierce to produce the best, and most crops.  It’s central location provides a steady influx of labor and culture from the other dutchies, causing it to easily be one of the most diverse Dutchies in Alenthyl.

Duke: Jeremiah Fortelde

Capital: Beckendale

Counties: Windermere, King’s Rock, Florham, Goldfield, Eastcliffe

## Military

### **The Overseer**

The Overseer coordinates his subordinate officers and acts as a liaison between the military and the King. However, he is generally given hold over the military, and allowed to decide all strategic plans, and therefore execute them with the help of his various officers and coordinators.

### **The Grandmaster**

The Grandmaster is the leader of the Light's Vindicator, a branch of the military mostly affiliated with the church. It is tasked with purging darkness and cleansing the lands. Its ranks are filled by Light mages. Often the Light's Vindicator are also referred to as the Light Paladins. Similarly, the Grandmaster is also sometimes called the Light Paladin Commander.

### **The Knight Commander**

The Knight Commander manages the primary fighting force of Alenthyl, the Vanguard. Often the Knights of Alenthyl serve as the next in command under the Knight Commander, however as the name implies, serve under the Commander.

### **The First Ranger**

The First Ranger serves as the leader of the Rangers, a small branch of Alenthyl’s military that operates in covert operations or in the gathering of intelligence. They are also seen as the leaders of all ranged combat in military campaigns.

### **The Grandmaester**

The Grandmaester is the head of the Priory of Alenthyl. Often the members and the Grandmaester are known to be the keepers of knowledge and are experts in many fields of studies.

### **Lord Admiral**

The Lord Admiral manages the Alenthylian Navy. The Navy is often considered the front line of the defense of Alenthyl, as their vessels are commonly seen patrolling the seas around the nation.

### **The Guard Captain**

The head of the national guard of Alenthyl. Under the Captain are varied Lieutenants, charged with enforcing laws and keeping the peace in different regions around Alenthyl. The guard of Alenthyl is often known as the Alenthyl Watch. All members of the Alenthyl Watch are of lower rank than the Holy Templar.

### **Overview**

Typical of feudal societies Alenthyl relies on a decentralised military of which the base is formed by the various landholders and nobles across the land, essentially levies which are raised during a time of war. However, a standing force does exist which consists of Paladins and Lordly Retinues (household/town guards, footmen, squires, etc)

The Alenthylian Navy is regarded as the best in the world, striking awe into friends and foe for its superior logistics and overwhelming firepower at sea.

#### **Doctrine**

##### **Land Forces**

A majority of Alenthyl’s land forces consist of levies which are raised only during times of war and internal conflict. The training and equipping of men lies to the individual lords with their expected contribution correlating to the amount of plots they control (plots in this case refer to the number of families and
enterprises that they estimate to control – a quota based on geographical area is flawed due to the fact that not all land is equal and some may be sparsely populated.

Although each lord is responsible for their men, during campaigns more powerful lords often assume command over lesser lords a process which is dictated by the Emperor. It also depends on the amount of men each lord can muster – some lords are able to form their own independent unit due to size - most are absorbed into a larger unit. This creates inconsistency both in uniforms and quality as the level of training and quality of equipment would vary lord to lord.

In contrast to the rest of the world – Alenthyl’s levy system from the surface seems to be outclassed by the standing forces by the likes of Elterlein and Rune’Daath, which of course has standardisation and allow for quick response to any emergency. Yet it can be argued that the levy system of Alenthyl’s land forces is only necessary during war creating a sense of urgency resulting in higher morale as people rush to defend their homeland or to attain glory.

Alenthyl’s battlefield doctrine relies heavily on the performance of shock cavalry, the most feared and respected in their sphere of the world – the Mounted Elite Paladins. In regards to infantry, a mixture of polearm wielding and sword/shield wielding grunts form the frontlines of the Alenthylian battle formation. Alenthyl does not place a large emphasis of ranged warfare although archers/crossbowmen are a common sight in the skirmish stage of battle – instead the Alenthylian’s prefer tiring the enemy in short burst of relentless melee followed with a heavy cavalry charge to rout the enemy. Overall the land army is a balanced force, however lacking in sustained ranged support.

In regards to magic Alenthyl shuns the destructive forms of magic such as Dark, Fire, Earth, etc. Their magical doctrine is defensive, based on healing and enhancing the ability of their soldiers. Paladins are known for their resilience in battle, able to withstand many blows. Mercenaries are often used during long campaigns or where specialist knowledge is required.

Stated above is the general nature of Alenthyl’s military doctrine – however it would be wrong to say that it is standard across the board. Lords differ in their methods and hence it is possible to find something out of the ordinary.

Technologically, Alenthyl’s land forces are not astounding in anyway, however, they boast a formidable arsenal of cannons primarily for siege warfare. Experimental magical devices have also been used yet they have not performed very well across the board.

Individually the ideal portrait of an Alenthylian soldier would be the following: Motivated by their faith, some to a degree of fanaticism and displaying a fierce sense of duty and loyalty to their liege.

##### **Navy**

Superior in numbers and firepower the Royal Alenthylian Navy has no comparison. Its navy is a diverse force with a ship for every situation and need. The majority of mid-level leadership is made up of commoners and advancement is according to merit rather than social status.

The Royal Alenthylian Navy unlike its land forces is a highly organised
force led by the Lord High Admiral. Possessing the largest navy in the world – Alenthyl holds naval supremacy over their seas. Harnessing
superior logistics, the Alenthylian Navy is able to strike at any foe in
 an instance. For example the invasion of Granthel would not be possible
 had it not been for the resources of the navy.

At the core of navy organisation would be a fleet its respective naval base which is commanded by an Admiral. The navy’s strength does not lie in its overwhelming firepower but rather the skills of its high command and allowing individual fleets to act as an autonomous force rather than to be bogged down by a bureaucracy. Fleets are named after the leading Admiral. Unlike the land forces, the navy is overseen by the Emperor and the Lord High Admiral. Its operations extend outside military endeavours – the navy protects trade activity and participates in it. The Royal Alenthylian Navy also possesses a limited number of airships for unconventional or experimental operations.

When engaging in battle the navy forms a line with its largest ships facing the broadside with their cannons – hence giving rise to the term “ship-of-the-line”. The fleet then begins bombarding the enemy from a long range with smaller ships flanking around to board disabled ships. Perhaps the only weakness of the navy is the ships natural vulnerability to magical warfare. This has been exploited by its cousin Granthel focusing on destroying ships with raw magical power rather than conventional means. Airships also pose an issue to its navy due to lack of reach – however new guns are being developed specifically to counter airships.

##### **Summary**

Overall it could be said that the navy is the vanguard of Alenthyl’s military. Stepped in a rich seafaring tradition enhances the status of the navy in society. First to invade and first to defend they are the long arm that keeps Alenthyl powerful. However, it is important not to understate the feudal army that peculiarly exists alongside a modern and highly organised navy. Although the doctrine of combined arms is not particularly developed in Alenthyl (in contrast to Elterlein) both the navy and the lords work in tandem to achieve their goals – the navy
maintains supply lines overseas while the land forces hold land and win battles.