Faramond

Faramond is a tiny country wedged between Gabrainn, Dunfleasel and Scanbrough on the south shore of the Trade Lake.

Faramond was formerly a large kingdom, but is now in decline as dozens of lords defected to form independent kingdoms in the mid-6th Century.

In its current state, Faramond is governed from the coastal fortress of Faramond Keep, and the only three towns of note in the country are Windmere, Goldenleaf and Fallholt.

 History

In its earliest days Faramond was a loose federation of settlements along the coast of the Trade Lake, organised around Faramond Keep. There was a hazy border around a dozen leagues inland separating Faramond from the Vardanids, generally given as being the Prye River and the range of hills extending from its source.

The country kept itself to itself in regard to the Vardanids, instead trading with Varhold and Dalfore. Across several skirmishes the Vardanid Empire developed a healthy respect for Faramondian rangers and, by the time of the Great Gap, had given up any hopes of conquest while Faramond's strength snowballed.

Faramond emerged from the Great Gap as a kingdom spanning modern Faramond, Gabrainn, Dunfleasel, Scanbrough and the eastern part of Lacrive. At some point a King was crowned, leading to Faramond's current status as a feudal monarchy.

The country functioned fairly well as a feudal monarchy after the initial confusion of the Great Gap wore off. The central government in Faramond Keep was ruled by the King, who commanded the loyalty of several underlings - Dukes, Ducs or Caped Men, depending on the region. These men, in turn, commanded the loyalty of Counts, Conts or Riding Men, again dependent on the region of Faramond concerned.

The arrival of house Higwalding, exiled for the assassination of the Talorian Cyng Beohrtsige Gothelm in 422, marked the beginning of the end. The foreign house, though attempting to settle peacefully as political refugees in Sturlmere, ended up alienating the resident nobles and creating unrest in the region through foreign customs and religion.

This created a chain reaction, causing a rift between the Caped Man of Sturlmere, who tried to keep the area peaceful, and the royal dynasty, who repeatedly denied house Higwalding the right to formally become Riding Men.

The political divide only became more pronounced over time, with Counts and Dukes in all regions of Faramond picking sides over the matter of house Higwalding. After two hundred years, house Higwalding's involvement had been all but forgotten and they had subsequently gained the unofficial status of Caped Men upon the extinction of the previous holders of that title. The various factions in Faramond were now struggling to assert their own claims - some seeking more land, some trying to dethrone perceived traitors and undesirables, and some just seeking to profit from the chaos. Neighbouring Lacrive only exacerbated the situation, and the Vardanids, previously mediators in the power struggle, were now falling prey to their own internal conflicts.

In 634, house Higwalding declared independence in the city of Sturlmere, and were joined quickly by other Caped Men in the region. Initially they were fractured and royal forces inflicted several crushing defeats, but eventually these rebels solidified into what is now Scanbrough. United, they forced Faramond to a peace deal in 636.

In its weakened state, Faramond was no match for Lacrive's heavily-armoured standing army, which invaded in 638 and took the towns of Rogneus, Bòrmomble and Clanoît in what would be known as the Attack on the Ruadhain Forest.

In subsequent decades, the Faramondian royal family lost control of the Duke of Kingheda, resulting in bloodless secession of Gabrainn. Dunfleasel followed shortly after. These last two states maintained good relations with Faramond - it was an unspoken truth that Faramond could no longer exercise direct control over its subjects, and the rulers of Gabrainn and Dunfleasel respected that truth and sought to protect their former overlord.

As it currently stands, Faramond is a shadow of its former self, but the state itself has stabilised. Despite the recent invasion of Scanbrough and Lacrive in the ongoing War of the South Lake Faramond is holding its own, and until forces from the Dalforean League arrive in the area Faramondian generals are coordinating the war effort as Gabrainn is fully occupied and reeling from the death of its King, and Dunfleasel is recovering from the disastrous Battle at Armel Gate.

## Geography

### **Location**

Faramond lies on the central-southern shore of the Trade Lake, with Gabrainn to the west. Dunfleasel is to Faramond's south and Scanbrough to its east.

The country is lightly forested in the south, with the beginnings of hills on the southern border. Grass and clover cover the wilds, while much of the deforested north is devoted to farmlands.

### **Climate**

Faramond's summers range from twelve to twenty-five degrees, with its winters almost precisely half that. The air is quite dry, owing to the desert several hundred leagues to the south.

### **Administrative Regions**

The sole administrative region in Faramond is governed by the capital, Faramond Keep. The fishing town of Windmere is to the west, lying on the Trade Lake. Fallholt and Goldenleaf are in the southwest and southeast respectively, and are subsistence towns supported by Faramond's neighbours.

## Culture

### **Folktales**

Like the other Low Lake countries, Faramond has several folktales involving mythical beasts.

The most prominent is that of the Halarack - a creature said to reside in the heavy woods of the Ruadhain Forest. It is said to be ten feet tall, a combination of a human body with the head of a vulture, legs of a deer and the horns of a bull. It is also said that the only way to stop it from attacking on sight is to recite the Halarack Chant while in the woods. While use of the Halarack as a boogeyman has waned due to the distance between Faramond and the woods, the Halarack Chant has kept its place in Faramondian culture.

### **Flag**

Faramond's flag depicts three oak branches, complete with acorns, emerging from a central point. This icon was formerly gold on a red background and represented the far-reaching branches of the Faramondian nobility - a somewhat ironic statement given that most Faramondian nobility now pledges itself to foreign rulers.

After the secession of most of the nobility, the flag's icon was retained but its colours changed to green and brown in an attempt to link the oak to the concept of nature, life and new growth - just as Faramond's King of the time, Arnulf III, said: "Faramond will rise from the ashes sown by turncoats, and given their sustenance will grow higher, stronger and sturdier than before."