Central Kingdom

## *Lore*

In the final days leading up to the destruction of Dormia countless men were pressed into the armies of the warlords and barbarians ravaging the Great City of Dormia, leaving the women, the old, young, and infirm to fend for themselves in the chaotic and lawless world they found themselves in. Those who survived would be those to lead the tired and frightened masses to the plains that Central would be founded upon.

The elders of these communities would assemble in what would be known as The First King's Moot wherein they would present their best fighters to compete in a brutal melee, with the warrior Harrion Farlon emerging victorious and being proclaimed protector of the peoples of Central and considered by many to be the first King of the Central Kingdom. Over 300 years have passed, with this bloodline being presumed extinct with the last king; Lewin Farlon, dying and leaving no heir.

## *Government and Society*

The Central Kingdom has four vassals that have their names known across the territory. The Carsten, Whitemount, Rosamund, and Lancaster families are known for their prominent positions in the kingdom. The Rochdales used to be a vassal of Central, but due to the Black Knight siege, most of them were killed off and their legacy was ended.

**Carsten**

The Carsten family has been the oldest living vassal of the Kingdom of Centralia. Ever since the fall of Dormia centuries ago, they were among the masses that tread in a more nomadic lifestyle from the scorched plains they left behind. After travelling North for months, they eventually settled along with everyone else as they built houses and settled in the plains that would soon be the foundations for the kingdom. As communities began to form through the early years, the tribe of the Carsten family made their living off of being seasoned hunters. Their elder, Gilliam Carsten found himself on a small council of elders that’d be the primitive government of Centralia, and from this, they’d come together in the First King’s Moot.

Because the settlement was so large and more stable after Dormia’s fall, the people eventually found it best to organize themselves in one formidable force and protect themselves from barbarians, raiders, and other malicious intent should their past from the fallen civilization catch up with them. Through this, they decided to strengthen themselves and unify their settlements, however far, and find a suitable leader through all of this. Because they all agreed upon a young, healthy, strong leader, they decided to settle this with a brutal free-for-all, with the most powerful elders from each family sending a warrior from their group and fighting for their place. Gilliam had sent his eldest son, Ross Carsten. Throughout the fierce battle, he was a sure contender for king, but eventually he was bested by Harrion Farlon, and he eventually went on to become king.

Although disappointed at first, Ross eventually owned up and admitted Harrion the stronger man, and surprisingly, a bond formed between the two that’d continue to grow. They’d go from bitter bickering at arguing who could’ve really won in the battle, though through the years they laughed, joked, and drank with each other. Both of them lived for keeping themselves strong and preserving their glory through combat. With a new king, however, unifying the kingdom wouldn’t be so simple, as there’d be a lot of diversity and individuality to appeal to. Adding on to that was the risk of possible assassination or being struck in a raid, so Harrion consulted with his family and came up with a suitable solution: the formation of protective bodyguards. Such an important task couldn’t be done with normal guards, alone, as they were needed to patrol the settlements at night and collect themselves in the event of a large-scale attack.

Of course, Harrion had gone to the Carsten family, known for their strength and hunting skills, and asked them to form what is now known as the Harrion’s guard. With this, the Carsten family would see a new, better way to rise to power, and have their family name rise to honor with being selected as the most worthy for having the task at being by the king’s side. A lot of the Harrion’s guards from then on were mostly comprised of Carsten’s family members, and as time went on, their wealth, fame, and power only grew. As their family continued to grow, so did their land and manpower, giving themselves a suitable title and standing within the kingdom. Gilliam Carsten was very satisfied with this, and Ross Carsten lived his life as a hero in the eyes of many, having shared countless tales while laughing and drinking with Harrion Farlon until his death. Many knights in Centralia’s history could arguably be said to have been inspired by the glory, chivalry, and honorable songs sung about Ross, with some putting his fame among that of some of Central’s kings. His image is where the “ideal” traits of a knight comes from.

Having a rich history, it is no wonder as to why they have such a high standing in the Central Kingdom, today. The current head of the Carsten family, Orson Carsten, supports the king by providing a large bulk of the Central’s army through levies, as well as giving possible candidates for the new recruits of Harrion’s guard as the generations pass. They make sure to try and stay on his good side, obediently giving him soldiers, adopting a “business as usual” mindset. When the Black Knights had attacked and slaughtered people mercilessly within the keep, they lost a lot of the levies, squires, and even some knights sent from their estate. Their reputation had sunk by the end of the whole Black Knight ordeal, but thankfully, the King, himself wasn’t killed, and the Harrion’s Guard remained mostly intact, with the kingdom being taken back in the siege. After having kept their family hidden from the Black Knights off of their estate and keeping a close eye, they returned to Centralia to help rebuilt the damages done.

They have since adopted a few changes, namely harsher training and focusing a bit more on the “quality” of the men they send, as well as sending slightly older men to make sure they are ready and in their prime to fight. The eldest son of the Carsten family, who had his younger brother killed during the siege to retake Centralia, has adopted the belief that if you are weak enough to die, then it is your fault. His more rigorous training doesn’t earn him a lot of favor among his men, though Gawyn Carsten continues to push them, as well as himself, due to the shame he received. Along this new policy, they are also sending more men, overall, to train in the capital as squires and make sure they have more exposure to the life of Central’s military, with more caution pushed onto their soldiers in order to make sure they not only stay alive, but manage to protect the Kingdom so as not to lose their status in the event of being considered useless. On a lighter note, however, the main branch of the Carsten family, themselves, take hunting trips every few years in the forest, akin to the roots of their family, as tradition.

**Whitemount**

The Whitemount family, aptly named, have been vassals to Central, with their strong suit mostly being in taming, breeding, and raising horses. Although they are mainly known for breeding horses of various types, whether it be noble steeds for show, active horses for jousting tournaments, or even war horses with relentless stamina and seemingly no fear, their reputation among horse breeders is held in high regards.

Over 150 years ago, in the year 192 PD, there were many groups of horse breeders who lived in that era of the Central Kingdom. Throughout the Farlon dynasty, many people would likely barter for horses from various sellers, though some families had specialization in horse breeding, such as the Whitemount family. They were noted from the start as horse breeders who could raise beautiful horses with white coats, and they were also good at providing accessories, such as comfortable and decorate saddles. They earned the favor with the King of Centralia then, hosting events and raising horses for him to parade on, although when it came to war horses, it was usually down to the fiefs and other vassals to give horses if they couldn’t give enough men to the king in times of war.

It wasn’t until the then-head of the Whitemount family, Herriot Whitemount, wanted to increase his power. Although they were appreciated by the royalty for their fine horses, that was about all they could provide short of a few levies, so Herriot devised a plan to gain more power within the family, and increase their riches and standing. Herriot was said to be on the brink of a family in ruins, as he had 6 children, yet all of them were daughters. With no suitable heir, you’d assume a father would be in panic for the future of their family, but Herriot was calm and collected. What some didn’t know about the Whitemount family was that they weren’t simply great at breeding horses; they were great at doing business.

Their ancestors were early farmers and herders before Centralia’s walls were complete. Just like how they could guide and easily lead a pack of sheep and herd pastures full of cows, they could sway the people on their side. With each of his daughters, Herriot sought the best horse breeders within Centralia, looking for those who could specifically breed the strongest, fasted, and able-bodied horses, as well as horses used for farming and jousting. Five of his daughters were married to the heads of distinguished horse breeders, though it was a bit costly on his end. He didn’t mind, however, as he saw it as an investment in the future. His youngest daughter, Matildis, who had actually conversed and helped her father with these marriags and deals, was married to a tailor who specialized in gear for horses. This way, they could also gain decorated saddles, horse gear, and even more.

As it stood, the families eventually began to merge their businesses, all organizing within the plan of Herriot Whitemount, he had then taken the husbands of each of his daughters and sent them off to become knights within the Central army, as per a small detail within the contracts of the marriage. He had enticed them into striving for knighthood, saying that no man can truly be a backbone of their family had they neglected the battlefield and their own kingdom. He even had delicate armor tailored for them, as well as decorated shields and weapons. Once they were sent off to Centralia, they enjoyed a short lifespan of being held in high regards, but within a few years, as they were sent out to other towns to defend against bandits, or in the midst of great battlefields, their decorated armor made them prime targets for their enemies, who either wanted to steal their precious belonging or believed them to be in higher ranking, thus trying to end the battle quickly.

After the sons of the other families had died, Herriot had put his daughters in charge, effectively taking up all the other horse-breeding businesses and organizing them into one large estate within his lifetime. After he had amassed more fame and fortune, his family went from upper middle class to the top percentile of Centralia’s noble populace in a mere decade. While living in his manor, he began to grow weaker with age, so his youngest daughter, Matildis, took care of him while her husband worked arduously. Of course, it was always believed that a daughter or the youngest daughter should take care of their families, and Matildis always showed her love and care for her father, nursing him through his hardships. One day, however, the Whitemount family mourned the sudden death of Herriot Whitemount, who had passed away peacefully in his sleep with a slight smile embroidered in his wrinkled skin.

Of course, what nobody knew was that Matildis had sought the craft of an herbomancer while she was married off to her husband. She believed her father’s planning was too great, so she sought to gain that power for herself. Although she was the youngest, she wanted to put herself at the top of the household, and to do that, she’d have to put her father to a permanent rest, and she did so through medicine that was used to kill someone painlessly so as to let them die peacefully - a poison that was pleasant, in a way. After he had died, his will had stated most of his estate and business be handled by Matildis, who had been closest to his side. After Matildis Whitemount became the landlady of the estate, she had a meeting with the King and had pledged to him to provide levies, but also promise perfect horses fitting for knights of Centralia, as well as the gorgeous horses the Whitemount family had always provided. Now a practical monopoly in the horse-breeding business, the Whitemount family had jumped up to being vassals of high status within a mere two decades.

Matildis was met with jealousy by her older sisters, of course, but there was nothing they could do; the will was final and she had already gotten an audience with the then-King of Centralia. With this, the Whitemount family could freely do business much more easily in the market of horses, and through that, they provided horses of many types, as well as saddles, gear, and other such horse accessories. It wasn’t until 257 PD under the leadership of Aberardus Whitemount II, that the Whitemount family began to truly reach acclaimed status for his idea to branch out instead of just focusing on providing horses for the community.

Thanks to his sister Hyacinth’s marriage to a renowned guildmaster and owner of a blacksmith company, he asked them to try forging armor for horses instead of swords and shields. He was met with a lack of support to say the least, but through the next few years, the guildmaster and his men honed their skills and instead of making more mediocre swords for the masses, they shifted focus on armor to accommodate horses, as well as lances and better shields. While it was costly to make, the knights and Harrion’s guards were frequent purchasers of this, as well as a few captains, thus allowing them to boast their support from Centralia’s higher-ups. After the next few decades passed, the Whitemounts had a successful business strategy on providing horses for warriors, merchants, or nobility, as well as goods to match their needs, such as bags, carts, armor, saddles, reins, and more.

Today, they have a fairly good standing as vassals under Conwyn, and their business is mostly unchanged. When the Black Knights attacked, it was thanks to their horses that they could rush most of their people, as well as their belongings in vast carts, off of their estate. While not providing as many levies as the other vassals, they are more known for sending in people to train under archery and lances, as well as providing suitable horses for future knights to get accustomed to.

**Rosamund**

The Rosamund family are more recent vassals of the Central Kingdom, but still have a history within the kingdom, itself. They came to power around 248 PD, and they were lead by the duo, Harduin Rosamund and Edward Rosamund I. Harduin was the older of the two, and was more renowned due to his archmancer status. Being a terramancer, he was a great help when layout out the foundations for houses, as well as occasionally helping to find raw materials for mining at the base of the mountain behind them. With his skills, he had greatly helped builders and took positions as a miner and terraformer, himself, shaping the kingdom to their needs. The Southern farmlands also remained enriched and the dirt fertile because of his work in that area. Of course, the bitter younger brother, Edward, didn’t want to be outshined by his older brother. Personally, he didn’t see the value of mancy, and believed that anything could be done better with the hard work of a man. That’s not to say he truly hated mancy, though, as he was slightly jealous that he wasn’t prepared for vitae and never gave himself the chance to.

Still, while Harduin spent his life reading about mancy and practicing how to use it, Edward spent his days being a blacksmith. While he came from more humble beginnings, it was thanks to his older brother’s status and earnings as an archmancer through work that Edward was able to become an apprentice to another renowned blacksmith. After a decade of apprenticeship, his mentor passed away and Edward took his place as a protege, smithing swords and pieces of armor, but not quite like the way his master could do it. Feeling frustrated, Edward decided to cease his work in making weaponry and focus on trinkets, tableware, and other utensils. He was actually responsible for crafting his older brother’s wedding rings - complete with stones that he had found and mined using his terramancy. In 236 PD, Harduin had married his wife, Ismaire, who was an herbomancer and alchemist. Harduin and Ismaire dedicated their lives to the Church of Centralia, worshipping the Earth spirit and contributing greatly to donating.

While they were content with their lives, Edward wanted something more for himself and their family. Even though they had humble beginnings, he only strove to get more. Of course, his life would change when he would come upon Dame Vanessa “the Valiant.” She was a knight of the Central Kingdom, who was said be apt in the teachings of the lance, and although she wasn’t as held in high regards as the other knights of valor, she happened to catch his eye. After some thoughts and reflection, Edward had decided to start crafting armor again, and while his orders were small at first, he worked to make sure that he could gain insight and experience from crafting armor. Soon after, he asked his brother for support, who obliged, and gave him enough money to start a small crafting guild. Through this, he had gained insight from blacksmiths who came from other areas within Trepheon, such as the South or even the West, as well as some who may have been to Ludwag or Hallmond in their lifetime. With dwarves also employed within his guild, Edward had worked with them to create different types of armor, good for various circumstances as well as being good for show.

After spending a few years toiling whenever he could, Edward completed his magnum opus: a full-plated set of armor that was delicately crafted along each edge with subtle, yet fine details. The armor was made to protect the wearer without sacrificing too much movement, and still being glamorous enough to parade in. After having an audience with Vanessa, Edward proposed to her with the armor, and within the next year, they were both lovingly married. In 240 PD, they gave birth to their first son, Rainard, who was raised mostly by his mother in order to be a suitable knight. After also birthing two more daughters and a youngest son, Vanessa, who was now a retired knight, stayed at home and raised them. Of course, the daughters would mostly spend time with Harduin and Ismaire, being avid members of the church and training to be nuns in the religion of Dahearism. The youngest child, Hamlin, was a weaker boy who had many shortcomings compared to his more accomplished older brother.

In spite of Hamlin being houses by his mother, she didn’t see him fit to be a knight, so she encouraged him to study with his father and take up part in his guild. Edward found it happy to not only be in a place he loved to be in, with his guild growing and becoming more of a success, but also spending time with his son who slowly grew to be a better blacksmith like him. Of course, this was somewhat short-lived, as when Hamlin was only 12, Edward passed away due to the toxic air he was exposed to as an avid blacksmith. With the death of Edward, the guild eventually split up - some workers eventually going on to help the Whitemounts with forging armor for horses. Hamlin, however, was undeterred, as he gained the following of some of the old guild members of Edward, and they all worked to develop a “standard collection of armor.”

After they had amassed a small fortune, Harudin’s side of the family would donate frequently to the church while living quietly in their estate, and their family’s descendants were taught to be supporters of the church and help it function within the city of Centralia, with some of them being selected to learn herbomancy and even terramancy. Edward’s legacy consisted in the bulk of their riches, with many easily-produced yet sturdy sets of armor for footsoldiers and some knights, as well as swords, were given in bulk to the Central army. It actually wasn’t until 289 PD that Hamlin, now an accomplished blacksmith with many working under him, would meet with King Zachary Farlon and have an audience with him in order to gain vassalship status. While not in as high a standing as some of the other vassals, they are noted for their support for the Central Church of Dahearism, as well as their craftsmanship.

In today’s times, they continue to forge armor alongside other blacksmiths, occasionally taking in aspiring apprentices and even sending in some of their sons to become knights. Being a wealthy family of blacksmiths, they can even afford to send squires with their own fitted chainmail and swords, giving members of their family a good advantage in training.

**Rochdale (Defunct)**

The Rochdale family was one of the oldest vassals of Centralia alongside the Carsten family. Not necessarily partaking in the old King’s moot, the head of the family, Warton Rochdale, was more focused on who would become king in order to protect themselves. With bandits and even animals wandering into the settlements, it was getting difficult to plant and harvest crops as easily. Over the years, as the walls of Centralia were under construction, Warton and his family would painstakingly work in the fields, slowly growing their status and their crops as they even took up the work of other fields that weren’t being used at the time. With the growing population, the farmers - more than ever - were needed in order to provide sustenance for everyone.

When Warton reached the end of his lifespan, the Rochdale family owned a few farms under their name, and they began to develop the system of rotation around the fields each year in order to keep the soil rich and fertile without overusing it. Through this, they managed to grow their crops aptly and provide more than enough, and even though it wasn’t as much as the other farmlands, they had still been able to contribute their part. Unfortunately, however, a plague struck a lot of the crops in the plains, with potential to greatly ruin the harvest season and cause a small famine. Luckily, however, Tadeo Rochdale, who was the new head of the Rochdale family, was married to an expert herbomancer. Selena Rochdale would use her herbomancy specifically for farming and gardening instead of alchemy, as the study was still a bit in its infancy. Through her work, she just barely managed to save and re-grow many plants, stopping the famine and minimizing the losses of food, as well as preventing the deaths of many. While they were still quite a bit short on food that harvest, the calamity they would’ve faced was narrowly avoided. This, in turn, provided the Rochdales with the status of unsung heroes for a while, though unfortunately, Selena died shortly after the harvest due to exhaustion of her vitor and lack of sleep.

Tadeo Rochdale, who felt remorse for her death by overwork, had her buried within the Earth along with scriptures and tomes - a custom that was prevalent in Dahearism. Through the Rochdale’s work, and the work of Selena, herself, the people of Centralia only strengthened their belief in the spirits of the very ground they walked on, giving more belief that herbomancy and terramancy were the superior studies of mancy. In the end, because of the crops they saved, they were given charge of more farmlands within Centralia, making them more powerful and responsible for more of the food. Through this, the family often tried to grow its number of children and teach them to prepare for vitae, hoping that in their adult lives, they can become successful herbomancer farmers. While this succeeded and helped maintain the crop yielding, it wouldn’t be until 150 PD that a certain couple in one of the branches of the Rochdale family would expand the family’s interests outwards from just farming.

Dozla Rochdale was a hard worker who grew up on the farmlands. The Rochdales, although now a “bourgeoisie” family, still believed in teaching their youngest children to get experience in the farmlands before taking over farms and leading many people to grow. Dozla, although a more mediocre farmer, was a great farmhand in plowing the fields and would more suitable be useful for pulling carts and even keeping away predators that sought to ruin their crops. It wasn’t until his early adult years that Dozla would actually be taken on a hunting trip in one of the far forests and bring back spoils from the hunt, such as fur pelts and meat. After having a knack for hunting, Dozla would go back and hunt each year, bringing back more pelts. It wasn’t until 158 PD that the Kingdom of Centralia would seek to conduct expeditions up North, therefore requiring the use of warm clothing and pelts. Dozla, seeing an opportunity, asked his wife Edelinne to see if she could tailor some coats out of the pelts he had gathered. She was a nun who often did community work by sewing clothing for peasants, but with some help, she managed to make a warm, thick fur coat.

With the demand for fur coats and pelts on the rise, the Rochdales went out and hunted more animals from a trip in the forest, yielding less crop than previous years, but still enough to make sure they could feed mouths. In the end, they amassed nearly a hundred pelts, which was more than enough to make a good amount of quality fur coats suitable for mountain expeditions and braving the barren cold of the North. In selling these coats, they had gained more wealth and started a new trend, thus making them the pioneers of the quality, ideal Centralian fur coat. Although the fad had since died down, the Rochdale brand was what people sought over the years. In the end, the Rochdales had not only grown in their farmlands, but also branched out in tailoring, as well.

Over the years, they slowly grew as a magnate in trading pelts, tailoring clothing for the masses, as there was a lot more demand to be met there, and farming for the crops. Because of this, not only were the Rochdales vassalized for their services and history with the Kingdom of Centralia, but they also had a good standing with the majority of the population in Centralia, being the peasants. With their farming and tailoring, they could claim to relate to the “everyman,” and gain support from them, saying they knew the struggles that everyone went through and further popularize themselves within the community.

In the year 280 PD, the Rochdales lost the heir to their main branch of family, giving power to the next branch of Rochdales. Some say it was an unfortunate, untimely death for the young man, while a few rumors within the family point to poisoning, as the son had died in his sleep of a mysterious disease. This remains unknown to this day, as Bryan Rochdale, the next in line to be the head of the family, was said to have been a weak child, who suffered from ailments that made his strength less than the average man.

In the year 351 PD, the Black Knights had besieged Centralia, forcing the king, himself, out of the keep and slaughtering many guards in the process. As the people attempted to flee the captured city, the Rochdales stayed within their River Village, believing it to be far enough from the kingdom. Locking themselves within their vacation cottage, they barred entry from anyone outside, hoping to wait out the period of time in which they believed the knights would return and escort them out. Unfortunately, the knights came - except not the Centralian knights. With the black knights having pushed out to the River Village, they slaughtered the civilians who couldn’t escape the area fast enough. Reaching the “stronghold” of the River Village where the Rochdales were barricaded in, they eventually forced their way inside. What remained of the Rochdales was said to be too grotesque for conversation, but that marked the end of the centuries-old vassalship. Some of the members survived, but their whereabouts are unknown. A handful of them managed to return to Centralia after the siege, their family name an empty husk of what it used to be.

**Lancaster**

After the Black Knights had been driven out of Centralia, caravan-owner Gonahyde Landcaster saw the Western annexation of the Central Kingdom to be a perfect opportunity for more riches. He had owned an argosy ship, which he could pay for its use and have the Western sailors send the ship out to trade from vast areas Westward from the Eganian Sea. The newest vassals of the Central Kingdom, and as recent as can be, the Lancasters have been in the upper nobility for quite some time, but it wasn’t until the unfortunate death of the Rochdales that they rose to power. They stemmed from an aged caravan that spanned from the edge of the desert to Western territory, and within the territory of Centralia.

The Lancasters were a prominent shipping magnate who had the hired help of an experienced sailor, Dederick, who would go to farther lands such as Ludwag, Hallmond, and on some few occasions, Keleva. A few of their ships would even go to smaller islands that contained goods not able to be gained by many. Although it was costly, Gonahyde purchased these goods in bulk from his partner, and because of his business strategy, he believed that the Kingdom of Centralia, which was a land-locked kingdom, would find use for these goods, as they otherwise had not much contact with the world outside of Trepheon due to not having any coastal docks or ships. Making their way after the Black Knight revolt, Gonahyde Lancaster would have to wait an arduous period of time, as King Conwyn Farlon was not seen by the public for a long time since the siege.

It wasn’t until one of Conwyn’s advisors agreed to meet him and relay his proposal to Conwyn, did the Lancasters actually get a message. With their partnership with the West, which became normalized due to the Western annexation and the embassy built, Gonahyde promised that he could provide many goods that would catch the eyes of nobles and royalty alike. Not only that, however, he even promised some select rarer goods, such as spices and materials not often found in Trepheon. After waiting a few months, they eventually got a message that they could be approved for trade within Centralia, and the Lancasters became the newest vassals of Centralia. With their small industry on mercantile business, they had taken the place of the fallen Rochdales, with their caravans and Western influence pushing them to the top of Centralian riches, becoming the richest of the vassals.

Some people are wary of them to say the least, as the Centralians believe that they rose to power too fast, and some believe them to be somehow connected to the fall of the Rochdales. Their slight influence in the Western ports is not liked by many, as they are believed to be spies on the behalf of the embassy. While not a lot is known about the Lancasters, it can be said with certainty that people are wary of them to say the least.

## *Justice and Laws*

1. *Only the King, legitimate head of the House Farlon may try a man for his life.*
2. *Every free man must provide for his household a tax, payed appropriately to the abilities of him and his family.*
3. *Every serf must render onto his protector and lord; the King a tax on his grown crops.*
4. *The rightful amount of tribute per individual to be rendered onto the kingdom shall be decided by an adjudicator, duly appointed and righteous in the eyes of the spirits and men.*
5. *The Central Kingdom is to be open to the honorable and civilized foreigner, who's stay exempt from tribute to the king will last the duration of a fortnight.*
6. *The authority to deny or admit any individual entrance to the kingdom for any reason lies with The Captain of the Guard. However the uncivilized and barbaric beastmen and swindlers known as the orcs, goblins, lizardkin, trolls, ogres, and demons may only be permitted with a special pardon from the King*
7. *Duels may only be performed in designated fighting pits or past the walls of the castletown, and with close supervision by the guard. Violations of this fall under civil law regarding assault.*
8. *The unlawful assault or injury of another person is to be punished accordingly by the kingdom guard.*
9. *Murder shall be punished with death.*
10. *Theft shall be punished accordingly by the kingdom guard.*
11. *Entrance to The Castle Keep must be authorized by relevant authority such as the king's council, the king, or his consort. And all those admitted to the keep must be accompanied by a guard escort.*
12. *All men born into a noble station have a right to a trial by combat if they are not represented appropriately during a trial.*
13. *All who request a trial by combat may call upon a champion to represent their cause before the spirits and the law, women must choose a champion such that the honor of the kingdom may be preserved.*
14. *The validity of a peasant's request for a trial by combat will be decided by the king or a duly appointed and honorable presider of the trial.*