A great fortress in the Ramosh Arkab Mountain range, built by Emperor Stefan I to defend the approaches to Thestria from the Iron Valley and the Orclands. Never taken by force through its 350 year existence, the Ageas (Great Hold of Stefan“) is now garrisoned by a mixed bag of Montese troops, dwarfen freebooters, indentured Gel prisoners and others. Situated at the head of its own small fertile valley, the castle has developed a reasonably-sized township under its protective walls.”
An incorporated city of some 10,000 souls, Aguiliers is the main centre of the great Aguilian plain, and the heart of the best grazing lands in the kingdom. The city walls are surrounded by sprawling stockyards in the summer. An important crossroads for land traffic, Aguiliers' population is swelled by a large number of travellers, especially during the main caravan season.
(b.310) Alrik was a Vallioran mercenary captain who signed on with Prince Erling before the Restitution. In thanks for his services, Erling awarded him with the title of Requer and bequeathed him with large estates south of the Voorland hills. Alrik is a crass man with some aspirations to greater station than he was born into. He has sought a noble marriage for himself (with no success) and for his bastard children, Stefan (b.331), who has been married to a Voorish king's daughter, Ivan (333-358) and Magda (b.336), who is a Damsel of Princess Isabelle.
Widely regarded as the greatest hero of the modern age, Amalric was born of humble heritage sometime in the 270s. While still little more than a boy he distinguished himself in the Battle of the Field of Blood in 291, where he cut through a Voorish king's bodyguard and cast down the king himself. After the Thestrian Conquest he was offered land and title by King Michael II, but the warrior declined them all. He wandered beyond the Kingdom for 15 years, during which time he is said to have accomplished many great deeds of arms, including leading several armies in various obscure wars, the slaying of the Dragon of the Mesonian Gorge, and saving the life of a western prince from pirates. He reappeared from seeming nowhere to save the Montese army fighting the Gel in the Empire in 310. Amalric then spent several years at the Montese court of Michael III and Vandrad, competing in tournaments and advising the kings on matters of war. He still refused all title and office. In 320 he had a massive falling out with King Vandrad and left the court. If stories are true he went to live a life of a hermit in the mountains. He has not been seen since.
Amalric never married (it was said that a woman would have to be made of steel and be well-sharpened for him to be interested in her). Long years after his departure from court, his possessions and wealth (such as he had) were confiscated by the crown, though Vandrad pledged to return it all if Amalric came back to claim it. It is said by many that Amalric achieved so much, and declined all title, because he had sold his soul to the Lord of Battles, Hadur.
(b.311) Princess. Anne is accepted officially as the daughter of King Michael III by Queen Ekaterina. However, there have been rumours since 313 that she is actually the child of King Vandrad, a product of Ekaterina's adultery.
Anne, unusually, married a mere knight, Sir William de Harsigny (b.305), a later Lord Admiral. Together they have 5 children.
A wizard skilled in the creation of magical artefacts. Arkacy resides in an isolated home deep in the Whisperwood, near Shalgreth.
(d.353) A disciple of the Old Man, who was responsible for the abduction of Madeleine Torsilley and the extortion of Sir Mordoc, her father. He was slain in Atabash in combat with Madeleine's rescuers.
Over the last few decades Vallioran armoursmiths have mastered the creation of full plate armours, and suits of it, and the techniques behind its crafting, have begun finding their way south to Montour. However, it is still quite rare, and very expensive, and thus it is worn so far only by rich nobles and powerful knights. For most Shield Brothers, knights and units of heavy soldiery, platemail remains the standard protection. Plate armours are often embossed or fluted. This is especially common for jousting armours worn at tournaments. A hauberk of chainmail is the usual armour of most regular soldiers, and is often augmented with a shield of some description, and many knightly types can be found in a suit of mail in non-battle situations. Militias, other levied troops, and some poor quality regulars make do with leather, padded or no armour at all, but shields are common.
A fashion slowly coming into vogue, especially for use at sea or in hot climes, is the so-called Front-and-Back, which consists of helm and breastplate, with leather protection for the arms and legs.
Military order. A small order of knights sworn to the service of Kandarian. They number only some 30 individuals throughout the kingdom. While they are answerable to the Patriarch of Kandarian in Montour, the Arms are led by their own Commander, and have their own motherhouse, located in the capital but away from the Kandarite cathedral. The Arms are few in number, but all are of superior fighting quality. In battle most Arms are equipped as heavy knights, but many wear lighter armour for normal activity.
A city of some 15,000 inhabitants, Atabash is a city in Karakiraz. It is built on the shore of the Sea of Ghor, where three steep hills provided shelter from the interior. These hills are the remains of an old volcanic caldera, and some other pieces of it form a rough ring of it into the Sea. The harbour here is very deep close to shore.
Major thoroughfares include the Avenue of Gold, the Avenue of the Gods and the Avenue of Sin. There are two large open markets - the trade square and the fishmarket. The majority of buildings are about 2 or 3 storeys high, square and blocky, with flat roofs. The exteriors are plain, but inside are riots of colour and lavish decorations. The streets, other than the major avenues, are for the most part very narrow (5-10 feet wide), and up the hills the streets are more like staircases. There is virtually no greenery within the walls, except for a small garden attached to the Azrad Palace, and much of the city is in the shade even in the middle of the day. Land is at a premium within the city.
The western entrepot to Karakiraz, Azafez is that kingdom's largest city, with a population of perhaps 30,000. It had a much larger population before the Gel conquest of 340-41, but it paid severely for its defiance against the noyan. Great Azafez is a sprawling place of no particular achievement.