(b.310) Former Knight Protector and supporter of Simon Garnier, now in the service of King Yum Kax of Karakiraz. Sir Charles is a big man of some temper and little patience.

(b.312) A Knight Protector. As with all other Knights Protector, he was sent from the Court in 353 to seek the sword Thesuril. He was accompanied by his squire, Erling Galard, heir of Senilac.

Queen of Montour (190-208)

(b.299) Lord-Mayor of Shalgreth.

A large castle built on a crag overlooking the river some 30 miles from Gaillon. It was built by Michael II in the late 290s as part of his campaign against the Voors. At full strength, its garrison was some 80 men. In early 352 the entire garrison abruptly disappeared with no trace. Common rumour was that some Voorish magic was behind the event, following the garrison's previous terrorising of the local Voorish population. Further Montese troops were reluctant to garrison the place until the Bishop of Breakingdale ritually cleansed it in the name of the Mother.

The southern empire of Castrovia rose to prominence about five hundred years ago, and at its peak ruled much of the southern half of the continent. It was a highly centralised entity in its early period, but over time it fell into the hands of a powerful class of landed magnates who squabbled amongst themselves and with the emperor. Over the previous century the empire has been largely occupied by Gel barbarians, and now only isolated pockets of imperial lands remain, most notably in the far south, near the Land of Ice and Snow. Castrovia settled and ruled the Grand Duchy of Thestria, and many Castrovian institutions and customs have been adopted by the Montese Fendals that have since conquered that dominion. The current ruler of Castrovia is Emperor Vacslav IV.

The public face of the margravine of Sardeth.

Chivalric attitudes, and the cult of the knight, have become ingrained in the Montese noble class. In brief, the chivalric values can be summed up by the following generalities-

prowess in war and tourney, personal honour (including courtesy, mercy, dignity and hospitality), loyalty to your pledged word and the open-handed giving of largesse as befitting your individual station.

Montour lies in the southern hemisphere, and has a fairly temperate climate. Breakingdale and the Voorland, being quite high and inland, has more extreme conditions than the lowlands and coastal regions. Summers are quite hot and fairly dry, while winters usually bring a bit of snow (more in the hills), but not enough to close the roads to the south or west. Rain falls through most of the year, but least in summer and most in spring, when the northeasterly winds bring warm rains, and winter, when southerlies sweep across Voorland.

(b.301) A distinguished-looking man, Lord Clisson comes from Clisson Hall, a four-storey tower-keep on the northwestern edge of the Grey Wastes. He owns much land but his revenues are poor, being based on rents from sheep farmers for the most part. Clisson Hall is beginning to show signs of age. Lord Clisson is a widower with one son, Roger Clisson. Both father and son fought on the side of Duke Simon during Prince Erling's Restitution. Lord Hugh was taken captive at Upper Raracas, and offered a good-sized ransom to Sir Mordoc Torsilley. The negotiated ransom was perhaps more than Lord Hugh could really afford.

(b.328) Sir Roger is the only son of Lord Hugh Clisson. He fought at the decisive Battle of Harloc, where he was knighted by King Vandrad. Sir Roger is an earnest young man who takes his sworn oaths very seriously, and sees all those who sided with Prince Erling as rebels“ at best, or as downright “traitors” at worst. He was bested in a fair fight by Miles Furmenglaive outside Clisson village in early 352.”

• Noble Dress

In general, both Montese and Thestrian nobles now wear the same sort of dress, which is largely due to the conquered nature of Thestria. Fashions come and go all the time. What follows is the current trend, and is by no means worn by everyone, especially in older circles. This style of dress is also followed by the wealthier commoners - merchants and such.

Currently, male nobles wear expensively decorated shirts with tight wrist cuffs, and loose trousers with boots. Over this they wear a long, sleeveless surcoat/robe that may or may not have a hood. Wide leather belts are worn, on which hangs at least a dagger. A fashion becoming increasingly common is the Vallioran style of doublet with ruff.

Female nobles wear empire-line dresses with long sleeves and very long and wide flaring cuffs. High-medieval style dangly belts are worn with this, and a hooded cloak is worn in cooler weather.

• Peasant Dress

Male commoners dress in tunic and trousers. In Thestria most tunics are fastened by buttons, while Montese tunics are served by laces up the chest. Woollen or (rarely) leather vests and coats are worn over this. Footwear is worn if it can be afforded. Female commoners wear skirts and blouse or, more commonly, full-length dresses. Woollen vests are worn, with shawls in cold weather.

• Ghorgandi costume

men typically wear long, high-collared cassocks and wide brimmed hats. They could be said to look a little like Catholic cardinals. Women, on the other hand, are colourful, with multi-layered skirts and pullover blouses with rounded bodices (some of which actually show the breasts, though in this case they are usually covered by lace or shimmering cloth). Lace-work is quite common for both men and women. See also Hair Styles.

See [CyclopediaM|Money]].

Half-Thestrian Priest of Hadur. Like many of his brethren, Colmar is a man of dark moods and some temper. He joined the garrison of Castle Maine during Erling's Restitution, and was suspected of being behind the garrison's terrorising of local Voors in the brief period of chaos about the time of the Battle of the Ford of Harloc. Colmar somehow survived whatever it was that destroyed the garrison soon after, and was later seen in the retinue of Sir Daniel de Vabre, acting as an emissary to Prince-Regent Erling. His current location and activities are unknown.

A mining town located in the woods northwest of Krothering, in Breakingdale. The town was a centre of iron production and was inhabited almost exclusively by dwarfs. In early 358, however, it was besieged and captured by orcs coming down from the upper Breaking River valley. The few refugees went to Krothering.

12 March. An important religious holiday, Creation Day celebrates the discovery of the world by the Mother and the other gods, and the bringing about of life upon it. There are deep religious prayers of thanks, followed by lavish banquets and festivities. It is a day to celebrate life and creation, and thus violent or destructive acts are especially frowned upon on this day. Children born on 12 March are deemed especially blessed.

See Law and Justice.

Miltary campaign. A counterattack by the Brotherhood of the Shield against the Gel Empire in Castrovia. The intention was to regain the Empire for the Castrovians, but all it succeeded in doing was the retaking of the city of Kutarmish and its hinterland, and even that was partially the result of the Noyan accepting the loss (since it pulled his borders back from the dangerous, orc-infested Geth Khakor).