In the before times, when the world was an easier place to live, Valdraeth was ruled by a Feudal Monarchy, with the Refined offering advice and tithes in return for their lands and protection. Much of their time was spent trying to gain more favour over their peers for greater rewards, and working on their own personal power and reputations.
The Refined kept loose reins on their fiefdoms in turn, ensuring they were efficiently run, and the people in their fiefdom lands were happy enough. After all, you didn’t want an angry bard singing your flaws on your doorstep for all to hear.
With the monarchy now fallen, and as the Refined fled their lands in the wake of the corruption, what gave them a steel grasp of control over their lands, became lost to them. They no longer have anyone above them to beseech for aid or favour, and now must turn reluctantly to each other to find new power and build alliances.
After all, they were not truly fallen, merely interrupted, inconvenienced. They would get their lands back some day. Their people would need to be governed and someone… someone had to figure out what to do about the missing heir. Maybe they should stop looking. Maybe a suitable replacement already stood among them… maybe even…?
Crushed into the last remaining corner of the once sprawling nation, the surviving Refined now have a chance to reshape the way things are run. This is a fresh, slightly singed and battle worn, start.
Whilst the political state of Valdraeth could only be kindly described as upended, the remains of governing bodies still work behind the scenes to ensure things don’t get too out of hand. This difficult and often grueling task belongs to those awarded the title of Keeper.Â
Figureheads
There are five Keepers ensuring daily life still runs in Valdraeth, they are:
Torrald – Keeper of Stories.
Responsible for the domains of religion and preserving the nation’s historical interests and records, Torrald is the head of the lorekeeps. Rumoured to have met the Taletor as a child and survived.
Gaircas – Keeper of Spirit.
Responsible for the festivities and cultural interests of the nation, Gaircas is head of the bardic order. Gaircas is partially deaf and has a permanent injury to their throat, making their voice raspy and singing a strain.
Ardrastae – Keeper of Steel.
Responsible for organising the military defence of the nation, Ardrastae oversees the Stalwart people who fight on the front lines. Born of noble birth she boldly chose her sword and her people over her lands.
Iontach – Keeper of Subtlety.
Responsible for making sure magic is utilised somewhat sensibly and does not get too out of hand, Iontach is head of warlocks and witches. Much older than they look, they took part in coordinating the weaving of the mantle.
Deargsmal – Keeper of Seals
Responsible for the political interests of the nation, delicate negotiations, and lots of paperwork, Deargsmal can usually be found in their family home of Andhien, busy with ink stained hands. In the past, the Deargsmal family stood as close advisors to the crown.
Mirroring these national positons on a local scale and also advising the Keepers on regional interests and issues, are the Draig. In times before, each territory had their own set of Draig responsible in a similar way to the Keepers. Whilst the Keepers answered directly to the crown, the Draig answered both to the Keepers and the Refined of that territory.
Without territories to advise upon, the Draig have largely become defunct. But there is ample opportunity for new Draig to rise in the future as the Corrupted are pushed back.
Politics
Valdraeth has an ancient rivalry with Avereaux and has been in several bloody wars across a thousand years of shared history, but in recent centuries the nations have come to a steady alliance that formed the basis of what a Realm could be to the rest of Elandra.
With the assistance of the Wonder as arbitrators, balance was found between the two warring nations, and the Averlaise and Valdrae have come to realise they have more in common than most. Tensions can still run high amongst the populaces, especially during inter-realm festivals where old rivalries can surface, but the leadership of both nations encourage this to be channelled into competitive streaks – in the Adventurer’s Guild there are regularly rivalries between Averlaise Adventuring Parties and Courts or Cantrefs who go out to deal with the same problem, and bardic competitions can get rather cutthroat when famed bards from across the Crownlands compete on the same stage.
Though the Wonder has a very different way of looking at the world, the Valdrae have come to appreciate their wisdom in many areas as a key diplomatic ally. Valdraeth’s relationship with the dangerous Hedge region that butts up against the Wonder occasionally causes issues with the very different way Wonderfolk deal with the creatures they share the forest with, and on more than one occasion efforts have been made to hunt violent monsters together to ensure they have been dealt with properly in the eyes of Wonderfolk.
Very recently there has been talk of Valdraeth offering support to the Ashen Vigil, an ad-hoc organisation in the Wonder that overlooks the destroyed Biome of Thornsthorpe. The area is toxic, with smoke and ash swirling through the atmosphere, so each watch who joins the vigil there can only stay temporarily before needing replacement, something that has drained the Wonder’s resources significantly.
Outside the Crownlands, Valdraeth has good relationships with the nations that value magical expertise. Hammerstadt’s Vellichor School of Magic on the island of The Westwyk has welcomed many a student or itinerant teacher from among the Valdrae, and the magical creatures that haunt the wild regions of Valdraeth are always of interest to scholars and merchants of the city alike. Beyond that though, there are taverns in Hammerstadt where the patrons are wary of Valdrae, seeing them as monarchists who represent some of the values that go against the Hammerstadter way of life.
Urdrevan has historically had a mixed relationship with the Valdrae – though they are at odds with the hierarchical society, Urdrevan bands travelling the roads through Valdraeth often find a warm welcome in the Cantrefs. Both the common folk of Valdraeth and the roaming Urdrevan value hospitality and have a healthy respect for the wild things of the world, and often trade odds and ends they find along the road as keepsakes and trinkets.
Being physically removed from the seas that Portavas calls home, Valdraeth has a more distant relationship with the seafaring nation. Fabrics are the only export of Valdraeth that Portavas has much interest in, although their tastes differ quite a bit. That said, many an evening in an establishment in the Commonwealth has ended with a contest of storytelling between Valdrae Chanters and Portavian Sandscribes, each going into florid detail about adventures had in their respective wild places.
The Sanctuaries are on the opposite side of the continent from Valdraeth, and Morvalis, Kairos and Syradonia are the least known of all the Elandrian nations to the average Valdrae citizen. Sometimes the Syradonian traders known as Tyrians follow the roads as far as Whitescar Mountain, but it is a rare Tyrian who goes off the beaten track into the real wilds. Their armour-clad protectors, the Apostles, are often of great interest to Stalwart they meet along the way.
It is sometimes remarked on by outsiders of both nations that Morvalis and Valdraeth should have a better relationship than they do – both have a class hierarchy, both live in a hostile environment and make hard decisions in order to make their way in the world. But Valdraeth considers the Houses of Dusk a hypocrisy – Morvalins look down on Valdrae for their lives of honest labour in a feudal system, while in total denial of their own status under the Houses of Dusk, who offer far less social mobility than the Nobility of Valdraeth. Perhaps the positive relationship between Averlaise and Morvalin adventurers also chafes, considering the effort the Crownlands has put into maintaining their alliance despite their differences.
Economic Interests
With the abundance of Hedge, woodland, wilderness, and the influence of fable magic, Valdraeth has more than its fair share of reagents useful for both alchemical processes and magic, and creating pigments for art, makeup, and dyes. While the corruption has disrupted the nation and its organisation heavily they remain a great source of knowledge and rare magical reagents and many across the world are eager to trade for things among the stranger places in Valdraeth.
Valdraeth may have knights and castles but they are historically not great miners and smiths. Ore and mined materials are not their speciality nor focus and they do not have the time or skill to work with them. While they may be able to outfit their people well made weapons from other lands are seen as near magical in quality, and metal armours are prized.
Much trading between Valdraeth and other nations is done in the more accessible sprawl of the Valley lands, and items of note typically make their way from there to wherever fetches the highest price. The wider nation handles many smaller trades but sometimes will send groups to trade in the Valley where they expect to have access to the hub of activity and international trade that is unlikely to brave dangerous and magical places they do not understand and more important respect as the Valdrae do.