Bédenes

is a formidible fortress an fief on the northern frontier of the a remnant of ancient Côrani ambition in the north. and the surrounding lands of Emesa Hundred are now held by the, the strong right arm of the and bane of the n barbarians. From Bédenes, the wage war against the tribesmen and plunder the riches of the  wilderness.

Bédenes also is a seminary for the, the ' sponsoring clerical order. The fortress holds their House of Ordeal and the workshops in which they produce the consecrated blades and alchemical weapons for which the are feared.

loyalty to the king gives much pause to the rebellious Earl of Tormau, half a day to the south. It is a place of ordeal for supplicants to the, and no place for the weak.

History
Côrani emperors once looked toward and spoke of “the robe of civilization to be cast about the shoulders of the barbarians.” A fort established at Emesa in 402  was the base of expeditions into northwestem Peran and the legions that took  in 414. The struck back with bloody ferocity; by the late 460s, the robe of civilization was “nothing more than a scarlet ribbon!” When Kustan was destroyed in 477, Emesa was abandoned by the empire. Those who remained traded and intermarried with the Kubora.

The had little impact on Emesa; tribute was sent and Emesa was ignored. Hugai Lynnaeus captured in 588 with Kuboran warriors hired in Emesa and Emesan bread in his stomach. When Arlun swept into Rethem, he bypassed Emesa. The siege of Kubora-friendly Tormau was little more than a formality. When Tormau was granted to Clan Lynnaeus, trade with Emesa continued as it had for years.

In 675, King Nemiran made Emesa the Hundred Moot but failed to rule on the Lynnaeus claims to Emesa and Nouserin Hundreds. The landed at Alesen in 690. Claiming title to Emesa and all the surrounding lands, they executed resistors. Locals slaved for nine years to construct the forbidding keep at Bédenes, which created a hostile northern border for Tormau. A herald from Clan Lynnaeus sent to establish terms of relationship was fed to the Holy Flame. The heralds of the Sanguine Saltire have not forgotten this and refuse to acknowledge the claim.

Since 700, the have established chapterhouses throughout Emesa Hundred and the clerical order has set up a seminary at Bédenes. In 718, an assault on Kustan planned by the (grandmaster) ended catastrophically. For the first time, the are vulnerable.



Current Situation
The believe they have a divine mission to recover the ancient  fort at. In 718, Horab Gerund led his Warriors north into the  forest. They were joined by 40 Agrikan knights recruited from the nobility of with promises of adventure and glory in the afterlife. Near Kustan, the Kubora ambushed the column; 50 knights and their supporting (foot soldiers) were lost, including almost all the Azeryani crusaders. The Warriors were forced to abandon their baggage train and retreat to Bédenes. Since then, the order has worked ceaselessly to recover from its losses and to hide its weakness from its many rivals.

External Relations
Klyrdes Bisidril, the (grandmaster) of the sponsoring clerical order, is also the Agrikan  (primate) for all of Hârn. This ensures the order’s continued favor with the crown despite the frosty welcome it extends to the king’s representative, the Sheriff of Hohnamshire.

No other Agrikan orders maintain a permanent presence at Bédenes. The are treated well since the near-annihilation of their sponsoring order and its formal replacement with royal patronage. They look to the for religious supplies and what little theological guidance they require. The are always represented at the annual Emesa Beast Fair, but even they are not warmly welcomed in Bédenes. The are eager for details about the activities in southeastern Peran undertaken by their rival order, the.

The face a serious threat from the powerful Earl of Tormau, who maintains a strong force between Bédenes and its southern allies. Since the debacle in 718, the has had accused spies condemned and burnt on the slimmest of evidence.

Relationships with most guilds are cordial, as skilled craftsmen are held in particularly high regard in theology. However, lack of business, provincial attitudes, and religious intolerance make it difficult to find master guildsmen willing to take franchises in Bédenes.

Economics
Bédenes lacks a and has few good roads. Goods come to and from Bédenes through Emesa, the local market center. Trade is controlled by the, who claim a commission on all transactions. Isolation has forced Emesa Hundred to develop a largely self-sufficient economy. Incense and other ecclesiastical supplies must be imported, as are spices, dyes, and other sophisticated wares of the south. There is little trade beyond the annual Emesa Beast Fair caravans and occasional coastal niviks that sustain trade through the rest of the year.

The order gains income and prestige from the beast fair, where mercantylers trade for the riches of. Trappers and hunters bring bears, lynx,, and chimerae to be sent to the arenas. Pelts of beaver, ermine, otter, sable, and seal are in demand among southern clothiers. Musk glands of beavers and greasy lumps of ambergris are coveted by the perfumers of and. The may soon act against Daquer of Iyesin, a n trader who bypasses the fair to deal directly with his n relatives.

The Mamakans have raided the Kubora for decades; slave pens at Emesa hold laborers that supplement a population decimated during the construction of Caer Bédenes. Others are destined to become gladiators or pleasure slaves in the south.

Each summer, whalers prey on right whales off the shores of Alesen Manor, providing a high-quality whale oil exported throughout the. The meat is reserved for the Warriors, who give to their dogs what they cannot eat rather than feed it to their slaves. Small fishing boats harvest estuaries as far north as the mouth of the. Larger niviks from Alesen range farther from the coast to net salmon, herring, and mackerel, but they know better than to stray among the pirate-infested.

Oats is the major local crop, supplemented by rye and beans. Fruits grow well. The order has enormous numbers of swine in the rough woodlands surrounding the chapterhouses, from which they produce hams and sausages. In the hilly grassland near the coast, goats are the dominant source of meat, milk, and cheese for the poor and the guilded class.

A new-found silver lode in the hills to the east may signal a lost -era mine. The is determined to see it secretly exploited, but the Kubora have other ideas. The pay mercenaries to protect the extraction of iron from the bogs in the Perath Estuary. It is this iron that feeds the forges to produce the order’s legendary Mamakan Blades, which are never traded.

Religion
The intense religious climate of Bédenes is intolerant of other churches and even of most other orders. In 715, a mysterious fire at the Emesa Beast Fair killed the beasts purchased by the clerics of the. The acolyte they had left to watch the creatures was never found. Since then, the order has sent mercantylers. not priests, to the Fair.

Persons who openly profess other faiths can hope to be ignored at best, even by local guildsmen. The economy is weak and guildsmen who can ill afford to lose a sale can afford even less to be shunned by their pious neighbors.

Government
While Bédenes is Horab Gerund’s seat as, the market town of  remains the hundred’s judicial and economic center. The Akarata used to travel there to dispense justice but now delegates this role to Bron Zamist.

As of. Meketa Bron is the titular governor of Bédenes village but leaves its management to Granek, the Akarata's most-trusted minion. Bron is much more concerned with overseeing the keep and governing Emesa Hundred.

Granek is a capable manager and holds extraordinary power, which he knows could vanish at any moment. He is fully aware that the Akarata’s eventual death will see him bum on the same pyre. For now, Granek enjoys his authority at the expense of the villagers and considers his independent future.

Sir Ribar Porteh. Sheriff of Hohnam, rarely travels to Emesa Hundred, although duty requires his presence in spring and summer. At those times, he and his retinue are quartered at the Emesa Moot Hall, although they are clearly unwelcome.

Bédenes Holdings
Bédenes is the order’s primary holding and (high commander) Bron Zarnist, the, is obsessed with the operation of the keep and with the governance of the hundred. Bron has served Horab Gerund for years and is unquestioningly loyal to him.

The Akarata’s Guard is funded by (primate) Klyrdes Bisidril, who is also the  (grandmaster) of the clerical. The Guard is commanded by Meketa Halan Uelasen, who is loyal to the Senesharil. Membership in the guard is subject to the Senesharil’s personal approval, which ensures that Akarata Horab is suspicious of them all.

Emesa, the hundred’s market center, is held by a (commander) loyal to Bron Zarnist.

Hask is commanded by common-born Meketa Tolmey Wolkene, who owes everything he has to the. He is fiercely loyal to Horab. His common-birth appeal to the makes him an essential plank in any opposition to Halan’s future elevation.

Penor is overseen by Meketa Alshain Risalsin, a cousin to Gerd Risalsin, the Baron of Thiri, and a friend of the Earl of Techen. He is close to Meketas Bron and Tolmey. Alshain was left in command at Bédenes during the expedition of 718.

Torkat is held by Meketa Bradas Sekal. He follows Alshain Risalsin out of fear, not respect.

Hengel, far to the south near Golotha, is controlled by Meketa Gereras Bisidril, a cousin of the Senesharil. Horab knows Gereras’ first loyalty is not to the.

Commoner Clans
Serf clans across the hundred maintain communal allotments and cluster their cottages closely, a traditional defense against raiders that has proven to provide little protection against the climate of fear bred by Granek.



Power In Bédenes
The are a separate entity from the, and a complex web of interdependence and rivalry exists between the  and their sponsoring clerical order. The hold Bédenes from the king and their control of Emesa Hundred is complete. Their authority and reputation beyond Bédenes, however, relies upon the goodwill of the clerical order and the political power of its.

The was appointed by the previous Senesharil and is expected to communicate with the clerical order through Maral Laltanae, the  (Master of the Middle Discipline) although the Aperterahn holds no authority over the Akarata. The daily reality is that the Akarata commands scores of armed men and controls all commerce and traffic at this frontier outpost.

The House of Ordeals
The House of Ordeals is a controlled by the. The Mamakans maintain only one temple, located in, and divide their temple masters between that temple and Bédenes. As acting Master of Acolytes, Bedai Borganau commands the s, priests, specialist crafters, and servants, former acolytes who failed to demonstrate sufficient talent or discipline for ordination. Bedai reports to the and is as loyal to him as he is to anyone other than himself. The other masters are more loyal to the Senesharil than to Bedai, but none doubt his ability.

The Mamekan avoids politics and seldom speaks except for brief utterances while working at his forge.

The Keep and the Chapterhouses
For almost 30 years, Horab ensured the support of his  through regular councils. Since the debacle of 718, he has grown withdrawn and now summons them only rarely. They are increasingly falling into two cliques and planning their own futures. How much Horab knows of these factions is unclear as he prays alone in his chambers at the top of Caer Bédenes.

The Kustan Faction
The face of the traditionalist faction is Tolmey Wolkene, (High Commander) of the Hask chapterhouse, but it is Alshain Risalsin, Meketa of nearby Penor, who engineers meetings between Tolmey and Meketa Bron Zarnist. They often hunt around Penor, sharing concerns over the souls of comrades left behind at Kustan. They desire to take back Kustan with overwhelming force and find the cairn that scripture claims was laid in Peran by early Agrikans. Alshain knows the keep relies upon the chapterhouses for food. He plans to gain the support of all the Meketa before “the old man finally drowns in his own blubber” and thus gain control of the keep by controlling the chapterhouses. His family investments in Techen provide independent wealth that will provide valuable resources when the time comes.

The Southern Faction
Halan Uelasen, the astute and worldly commander of the elite Akarata's Guard, represents the small progressive faction. He wants to see Bédenes grow in power and influence but his vision does not include Peran. He predicts that the king will soon crush the traitorous Earl of Tormau, presenting an opportunity for the to extend their control south to the Denia River. Halan does not command the revenues of a chapterhouse but is popular with the. He is close to Maral Laltanae and, through him, Klyrdes.

Halan intends to ensure that the Senesharil anoints him as the next when Horab departs for. He intends to use the discipline and religious indoctrination to ensure there is no public struggle among the Meketa. Halan has long recognized Alshain Risalsin, Meketa of the Penor chapterhouse, as his most potent adversary.

Although Klyrdes Bisidril is Senesharil of the Mamakans, he funds the Akarata’s Guard through his office as (primate). Because any man appointed to the Guard must be approved by Klyrdes, the Akarata is suspicious of their loyalties. They are often assigned to patrols against the Kubora and other dangerous tasks that keep them away from their beds in the keep. The Akarata maintains a separate bodyguard of trusted Laumak handpicked at the Festival of the Pillars.

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