|
|
History
House Charing has its origins in the conversion of the Garail Hordes following Sandoval Miracles. The guardians of the shrine of St. Martha on the Mountain, and it’s attendant abbey. They have put aside their barbarian and heathen roots to become one of Waystons more powerful and worldly houses.
The origins of House Charing stretch back to the time when the Garail Hordes settled the west. The legends say it was a man named Charig who began their line, climbing the holy mountain to lay with the Sky Goddess. His children with the goddess became the sons of Charig, and from among them was chosen the chief of the tribe. The Sons of Charig held the lands around the holy mountain through the Forging Wars, worshiping the sky god, and when Galenthia was formed they were made counts and took Charing (the closest translation of Charig in common) as the name of their house.
Following Sandoval's Miracle and the conversion of the Arkanin, the Arkanin and Charing found themselves often at war over faith until the Charings fell to their overlords and converted sending their sons to the church for education. Following the conversion of house Charing, the Shrine of Sky was burnt and the family history was changed claiming Charig had climbed the mountain and was granted a vision of Saint Martha which brought him into the faith. The family built a shrine to Saint Martha on the top of the mountain and a nunnery followed a generation later called The Abbey of St. Martha on the Mountain.
As well as the religious changes that followed their conversion the house changed militarily and economically as well. Now at peace with their overlords, they were granted the vassalage of the southern houses, which in turn brought wealth and prestige. The house military adapted to the role which needed to be balanced to deal with both incursions from southern rivals as well as dealing with Caltu raiders in east. At home, the Charing raised the castle Holymount in the dry foothills of the holy mountain, giving command over the southern trade routes, and the pilgrimage route to the shrine on the mountain. They also found the same foothills were fertile ground for almonds, and their people soon planted groves from sprigs brought up from Parathia.
With wealth, faith and status the Charing spread their influence becoming one of the less insular houses in the northern duchy extending trade and family ties into eastern province and beyond. They served their dukes and the royal house well both in war and peace having a talents that leant themselves to the making of both.
By the time of the Thirty Years War they were one of the leading houses in the North already tied to the Arkanin by marriage and by war's end they had secured a Romante match for themselves as well increasing their influence. However that influence faltered when King Lucas died and the Succession War began. The Charings like the rest of the Arkanin vassals stayed out of the war for the most part, limiting their involvement to defending the borders of Wayston and their old lands from raiders. At the war's end, Lord Anton, brother-in-law of the current Viscount, proved the loser and the Charings were forced to downplay their royal connections sending away those who had been overly supportive of their disgraced relation.
Since that time, the Charings have been devout supporters of Queen Melisande and have worked to rebuild their good graces at court, an effort hindered by their liege lord's decision to retreat once more into neutrality.
Overview
- Cover
- Culture
- Lands and Holdings
- Vassals
- Military
- Economy
- Legends
- Reputation and Rumors
- Quirks
- Current Members
- Recent Events
Religion: The Charing have been had a close relationship with their faith both before and after their conversion. Prior to their conversion the chieftains of the Sons of Charig and later Viscounts Charing, were considered semi divine, owing to the stories claiming they were descended from the Sky Goddess. Though most likely they were at best descended from a sky worshiping priestess. The mountain where the union between Charig and the Sky Goddess took place was central to their worship of the Many and in particular Sky and the dead of House Charing were exposed to the sky on the mountain top to return them to their divine ancestor.
Following their conversion, the story changed and Charig was instead visited by a vision of Saint Martha which converted him the One Faith, despite the story was not supported by any historical fact. However the mountain remained central to the Charing's relationship with their new faith as it did with their old. A shrine to Saint Martha was raised on the mountain top and the bones of the Charing dead still on the mountain were given a burial in the One Faith and interred in the crypt below the shrine. When new Charings died, their bodies were likewise laid to rest in the shrine. As the shrine grew and stories of miracles circulated, an abbey was added to the shrine populated by nuns devoted to the saint, and the house made a tradition of sending its daughters to the nuns for education and a number of the house's elder matriarchs retired to the abbey and most became Abbesses.
However like all close relationships the relation between the Abbey and the Charings had rocky moments, mostly over money. Issues such as the size of the endowments in coin and land given to the abbey by the Charings as well as who controlled the pilgrim trade often flared up to conflicts between the house and abbey. The fact that many of the Abbesses were formerly members of House Charing did little to help matters and in fact some of the more bitter conflicts between were between mothers turned Abbesses and sons turned Viscounts. However these conflicts have rarely been violent save for when one Viscount laid siege to the Abbey, and when one Abbess lead her nuns down from the mountain to tear down a false shrine raised in Charing Town.
However despite their occasionally rocky relationship with the Abbey, the Charings in all are a dutifully pious house and keep a fine church in Charing Town despite supporting the shrine and Abbey on the mountain above. They also yearly celebrate the local holiday of the Feast of the Vision (conveniently on the date of the Summer Alignment Day) with alms given to the poor in the honour or the charitable Saint Martha. The event is often well attended by pilgrims and alms seekers though it is said the house often makes as much in trade from the festival than it gives out in alms.
The people of Holymount are fairly uniformly followers of the One Faith, and Saint Martha is particularly venerated in the region for obvious reasons.
Nobles: The nobles of house Charing see themselves as being one of the more cultured and worldly houses of Wayston and so cling to the more egalitarian mores of the houses outside of the Duchy than follow the rigid order of men are for fighting and women the birthing of children. While the succession is firmly locked in favor of males, women knights of house Charing are not unheard of and those who do take the traditional paths are not powerless, all of the women of House Charing have access to education through the convent on the mountain above Holymount castle and many of the family’s women have either entered the faith, or have retired to religious life and become the Abbess of Saint Martha on the Mountaintop.
For men, most are fostered out at a young age to gain experience and upon their return pushed down the martial path with some of the younger men allowed to take holy vows (though preferably as members of the Knightly Orders). For the eldest sons, stewardship is also stressed in their education so that the heir or the spare might take over the management of the families domains. Women are also trained in these matters to ensure that they can step in as needed and to improve their value as marriage prospects.
Commoners: The commoners of Southmarch are driven hard by their lords, who are always eager to get just a bit more out of their lands then they got the past year. For the most part they are the usual farmers and craftsmen who occupy most of the West. Though there are traders and merchants who call Southmarch home, most of the latter deal in the almonds harvested from the hillsides.
Province: Southmarch
Towns: Charing Town is the main settlement of Southmarch beneith the family seat that shares the name of the province. The town is sprawling having grown well beyond the old walls, and is the main hub of trade for the County as well as the final stop for pilgrims looking to climb the mountain to the Abbey of Saint Martha on the Mountaintop.
Other villages and hamlets dot the countryside, most of them farming villages but a few quarries and wood cutting camps exist on the edges of the county.
Fortifications: The seat of house Charing is Holymount a strongly built fortress in the foothills of the Mountain of St. Martha. The castle has a commanding view of the surrounding foothills and forests and plains beyond, as well as a view of the holy mountain itself. The castle was built centuries ago, but has been kept up to date by the Viscounts, most recently in the Thirty Years War where the walls were reinforced against attacks.
Beyond the castle there are few other fortifications save for the mandated watchtowers common to all of Wayston.
The Shrine and the Abbey: A major focus in the County is the Shrine of Saint Martha on the Mountaintop where the founder of House Charing was said to have been visited by the saint and converted to the One Faith. Since then a church has been built over the site. It is a simple building with beautiful frescoes painted on the wall detailing the life of Saint Martha and a statue in the main sanctuary of her person. In the spirit of charity which Saint Martha represents the church is open day and night for travelers, though the crypt past the iron grate and locks is closed to casual visitors as it where the Charings have been buried for centuries. Inside, the most recent dead are entombed in stone caskets with carven effigies, while the later dead, are stored in one of the sub-vaults that branch from the main chamber in a labyrinthine fashion.
The Abbey of Saint Martha on the Mountaintop, despite the name is not on the top of the mountain but on one of it’s slopes along the path to the shrine. The land around the Abbey is home to terraced fields, which support the nuns, and the Abbey itself is a beautiful walled building with a guest house, church, and the living quarters for the nuns. It is also home to a school, which tutors young girls of means in religion and other scholarly subjects an is well attended by the daughters of the local nobility.
Terrain: Unlike much of Wayston, the lands around Holymount are fairly flat save for the mountain and its foothills. The rest of the county is made up of plains and forests until its eastern borders. It also boasts a single river, though not one deep enough for serious river travel.
In addition to unlanded knights in vassalage to the Charing the family holds the allegiance of Barons Martelle and Quinn and the Carlsens the Lords of Britton and one other open lordship.
The military of House Charing was organized by former Duke Xavier before his marriage to Anca Arkanin and as such follows the same command structure and strict discipline as the Duke’s own forces.
However unlike the forces at Murias, the troops of House Charing feature a stronger emphasis on cavalry, to take advantage of the relatively flat terrain they command. The rest of the forces are similar to those fielded by the Duchy, strong infantry and quick moving bowmen capable of fighting in formation or as skirmishers.
Troops:
Southmarch Heavy Cavalry: 100
Light Lancers: 100
Men at Arms: 50
Wayston Spearmen: 300
Archer Skirmishers: 150
Militia: 100 Militia Lancers raised, remainder TBD
The Charing make their coin from taxes drawn from their ample farmland, sale of timber rights and the sale rights to hunt for pelts in their woods. Depending on the current arrangement with the Abbey, they also make a decent percentage off the pilgrims visiting the shrine.
Though unlike other houses the Charing don’t dabble directly in trade preferring to leave that to their people and collecting their due taxes. However the region is best known for its almonds which are produced on the hills around the Charings’ castle Holymount. The nuts widely traded and are often served salted or glazed and baked in honey.
Saint or Goddess?- Much like their Arkanin lieges the Charing claim a miraculous conversion, claiming that St. Martha appeared to their ancestor Charig and converted him to the One Faith, despite evidence that Charig’s descendants worshiped the Many for generations after Charig’s death.
The original tale, told by some and remembered by the Charing is that Charig was visited by the Goddess of the Sky, lay with her and was gifted with sons who would become his descendants.The tale is often cited as the source of the famous Charing pride, after all who else can claim to be divinely descended?
The Wrath of Sky - While worship of the Many is all but extinct in Holymount it is a common expression in the County to call blame the storms that sometimes wrack the county on the slighted Sky Goddess who has been replaced by Saint Martha by her disobedient descendants.
Haunted Mountain - Before their conversion the Sons of Charig were exposed to the sky on the mountaintop when they died. Now that they have become the House Charing their members are buried in the tradition of the One Faith below ground like decent people. However the spirits of those who were put on the mountain before still haunt the mountains, seeking vengeance on their wayward kin who abandoned the old ways and any One fearing soul who happens into their path.
Secret Thorns - It is no secret that the Viscountess Charing was the sister of Anton Romante, the Thorn, and while most of the family stayed out of the war it is often whispered they secretly supported the Thorn through the war, and still do so now. Indeed many in the lands held by the Martelles claim it was the Charings who delivered Haron Keep to the Thorns.
Divine Pride - They say before their conversion the Charing claimed to be descended of a goddess, and while that tale may not be told when there’s priests listening, the Charings have never forgotten the tale. After why do you think they’re all so proud? They think they’re above mere mortals.
Family Feuds - It’s no secret that the Charing send their women to the abbey when they get old. It’s also no less hidden that most of those women go on to rule the Abbey and take their revenge on their kin for their exile. Which is why there will always be feuds between castle and abbey in Southmarch.
Assumed:
Shrewd - The Charings have been players of the long game for centuries. Slowly building influence and wealth. As a family they tend not to take big risks for big rewards but rather make small gambles and wait for the right opportunities to seize bigger prizes.
Worldly - The Charings see themselves as cultured and worldly, taking more of their cues from the courts of the Romante over those of their more conservative Dukes. Despite their relative isolation most Charings are up to date on fashions, trends and happenings of the world.
Proud - The Charings are an ancient house with ties to many of Galenthia’s great houses including the Romante, and they are very much aware of this fact. They see themselves as what nobles should be, and while this means most of them conduct themselves with honour as a noble should, it tends to make them chilly where less well bred houses are concerned, and let us not speak of commoners.
Justified:
Educated - Education is highly prized by the Charings and all able minded children of the family get some education be it in the abbey school or during fosterage. It’s an odd Charing who cannot read and write at least two languages and does not know their history or the books of the One Faith.
Talented Stewards - Charings are neither craftsmen or merchants, but they are nobles and keen managers of their lands. As such most in the household, likely to rule or otherwise are able stewards. (Skill: Stewardship)
Well-Connected - The Charings are an old house with blood ties that go to the royal court itself. There are few places in Galenthia where they do not have at least some friends or distant kin to aid them.
Talented Artists - There is more to nobility than the management of lands, and the slaughter of foes on the battlefield. Like it was in the days of old Galenthia, the Charing believe artistic pursuits are important to being proper and fashionable and they encourage those skills in the members of their house. (Choose one Skill: Drawing, Painting, Poetry, Musical Instrument (pick one), Singing, Acting, Oratory)
House Relations
 |
Head of House: Queen Melissande Sofia Romante : Our climb up the royal tree left us grasping the wrong branch. We fell with Anton but not so far. Royal blood is royal blood after all. So we praise the Rose Queen and quietly sweep Anton under the rug, as we did with that goddess nonsense in ages past. |
 |
Head of House: Duchess Evae Arkanin : Our liege lords and our kin. We serve them faithfully but their stance of neutrality has hurt us and hinders our efforts to grow. Still, our bed is made. |
 |
Head of House: Duke Gauvain Tarris : We admit, they might have been made better lieges than the Arkanin and a better marriage match as well. But what is done is done, and while we don’t serve them we still look upon them well. They are an old house and honourable despite the actions of the Betrayer. |
 |
Head of House: Duchess Isabel Sokar : Some rise by blood, others by swords, but the Sokar by brick and mortar. Hmm. They seem able replacements for the Robar (One how that house has fallen) but marriage to a Romante aside they still have brick dust on their boots. |
 |
Head of House: Viscount Henric Cassomir : Recently raised to counts, but a good and old house. We welcome them as peers. |
 |
Head of House: Baron Grainor Martelle : Good vassals and badly used by the resurgent Thorns. Their wealth though is troubling. Coins are power wrought in gold and power breeds thoughts above one’s station. We wonder how long they will be content to be barons. |