encounters
at sea of which the Chereks are so fond. Tolnedran merchants
have bitterly complained about this advantage to the whole succesion
of Tolnedran Emperors for two thousand years without notable
success, since the wily Cherek negotiators agreed in the Accords of Val
Alorn to a tax of ten percent of their net U on any goods sold in
Tolnedra to be paid directlY into the personal treasury of the Emperor.In 4002/ apparently in accord with a secret treaty with the Rivans,
the entire Cherek fleet sailed Southward and participated in the
assault
Alorn upon Nyissa. Since that time it has been no secret that there exists an
Alorn confederation – an illegal arrangement in direct violation of
numerous treaties with Tolnedra, all of which contain a clause of exclusivity
forbidding the signatory nation from concluding treaties or
agreements with any other power without Tolnedran consent.
It must be conceded, however, that these secret agreements were
invaluable during the war against the Angarak hordes of Kal-Torak
(4865-75) when the Alorns arose as one people in response to the
(4865-75) when the Alorns arose as one people in response to the
near-destruction of Drasnia and the wasting of the Algarian herds.
It was’in 4875 that Cherek warships appeared for the first time at
Tol Honeth and conveyed virtually the entire Imperial Garrison
north to the River Arend and thence up that river to the vast plain to
the west of Vo Mimbre that they might fall upon the Angarak right
flank. Further, it must be conceded that it was the presence of the
Rivan Warder which mobilized the entire west against the Angarak
threat. His leadership of that unlikely force of Rivans, Chereks,
Sendars and northern Arends who assaulted the rear of the
Mallorean Horde was the final blow upon that bloody field, since
Algar cavalry, the remnants of Drasnian infantry and Ulgo irregulars
had already begun the assault upon the Angarak left. This
threePronged attack, the most concentrated effort in military history, is
generally conceded to have been the Only thing that could have
the Angarak tide.
, Cherek has prospered in the years since the defeat of the Angaraks,
gaining advantage by assisting the Drasnians in the rebuilding of
Boktor and Kotu and in the repair of the causeway across the
Aldurfens on the Great North Road.
The Present King of Cherek is Anheg IX (called by some Anheg the
Sly). He has been on the Throne in val Alorn for nine years. He is a
large, dark-haired man with a brutish face. Though he appears to
share the Alorn fondness for rowdy drinking and boastful swagger.
he is in fact, a highly educated man and a shrewd politician. He is
fully aware of the COmPlex politics of the southern nations as well as
mOre elemental alliances of the Alorn Kingdoms. He spends much
in study, and is generally held by those who know him to be the
equal at least Of the Tolnedran Emperor, who has had the benefit of
instruction by an entire university.The King Of Cherek, however,
conducts his own studies, and, it is rumored, has even learned old
angarak so that he might read in the original the forbidden BOOK OF
TORAK, a work accursed by all civilized nations and religions.
The palace of Anheg is a vast warren of unused chambers and
dank corridors – befitting, perhaps, a building that has been three
thousand years in construction. His private chambers are given over
to study and to obscure experimentation.
Anheg’s closest friend and advisor is his cousin Barak, a giant
Alorn warrior with the temper of a Berserker and the subtlety of a
Tolnedran ambassador. Barak has, it is reliably reported, been
entrusted with a number of highly delicate missions for his cousin.
Our informants in Val Alorn, however, report that he is generally
believed by Cherek nobility to suffer from some obscure stigmata or
‘Doom’ . as our northern friends call it, and is periodically morose
and even melancholic. What the nature of this ‘Doom’ might be is a
matter which causes tight lips and white knuckles on the
swordhands of our Cherek friends and an absolute refusal to discuss
Barak’s affliction – even under the most skillful prodding.
* This description of Barak derives from an earlier character sketch.
Cherek
COINAGE
1. A I!’ oz. gold coin called a ‘shield’ equals about $200
2. A Y4oz. gold coin called a ‘half shield’ equals about $100
Cherek gold coins are octagonal and the weights are not very exact.
They are usually hoarded and are seldom seen in trade.
SILVER
The standard of trade in Cherek
1. A one pound silver bar milled on the edges and stamped with the
King’s rune. Called a ‘Silver King’ equals $100.
2. A X lb. silver bar called a ‘Silver Queen’ equals $50.
3. A 4 oz. silver coin (very big) called a ‘Silver Prince’ equals $25.
4. A one oz. silver coin called a ‘Silver Princess’ equals $6.50
(Tolnedran silver Noble)
COPPER
1. A copper penny 1 oz. octagonal equals 6.50
2. A copper half-penny round equals 3.250
Note: Copper is slightly more valuable in Cherek because of its
scarcity in that country. (No brass coins in Cherek.)
COSTUME
MEN
Basically Viking – lots of furs. Linen tunics. Leggings. Shoes are very
crude. Cherek men are armed almost all of the time. Swords, axes,
spears, like a boar-spear, javelins, daggers. Helmet – various shapes
decorated usually with the clan totem on top – no horn on helmets.
Chain-mail shirts or heavy bull-hide with steel plates sewn on.
Beards common.
WOMEN
Linen gowns. Belted. Cross-tied bodice to accentuate the bosom.
(Cherek women are busty and quite proud of that fact.) Hair is
braided and frequently bound up into elaborate headdresses.
COMMERCE
Extensive bartering. Market-place in most towns and villages. Ship
building is a major industry around Val Alorn.
RANK
THE KING
Hereditary. Always wears his crown. (Has a crown built onto his
helmet for wars.) State robes are very fine and h-ft=ed with ermine.
THE EARLS
Actually Clan-chiefs. Some 30-40 of them.
LORDS
The hereditary nobility’ Associated with land. Can be invested at the
King’s whim.
WARRIORS
Not exactly noble, but treated with more respect than commoners.
COMMONERS
Unlanded men – farm workers, dock-hands, etc. largely drawn from
the descendants of Thralls (Thralldom was abolished at the end of
the 2nd millennium)
* We chose not to follow the institution of thralldom (slavery). It was present in Europe
during the Dark Ages, but it would have served no purpose in this story.
The social structure of Cherek is quite fluid
and upward mobility is very common. Any man with a sword or axe
can rise to warrior status and can in time be made a Lord by the
King. Chereks are quite concerned with proprieties of such things.
MODES OF ADDRESS
The King is called ‘Your Majesty’ on formal occasions but is often
called by his first name even by commoners. Nobles are called ‘Lord
John’ on formal occasions but again often called just ‘John’.
MANNERS
Much care is taken to avoid offense. Chereks are touchy and
quarrelsome. Boasting is permitted but no insult. Chereks sing a great deal
but not very well (loud). A lot of feasting and drinking in the winter.
Fights are common but the tendency is to use clubs or staves rather
than swords to hold down the fatalities. Adultery is not uncommon
but is severely punished when caught.
HOLIDAYS
Erastide – Midwinter
Festival of Belar – Spring
King’s Birthday – Varies. Now midsummer
Cherek’s Birthday – Fall
Victory Celebration – For Battle of Vo Mimbre – Midsummer
POPULATION
Probably 2 million total
* These population numbers were low throughout. We had the Dark Ages in mind, but the
societies that developed in the story were noticeably more advanced.
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES
Priests are muscular and war-like. Bonfires on the Altar. Choral
singing. Sermons are biting attacks on personal sinfulness. (Like the
Scottish Dominie.) Incantations for luck.
THE CULT OF THE BEAR
A group of warrior monks (like Templars) dedicated to the service of
Belar – chapters in Drasnia, Algaria, Riva and Sendaria.
* The Bear-cult makes its first appearance here. At the time we had no idea how important
it would turn out to be.
These form the core of the armies of those nations – fundamentally an Anti
Angarak society – arch conservative.
Drasnia
GEOGRAPHY
Drasnia is a large northern country lying between the mountains
of the east and the Gulf of Cherek. It is, by and large, a plain
extending from Aldurfens up through Mrin Marsh and thence to the
Drasnian Moors which extend northward to the polar ice. The
principal Drasnian preoccupation is with the vast herds of reindeer
which provide the mainstay of Drasnian economy.
*The reindeer were later eliminated.
Drasnia’s
strategic position astride the North Caravan Route has provided a
vast wealth from time immemorial. The two major cities, the capital
at Boktor, northern terminus of the Great North Road and western