Greyglade

Welcome to Greyglade!

2020-04-29T11:59:00.002-05:00

Well met, weary traveler! Come, sit down, relax, and enjoy our company for a time.

Now, tell me, friend...

Have you ever wanted to swordfight?

Do you dream of medieval battles?

Would you like to meet elves, orcs, faeries, dwarves, drow, goblins, angels, demons, Romans, knights, Vikings, barbarians, and the like?

Here's a concept. You can.

How, you may ask?

The answer is simple: Dagorhir.

Dagorhir is a live action full contact battle game using padded weapons. It's a chance to shed your everyday 21st century cares and spend some time just hitting people. It's your ticket to parties, revels, competitions, tournaments, duels, slave auctions, dressing up in funny clothes, talking with a weird accent, and, of course, fighting until your heart's content. It lets you use a sword, axe, glaive, spear, flail, javelin, bow and arrows, and an endless variety of other medieval weapons.

It's your chance to live a fantasy. And it's cheap, easy, and available.

You know you want it.

The links on the right will allow you to browse around the Greyglade website (such as it is) and the existence of Dagorhir on the internet in general. And feel free to leave comments on anything you see that you like. If you'd like more information on practice times or location, or about Dagorhir as a whole, send me an email at greyglade (at) dagorhir (dot) com, or join our group on Facebook, as both are faster ways to reach us than the comments here.

Take a look. I'm betting you'll like what you see.

_Ser Kneefers the White, of House Greyglade

(Photograph by Warren the Nomad. We're very grateful.)

Upcoming Practices

2019-04-29T23:59:00.005-05:00

[Updated 2/16/11]

If you just follow this site, you may be under the impression that Greyglade has been taking a rather lengthy, poorly-explained break. I regret to say that such suspicions are not entirely unfounded. However, in the wake of some big things coming to an end and life settling down once more, as well as the advent of Ides of March V next month, Greyglade practices for 2011 are starting up again. Practices are, as always, on Sundays at Hamilton Park at 2:30 (barring complications, of course; email before coming out to practice, because Things Come Up). The last practice before Ides will be February 27th, and then we will organize the remainder of our spring at that time.

Also, please be aware that Dagorhir's amazing season-opening weekend event, The Ides of March, is coming up very soon, March 10-13, 2011. Ides is an absolute blast, and is the biggest and best national event Dagorhir event that is easily accessible to Southerners such as ourselves. In addition, Greyglade has taken on the mantle of designing and running the day battles at Ides V, and we're very excited about premiering some of our ideas on a national stage. Come out and support us. We promise you'll have a good time.

Otherwise, as always, contact us by email or Facebook (feel free to join the group if you're interested in staying abreast of Dagorhir developments in North Alabama) before you plan a trip out to see what we're up to, as we rarely check this site. Hope to see you there!

This website is meant for general information and is not updated as regularly as we would like. If any of this grabs your interest, e-mail us at greyglade [at] dagorhir [dot] com with questions and for future practice times!

Knighthood

2011-12-08T13:22:00.002-06:00

The Knights of the Heart

One of the most attractive aspects of Dagorhir is the freedom of choice. Many other games with role-playing elements require the individual to start at the bottom and level up or perform fealty to find their niche and fit in to the world of the game. In Dagorhir, by contrast, no one really cares. Think Sauron got a raw deal? Here's your green facepaint. Kurosawa close to your heart? Get yourself a katana and a dress. Watch too much Spartacus? AVE ROME, BABY. As long as it's historical or fantastic, it's all within your grasp.

Have you always wanted to be a knight?

Then you already are.

Many fighting companies integrate knightly orders into the hierarchy of their groups: to be a knight, one is required to serve as a squire and undergo training and various martial trials to prove one's worthiness. In Greyglade, however, ranks and leadership within the chapter take different paths, leaving knighthood solely within the purview of roleplaying. Our orders of knighthood, therefore, omit the requirements of an attainment and leave only the requirements of commitment. Being a Knight of the Heart is less concerned with your actions in the past and more concerned with your intentions for the future.

In that spirit, there are several voluntary limitations to which a knight must submit in order to call himself or herself a Knight of the Heart. If such a thing is of interest to you, read on...

_Ser Kneefers the White of Greyglade, Knight of the Heart


Broken Heart sigil designed by deviantArt user Dark-Fire-Wolf-123

A Knight of the Heart Shall Demonstrate:

TRUTH

The pursuit of the truth is the highest calling for the Knight, and he is forbidden to speak a lie, even if the truth would shame him, nor may he approach an opponent from behind on the battlefield without announcing his presence. While a stalwart warrior, the Knight also cultivates a heart that is transparent, unprejudiced, and without guile. As such, the Knight must possess armor that protects his torso, but which features a Rift – a hole or other open space which leaves his heart uncovered – to symbolize that he hides no secret shame within a deceitful heart.

MERCY

True nobility on the battlefield comes not only from power, but in compassion and service as well. The second calling of the Knight is to cultivate the skills of a healer. The knight is to memorize a poem of healing, and to offer such services for any battle in which healing – whether by poems or by other means – is permitted and needed. The Knight, though given the title “Ser,” also demonstrates his charity and humility by not demanding deference in the form of such honorifics, even from his own men.

COURAGE

The final mark of the Knight is his courage and loyalty on the field of battle. He will require no action of his companions that he does not undertake himself, and once on the battlefield the Knight is forbidden from abandonment of his allies. Regardless of whether such allies are those to whom the Knight has given vows or those merely thrown to his side by fate, the Knight will make every effort to rescue them from danger, no matter the risk to his own life or the considerations of battle strategy.

A Knight of the Heart is likewise required to take an oath before a group of witnesses consisting of all other Knights of the same order who are present at the event. It is not required that a man or woman be a member of Greyglade or to fight with the other Knights in order to take on the mantle of a Knight of the Heart. Regardless of your other obligations or alliances, being a Knight of the Heart requires only that you have the earnest desire to apply yourself fully to the ideals and restrictions of the order, and that you make your sincerity evident to the knights who are to witness your oath. Once he has offered his oath, the Knight is permitted to wear armor with a Rift over the heart, as well as to display the sigil of the order, the Broken Heart. The oath takes the form of a series of answers, which shall be memorized in full and recited as proof of your commitment.

Ser Knight, shall I ask you of your heart?

Ask me not of my heart, for my heart is broken.

Ser Knight, shall I ask you of your heart?

Ask me not of my heart, for my heart must carry no lies and suffer no shield.

Ask me not of my heart, for my heart must bear that truth exceeds falsehood.

Ask me not of my heart, for my heart must remain always courageous, always merciful, always true.

Ask me not of my heart, for my heart is shattered and made whole again.

Ask me not of my heart, for my heart abides with he who fights beside me.

Ask me not of my heart, for my heart is no longer mine to give.

Ser Knight, shall I ask you of your heart?

Ask me not of my heart, for my heart is yours.

Character: Berserker

2010-06-28T09:24:00.003-05:00

The men who tell the stories say that Rredhen Oasis was nearly dry during the summer that the assassins came for Prince Eqhben al Kharin of Eshedhal. The Prince was yet a young man on the occasion of his father's death, unexperienced in the ways of the world, and his father's enemies saw the opportunity to seize power for themselves. Time after time, the Prince's royal guards foiled the attempts of the enemy agents, but at a terrible cost, for the Knight Protectors of the court fell one by one to assassin blades, until only there were only the rabble of slave-soldiers, the men with the crescent moon mark in their right palm, left between the young king and those who would take his life. And on the last day of the summer, the army of assassins finally descended upon the Oasis city, intent on wiping out the Kharin dynasty forever.

Many summers passed between that day and the bitter, hot night on the shores of the Insea as the companions of Greyglade pulled the old ship up onto the sand, their exhausted muscles straining under the weight. On their way south back from Mylis, the warriors had hoped for a time of rest and peace to give Ser Kneefers and Artemas, the newly reunited brothers, to learn to trust each other. But it was not to be, for that very night a band of brigands led by the vengeful Gylk of Agrix, bitter that the Trewan crown had disposed of him after he had outlived his usefulness as a traitor and spy, ambushed the small group of companions at the shore.

However, at the most desperate moment, a huge man suddenly burst from the grey forest, two mismatched flails whirling in his hands. He tore into the ambushers, careless for his own safety and roaring odd battle cries with fearsome savagery, and it wasn't long before Gylk the traitor himself lay dead upon the sand.

After the battle, Ser Kneefers and Artemas were so impressed by the greatness and bravery the old warrior had shown during the battle that they asked him to join their band of warriors. No matter how they asked, however, he refused to reveal his name. They could tell by the way he fought that he was a skillfully trained warrior. After hearing their story, he agreed to become part of the band and pledge his loyalty to the House of Greyglade.

The brothers tried for years to discover the name of their loyal warrior. In battle after battle, the big brawler fought like a madman, never caring for his own safety, just for the safety of his companions, and eventually came to be known simply as Berserker. But while traveling to the west part of the kingdom, the companions of Greyglade were camping out at the Rredhen Oasis in the Nevermeadow Desert, and an old shaman told them a story about a great warrior who was assigned to protect a king. The king’s slave soldier protector never left the side of his lord, and even during the brutal summer of the assassins, and had single-handedly foiled countless attempts to kill the king while his fellow protectors fell all around him.

At the climax of the story, when the assassins invaded the Oasis, the king's entire slave army perished, leaving the lone protector standing in the doorway to the king's room, twin flails in his hands. According to the legend, the protector faced down and defeated unimaginable odds, using the advantage of the narrow opening to defeat over twenty men. It is said that years later, the King, on his deathbad from a wasting disease, freed the protector from his oath, and carved the letter “L” onto the warrior’s right wrist so all could see that the warrior's fierce spirit and unending devotion were his to direct as he chose...

Character: Gylfie

2010-03-15T23:44:00.003-05:00

In the bustling port of Xilic, located on the northern tip of Agrix, there lived a pirate named Myllo. Myllo was not a particularly responsible man, a particularly successful man, or even a particularly well-liked man. Therefore, when he awoke on the hottest night of the year to find a tiny baby in a basket on the doorstep of his fishing shack, Myllo was singularly ill-equipped to deal with the child, much less the news – imparted by a crumpled note – that the tiny half-elf girl was his daughter and that her mother expected him to take responsibility for her while she traveled the world.

To his credit, Myllo always made sure that his daughter, who had been given the elven name “Gylfie”, was provided for and looked after. However, he was a harsh and captious father who rarely had time for the girl between pirating ventures, and she was raised more by the swampy, buggy streets of the pirate city of Xilic than she ever was by the man who brought her into the world. Despite her status as a child of rejection, Gylfie was determined, curious, and resourceful, and she learned much from the life that Myllo provided for her.

By the time Gylfie was fifteen, however, her father's life of crime had finally caught up with him. With the fleet of privateer knights that patrolled the waters around the island of Agrix closing in around him, Myllo made plans to leave Agrix quickly and quietly for Greyglade, hoping to start a new operation preying on the shipyards of the Insea. And in the course of his plans, Myllo decided that his teenaged daughter was old enough to take care of herself, and designed to leave her behind. Gylfie, however, learned of her father's voyage, and begged to be taken along, images of a life of exploration and adventure filling her imagination. Her father refused, however, and after a long argument, flatly ordered her to stay behind.

Never one to take orders, however, Gylfie stowed away in the ship, her small size and elven senses allowing her to hide in the cargo hold, coming out only to steal food and drink. The voyage was long, but the girl discovered a magnificent short sword among the treasure in the hold, and entertained herself by imagining her adventures as a brave and dashing pirate warrior.

After months of travel, the ship slid upon the southwestern shores of the Insea, only miles from Seewa. That night, while the crew and her father were asleep, she went on the deck to play with her sword in the moonlight. But in her exultation at finally getting out of the cargo hold, she accidentally knocked over a clay pot with a swipe of her sword. She dove to catch it, but it slipped out of her grasp and shattered on the hard planks of the ship, and the sound brought Myllo and his men running from belowdecks to investigate. The pirate captain flew into a rage, and rashly claimed that he wanted nothing more to do with his child, ranting that he had never wanted her and that she didn’t belong on a ship meant for warriors. After her father's rage had subsided into slumber, Gylfie, hurt and disillusioned, her cheeks stained with tears, took her father’s words as a challenge. Without a second thought, she thrust the sword through the orange sash she wore at her waist and dove from the ship down into the cold water of the loch, swimming away towards the shore of a new land.

For many days and nights Gylfie walked, content to explore this new world. After two weeks of walking, she came upon a peculiar gray tree, its gnarled roots forming a small cave, just deep enough into the ground for a small girl to fit, and took it to be her refuge. Though the girl took well to surviving on her own, Gylfie remained hurt by her father's scorn and lonely for home, despite herself. Many times she thought of going back, but eventually she vowed she would not return until she had become a warrior that her father would admire.

After almost a year of solitude upon her sanctuary of roots and sea rocks, Gylfie found her territory being crossed by a band of men and women traveling along the rocky shore. Eavesdropping, she heard the deep footsteps and few tired voices of soldiers. Intrigued, Gylfie crept closer to listen to their conversation. From what she could tell, members of the group were trying to recruit another of their number to their cause. Stopping to rest by the sea rocks that stood tall on the shore by Gylfie's tree, the warriors spoke of trust, of identity, and of making a better world.

Eventually, Gylfie's curiosity got the best of her, and she slowly raised her head above the cove entrance, positive she wouldn't be seen. The band of warriors was exhausted and wounded, fresh from wearying battle, and Gylfie felt her heart go out to them. Suddenly, their leader, a warrior dressed in white, looked up from under his wolf mask and spotted the girl eavesdropping on their conversation. But instead of raising the alarm, he merely stood and walked away from the campfire, and sat down at the entrance of her cove, smiling gently. Gylfie, trying to be brave, repressed the urge to run.

The man introduced himself as Ser Kneefers the White, of House Greyglade, and Gylfie shyly introduced herself in turn. The warrior in white asked if she would like to share their fire for the night, offering her his hand, and after a long moment she took it. As she approached the group, questioning stares came from every direction. Not only was she the only woman, she was much smaller and younger than any of them. Ser Kneefers introduced Gylfie to the group, and at the urging of the warriors, her entire story finally came spilling out of her.

Gylfie explained her desire to be a great warrior, in spite of her father's rage and lack of faith in her, of stowing away in the ship, of how she and her father had fought, and how she had run away. Taken with the girl's spirit, Greyglade offered Gylfie a spot at their side.

Throughout the years, Gylfie trained much with an older hero, called Berzerker, and a bond of trust grew between them. Because of her amateur fighting skills, Gylfie pulled her weight primarily by using her elven traits to their benefit. Her small size and devious nature proved to be advantages that only she held. Over the years, Gylfie’s challenge of overcoming her father’s discouragement transformed into a desire to proving her worth in the House of Greyglade.

Character: Snojoo

2008-04-28T16:33:00.006-05:00

Snojoo the elf had his beginnings in a small wood near the eastern coast of Plellehara. When he was only 8 years of age, his village was attacked by pirates, and he and several other young elves were taken on the ship as labor. The pirates liked Snojoo, and, after coming of age, taught him to sail and handle a sword. Some years later, he jumped ship and headed for the kingdom of Trewas. There he met Ser Kneefers who asked him to join his group of fighters who sought to recover his father's lands. Snojoo warmly accepted and became part of the group. After learning more about warfare from the noble and his followers, Snojoo became noticed by a band of fighters known as Templar Draconis Kestavara. They saw his potential and requested that he join them as well as Greyglade. Upon the invitation Snojoo accepted and now wears the red, black, and white.

Map

2006-08-30T21:31:00.000-05:00

The Lands in the world of Greyglade are far spread and diverse, both in terms of the geography, and of the people living in them.
For information on each different country, refer to the pages concerning the Noble Houses of the world of Greyglade...

Click on the image to see it full sized.

Photoshop version of the map courtesy of Ser Flochrein. Yes, we know it's terribly sexy.

Contact

2006-07-31T09:13:00.001-05:00

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, death threats, or if you'd just like to chat, about Dagorhir or otherwise, you can contact Kneefers at greyglade@dagorhir.com.

Also, if you feel so inclined, Greyglade has a Facebook group, which is just about the best way to keep abreast of the Dagorhir goings-on here in northern Alabama.

See you there,
_Ser K

Locations

2006-07-28T21:48:00.002-05:00

The majority of battles for the time being will be held at Hamilton Park on Jefferson Avenue in Anniston, Alabama, every Sunday at 2:30PM.

The above link should work just fine, but just in case, here are some maps, (because putting "Hamilton Park, Anniston Alabama" into Google Maps on your own won't get you anything):
(Disregard the green arrow, follow the red circles. You're bright; you can figure it out.)
Email greyglade@dagorhir.com for any questions on directions.

Coming from the interstate (I-20), take exit 185 north towards Anniston/Oxford. Go almost 4 miles, then turn right onto E 10th Street. Then, after about half a mile, turn right onto Jefferson Avenue. You will see Hamilton Park on your right, just after the second stop sign.

Character: Fehrin

2006-07-08T18:04:00.000-05:00

[Nothing Here Yet]

Character: Reiniph

2006-07-07T10:29:00.000-05:00

[Nothing Here Yet]

Feats

2006-07-04T19:24:00.001-05:00

Feats

Each fight is one versus two unless otherwise stated by the test. The testers are preferably fighters of Guide rank that have not previously obtained the mastery.

Count – Single blue only, death upon first nick

Wojwod – Two blue weapon only

Pfalzgraf – Sword and board only

Black Hat – Dagger only

Uhlan – Spear only

Ashwood – Javelin only

Jannissary – Bow and arrow only

Ringleader – Red weapon only

Jaguar Knight – Single blue only, death upon first leg

Blue Banner – Single blue versus a juggernaut (Full armor and sword and board)

Red Banner – Single blue versus two juggernauts (Full armor and sword and board)

Hersir – A turn-based duel that takes place in a three yard by three yard box. The tester and the tested take turns attacking. Each gets three turns. When it is a person's turn to strike, they drop their shield. When it is not a person's turn to strike, they drop their sword. When three hits have passed from each side, the person with the least wounds is the winner. The tester receives armor. If either steps out of the box, they forfeit. Shield bashing is not allowed.

Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod – Any weapon shield combination, no armor, versus a sword and boardman, a spearman, and an archer.

Character: Warren

2006-06-25T17:07:00.000-05:00

[Nothing Here Yet]

Character: Arrehd

2006-05-28T11:55:00.000-05:00

[Nothing Here Yet]

Character: Floche

2006-05-22T13:21:00.001-05:00

[Nothing Here Yet]

House Trewas

2006-03-31T14:00:00.000-05:00

(For a map of the lands, countries, and cultures referenced here, refer to the Map of the Lands of Greyglade and Trewas.)

The Kingdom of Trewas is a noble house centered in Castle Mylis, which is surrounded by the sprawling capital city of the realm, to the north of the Straight of Mylis, from which the city and castle get their name. The Kingdom of Trewas has always prided itself in its iron-fisted rule and military might, and has a long military history. As well as the southern campaign that conquered Greyglade, Trewas also has incorporated the territories of Aksylis, Plellehara, Djisi, Alends, and Lekidia into their lands.

The gentles of Trewas,
King Hyris and his three sons (by his wife, Lady Aeliko of Lekidia, who died in childbirth)
-Draviz, the crown prince, a boy of 23 years; a rash, hot tempered youth eager to claim the throne upon his father’s death
-Jivis, their daughter, died of a wasting sickness in her youth
-Thaegon and Thigar, twin boys, aged 14; as the eldest of the two by several minutes, Thaegon is second in line to the throne

Ser Kalan of Trewas, the Quartermaster, King Hyris’s nephew, of an age with Draviz, and his sister, Lady Kalas, a slow-minded girl of 17 years,

and their court and advisors,

Ser Jixzu of Djisi, Ser Lallyn of Aksylis, Ser Tyll of Plellehara, Ser Paln of Alends, Ser Hakaia of Lekidia, and Ser Eelan of Greyglade, guardsmen, each an ambassador to Trewas from their respective territories, as is custom
Phaalan the Widower, Captain of the Guard
Duiy of D’liw, the healer, and his wife Halla of D’liw, and their daughter
-Allys, a maid of 14
Giln, the blacksmith, and Mala, his brother, also a blacksmith
Pyn, the Master of coin

and the minor houses under their rule, being either conquered or swearing fealty to the King of Trewas voluntarily,

Lekidia, a somewhat large country covering the frozen northwestern forest of the north continent. Lekidia was begun as a constitutional monarchy, but eventually backslid into just flat monarchy until a king several centuries ago began styling himself “Emperor” and the title stuck. Soon, Lekidia had settled down to official tyranny with almost every vestige of democracy gone. That all ended, however, when Trewas enacted a northern campaign almost two hundred years ago and captured Lekidia with the help of spies from the neighboring northern country, Alends, who infiltrated the. Before the feudal system of the Knight was introduced upon Trewas’s occupation, Lekidia had a system of samurai-like warriors known as Owaino, and strong echoes of the ideals of these warriors; codes of bushido and ideals of personal honor and disgrace still remain strongly in place.

Alends, a country that is home to a hardy people who live in the catacombs threading through the mountainous region to the east of the mountain range that separates the northern continent. Both Alends and Lekidia likely would have been left alone from the Trewan conquests because of the harsh northern winter in the mountains, but Alends has long been a close trading partner and willing vassal of Trewas, and thus the Alendite spies showed Trewas safe passages through the mountains and assisted with intelligence, and the Empire of Lekidia fell quite easily. Due to a loose sense of government and morals, as well, Alends is a place you go if you want not to be found. It is a relatively rough and rowdy place made up mostly of people who aren’t wanted (or are wanted, as the case may be) in Trewas or elsewhere, or those who came here trying to escape something. Even in the small capital city of D’Liw by the mountains, the government consists only of a small council of elders and takes a decidedly hands-off approach to what goes on in their lands.

Plellehara, the forest country just to the northeast of Trewas. A thousand years ago, Plellehara was a thriving culture of scholars living quietly in the deep forest, and was a haven for the art and culture of the world, including the Rophin Library, which contained books thousands of years old. But everything changed when Trewas launched a campaign to conquer Plellehara. At first, the Trewan military marched straight in, hoping to merely overrun the quiet scholars, but were rebuffed by the impromptu military force the Plelleharans had put together. Thus it took months of bloody fighting, inch by inch, for Trewas to finally reach the interior of the country, where they killed every non-combatant citizen they could find, looted, burned, raped, and pillaged in a horrible massacre that devastated the entire area. Plellehara today, therefore, is little more than a vast area thinly populated only by the occasional nomadic shepherd.

Aksylis, a large island to the east of Trewas which is, for some reason, covered in a dark, treacherous bog crisscrossed with shallow rivers. It is peopled by a loose confederation of tribes of jungle natives, a strange people whose chief instruments of war were wood and obsidian club-swords, and whose culture was steeped in human sacrifice and other strange, aboriginal rituals. Being conquered by Trewas did away with most of the more savage of their conventions, but surprising amounts of their culture remains intact. In war, the emphasis is on taking prisoners instead of killing in order to show one’s skill, and thus they are fiercely loyal fighters, and are aggressively competitive by nature.

Djisi, a small ice-covered island off the northeast coast of the north continent. The residents of Djisi tend to keep to themselves, though they do have large longships, built with wood from the dark forest that covers the top half of their island. It was the last of the conquered territories of Trewas, because of its forbidding ice floes and fierce warriors. Inexplicably, the people of Djisi have dark skin, echoes of some all but forgotten heritage. Ancient Djisian legends speak of a great voyage from across the sea from the south and east, but how much truth is in this myth, it’s impossible to determine.

Character: Nihr

2006-03-31T13:58:00.000-05:00

[Nothing Here Yet...]

Character: Artemas

2006-03-31T12:44:00.002-05:00

Artemas is half-Greyglade, born out of wedlock and thus was hidden away from the world to conceal his fathers' indiscretions. At a young age, Artemas was foisted off on a passing bard, who would keep the young man away from the fray for power associated with noble life and teach him a trade to live his life quietly as an artisan. One night, Artemas silently left his teacher to begin his own life in Mylis, the capital city of Trewas, though not before his love of music had been awakened.

The crowded and hostile slums of the city of Mylis are controlled by the mobsters, the gangs, and the corrupt soldiers. But now, in the midst of gang wars, payoffs, and rampant organized crime, the area surrounding the Great Concert Hall is a haven of peace, controlled by a ragtag gang of street urchins known as the Broken Chords. The driving force behind the Chords is the enigmatic Conductor, who claims to be of noble blood.

However, everything changes when Ser Kneefers the White, the last living heir of the Greyglade house, appears in Mylis, searching for a man he says is his half-brother. Kneefers offers to legitimize Artemas as a Greyglade if he will help reclaim their family lands, but Artemas is unimpressed. He accuses his half-brother of having no real knowledge of what life is like without the cushion of nobility, and that it takes more than the offer of prestige or an appeal to a long-ignored family connection to impress him. However, with the mafia of the city pressing in on the Broken Chords' territory, the brothers may get a chance to learn to trust each other...

Character: Kneefers

2006-03-30T23:25:00.001-05:00

As the youngest of five trueborn children of the noble house in Greyglade, Kneefers never really took his noble status seriously. More than any of his siblings, Kneefers was prepared for a life of ease in Castle Rourke, and he tended to ignore many of his lessons. His older brothers were going to be knights or lords, and his sister was betrothed to be married, and there seemed to be no important way for Kneefers to make his mark. Everything changed, however, upon Gylk’s Betrayal.

King Hyris of Trewas and Lord Keelan of Greyglade, Kneefers’s father, had had a violent argument after Lord Keelan's oldest son defeated the crown prince in a tourney. Unbeknownst to Lord Keelan, after this incident Hyris finally gave in to the urgings of his oldest son and his advisors, all of whom had been pushing for a ‘chastisement’ of house Greyglade, which they regarded as a threat. Therefore, during a royal visit to Castle Rourke by King Hyris of Trewas, a vile plot was put into place.

With the help of Gylk of Agrix, one of his father’s men, King Hyris’s assassins orchestrated a comprehensive overthrow of House Greyglade, in which every noble of the house was slain, including his parents and four siblings. The segment of the plot which was designed to kill Kneefers took place while he was hunting, however, and failed due to the diligence one of his hunting companions (who was also, coincidentally, his sister’s fiancée), who uncovered the plot.

This, however, left Kneefers, who was only fifteen at the time, in a rather untenable and dangerous position as the last Greyglade noble left alive, and also in a position he was entirely unready for, since he was suddenly both a Lord and a Knight by virtue of his birth. He was therefore forced to grow up quickly, and eventually became determined to live up to his birthright and to avenge his family. It was then that he remembered that there was another with Greyglade blood who yet survived. He had a younger half-brother, a bastard born out of wedlock named Artemas who had been cast out of the Greyglade court at a young age. Kneefers and his small band of men who were still loyal to him began the long search for his brother.

After three long years of traveling and searching, he finally located Artemas in a large city in Trewas and offered to legitimize him as a Greyglade if Artemas, then still only a young man of fifteen, would help him to avenge their family members…

House Greyglade

2006-03-30T23:12:00.000-05:00

(For a map of the lands, countries, and cultures referenced here, refer to the Map of the Lands of Greyglade and Trewas.)

House Greyglade, the great old house in the south, was once its own kingdom, with the minor houses of Agrix, Neajalo, and Eshedhal all swearing fealty to it. Then, almost a century ago, the empire of Trewas to the north enacted a southern campaign and incorporated Greyglade and her territories into their lands, allowing Greyglade to keep its old power structure, only as a noble house with the king acting as the lord. The seat of the house of Greyglade is Castle Rourke, the Gate of the Sand, so called because of its location at the very edge of the Nevermeadow Desert. Most of Greyglade’s lands, however, are located farther east, in a huge valley glade between two rivers (from which the house gets its name) in the middle of a vast, calm forest near an inland lake called The Insea. Greyglade is a lush place, abounding with game in the forest and fish in the deep, cool loch, as well as natural resources and tactical security because of the thick forest. In war, Greyglade’s skill at training knights is unsurpassed, and thus their fighting force is fairly small, but elite.

The gentles of Greyglade,

Lord Keelan of Greyglade, his wife, Lady Meila, and their five trueborn children,
-Deekas, their eldest son, aged 25; next in line to be the Lord of Greyglade
-Tefan, their second son, aged 21, aspires to be a knight
-Raese, their third child, aged 19, a young lady of the court betrothed to be married to a handsome young hedge knight named Flochrein who pledged his sword to her father after he happened upon her and saved her from a band of outlaws in the forest
-Granin, the second to youngest, aged 18, a quiet, shy youth with a crippled left leg from a riding accident in his youth, who is nonetheless wise beyond his years
-Kneefers, their youngest trueborn child, aged 15

Ser Keelas of Greyglade, his younger brother, Captain of the Guard, and Lady Kyppa of Neajalo, his wife, and their children,
-Leezi, their eldest daughter, aged 7
-Palta, their second daughter, aged 5
-Meel, their youngest daughter, aged 3
Azeeous of Greyglade, his uncle, a very old man, and his daughter,
-Lady Olsanna, his cousin, a frail widow of advancing years

and their court and advisors,

Ser Anys of Agix, Ser Lirryhd of Eshedhal, and Ser Siern of Neajalo, guardsmen, each an ambassador to Greyglade from their respective territories, as is custom
Ser Flochrein, a former Hedge Knight and the Master of Arms, betrothed to Raese of Greyglade
Lylee, the Quartermaster, and Perfan, a slowminded stablehand, her older brother, whom she cares for
Eelani, a healer
Gylk of Agrix, the Blacksmith
Awm of Xilic, the Master of Coin, a former pirate

and the minor houses under their rule, being either conquered or swearing fealty to the Lord of Greyglade voluntarily,

Eshedhal, the desert nomad house centered in the Rredhen Oasis in the south of the Nevermeadow Desert. Eshedhal has long been the closest and truest of Greyglade’s fealty houses. Centuries ago, Eshedhal and Greyglade had a contentious relationship until Rredhen Oasis was invaded by hordes of Feralmen, the brutal, animalistic, barbarians that inhabit the darkest corners of the desert. King Prahhen of Eshedhal sent a frantic message to Greyglade pleading for aid, and King Keelas the Second came immediately to their assistance. The Feralmen were pushed back, but the kingdom of Eshedhal had already been ransacked, with much of their infrastructure destroyed by the ravages of the Feralmen. Thus, King Prahhen asked of Greyglade money, supplies, and protection from the vengeful barbarian tribes as they attempted to rebuild. In return, Prahhen offered his fealty to Greyglade, which Keelas accepted. Because of this, the vein of kinship and goodwill still runs deep between the two nations. Before they adopted a feudal system to match Greyglade’s, Eshedhal trained warriors called the Emat, who acted as highly trained spies and ferocious nomad warriors, and Eshedhal’s defenders, though knights in name, still ascribe to many of the principles and skills of their Emat predecessors.

Agrix, a small island to the south of Greyglade, which owes much of its economy and welfare to its booming fishing industry. Agrix was subsumed into Greyglade only decades ago, when the economy and culture of the larger country to the north came to dominate the small island to such an extent that any differences left were merely superficial. Therefore, Agrix, too, came quietly into Greyglade’s protection. Unfortunately, due to the lawlessness and the loose form of government, combined with the myriad of waterways which snake through the thick jungle in the northwest part of the island and the treacherous bogs in the southeast part, make it a virtual haven for outlaws, and enormous pirates networks are known to operate from this island and even hold sway over every level of the local government in the capital port city of Xilic. Squadrons of privateers and knights loyal to Greyglade police the waters and ports of Agrix heavily, but it is not nearly enough to stem the tide of piracy and organized crime that runs rampant in the small country. In war, Agrix is best at sea. The sailor soldiers of Xilic also make excellent spies and privateers, due to the fact that many of them had contact with pirates, or even were pirates themselves at some point in the past.

Neajalo, a house on the far side of the insea, is a calm, quiet sylvan culture of hunters and tree dwellers. Formed by refugees from the devastation of the Trewan war on Plellehara sometime in the distant past, one of the first kings of Greyglade offered them refuge and a home in the sparsely inhabited deep forest and quiet swamp that covered the southeast part of the southern continent. In this environment they grew and flourished, and their descendants created a huge tree city called Ledallin by the bank of The Insea, deep in the swamp. Perhaps because of their afflicted heritage and their isolated home, Neajalo tends to be a very private culture, and a very learned one. It is said to be similar to the old Kingdom of Plellehara before the Trewan assimilation of their lands. Occasionally, an enterprising soul will find his way in and the Neajalins permit him or her to be taught some of the ancient knowledge that they are said to harbor in the few ancient books salvaged from before the Plelleharan Massacre. Also, Neajalo has not forgotten its debt to Greyglade, and continues to send ambassadors and the occasional trader in peacetime, and in war, though they are peace-loving generally, they can summon a small, but highly skilled regiment of archers.

Noble Houses

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House Greyglade
House Trewas

Characters

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Kneefers
Artemas
Nihr
Gylfie
Berserker
Snojoo
Floche
Arrehd
Warren
Reiniph
Fehrin

Ranks

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Novice

-Make a name.

-Attend one Greyglade practice.

Finder

-Archery: Using a bow and arrow, hit a round shield (28” max. diameter) 5/10 times at 35ft.

-Hurling: Hurl a javelin at a round shield 5/10 times from 25ft.

-Melee: Defeat 2 Finders with a single blue shortsword, one at a time, using any weapon combination. You may also use any armor that you own.

Guide

-Must own weapons to arm him/her self.

-Archery: Using a bow and arrow, hit a round shield (28” max. diameter) 9/10 times at 35ft.

-Hurling: Hurl a javelin at a round shield 8/10 times from 25 ft.

-Melee: Defeat 2 Finders with sword and shield, together, using any weapon combination. You may also use any armor that you own.

Number

-Must own armor of some type.

-Archery (Speed): Using a bow and arrow, hit a round shield (28” max. diameter) 9/10 times at 40ft. in 35 seconds. The archer may begin with an arrow on the bow string, and the other arrows may be arrayed at the archer's discretion.

-Archery (Accuracy): Using a bow and arrow, hit a round shield (28” max. diameter) 8/10 times at 50ft.

-Hurling: Hurl a javelin at a round shield 10/10 times at 30ft.

-Melee (Endurance): Orc Assault. Defeat four Guides, all with any single blue weapon. You may use any weapon combination and any armor that you own.

-Melee (Might) Defeat 3 Guides, one with blue and shield, and two with spears, using any weapon combination and any armor that you own.

Warden

-Archery (Speed): Using a bow and arrow, hit a round buckler (15” max diameter) 9/10 times at 50ft. in 30 seconds.

-Archery (Accuracy): Using a bow and arrow, hit a round buckler (15” max diameter) 10/10 times at 60ft.

-Hurling: Hurl a javelin at a round buckler (15” max diameter) 9/10 times at 40 ft.

-Melee (Endurance): Orc Army. Defeat three Guides, all with any single blue weapon, and a Number, with blue and shield. You may use any weapon combination that you own and any armor that you own.

-Melee (Might): Defeat two fully-armored Numbers with sword and shield and a fully-armored Guide with a green and red polearm. You may use any weapon combination that you own and any armor that you own.