Dawn

“Great deeds are eternal.”

See Also

• Dawn Look and Feel
• Dawn Music

Introduction

This is the land of heroes.

Here, great deeds are celebrated, and your reputation is more valuable than gold. The urgings of lovers, politicians and priestly minstrels drive young knights to greater and greater excesses in the pursuit of recognition - a golden age of nobility, passion and heroism; yet beneath the surface there are darker truths. Trackless wildernesses filled with unknown threats mirror the darkness in the human soul.

Enemies deride the nation for its stifling and outmoded system of image over reality, where might makes right and the needs of ordinary people are subsumed by an external sense of morality. And yet, they have forgotten the truth at its core:

Great men and women may be forgotten. Great deeds are eternal.

Few lands espouse the heroic ideal in quite the same way the Dawnish do. When people think of the Dawn they imagine her favoured sons and daughters, the nobility arrayed in armour, weapons drawn, eagerly seeking battle. Before them stand the minstrels, singing the epic lays of past heroes. And behind them, the war wizards, giving their strength to the battle.

Knights-errant travel the land, seeking an opportunity to prove themselves and achieve glory. Their nobility give battle in the tourney to judge who is fit to rule. The people turn their eyes on the enemies of the Empire, seeking victory and renown.

Her proud boasts are not hollow. Alone amongst the nations of the Empire, the Dawn has never given up land to the barbarians. But the aspiration to achieve great things is not just found on the battlefield. Every Dawnish feels that same urge, this is a nation that eats and drinks glory.

Five things about Dawn

• A great life leaves a legend. The only thing that remains when you depart this life is the memory of how you lived it. Death is nothing compared to great deeds.
• Nobility is an achievement not a birthright. Nobility is vaunted in Dawn, but it is a nobility of spirit they admire, not a title that you inherit.
• Glorious in victory, proud in defeat. The Dawnish relish a challenge. Those more skilled present an opportunity for glory by defeating them, those less skilled give you offer an opportunity to demonstrate your prowess.
• Courtship, romance and tragedy. The rules of the heart are complex in Dawn; sometimes love is the greatest challenge.
• You cannot armour the soul. The Dawnish do not hide the great passions of the soul; they wear their hearts on their sleeve.

What the Dawnish are not

• Chivalrous towards women. Dawnish nobility are intensely competitive, they don't open doors for anybody, male or female.
• Delicate. The epitome of Dawnish female nobility is independent minded, politically and physically powerful. She might be an armoured knight, she might be the head of a household or a powerful Enchantress. The only feinting she'll do is before she runs you through with her sword.

The People

Life in Dawn is a quest, a great contest in which the goal is to achieve glory at any cost. Every challenge is an opportunity to relish, a chance to better oneself and prove your worth. The Dawnish take failure very seriously, they regard it as something to mourn. Life provides few opportunities for greatness, to miss one is a powerful loss. An important failure is like the death of a close friend. The Dawnish have little sympathy for the idea of fortune – good or bad - those who would achieve greatness must make their own luck.

The people of the Dawn are divided by the Test of Mettle. Those who have passed the Test are granted the status of nobility, the right to call themselves lord or lady, and entry into one of the noble houses that rules Dawn. Those who have never taken the test are yeoman, farming their land or fighting as rank and file in the Dawn armies.

At the heart of each house is a powerful noble family, but the tradition of adoption means that many members of a house are only nominally related to each other at best. Membership is determined not by birthright but by passing a Test of Mettle set by the house. Each house is led by an Earl, selected by the nobility that make up the house.

The Dawn zeal, for a glorious life, infects both yeoman and noble alike. Most nobles devote their life to honing their skills and seeking out opportunities for glory. But every yeoman who takes the battlefield knows that life is presenting them with an opportunity to prove themselves and so the Imperial army recruiters can afford to pick and choose from long lines of volunteers.

Nobility and its trappings are widely and lavishly celebrated. Tourneys are held to mark religious celebrations, weddings, births - almost any public occasion will be used as an excuse for nobility to display their feats at arms. Not only knights take part - musicians, magi and craftsman are all encouraged to participate in public demonstrations of (generally friendly) rivalry, with great glory afforded to those judged best by their peers.

Romance is a vital part of life in Dawn. The Dawnish pride themselves on their charm and good manners and they enjoy courting and flattery. Flirtation is commonplace and accepted even among married Dawnish, provided it does not go beyond words. But if an inhabitant of Dawn seeks more, then they must woo a man or woman to convince them to accept a marriage proposal. And marriage, especially for the nobility, brings its own complications and challenges.

Apprenticeship, and the relationship between master and apprentice is a sacred tradition in Dawn, binding all layers of society. Most apprenticeships consist of a series of ever more difficult, and sometimes dangerous challenges. As a knight is expected to train a squire, so a minstrel is expected to take an acolyte, and a farmer to train a labourer. Thus the skills required to feed, arm and defend a nation are passed on formally in an atmosphere of mutual respect and learning.

Culture and Customs

The Imperial citizenship tests were created by the Dawnish but the Test of Mettle remains unique to Dawn. The Test exists to judge who is glorious enough to join the ranks of the nobility. Passing a noble house's test makes the applicant part of that house. Consequently it is almost impossible to pass the Test unless the noble house that is judging you is amenable to your success. Dawn legends are full of tales of heroic individuals passing the tests against such odds but the reality is usually more prosaic.

Any Imperial Citizen is eligible to attempt the Test of Mettle and most children of noble houses attempt it. In theory any yeoman child can take the Test, a fact of which the Dawnish are inordinately proud. In practice, while the rewards for success are high, the tests are near impossible to pass without the training that an upbringing in a noble house provides. The tests are difficult even for noble children and groups will often work together to help each other pass their Test.

Ignominy befalls those who attempt the Test and fail, whether yeoman or noble born and the test is difficult to pass and often dangerous, not least because many Dawn children take the view that you should pass the test or die trying. For this reason most Tests are deliberately open-ended, giving the aspirant as much time as is needed to prove their worth.

Marriage brings yet another challenge for the Dawn nobility. The suitor must put his troth, to the house of their intended. The Earl of the house must set the suitor a test of their choosing, a request for marriage, like a request for a Test of Mettle may not be refused. If the suitor succeeds then they marry their intended, who will join the suitor's house. If the suitor fails then the house may deny the marriage or else allow it to continue but the suitor must then join the spouse's house.

In theory such a troth can be put to a house without the understanding of the man or woman that the suitor seeks to wed. In practice such behaviour is more the stuff of legend than reality. A marriage test that appears fatally difficult is a sure sign of an unwanted affection. More commonly noble lovers conspire to decide whose Earl can be persuaded to set the easier test.

Divorce is not officially recognized in Dawn. Two individuals may separate, but they remain members of the same noble house and no other noble house will accept a request for marriage from a Dawn noble while their spouse still lives. The nobility of Dawn demand adherence to the highest ideals of nobility, those who want a simple life of pleasantries should remain yeoman.

Funerals are not sombre occasions. The friends and relatives of the departed celebrate the return of the soul to the wheel, and tell great tales of the dead to persuade the hand of destiny to speed the hero’s return. Similarly there is a tradition of visiting expectant mothers and telling tales of great heroes, to awaken the heroism of the unborn baby’s past lives.

The Dawn tradition of trial by combat was replaced by Imperial trial when Dawn joined the Empire. However, its relic remains in the form of honour duels, when the word of a noble has been called into question. Duels, officially fought to submission, are used to settle matters of honour and some civil disputes. Most nobles who are not Knights, will have a Knight represent them in a honour duel.

In Dawn, duels are normally conducted between fully armoured Knights, using sword and shield. Where neither party is a Knight, then they may choose to conduct a duels in other ways such as contests of skill or talent. Challenges against people of other Nations are unusual, with little expectation that they will be accepted. Facing such a challenge is a simple way for a foreigner to impress the Dawn however, especially if you can win.

A duel between members of a noble house is the only way for a noble to be ejected from the house. Such duels are rare for the challenger risks the same fate as the person they challenge, the loser is stripped of their nobility and reduced to the status of yeoman. Such a fate is almost irreversible, it is exceptionally rare for another house to allow a former noble to join, especially if he simply chose to leave his former house. They must take a second Test of Mettle to prove themselves and such tests are fatally difficult, the only way for the former noble to remove the stain of dishonour and disloyalty.

History

Long ago, the Marches were part of the Kingdom of Dawn. Bitter feuds between the noble houses of Dawn and those of the Marches resulted in frequent wars and eventually in separation. The two Nations drifted further apart over time, but a simmering antagonism and resentment remains in some noble houses.

The last Dawn King, a powerful mage, successfully wooed the first Empress. The Empress brought her armies to Dawn intending to unite the lands under the Imperial banner but her husband convinced her to challenge the ruling Earls to single combat. As each suffered defeat, they acknowledged her prowess and pledged their loyalty.

Before Imperial rule forbade war between the houses, it was commonplace for a defeated noble to swear oaths of fealty or good intention. To ensure these oaths were kept, all the noble's children would be taken as hostages. To avoid this fate, a noble would send every second child to be raised in the houses of friends and allies. As this practice spread, it became increasingly common for powerful nobles to adopt talented children into their own family.

This custom continued after the Empire brought peace to Dawn so that now children passed over at birth, are raised as full members of the noble house that adopts them. Such children have the same rights and responsibilities as their siblings who are born into the house; the Dawn ideal is that an Earl should treat all the members of his or her house as if they were of the same blood. Tawdry tales of Earls who fall short of this ideal are common, but it is not unusual for an adopted noble to become Earl of a house.

It is possible, though rare for yeoman children to be adopted by a noble family. Usually this is done as an act of gratitude by a powerful noble, for instance if a yeoman gives his life to save his lady on a battlefield, she might adopt one or more of his children into her house. More rarely it occurs because a child catches the eye of a noble, impressing them with their potential.

Dawn has prospered under Imperial rule and grown in strength, gaining territory as the barbarians have been driven back. When the Empire began to stagnate, the Nations strong internal unity and emphasis on military strength meant that it has always succeeded in repulsing invaders. It is a source of enormous pride to all Dawnish that theirs is the only Nation that has never lost territory to the Barbarians.

Despite the seats that their territories give them, Dawn Senators have often struggled to gain political support. When Dawn armies successfully defeated the forces of the city of Holberg, League senators were able to convince the Senate to assign the territory to League control. Two centuries later, when Holberg was sacked by orcs, the loss was in no small part due to the political divisions the territory still evoked.

Leadership

The Dawn territories are dominated by the powerful noble houses. The houses manage their great estates, raising soldiers to fight for the Empire and collecting taxes to pay for them. Membership of a house is achieved by passing the house's Test of Mettle, although a degree of status is often assumed by those sons and daughters who have been raised in a house.

Each house sets its own test and only the behaviour of those who have passed the test reflects on the house. As a result a house must keep the tests difficult to maintain its reputation. Those houses that make the tests too easy face the very real risk of having no children placed with them. No Dawn parent would want to place their child with a house that is tarnished by mediocrity.

To choose their senators, the houses compete in a grand tourney. There is one contest for each territory and a house may enter any number of contests, but an individual noble may only contest one seat. As a result smaller houses tend to concentrate their strength on a single seat, whilst the most powerful may split their members between two or more. Politics plays a role in the tourney of course, but at the end of the day this is Dawn – you can't achieve glory by getting other people to stand aside and let you pass.

In theory an Earl of a victorious house could take the seat themselves, but most choose not to, preferring to leave the business of the Senate to those trained to it. The Senate offers opportunities for much glory, but they are difficult to achieve without special training. Those that possess this training are called Legislators. Professional politicians these nobles study oratory and debate as well as the history of the Senate. These dedicated politicians have helped Dawn hold its own in the Senate.

An Earl will usually dedicate himself to the advancement of his noble house. The accomplishments of a House reflect directly on its Earl, an acknowledgement of the role that the Earl plays in ensuring that every member of the house is given the support they need to triumph.

Military Concerns

Knights are those nobles who have dedicated themselves to a martial life. Groups of Knights from a house will fight together in battle, supported by the houses war wizards and witches. Knighthood is not the only calling for the nobility, there are talented noble craftsmen, mages and legislators, but so many nobles are Knights that the word Knight is sometimes used to describe anyone connected with nobility, regardless of their martial skills.

The Knights-errant are a perfect example of this – anyone engaged upon a Test of Mettle, seeking to prove their glory, is called a Knight-errant. Technically they are not nobility, since they have not yet proven their worth and the term is used equally to describe anyone looking to prove themselves, not just warriors. However they are usually the sons and daughters of noble houses and as such they are usually forgiven for assuming such airs and graces as will one day be their right.

Knights-errant will often travel the land together, helping each other to triumph in their tests. Such bands travel the land to wherever they are most needed, seeking out opportunities for heroism. Groups of knights-errant are often accompanied by loyal yeomen; house retainers, faithful servants, or childhood friends. The yeomen handle everyday responsibilities allowing the Knights to concentrate on less worldly matters. It is not unusual for yeomen to declare themselves Knights-errant but they often prefer to adventure by themselves or with others from similar humble upbringings.

The easiest way to pass a Test of Mettle is to petition the noble house you were raised in and pass the challenges they set you. It is a much more challenging to petition another noble house, particularly one with which you have little existing connections. But the most ambitious Knight-errants seek the ultimate prize – achievements so glorious that they are recognized by all the noble houses – so that everyone can see that the noble had his pick of the houses.

The travails of a Knight-errant are not just difficult, they can also be expensive. Most Dawn nobles have a fairly cursory disdain for money, it tends to get in the way of a glorious ambition, but no-one can completely ignore the realities of mundane life. To facilitate their quests, many Knights-errant or groups of knights, take a patron, a wealthy noble who can financially support their heroic lifestyle. Patrons can be useful, but often come with strings attached, even if just a requirement to serve the patron when called.

Some Knight-errants enjoy the life of high adventure so much that they continue the lifestyle after passing their Test of Mettle, declining the political life of a house noble. Questing Knights, as they are usually known, usually form a tight knit group with other, similarly minded Knights, and often dedicate themselves to some great quest or higher cause that they know can never be completed. Such groups are often perpetuated through the generations as newly ennobled Knights join the ranks to replace losses. Such groups are usually distinctive, perhaps a unique code of honour that every member must swear or an Eternal patron to whom they swear loyalty.

Beside the Knights, the Dawn currently maintains three armies to fight in the Imperial wars and at has provided four in better times when Imperial fortunes allowed. The rank and file soldiers are eager yeomen, seeking opportunities for glory. They are led by the most capable nobles available who share their soldiers ambitions. Few Dawn generals will lead from the rear, there is some glory in a well-planned battle, but nothing compared to the glory of a lord or lady who leads their troops to victory. As such most yeomen have an abiding respect for their military leaders, born of shared ambitions and shared dangers.

Great swords or sword and shield are the most common weapons for Knights on the field of battle, while yeoman are usually equipped with axes, halberds or spears. Missile weapons are rare, and regarded with some suspicion. Despite their obvious uses, it's difficult to see anything glorious in shooting an enemy at thirty paces. Archery is seen as a fitting contest of skill, rather than a glorious weapon of war.

Economic Interests

Money is a frequent challenge in Dawn, especially for the noble houses. Few Dawnish find any glory in making money; a focus on money is seen as tawdry, something that is properly beneath those who have proven themselves so most nobility express a very public disdain for it. As a result merchants and those who handle money are normally yeoman.

Of course the bills must still be paid, so most houses employ at least one Castellan. Castellans are yeomen skilled with accounts and investments and appointed to handle a houses finances. The Castellan runs the house's affairs on behalf of the nobility, and is often be one of the most powerful individuals in the house.

Because of the disdain for fiscal matters, the use of a servant is more common in the Kingdom of Dawn than in most parts of the Empire. It is quite common for nobility and even Knights-errant to have a valet, a personal servant, who handles all their personal affairs for them. By necessity, there is usually a deep bond of trust between a noble and their valet and they are often close friends.

Most Dawn merchants are yeoman, but skilled craftsmen, particularly blacksmiths are just as likely to be members of the nobility. But yeoman or noble, Dawn blacksmiths often prefer to dedicate their time to making glorious weapons that can be wielded by great heroes, rather than producing a dozen breastplates for a unit of yeoman soldiers. Because of this most houses struggle to find ways to equip their soldiers.

As a result the nobility are forced to turn to the more prosperous nations such as the Alam or the Catazarri to equip their forces, a situation that their neighbours are never slow to point out whenever they want to irritate their Dawn neighbours.

Religious Beliefs

The Dawnish have little interest in the impersonal sermons of a Highborn priest or the precise eulogy of a Merrow philosopher. The Dawnish believe that a priest should move their congregation, to inspire them to greatness. For this reason most noble houses contain at least one Minstrel, who has memorized a few tales and poems of the great Dawn legends. No Dawn inhabitant, yeoman or noble can fail to be stirred to action when hearing the great tales of the heroes of the past.

Minstrels provide moral guidance filling the role of priests, as well as acting as historians, bards and keepers of legend. There exists an informal relationship between minstrels and the people, and generally fairly little ceremony between them. The tales recounted by minstrels often include reference to their hero or heroine's mistakes, follies, and even defeats before they reach the conclusion. A good minstrel wants their audience to identify with the subject of the verse and if they romanticize the tales a little, the goal is to make their subject seem glorious not perfect.

Minstrels in the largest Dawn houses tend to study the history of their house's own heroes as well as the tales and legends of the prophets. The best are adept at creating recitals that leave the listener in no doubt about the divine provenance of the house's heroes. Some in the Synod consider this mix of personal history with official cannon to be nothing short of blasphemous, but the Dawnish vigorously defend their traditions and their Minstrels are careful to avoid ever explicitly claiming prophet status for their house's heroes.

Bands of Knights-errant and Questing Knights usually include a Minstrel where possible, to inspire them to glory and to record their accomplishments for posterity.

Embodiment is an important tradition for pious Knights of all kinds. The Knight strives to embody one of the Virtues to its greatest extent. Once yearly, aspirants who seek to be acknowledged as the Knight of Courage, Loyalty and the rest meet with their brother Knights and the Minstrels to share tales of their exploits. The decision falls to the Minstrels there assembled to award the accolade to the seven Knights who they feel best embody the Imperial Virtues - a position of great honour and status.

Magical Traditions

Of all the nations of the Empire, Dawn seems to be the most closely affected by the magic of the Eternals. Heralds, the faithful servants of the Eternals are a common sight, and Dawn legends are replete with personal encounters between Knights-errant and powerful Eternals, despite the clear impossibility of such encounters outside the Hall of Worlds. What is clear is that for better or worse, some Eternals take a particular interest in the Dawn people, particularly her nobility.

Those who study magic are called Witches in Dawn. Witches can be men or women, although some male witches have recently taken to calling themselves warlocks, rather than witches, a habit regarded as somewhat pretentious by many. Witches in Dawn are split between war witches who remain part of a noble house and those who join the weaving cabals which are usually separate from them.

War witches train alongside a house's knights, using their magical skills to deliver aid at the most pivotal moments of battle. Some are skilled with weapons, but all are drilled so that they can keep their wits in the thick of battle. As a result the noble houses regard their witches every bit as important as their knights.

Dawn mages who eschew the tradition of the war witches usually study ritual magic, often focusing on weaving as part of a weaver's cabal. The first weaving cabals began as a place for noble mages to trade skills and cultivate magical and crafting techniques, but eventually they found it more effective to leave their houses to work magic together. Over time the cabals became independent of the Dawn houses, choosing their own heads and even adopting their own children. As the cabals cannot set Tests of Mettle, they include yeomen amongst their numbers.

Much of their time is spent weaving cloth, embroidering banners and the like, in addition to weaving protective charms into them. Some cabals now practice other forms of ritual magic but Summer magic remains closely tied up to the making and embroidering of cloth. A properly Witch-woven banner from Dawn is the envy of every military unit in the empire.

Many weaver cabals perform magics to bring good fortune to villages, fertile harvests and good weather. As a result they tend to be more popular with Dawn yeomen than the war witches prized by the noble houses. The popularity of the weaver cabals has translated into considerable political clout. As a result few houses will refuse a request by a noble witch to study with a weaver's cabal even if they harbour a fear that the student may not return to their house.

Although secretive, and rarely acknowledged, some witches specialize in curses. Several famous tales speak of knights who jilted their magical lovers, only to find their enchanted banner a curse that ensured their defeat and dishonour instead of victory.

The apogee of magical power in Dawn is the tradition of the Enchantress. A witch who becomes Earl of a house is often called an Enchantress (technically an Enchanter if male). Many make pacts with the Eternals to further enhance their arcane powers. Enchantresses have played a key role in the history of the Dawn, notably in the split from the Marches, and also as patrons and paramours of famous Knights.

Hearth Magic and the Egregore

A favour is an effective talisman that can ward off enchantments but only if worn openly. The greater the affection that the donor feels for the recipient, the more effective the Hearth Magic becomes. Love is a powerful force in Dawn, and its inclusion in magic can make effects more potent but also more unpredictable.

The Dawn Egregore is called Burselac. It is a mysterious soul which shares Dawn's close ties with the Eternals, and is the only Egregore known to travel to the Hall of Worlds. Burselac often challenges the nobility of their nation, setting challenges and quests to test them. Not all the tests are heroic though; challenges of hospitality, of cultural understanding and of virtue are present as Burselac moves through the Dawn camp, ensuring that ever greater stories are created and re-told.

Icons and Images

See Dawn Look and Feel.

The Dawn flag is a golden sun-in-splendour against a blue field. Heraldry is ubiquitous – regional, national and personal. Every house has their own heraldry and banner as do groups of Questing Knights and Knights-errant. Even the weaver's cabals are entitled to their own device. Most Knights wear the heaviest armour they can afford, often covered with a surcoat bearing their personal or house heraldry.

For those not in armour, dress generally follows simple shapes - it is considered gauche to be over-elaborate in one's dress, and so the wealthy and stylish choose to display their taste sparingly through accessories - a jewelled dagger sheath, a filigreed necklace, a pair of combs. The basic lines of dress are neat and clean - close fitting doublets worn with well tailored trousers and high boots display finely dyed and woven fabrics, often decorated with heraldic beasts and symbols.

The fashion for women who choose to wear gowns is simple and flowing, generally following the curve of the body to the waist then flaring into softly draped skirts below. Ornate jewelled belts are popular with both sexes, worn low around the hips. Sleeves are either tightly fitting to the wrist (sometimes buttoned) or fall in romantic folds from the elbow.

Lineage and Species Attitudes

Any Lineage is generally considered a mark of distinction in Dawn and individuals of every Lineage, particularly Summer and Autumn are common in most noble houses. Lineage clearly identifies an individual as special, and great things are assumed of those who possesses lineage, no matter how strongly. As a result, the Test of Mettle are often significantly harder for those with Lineage, not because of prejudice but simply because more is expected.

A small number of noble houses are pure-bred, setting their Tests of Mettle such that only Knights-errant that share their Lineage can pass them. Weaver's cabals often adopt those with lineage, in the belief that they will possess great magical strength, but it is rare for them to pursue a single heritage.

Territories

Astolat

Central, well defended, civilized and beautiful, the heartland of the nation contains the Citadel from which the country is governed and where the great Tourneys are held. It is famous for its rose gardens, and the gift of a single Astolat rose is considered the perfect gift of true love.

In the North of Astolat, the granite mountains are rich in ore, but in continual danger from the forest, the enemy and the elements. Their mining and smithing inhabitants are tough, hardy and laconic, greatly dependent on imported food to maintain themselves, particularly in the depths of frozen winters. They know all too well their worth to the rest of the Nation, and to the Empire, and have on occasion pushed their luck politically.

Weirwater

Legend has it that the village of Weirwater pursued a crusade against Mages, many years ago. For their crimes, the Weavers drowned the village far beneath the water, where on stormy nights the church bells can still be heard ringing in the depths of the great lake. Legend aside, this barren and rocky territory is the home of the College of Weavers, where the great magical traditions are passed on in a lakeside tower.

The largest settlement in Weirwater is Culwich, a small city with a few outlying villages. Culwich maitains a long tradition of flax and wool farming here, meaning that the Weavers of Weirwater are tied very closely to them for supply of raw materials. The local merchants have made much of this in recent years, and hold some political sway with the Weavers.

Semmerholm

A national rarity in terms of its rich and fertile soil, Semmerholm produces the majority of the nation's food, though it is closely surrounded by thick and dangerous forests. Although reasonably central it provides good ground for training Knights, and any laxity in protection would be fatal to both Semmerholm and to the nation's food supply.?

The Barrens

The easternmost territory of Dawn, the Barrens are little more than a series of long-established outposts, desperately holding the border against the barbarians. The land is rich and fertile and there have been several attempts to settle it more fully, but the continual threat from over the border has rendered this all but impossible. Nonetheless, the Dawnish refuse to abandon the Barrens, and focus their struggle on defending them and their sovereign border. The Senator for the Barrens is responsible for holding the border, and is heavily supported by levies of troops from other territories, and a large force of Knights-errant.

Children

Despite - or perhaps because of - the warlike nature of life in Dawn, the children of yeoman and nobles alike are sheltered, indulged and encouraged to make the very most of their childhood. They are not expected to undertake apprenticeships or work for their parents until they are of age, but instead are allowed a great deal of freedom to play. It is a parent's responsibility to educate their children to a reasonable standard, and most can read, write, perform arithmetic and understand imperial and national history by adulthood.

Play, however, is not unstructured, and children are encouraged to participate in games which develop skills they make need later in life. Particularly popular amongst the noble houses are games of war, where children learn how to correctly handle weapons, fight individually and in groups and learn to command troops in miniature. Minstrels often teach such things, using the tales of great heroes to inspire and structure the games.

Addendum - Marriage in the Noble Houses

Because of the unusual nature of a Dawn house, it is possible and legal for a woman to marry a brother or other close relation. Such unions are legal, but the lovers are expected to remain chaste, to avoid scandal. Those who do are usually rewarded with children from other houses to adopt, while those who don't are shunned and their children are often set impossible tests.

Perversely it is not legal for members of the same house to marry, regardless of whether they are born into the house or adopted. This seems strange to outsiders but the Dawnish believe that the house is the family, that the relationship with an adopted brother or sister is as important as that with a biological sibling. For a house to openly treat their biological children differently to their adopted children brings shame to all.

Because of the legal prohibition preventing marriage between members of a house, those who fall in love have few options. They can elope and leave Dawn or else adopt a chaste relationship. Courting and public displays of affection, appropriate for any inhabitant Dawn are allowed, but nothing more. Illegitimate children bring shame on both parents equally, they are never permitted to join their mother's house and are usually adopted by a loyal yeoman.

In theory a noble may marry a yeoman, but the yeoman is not ennobled by the marriage and such unions are rare and difficult as a result. Dalliances between the nobility and yeomanry are frowned upon, it is beneath the status of a noble to love one who has not proved themselves. Tales of yeoman inspired by love to pass the Test of Mettle are a common legend however.