Marcher household
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=== Creating a Household === | === Creating a Household === | ||
A Household is the easiest kind of Marcher group to create. The group leader will be its Steward, and will be a political player. Even the smallest Household's voice will count in the process of selecting the Warden of their territory. The core of the group will be one or more yeomen. Some of these are likely to be military characters, but not necessarily | A Household is the easiest kind of Marcher group to create. The group leader will be its Steward, and will be a political player. Even the smallest Household's voice will count in the process of selecting the Warden of their territory. The core of the group will be one or more yeomen. Some of these are likely to be military characters, but not necessarily heavily-armoured men-at-arms. A Household's yeomen are just as likely to be lightly armoured, with bills, mattocks and bows. The magic of the landskeepers is our justification for including this range of archetypes in one nation without a feudal system to concentrate wealth: most Marcher farms are on rich land. Imagine how wealthy Summerisle from the film "The Wicker Man" (1973) would be if the magic worked. | ||
A Household may also include the crafters who live on the Household's land, often a smith, a friar or two, and usually a Landskeeper. Most Households also include a few [[Beaters]] in their number. | A Household may also include the crafters who live on the Household's land, often a smith, a friar or two, and usually a Landskeeper. Most Households also include a few [[Beaters]] in their number. | ||
Revision as of 19:21, 7 August 2012
A Marcher Household represents a group of yeomen, lead by one of their number who is called a Steward. Political power in the Marches rests in the hands of the Households.
Anyone who owns farmland has the right to call themselves a yeoman, and only they have a voice in Marcher politics. Owning farmland is considered a great responsibility; it is the duty of the yeoman to ensure the best interests of everyone who lives and works on it. The process of declaring the leadership of the Marcher territories is in the hands of the Households.
In times past, a Household would be responsible for the defence of all the members’ lands, so it was practical for members to live near each other. In modern times this requirement is less important, thanks the the existence of the Imperial armies, and the lands claimed by a Household may be scattered throughout a March. Smaller Households often swear loyalty to larger ones, partly to further cooperation between Households and partly to increase their political power.
Creating a Household
A Household is the easiest kind of Marcher group to create. The group leader will be its Steward, and will be a political player. Even the smallest Household's voice will count in the process of selecting the Warden of their territory. The core of the group will be one or more yeomen. Some of these are likely to be military characters, but not necessarily heavily-armoured men-at-arms. A Household's yeomen are just as likely to be lightly armoured, with bills, mattocks and bows. The magic of the landskeepers is our justification for including this range of archetypes in one nation without a feudal system to concentrate wealth: most Marcher farms are on rich land. Imagine how wealthy Summerisle from the film "The Wicker Man" (1973) would be if the magic worked.
A Household may also include the crafters who live on the Household's land, often a smith, a friar or two, and usually a Landskeeper. Most Households also include a few Beaters in their number.
You will want to choose a territory to come from: Upwold the oldest and hilliest, Breagsland home to the fen-dwellers, or rich, rolling, Mitwold. Your group may also have originated from the Mourne or the Riding, territories now held by Barbarians.