Excellent post Sel :) Goodluck to your Duchy! It will do wonderful!
Virtue can only flourish among equals. The Duchy of Duskholm is known to be drawn to Areté: From the corridors of its most opulent manor, to the workshop of the most humble home, excellence is the virtue everyone is judged by. No one is truly a ruler, and no one is only a servant, for every single Count, Mayor, Baron, and Citizen lives as a slave to self-improvement.
The chain pulls both ends. Heir to the ascent of a merchant, the Duchy of Duskholm is known to take care of both ends of its deals. Tradition teaches the citizens of Duskholm to put themselves in other people’s place both in travel and spirit, and in that practice they developed a very open mind. From this habit of travel and mutual understanding, the citizens of Duskholm bring to their duchy a sense of beauty that is misunderstood, sometimes even by the Blood. This is why the duchy appears to glisten in the shades of Blackheart, an oasis of hidden and twisted beauty in which everyone might find a bit of themselves.
It was during the period of conflict, a period before the Blood was such, when Sir Valdemar Darkholm walked the lands we now call Duskholm to appoint a merchant to Duke. The previous lord of the land had marched to war, taking provisions and soldiers, leaving unruled hungry people behind. Trusted information had reached the dark and devoted figure but something was clearly missing in the reports: as he arrived, he saw no signs of violence, famine, or rebellion. The Duke knew his people, but the order he saw as he walked the cities and major settlements was witness to some kind of intervention. Duke Valdemar was no stranger to humility, and since no Count, Mayor or Baron was to be found - all of them wounded or dead in the bloodbaths of the mainland - he approached a simple peasant. The woman, in humble words pointed out that a large caravan traveled the lands with each change of moon, mediating conflicts, and feeding those who had lost it all to the war effort.
The shining chevalier followed the roads that meandered through the counties, guarded only by a few of his dark knights, finding only peace and well fed people in his pilgrimage. After a few days, he approached the first caravan. An apprentice mentioned he had been commanded by his Master, Arpiar, to travel the main road of the duchy in search of hungry homes, using his grain to feed them, and his personal guard to end quarrels. The Duke nodded, approving, and left without a word.
Duke Valdemar Darkholm followed the road then, intrigued, and after a week, he found another caravan. Arpiar’s wife, Llandona, told him about her husband, worried, that in his quest to take care of people he would forget their own mouths to feed. She explained she had solved a few quarrels, punished one thief, and filled the granaries of three settlements. The Duke put a hand over the woman’s shoulder, removed his helmet, and locked eyes with her: ‘You have done well’ - he said, and turned around, the flight of his cape almost covering the dim light of curiosity sparking in his shrouded heart.
At last, he found Arpiar under a dying sun. He ordered his guards to stop a man as the crowd of hungry citizens yelled 'Thief!' in an accusatory chorus. Duke Valdemar listened silent and distant to the trial, unnoticed by an almost starving middle aged man, who spoke with the voice of a summer storm. He remained still, when the merchant and his mercenaries decided to execute the man, in front of his knights, and only when the crowd disbanded, he approached the man. Arpiar looked at the Duke, and sighed relieved, falling to his knee and bowing his head deeply. “I must be punished, my lord. - He said in a serene tone - I have been acting as your rule, and I am nothing but a servant. It has been a season since the lands were without loyal Counts and the Duke, and I took it upon myself to help the lands find peace, shelter, and food. I am nothing but a humble merchant, and certainly not the Duke.”
Duke Valdemar Darkholm waited, silently drinking in his words, uncovering his face to show no expression but the glimmer in his golden eyes. He moved his cape over and let silence weight on the true words the man had spoken, waiting in silence until the sun fell under the horizon. He knew of Justice, he knew of Sacrifice, he knew of Loyalty and in the darkness, he made the man thrive with an ever so discreet bow of his head, and an answer, cold as they had always been.
“Leadership is not a position or a title, it is action and example, is it not, Duke Arpiar?”
Dras: 70% To’resk: 14% Janoa: 9% Neran: 3%
Fishermann Woodworker, Priest, Hunter, Carver, Farmer, Constable, Merchant, Physician, Furrier
Carver, Performer, Woodworker, Woodcutter, Merchant, Parchmenter, Tanner, Fishermann, Trader, Astronomer
Most abundant: Fresh Water
Second most abundant: Wood
Present: High ground, Foraging, Game, Minerals, Coastal Water, Trade Routes, Clay, Fish, Farmland.
The essence of all religions is one. Only their approaches are different. The citizens of Duskholm are, as in most aspects, quite open minded in terms of religions. Both accepting of different gods, the worship of ideals, and faithless individuals. The majority of Dras inhabiting the lands place one religion above all others, Al’tifali, therefore, observing the pertinent holidays and rituals to restore balance.
Relationships are chosen bindings. They’re seen as honoring responsibility whose pull has strength in both ends, no matter its kind or the origin of its participants. The citizens of Duskholm relate to each other in putting themselves in each other’s places and many define their habit as unique to each case. Due to their open mind and flexible culture, contracts are often prepared for specific circumstances. The citizen’s only limitation is the one set by Blackheart’s tradition, which their undying loyalty sees as just one step in acceptance towards the perfection of unity.
The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open one. As in the rest of Blackheart, literacy and higher learning among population is a priority within the duchies borders. The citizens of the most humble origins are given an opportunity at the age of twelve to join a guild, or a master of any trade, whom will share the knowledge of their profession, and teach their apprentices how to read, write, and count. Numerous professional colleges and guilds have taken upon themselves this responsibility in benefit of trade and self-improvement. Duskholm focuses primarily in trade, shipbuilding, logistics, alchemy/healing, animal husbandry, jewel crafting and weapon-smithing.
Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides. The citizens of Duskholm see death as part of life, and are generally accepting of loss as part of a renewal in both thought and action that works for the improvement of the community. The young and elder are, in the same way, treated equally, the voice of experience being generally the last word for any decisions, but the genuine innocence of a child, and the spark of genius of pubescent folks recognized as tools to improve the settled ideas.
Bindings Chapter lead by Duchess Sellayne Darkholm; Research focus: Healing and Medicine
Venumbria Chapter lead by Count Sombris Toxilayn; Research focus: Medicine and Poison
Lead by Count Dragan Darkholm, County of Frémir
Countess Sellayne Darkholm
Count Sic Valdyr
Count Dragan Darkholm
Count Sombris Toxilayn
Count Sephiran Grimsbane
Count Fahrice Amare
Countess Talisha Amare
Count Thiji Higuri
Count Jeremiah Kairus
Countess Morgara Fellmoon
Duskholm is a friendly community and welcoming to all types of players. We will not treat any placements within this great duchy as hostile unless you are hostile towards us or our allies. As long as you abide by the laws of the kingdom and duchy, we can coexist together.
Excellent post Sel :) Goodluck to your Duchy! It will do wonderful!
Looks nice
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Honored to be a part of this community. I cant wait for whats to come <3
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Usher, Minnow Harbor
