Tales From the Rogues Forest

The First Duchie draws its inspiration from the Greeko Roman period.

Sand and Sandals are big insperation. with bronze age styles and weapons being rife.

The are situated on the coast, and sailing and fishing are a huge part of their culture. They take great pride in their universities and engineers, with the position of explorer and/or philosepher being held in particular honour.

Though in terms of war equipment they are less well equiped than some, fighting with spears, javelin, slings, bows and short swords it is said that they are descended from heroes and demigods, so endowed with beyond human abilities.

Their Baron is decided by vote with everyone having a say and a vote in public election.

There symbol is a fish, defined by its scales that represent the armour that surrounds the Duchie, the shoal where all protect each other and work together.

There magic tends to be in the form of aurgeries and alchemy, personal strength and crafting.

This takes insperation from the period of the war of the roses and similar.

Historical films and books are the insperation.

The duchy is known for two things: farming (the crops flow like great golden lakes) and mining brings iron and wealth to the Duchy.

Family and home is vital to them, and they take pride in their craftsment and the apprenticeships that make them. Magic is the purview of outsiders, healers, and travellers who lend their skills to the community and then leave, ranging from palm reading and helping with crafting, to weather working and healing when more traditional healing fails.

Barons run the local areas and form a synod that chooses the Duke and it is the Baron, and lesser nobles duty to raise a force if necersary, archers and polearmed wielders dominating the battle field with the occasional foot knight among them.

Their symbol is the cooking bowl, the sign of the family at the end of the day, that everyone is fed, and everyone is welcome around the fire to say their piece and help with the household.

The symbol of this Duchy is the a Goats head facing forward. A symbol of hardiness, individualism and willingness to defend its herd.

The style is medieval spanish or Georgian.

A Duchy of great grasslands and high crags. The two things that they are known for are cattle, sheep, goats etc. and the drovers and goat herds that travel great distances following the animals and keeping them safe.

Leather, meats, berries and fruit make this Duchy wealthy.

This is a place where self reliance and loyalty are massively esteemed. The land owners depend on the herders and reward them well for loyalty and trustworthyness. The herders in their turn work hard for their employers and defend their interests sharply.

To be Toray is to work hard and play hard, dancing, carnival. cards and dice are all celebrated.

Their armies are a swarm of crossbow  and spear wielding landsmen backed by the bright and shinning armour of the knights  bedecked in plate and fighting with their famous curved blades.

Their magic is that for fortune tellers, alchemists, healers. Trickery and illusion play a great part.

The Duchy of Snakes

Their symbol is tied Scroll, a symbol for hidden knowledge.

Their style is robed and hooded, with simple colours or for the leaders, bright patterns.

They are known for their universties, their high towers and deep dungeons.

The wealth of the Duchy comes from its mining, pottery, paper and crafting.

Farming and herding, particulary grapes, oranges, etc. are common,  with wool and lamb being common.

The society revolves around the universities and places of study, from the underground mortiuries where they study the human body for medical science, to the tall towers that study the birds.

Magic is prollific, to the point that the other Duchys sometimes look at them with concern in case their delving for dark secrets leads them to a dark path.

However, they are clear that a scholars studies are carefully monitered, and it is true, that the Stringen look in fear over their shoulder for the sharp eye of the inquisition.

When marching to war, the universities of war poor out polearm, two handed weapon or bow wielding armoured soldiers and a rough medly of peasent militia.

In the style of the renasionce, half cloaks, large pantaloons, impressive hats.

The symbol of the Duchy is a bottle: it takes craft to make a fine wine, and community to drink it together.

They are known for their exploration and for their craftsmanship, wine flows through the Duchy like water and they have a reputation for oration and partying.

The Duchy revolves and around the schools of philosphy and the guilds, with crafts people taking on apprenctices and journeyfolk to teach a trade to.

There magic is alchemical and revolves around "balancing the worlds elements".

This has also led to the devolpment of the "Gonne" an explosive cannon that is as dangerous to the user as the victim.

Half plate and helms, pole axes, long swords and a variety of range weapons make up the well dressed (both literally and metaphorically) hordes of different mercenaries companies all hungry for reputation and glory.

Based on British Round Table Myths and Robin Hood styles.

The Symbol of the Duchy is a Chalice. The sign of a shared drink between a community from Lord to Vassals.

The wealth of the Duchy sits on its hunting and wood from the great copiced woods that cover it.

Each area has a series of knights and their households, who are charged with justice and defending their people. Hedge Knights travel from place to place, helping where they can and defending the weak. Their money is limited, but their reputation romantic.

The Yeomen and peasentry work hard and play hard, and though the Knights sit in council to decide the Duke, woah betide the knight who doesn't listen to his vassals. A bad Knight may find themselves cornered by their people and reminded by stout stick of their duty.

Their magic is old in form, it is all binding oaths, fearless under their banners, swords that only break when the person does.

In war the Knigths gather their Yeomen and travel to the field in pageantry and force, standing fearce with shield and sword beneath the clouds of arrows from their people.