Ysvalian Rule

Ysval is an alliance of five independent cities, each with the official status of Dukedom. Their rulers all hold the title of Duk, regardless of tribe or gender. The city of Ysval itself, the largest of the Five Dukedoms, is the official center of the Holy Alliance, and the site of the Temple of Light. The Duk of Ysval carries the honorific style of Holy Duk, and it is their word which has the most weight in matters that pertain to the Alliance as a whole.

Overview
The title of Duk is mostly elective, chosen among a city’s appointed knights; the Holy Duk, while expected to reside in Ysval with their extended family, may come from any of the Five Dukedoms.

Each Duk leads a knightly order, with the double charge of protecting their Duk and their people. Each of the Five Dukedoms has its own knightly order, which often rival and compete against each other for a tally of feats such as vanquished enemies. The knights of Ysval are the Order of the Griffon, the mightiest and most prestigious of all knightly orders - unless you ask the citizens of any other Dukedom.

The Holy Alliance, as its name implies, is held together only by common belief in the Temple of Light; other than following its tenets, each Dukedom rules itself as it pleases, and the Holy Duk holds no real political power over any of the other cities. They do, however, enjoy the senior vote and voice during the Gathering of Duks, which takes place irregularly, every three or four years on average, usually when something serious affects the entire Alliance. And even during said Gatherings, the Holy Duk can only overrule when the other Duks refuse to come to an agreement.

The Temple of Light itself is the strongest power of the Holy Alliance, but it stays off political decisions, and its priests can only advise the Duks when asked to; in practice, of course, this means that the Temple of Light rules Ysval. But the Duks do have the right to refuse or ignore the priests’ advice, even if they rarely use that right. In a Realm of simplicity and honesty such as Ysval, the most complex political maneuvering consists of staying in good terms with the Temple and the other Duks.

Ysea Yaroslenda, Holy Duk of Ysval
A strong warrior, a respected matron and the Holy Duk of Ysval for the past fifty years, Ysea is an aging, but still mighty, Knight of the Griffon, the head of a family numbering in the hundreds, and a survivor of six wars and dozens of hunts. Ysea’s care, foresight and sheer force of personality have held the Holy Alliance together for decades, even though she was chosen—only for a lack of viable opposition—during one of Ysval’s most fragmented times, right after the first rebellion of the Raven Knights. She upheld Alliance unity then, despite being only sixteen at the time, and hasn’t let up ever since. Under Ysea, the Alliance has survived two Red Moons, the first Gellanor wars, the North War and the Second Null Invasion, making her rule one of the most enduring in Ysval’s history.

Despite Ysea’s success, she would like nothing better than to step down and let someone else take the throne; but Oryan, her eldest son and the most popular candidate to succeed her, has other responsibilities with the Dragonbond Covenant. Ysea is now grooming her ward and apprentice, the young warrior Yali, to follow in her footsteps, and has decided to remain in power until the girl reaches maturity, to spare Yali the pressure she went through as a teenage Duk. But neither Yali nor anybody else is in any hurry to see Ysea go; in fact, after the blows of the North War and the Second Null Invasion, and in view of the ongoing schism within the Galadyan Temple, many fear that the end of Ysea’s term might break down into the end of the Alliance.

Yrl Yali Yssenda
While only thirteen years old, Ysea’s favored candidate to succeed her as Holy Duk is already an uncompromising leader, having shown political skills and presence that belie her young age. She looks other Duks in the eye and raises her voice when confronted. She’s already participated in five friendly tournaments and two real battles, showing the combat grit and tactical mind of a grownup and, more importantly, unfaltering courage. The only reason Yali is not Holy Duk already is her youth—Ysea wants her to come of age first. This is perfectly fine for Yali, who isn’t really sure that she does want the chair, despite having shown numerous signs of deserving it.

What Yali really loves best is to fly on Grimmist, her griffon, and explore the hills and forests of her land. She is of course forbidden from doing it alone, but she often outflies or outright loses her Knight escort, returning home before they realize they can stop searching. Yali is not a rebellious child, however. She’s more than willing to dedicate her life to the Alliance and honor her mentor’s wishes; it’s only that she isn’t quite ready to give up her childhood yet.

Alyana Alekenda, High Knight of Ysval
When Alek Kintsan, general of the Griffon Knights, died during the last Red Moon, his daughter Alyana knew she would take her father’s place. She wasn’t appointed or even asked to. She just knew it, long before she actually decided it. When she finally applied for the position, having learned the Book of Galadyn by heart and mastered the four basic shield stances, a swarm of raven knights tried to assassinate the Holy Duk, and Alyana saved her aunt’s life. This earned her the trust of Ysea, which not only appointed her a General of the Griffon Knights as her father had been, but also gave her the rank of High Knight of Ysval, when she beat other senior knights at the Test of Light. Young for her position, but old for her age, Alyana has been High Knight for only a couple of years, and proven that the city’s safety is in good hands.

Alyana is a dour-faced, gaunt warrior, who looks thin even in heavy armor and furs; she would be mistaken for a silver elf were it not for her human ears. Her looks have led many a (dead) enemy to lower their guard, thinking they deal with a weakling; but Alyana is much stronger than her spindly frame suggests, and hasn’t stopped training for one day since she attained her current rank. She is a cold woman, yet focused and purposeful; her biggest wish is to survive until the next Red Moon, and kill one Exor Brood dragon in memory of her father.

Oryan Yssan, the Dragonbonded Yrl
One of the most famous and well-loved knights in the Alliance, known to many as the Hero of Ysval, Oryan Yssan was the first child of the Holy Duk, and the first Ysvalian dragonbonded in a thousand years. Yrl Oryan is a tall, affable, brave and boisterous warrior, who feared precious few things even before he became dragonbonded; and even when facing something that manages to scare him, he doesn’t show it. He still charges on, hammer swinging, often laughing, against any challenge. Most Ysval citizens, and quite a few from the other cities, remember being rescued or somehow helped by Yrl Oryan; for him, the Values of Light come naturally, and he enjoys helping others as much as he enjoys a good sleep, a good meal or a good head-smash.

Most Ysvalians, Oryan’s mother included, expected the Yrl to become Holy Duk of the Alliance; however, his unforeseen dragonbonding made him question his place among other humans, particularly since his dragon, Rakzor, is an especially grim, cruel beast, who would gladly return to slaughter humans if the bond allowed it. This and other developments, the least not being his reckless crusade to end the Blood Geas, which led to war with Tyveria and the deaths of thousands, have made Oryan all too aware of his responsibility as an Ysvalian, a dragonbonded and a power figure.

Becoming (marginally) more sober and mature, Oryan took unto himself to rebuild the Dragonbonded Covenant, and has relocated to the Ret Sajuut Temple in Dragonbond Mountain, where he guides and helps other dragonbonded to control their power and channel it into a beneficial force for Valerna. Despite his new duties, Oryan retains close ties to Ysval, and travels back home at least once a year to say hello to his mother and give his opinions - which everyone values more than he does - on important political matters.

Freyel of Vaden, the Lightbearer of Ysval
The current head of the Galadyan Temple, and thus the most respected and well-regarded individual in the Alliance, is Lightbearer Freyel, a flinty, austere woman in her forties, although she looks more like sixty, and healthy for her age. Freyel always appears in public wearing her robes of office and carrying her lightbearer lantern, the Fire that Never Goes Out.

Freyel is mighty in the faith, and the flame she carries can challenge, and has stood against, the greatest dark powers in the world. It was in Freyel’s hands that the Neverending Lantern kept the Null back at the Dreamsea during the last Null Invasion. It was her Light which led the wyrms away from Vaden in Ysval’s Ehrlya Year.

Like most lightpriests, Freyel thinks Reia the Kindler posits a dangerous question with her Fellows of Freedom, but she also believes Lucek’s Monitors are overzealous in their reading of the Holy Book. While the Temple’s laws don’t contemplate the disbanding of an order of the faith, she would gladly do away with both groups, which are distracting Ysval from the real fight - the fight against evil. Sadly, taking action against either would require Freyel to further upset the foundations of Galadyan Law, which has had enough shakeups lately.

Freyel has long been a friend and supporter of Holy Duk Ysea, although the two women could not be more different. Where Ysea is outgoing and motherly, Freyel is reserved and spiritual; while the Duk is plump and massive, the Lightbearer is dry and graceful. While Freyel looks older than the Duk, Ysea was already on the throne when Freyel was born. But they have fought together in most of the battles they have participated in, and together they shall remain as long as they serve.

Lucek of Armme, the Flamebrand
The High Lightpriest of Armme, Lucek the Flamebrand is a driven, stern man, who believes in watching the flame constantly to keep the Realm together. His resolve hardened when the bad decisions of secular individuals cracked the unity of the Alliance, first with the treason of the Raven Knights, and then with the secession of Ysvalian towns to Tyveria. These are testing times, and only those that stand firm and uncompromising in the Light can keep Ysval united.

During the War of the North, the Flamebrand led a squad of War Priests to Dismay Pass, where they held Gellanor’s entire force of Mammoth Riders long enough for the invasion of the Gamefields to fail. The success and sudden popularity of Lucek’s warpriests led him to grant them duties even after the war. Thus he created the Monitors, a specialized unit charged with military vigilance even in peacetime; when no enemies threaten the Alliance, they focus on encouraging observance of the Faith among normal citizens. Lucek’s Monitors have turned the Dukedom of Armme into a paragon of faith and unity by locating and banishing troublesome elements before they make trouble. If not for the uprising of Reia the Libertine, Armme would today be the most peaceful of the Five Cities; this is why capturing and banishing Reia is the Monitors’ current priority.

Lucek is a well-groomed, steely-eyed man, whose impeccable robes and slick hair contradict the image of the haggard wandering lightpriest. Nowhere in the Book of Galadyn does it say that the Faith requires unsightliness, and Lucek often argues that lightpriests should not all rush to cake themselves in dust and mud just because Galadyn traded manure. Lucek wears his robes as if they were a soldier’s uniform, and always carries Sentence, his trusted warhammer, alongside his light staff.

Reia of Armme, the Kindler
She bears a priest’s name, despite not having been ordained in the temple; she leads an army of believers despite not serving in any knightly order; and she has the people’s loyalty despite not ruling any city. She is Reia of Armme, known as the Kindler, and the first Ysvalian to exhibit powers of light and openly defy the Galadyan faith.

Reia is a young, strong woman, with the training of a warrior and the devotion of a priestess, who nonetheless rejected induction into either the church or the orders. Instead, she chooses to use her light powers to help and gather the people of every city and village she visits, without the sanction of the Temple. Reia believes in encouraging community instead of enforcing it, and praising good deeds instead of demanding them. She claims the Temple of Light has failed the people of Ysval, and that most of the Alliance’s recent troubles come from the excessive control of the Temple over neighbors.

Reia’s words would mean little, save that she does wield very powerful light magic, and her militia of followers, with little training or organization, managed to free the city of Armme from invasion during the War of the North. This established Reia as a hero and a beloved leader, which turned her teachings from pointless eccentricity into a radical, and dangerous, new school of thought. A few lightpriests have even begun following some of her advice, adopting a more relaxed stance on their preaching and observance. At Reia’s home city, Armme, Lucek’s Monitors have orders to arrest her on sight; boldly, she still preaches there from time to time, avoiding capture and adding to her legend.

Odrim Pentsan, Duk of Dornat
After the fall of Vaden during the Raven secession, Dornat became the second most important city in the Alliance, and its Duk the most powerful after the Holy Duk of Ysval itself. The current Duk of Dornat is Odrim Pentsan, a middle-aged, stout warrior with a tactical, driven mind, who distinguished himself as a hero during the War of the North. He is very aware of his stronger position among the other Duks, and intends for Dornat to replace Ysval in the Holy Alliance.

A true knight and Galadyan, Odrim is forward and honest about his intentions, and has often suggested a change of power center during the Gatherings. He’s twice proposed his own son Nodrim as a successor for Ysea, willing to compromise his demands on a change of capital in return for a new clan on the throne. Since most other Duks favor Ysea’s ward Yali, he now intends to marry Yali to Nodrim, nudging his son into taking the younger Yrl to hunts and forest expeditions. So far, Odrim’s ambitions have come to naught, but he is far from exhausting his plans or resources, and his power keeps growing.

High Clanboar Hmregg
The most important nonhuman in Ysval, Hmregg is the leader of the Boar Clan, Ysval’s closest allies among Hmyr giants. He is a gnarled, ponderous giant, strong as twelve humans and old as a tree, possessed of vast wisdom on ancestral Source magic.

Like most of his clan, Hmregg appreciates the Alliance’s respectful approach to expansion, and believes peace with humans is the best way to protect the forests and the creatures living in them. He is a stalwart friend and advisor to Ysea, as he was to both her predecessors, and has grown to regard humans and their Duks as a class of smart pupils, promising for their wisdom and endearing for their youthful mistakes.

Hmregg rarely visits cities other than Ysval, preferring to keep to his ancestral territories; but he carefully watches over any human or group of humans that enters the forests. When humans prove worthy of aid, need some advice or require swift termination, old Hmregg’s more than happy to do the honors personally.