Society
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The Kingdom of Mercia is a deeply hierarchical realm, where all power and affluence rests in the hands of a privileged minority. A king sits at the pinnacle of the pyramid of society, and under his auspices, a small class of nobles rule their fiefdoms with absolute authority. These nobles live lives of luxury, concentrating on the twin obsessions of Mercian society: warfare and courtly romance.
Beneath the nobles in rank, are a much more varied class of free men and women. The members of this class include landowners, independent farmers, merchants, and craftsmen. The level of wealth and influence varies greatly among the freemen, but they have one thing in common: As long as they pay their taxes to local lords and the crown, they are free to move about and conduct business as they please. Failure to pay taxes, or obey Mercia's laws, may result in the removal of freedom, and induction into the ranks of the thralls.
All thralls are the property of their respective lords. These people are born into lifelong servitude, a fate that their children will inherit after them. Thralls may not move without their lord's leave, and are obligated to do whatever work he assigns to them. Most thralls live in rural villages, where they work the lord's land and farm small plots where they grow subsistence crops.
The majority of Mercian thralls belong to the racial group known as the Imric. These are the descendants of the old Chaldeans, and they have dwelled in what today is Mercia since time immemorial. However, their culture fell into a long decline, and finally, approximately two centuries ago, they were conquered by invaders from the eastern isle of Lyonesse.
While some intermarriage has occurred, the Mercians generally keep themselves separate, and function as a ruling class in the kingdom. No Imric is allowed to carry the titles of knight or lord, or to serve in the priesthood of Morgaine. There are, however, a growing number of Imric among the free craftsmen and merchants of Mercia’s cities.
The Court at Sanguine
The capital of Mercia is the largest and most populous city in all of Agon. Here, throngs of poor freemen live within the same city walls as well-to-do craftsmen and the king’s court. Sanguine is a bustling, ever-changing and vibrant city, which is home to opulent wealth as well as desperate poverty.
In the heart of Sanguine lies a magnificent castle. Here, King Henry IV resides, with his wife, two children, and a large entourage of courtiers and knights.
The present king is a relatively weak monarch, who dedicates most of his time to the intrigues and excesses of courtly life. Though active in bursts, he generally leaves the running of the realm to the priesthood, and to his able and well-liked general and advisor, Simon de Soulis.
Henry IV is the ninth king of the Malregard dynasty, and he claims direct descent from Mercia’s founder, John de Malregard. Though still quite young, at 29, he has already fathered five children; three daughters and two sons. The heir to the kingdom is his eldest daughter, Isault (10), while his son John (7) is second in line. The current queen, Marianna, is a scion of one of the eldest noble houses of Mercia, and she is considered a very beautiful woman, but she is also vain and occasionally cruel.
The king is a great lover of the pleasures of the table. He has grown fat, and expends much energy on countless affairs with the ladies of the court. In his youth, the king was an avid hunter and horseback rider, but his love of these pursuits has tapered off in recent years.
Henry IV is an overweight man with a well-trimmed beard and black hair down to his shoulders. The king is a keen follower of fashion: He tries to wear clothes that are more beautiful than those worn by his wealthiest courtiers, and wicked tongues have taken to calling him “the peacock.”
The Sacred City
Far to the north, and far from Sanguine in attitude as well as distance, lies the city of Dalriada, which is the religious capital of Mercia. From here, the Morganic priesthood run their powerful organisation, and many regard this as the true centre of power in the kingdom.
Dalriada is a town of simplicity and stark beauty, and it has none of the crowdedness or architectural extravagance of the temporal capital. Here, houses are simple, and laid out along well-ordered streets centered on a central cathedral.
This cathedral, called Our Lady of Light, is the very heart of the Morganic faith. It is an enormous, many-domed structure made of white stone and crystal. Surrounding it are neat gardens and concentric, artificial waterways crossed by a arched bridges.
Dalriada is considered a holy city, and its highest authority is not the king, but the Lightbringer of Morgaine, who resides in the cathedral. Gaunt Castle, which serves as the headquarters of the White Order (see Religion and magic), overlooks Dalriada from the east.
The Army and the White Order
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The roads and borders of Mercia are watched over by its army. Its fortresses stand along the borders with Mirendil and Morak, and its many guardhouses guard the King’s Roads that connect the regions of the land. While the majority of Mercian army bases stand along the borders, its headquarters are in a fortress called the Citadel of the Sun, which lies near Sanguine.
Footsoldiers in the army wear chainmail and wield longswords. They use white tabards and medium-sized shields adorned with the golden Lion of Malregard, the ancient symbol of Mercia’s royal house.
One fifth of all soldiers are archers trained in the use of the longbow. Archers carry longswords, which they draw when forced into melee combat. The officers of the army wear plate mail and use large tower shields. Their tabards are royal blue instead of white.
The army’s cavalrymen wear banded mail and wield wooden lances, which they replace between battles. In close combat, they draw longswords. Cavalry troops are frequently seen patrolling the King’s Roads.
Throughout the history of Mercia, the generals of the army have vied for power with the priests of the church. During the long and bloody Wars of Allegiance, the army supported the king’s claim to supremacy, while the church raised its own armies, and fought the king to a standstill. In the years following the final truce, the church armies have evolved into the White Order, which stands firm against further encroachments by temporal powers.
Due to corruption among army officers, the White Order recently took over city guard duties in the capital. Many soldiers whisper that the officers were innocent, and that the evidence of their alleged crimes was fabricated by the ambitious high priestess of Sanguine, Verana.
The Order of Malregard
Founded by the first king of Mercia and named after its ruling dynasty, this is the second most powerful knightly order in the kingdom. This Order tends to recruit the finest officers of the regular army, but it has been known to accept experienced adventurers as well. Traditionally, the Malregard knights tend to oppose the most extreme policies of the church and the White Order, and the organization is seen as a stabilising force in Mercian society.
The Order of Malregard is fiercely loyal to the king and his generals. Its symbol is a red Lion of Malregard wielding an axe. The Knights of Malregard wear heavy plate mail, and use silver lances. Upon engaging in melee combat, the knights draw large morningstars.
