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Meredwyr is a north-western province of Gwyll.
The Wyr is a river flowing east from the Mountains of Mithrilldor, into a great lake. Meredwyr is a land of green, forested valleys. In the lowlands the forest is deciduous, but as the land rises, to the west and north, it becomes dense Pines.
The people live in small villages in the valleys. Sheep farming is the most important occupation. The womenfolk do a lot of Weaving and embroidery, Meredwyr is famous for its intricate tapestries (typical Celtic designs in the borders). Even the poorest men in Meredwyr have elaborate designs embroidered into their clothing. The export of wool and woollen products is a major feature of life in this area. There is even some trade with the Dwarves of Mithrilldor, which brings gold and silver into the Province and sometimes a Dwarven Smith will come to work for a year or two as payment for a large shipment.
The north of the Wyr Lake is all reeds and mud banks. Stretching away for many miles to the north is a dismal, foetid region of low-lying mist and stunted trees, known as the Fen. The villages around the lake, harvest the reeds for thatch and hunt in the Fen, in coracles, for giant frogs. There are a few Lizard-men in the Fen, primitive creatures, not like the civilised Lizard-men of the Southlands. There are also some ancient crumbling ruins, thought to have been built by the Lizard-men thousands of years ago.
Only Banas Tirog and Banas Korth lie further north, while to the west the land rises steeply into the Mountains of Mithrilldor, land of the Dwarves. Banas Tirog is a cold and barren land of crags, bandits with Orkish allies live here. Banas Korth, similar to Tirog, ancient feud between them. Both have used Orc mercenaries in the past. Both lands shelter Outlaws. To the East, Pendle. Pendle is a large province which straddles the Great North Way, it is ruled by the Gardic Knight - Lord Valorus, Grand Constable of the Templars. To the South are the provinces Lanfras and Griffith. Lanfras is fertile land, famous for its horses, large ponies. Its new Lords are supporters of Gwyll rights. Griffith was an ancient centre of Druidic Power, now ruled by the Bishop of Holy Well who remains strongly opposed to the Druids despite the recent Amnesty.
The ruler of the Province is Llewelyn Mered. Of the many Holdings that make up the province, Llewelyn is the elected Thane. In Gwyll terms, Llewelyn is referred to as Prince Llewelyn of Meredwyr (this title is not used by the Gards). Although the rank of Prince is not strictly hereditary, after the death of a Prince it is usual that his eldest son will be elected. The voters get one vote per village they control (there are complex rules governing what constitutes a village). The local Druid used to get a block of votes but now those votes belong to the Church.
Since the Conquest, the elected Thane must pay homage to the Earl of North Mark, swearing oaths of fealty in the City of Tor Wyneth before being granted his rank.
As long as Taxes continue to flow to Tor Wyneth, and the local Church reports are favourable, the Earl of North Mark is happy to let the Gwyll govern the province.
Earl Rothschilde is a fair man who has a very difficult job to do. He must impose Order on the Gwyll and he must keep the loyalty of his own Barons (some of whom are bitterly opposed to any sign of weakness towards the Gwyll). At the same time, he does not want to be seen as an evil oppressor. The conquest of Gwyll was an expensive affair, as is continuing to maintain a standing army of occupation, so generating revenue from these lands is vital.
Recent softening of the Law is not wholly due to altruism however. The threat of an impending Invasion of Gard from the Southlands means that the King of Gard does not want a Gwyll Uprising in the north while he is trying to defend his own lands.
The Sisters of Mercy have a small convent in Meredwyr. The place acts as a hospital for the entire province and the village nearby is constantly swollen by pilgrims seeking healing. The Sisters are being fairly successful in converting the heathens to the One True Faith. This makes them unpopular with the Druids, but not even the most violent of Wise would harm one of the Sisters.
The Abbey of Holy Well, in the neighbouring province of Griffith, is the local centre of the Church. In Meredwyr itself there are only small Chapels in the larger villages. The priests are required to keep a careful track of their parishioners. The Law requires all Gwyll to attend Mass once per month (the punishments for non-compliance include fines and floggings).
There are a small number of Mortus Priests who work the Funeral Circuit in the province. They are very unpopular with the Gwyll whose traditional funeral used to be Cremation. Often they will be escorted by Templar Knights from the Chapter House in Pendle.
There are very few Priests or Paladins of Mithras in Gwyll. Some of the provinces ruled directly by Gardic nobles have Mithraic Chapels. There is a Mithraic Temple in Tor Wyneth. The whole region is too rife with injustice, there is no clear moral position and too much corruption for the Knights of Mithras to be welcome here.
An Order of Knights, originally formed to subdue the Gwyll and protect the Priests of Oban as they convert the Gwyll to the One True Faith. The Templars drew their members mainly from the families of Angolin where the hatred of the Gwyll runs deepest. The Templars are very aggressive, they are opposed to the recent "softening" of the attitude to the Gwyll.
See Also - Adventuring in Gwyll
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