A History of the SheldomarA History of the Sheldomar
By Kirt Wackford (wackford@biology.utah.edu )
Edited by Scott Rennie (scott.rennie@virgin.net) for 'Black Hart' campaign consistency, and
subject to revision.
c. CY 300-320 [29]
Some human tribes and states from the Rushmoors to the
Bramblewood come under the protection of Keoland. First tensions
with Veluna.
The land north of the Rushmoors was at this point a collection
of petty states which practised a combination of settled farming,
hunting, and warfare. Some were relatively pure groups of Flan,
Suel, or Oeridians, others were mixed beyond recognition. Some
were fiercely independent, others desirous of the support and
protection of Veluna or of Keoland. Few generalizations about
these disparate groups could be made and nearly all combinations
of racial and political allegiances existed. Into this confused
and continually changing situation came the burgeoning nation of
Keoland, with its policy of enlightened empire expansion. As it
had in the lower Sheldomar Basin, Keoland accepted the loyalties
of those tribes which asked to join the Kingdom.
From them, the monarch collected goods and the services of
warriors; to them he granted aid and the protection of the crown.
As this was a particularly fractious land, Keoish troops soon
found themselves involved in continual skirmishes with the
opponents of their newest subjects. Their support was officially
intended only for the defence of Keoland's charges, and the
Keoish discouraged their new subjects from warring once they had
joined the Kingdom. But in these turbulent lands, an offensive
strike was difficult to distinguish from retribution for past
assaults or pre-emptive manoeuvres against future attacks. While
Keoland frequently did not approve of the behaviour of its
charges, it always took their side in disputes, the better to
educate them about loyalty, honour, and duty. What quickly became
apparent to all in the region was that those tribes that had
pledged loyalty to Keoland were growing in power and influence at
the expense of those that had not.
This development increasingly disturbed Veluna, which had for the
decades since its independence [48] followed precisely the
opposite policy. Veluna saw partiality as encouraging strife. By
assisting none of the tribes more than others, Veluna hoped to
maintain a stable, if ever shifting, status quo. The Raoin rulers
of Veluna additionally had the long-term goal of achieving more
peaceful conditions in the region. They reasoned that peace would
only be accepted by the tribes if all were treated fairly and
equally. Favouritism, they felt, would foster suspicion,
escalation, and desperation, and postpone any progress towards
real peace. Peace to the Raoins was something that had to come
from the wills of the tribes involved, something which could not
be imposed from the outside. They saw Keoish policy as rewarding
power-seekers and troublemakers and promoting overall instability
in the region.
Velunese ambassadors proved unable to dissuade the Keoish from
pursuing their "enlightened obligation", though. Those
tribes most peaceful and most strongly allied with Veluna found
themselves increasingly beset by attacks from tribes seeking
easier targets than those that now had Keoish support.
Occasionally the attacks came from disobedient Keoish tribes as
well. The pro-Velunese tribes began to press the Archclericy for
active intervention on their behalf.