Rivalon

Southernmost province of Orathos and the campaign's landing point — the party
works northward from its shores. The province of nobility, honour, and knights;
its people ("tributaries") pay tribute in gold to the monarch.

• Capital: Cathalon · Population: ~2.4M · ~13,000 sq mi
• Lowland plains, great lakes, rivers everywhere; heavy maritime rainfall
• Governance: Monarch → Dukes → Earls → Barons → Mayors → Commoners; uniquely
  class-undiscriminating. New monarchs are crowned by the Coven of the Lake
  (thirteen witches, clandestine methods).
• It is dishonourable in Rivalon to strike first outside a duel.

The Fall

In 1357 ("Kingfall"), Laewendas murdered the rightful King Aethelric with his
own sword and seized the throne, presenting court with his severed head. His
son-in-law Haelric warred against her and was assassinated (1358). She carved
Rivalon up and sold its territories and tribute rights to bandit warlords. Fear
persists that someone trusted within the castle betrayed Aethelric.

The Coalition's goal here: restore the rightful Sovereign Ysolde to the throne in
Cathalon. Laewendas must be the first to fall.

Session 6

• The province mapped in detail for settlement planning: the southern palisade
  zone is "super safe," Gwyndinas is the reclamation's settlement-in-progress,
  and Cathalon holds Laewendas and her bandit kings. Months of campaigning
  have already reclaimed a foothold.
• The party soft-pinned their future base: ~3 hexes on the Veilwood border
  (river, path and main-gates access, near Borderdale and Burton Bywaters) on land
  Brebo Goldfang bought — final vote pending.
• Party hometowns placed: Kain's Pinwy and Magra's Sprigglsby, plus the
  Blackwoods' Copseweald just over the border. Map features noted: the
  vine-strangled Divine Tower, Shipwreck Coast, Lambert's Crossing, and a suspicious
  number of claimable unnamed settlements.

Session 8

• The party landed at Fort Foothold inside the Palisade, the reclaimed
  safe zone (~50 miles deep, nothing left in it that should kill an adventurer;
  leaving requires 3 signatures of "people of merit"). Gwyndinas is the
  capital-to-be; Keraford by the gate holds the only knowledge of the lands
  beyond; Ankley, New Newton, Land's End, Gonghaven and Porthparrow joined the
  map.
• Rivellanin culture sketched via Sir Danica: a land of knights, careful words
  and binding oaths, where oathbreaking is the worst of all sins — and where many
  serve Laewendas only because they gave their word.
• A road tax is enforced island-wide (Laewendas razed the infrastructure);
  Varia pays it for anyone who files at an embassy.
• The settlement hex is final: Brebo Goldfang pointed precisely at option 1
  near the Veilwood border, and the whole party agreed.