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Overview
Greenshire is located on the western half of Mobrin next to the Silver Sea and west of Sky Forest. The county is best known for its farmlands and lush prairies. Greenshire is also known for their archers, the finest in the land. The fields of Greenshire are very among the most fertile and well tended in Daeren. Greenshire is a lush enviroment with cash crops and excellent hunting. The county contributes one-half of all the Archers in the Royal Army. Their Archers tend to use long bows and are renowned for their deadly accuracy.
History
Before the Empire, Greenshire was ruled by clans. Some 100 years before Gaelor came, the most vicious warrior clan was Haravean led by Clwyd Haravean. They practically turned the rest of the region into farmers while having a castle built for them at the southernmost tip of the land.
During the conquest of the continent, Gaelor found Greenshire to be more difficult. At Castle slaughter the archers atop the battlements kept the moat impassable for long enough to prove a nusiance. After a short time, Manghem sent a messenger under a white flag and requested to treat with the Lord. After a brief parley, it was explained he could swear fealty and join his cause. If he did this he would be named Count upon their return. Badden Haravean, Caditt Kerrigan, and Benedict Riverwyn marched with the king himself. When they did indeed return home, Badden was named the Count of Greenshire after the others swore fealty to him. All three now enobled the Riverwynds would be named as Baron's of Blackforge and the Kerrigans vassaled land to warden in the center of the County.
For the next few hundred years the land prospered. Innovation swept the county with the steel plow and irrigation. Crops were expanded to include tobacco and lavender and many of the oldest and worst blood feuds were settled during this time in the modern and civilized form of the duel. This ended the senseless skirmishes that could be known to arise and helped usher them into what was known as the age of harvest.
In 1466 amidst the crumbling of the realm Greenshire would be mainly ignored. Helping Weston efforts to throw back raiders and dealing with their own internal struggles Kennen Haravean proved to be most capable in the handling of his own territories. When the dust had settled the new Kilgour King summoned the Haravean to Crosswynd Castle to swear his fealty.
Over the past two hundred years Greenshire has remained prosperous while slowly growing. They still provide over half the royal archers to the crown and continue to stand in good stead with House Kilgour.
Revenue
Almost all of the wealth that Greenshire has accrued over the centuries has come from agriculture and the number of cash crops that it trades.
Culture
Greenshire is best known for its agriculture, bards, music and bowmen. Their culture has ties that take them back to when they were clans. Musicians are highly prized in the County and they are known to carry news as they travel from farm to villiage to town. Families are very close and loyal, and blood feuds still erupt between vassals. The Count is known to have to step in more often than not to keep the peace.
Very young children, boy or girl, are encouraged to learn to use a bow. This is a skill that is highly prized and considered very important.
Beliefs
The people including the nobles of Greeshire worship those deities of the Light but still many have strong beliefs in the fae. These are creature of myth and legend, still people leave milk and honey out on their door steps for the brownies to drink. Or during their harvest they leave all their windows and door open to allow the fae to pass freely. They even set a table for a stranger during the harvest as well. There are many stories of redcaps and selkies to just name a few. Rather than focus their beliefs centrally on any one god or goddess of the Light, it is common for Greenarians to worship each deity in turn, honoring them in their chosen months.
Courting & Marriage
Traditionally no jewelry is exchanged between commoner and some of the nobles at this time. Instead the man carves a wooden spoon that is to be symbol of his love for his intended. Various symbols are placed on this spoon to personalize it.
Bride Price and Hope Chest
The groom must pay the bride’s family for his wife. Payment can be in any form. When the bride goes to her husband she will bring a hope chest with her. The hope chest and its contents can be anything but it is not something that the husband can touch, it is the wife’s.
For those of noble blood it is the bride that has to pay, but the tradition of the hope chest remains and many noble families have been known to place in the marriage contract a clause that forbids the husband from taking anything out of the chest unless it is freely given to him by his wife.
Traditional Kidnapping of the Bride
The Kidnapping of the bride is a very old tradition that goes back to the clans. The bride’s family kidnaps her when she is being taken to her wedding by her husband’s family; they then take her to the home of her birth. Her family quickly disguises her as an old crone who is seated at the hearth, and the bride will always be holding a child. The groom has to find her and before he can even enter the home he must negotiate with the crone and her family for her release. Once this is done and she has been saved in some heroic fashion she goes back to the wedding.
Wedding Dress
Bright colors are worn and the bride has a pin that she places in her shoulder after the wedding ceremony the bride will take the pin out of her dress and throw it over her shoulder. This is to symbolize luck and fulfillment.
Divorce
Marriage in Greenshire for those of common blood is different than for those of noble heritage. If the wife does not like her husband or her husband has been found to be unfaithful she can turn him out and seize his property, or she can return home in the case where there are no children. The bride family has to return the bride price. In the case of nobles, this is very rare, the nobles will have to seek out an annulment from both the church and the king.
Birth
Birth of any child is celebrated and with joy. When the child is eight days old the family will drink to the child’s health and then offer the child to the light and the child is also named.
Death
Bodies are not buried instead they are cremated and their ashes are spread across a field or scattered on the wind. When death occurs in a household all the windows and doors of the deceased home are opened to allow the spirit to pass. For seven days after the death of a family member the family will continue to set a place for the departed. On the seventh day they pour a drink for the departed, and raise a toast in honor to the departed as well. They will then pour the contents of the cups on the ground.
Festival Days
Other than their own festivals they also pay homage to the festivals and holy days that pertain to the Light. As well as Kingdom wide festivals.
Gŵyl dewrder
The first week of spring holds what is also known as the festival of bravery. Celebrating acts of heroisim that were displayed when a small force of farmers and boys helped throw back Skingardian raiders from the shores of Greenshire near castle Slaughter. This time of year is used to help promote a warmer feeling towards the nobles of the County as they intermingle with the commoners. It has been known to happen that a peasant man might feast with a lord and nobility sometimes travel in disguise.
The hunting of the Robin
During the hunting of the robin, boys and young men will seek out this bird after the last day of winter. Once the bird is captured it would then be placed in a small, decorated cage or bier and carried around from house to house and shown in exchange for money or gifts of food and drink. If a robin cannot be found then a poor blue bird will be used.
Tilling of the Field
In the village or farming community when the first field is tilled it marks a day of celebration. A small gathering is held and it lasts a day. During this day feasting, drinking and merriment will happen. It is also on this day when the last of the supplies of butter and fat are made into pancakes. If a hen did not produce eggs by noon, she would then be given to the youth of the village who won the archery contest held that day.
Harvest
This is the biggest Festival of the season when a village or farming community brings in the last of their crops it marks the beginning of a weeklong festival. During this festival an abundance of drinking and dancing occurs along with other festivities. The final large hunt of the season is also called.
Legends
Coming Soon!
Gallery
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