Eternity RPC Board
Near the outskirts of Tarleton
The Principality of Tarleton
The Renaissance Period
Edmund lifted his hand to his brow, wiping a thick layer of sweat. The summer heat was getting to him, though the heat of the kilns wasn't helping either. Edmund worked in a coopers workshop, and specifically his role was the layer the cask with pitch, a hot, sticky substance, to ensure it would seal and store wine or other liquids effectively. It was hot, grueling, disgusting work, but it was work nonetheless.
His father had died and the family homestead had been taken by thugs, and so Edmund, the sole provider, was forced to find work near the city to feed his mother and younger sister. Thankfully, he had found favor with a barrel merchant, and thus his lifestyle was made. He despised the work, and would spend all of his free time peeling sticky pitch from seemingly his entire body, but his family was eating.
Barrel and cask making was a large industry in Tarleton due to the large quantities of timber nearby to aid in the production of both the wooden casks and the pitch that sealed them. Once upon a time, there had been tarpits all around (where Tarleton got its namesake) but there were few left that were of any use as they had generally been destroyed or built over. Still, the barrels were used in all sorts of things. The merchant who owned the workshop had connections in the wine industry and that was what most of his barrels ended up being used for. Barrels made with Edmunds help were used all around, including in the high halls of the Prince-Bishop of Tarleton himself.
*Speaking of which...* A trumpet blasted from down the lane near where Edmund was working. That could have meant any noble was passing by with their retinue, but on this particular day, it was the Prince-Bishop himself, along with another high ranking someone or other. Edmund bowed his head as they passed, thankful that he had wiled his brow already. He peered up as they passed and noticed the Prince-Bishop's guest was a foreign religious official, some sort of Pontiff based on the large hat and white and gold robes. Edmund wouldn't have known he was foreign if he hadn't noticed the man speaking a strange language to one of his orderlies.
Edmund didn't know, because he had never been taught, but the man was speaking Lanlian, the language of the empire to the south. He wasn't merely a priest either, but one of the highest ranking officials of the Sentrite Church, on an official visit to the Principality. The position of Prince-Bishop of Tarleton was an odd mixture of nobility and clergy, established when the last noble Prince of Tarleton had died without a century prior. There had been a conflict over who would rule, and the then Bishop of Tarleton had been successful and established himself as a noble ruler over the Principality.
This was at first opposed by religious leaders of the Sentrite Church, and was seen as an abuse of position, but the now Prince-Bishop of Tarleton had assured his superiors that he was acting in good faith and would remember his loyalties to the faith and church. This led to an awkward balance of power in the region.
Nominally, the Prince-Bishop was still a member of the clergy, and was expected to maintain all the roles and trappings of a Bishop. In fact, however, he was more of a noble. Sentrite priests were permitted to marry and sire children, so succession was easily managed. The nobility of Tarleton would not accept becoming total vassals of the Church in Lanlania, so boundaries were established. The taxes and levies of the Principality were not to be given to the Church outright, but were placed under the jurisdiction of a leading member of the local nobility, titled the Lord Protector of Tarleton, who acted as a sort of secular arm of the Prince-Bishop. The Prince-Bishop meanwhile was the true head of the Principality, and generally had final say.
Still, the Church in Lanlania had a close relationship with the Principality, and there were often visits like this one to discuss religious or political matters. This visit, however, was a bit more serious than usual.
The Sentrite Church was alarmed at the recent talks of religious schism. There was a quarrelsome itinerant preacher with the name Daien who had been speaking out against Lanlanian secular influence on the Sentrite Church, and in particular criticizing the political influence on the faith at large.
Lennox Daien, his full name, had not spent much time in Tarleton as it was something of a Sentrite stronghold, but had great influence in the powerful Kingdoms of Balzary and Denil and in fact made semi-permanent residence in Lienes, where he frequented the court of the Balzarian King. This protection made ot difficult for the Church to deal with him, and while the authorities in Lanlania had denounced the Balzarian King there was little they could do... openly, that is. Hence the arrival of an important Sentrite leader to the Principality.
Pity for Edmund, who hardly knew the relevance of the procession moving past him. He had no way of knowing what decisions would be made in the coming days and how they would change the face of the region -- the conflicts that would arise to tear the land apart and shake the various kingdoms, duchies, and indeed, even the principality to their core. If he knew, he would probably flee, because it would be on just one of these conflicts that he would perish only four short years later, in a field many miles from Tarleton.
But that is a story for another time...
The Principality of Tarleton
The Renaissance Period
Edmund lifted his hand to his brow, wiping a thick layer of sweat. The summer heat was getting to him, though the heat of the kilns wasn't helping either. Edmund worked in a coopers workshop, and specifically his role was the layer the cask with pitch, a hot, sticky substance, to ensure it would seal and store wine or other liquids effectively. It was hot, grueling, disgusting work, but it was work nonetheless.
His father had died and the family homestead had been taken by thugs, and so Edmund, the sole provider, was forced to find work near the city to feed his mother and younger sister. Thankfully, he had found favor with a barrel merchant, and thus his lifestyle was made. He despised the work, and would spend all of his free time peeling sticky pitch from seemingly his entire body, but his family was eating.
Barrel and cask making was a large industry in Tarleton due to the large quantities of timber nearby to aid in the production of both the wooden casks and the pitch that sealed them. Once upon a time, there had been tarpits all around (where Tarleton got its namesake) but there were few left that were of any use as they had generally been destroyed or built over. Still, the barrels were used in all sorts of things. The merchant who owned the workshop had connections in the wine industry and that was what most of his barrels ended up being used for. Barrels made with Edmunds help were used all around, including in the high halls of the Prince-Bishop of Tarleton himself.
*Speaking of which...* A trumpet blasted from down the lane near where Edmund was working. That could have meant any noble was passing by with their retinue, but on this particular day, it was the Prince-Bishop himself, along with another high ranking someone or other. Edmund bowed his head as they passed, thankful that he had wiled his brow already. He peered up as they passed and noticed the Prince-Bishop's guest was a foreign religious official, some sort of Pontiff based on the large hat and white and gold robes. Edmund wouldn't have known he was foreign if he hadn't noticed the man speaking a strange language to one of his orderlies.
Edmund didn't know, because he had never been taught, but the man was speaking Lanlian, the language of the empire to the south. He wasn't merely a priest either, but one of the highest ranking officials of the Sentrite Church, on an official visit to the Principality. The position of Prince-Bishop of Tarleton was an odd mixture of nobility and clergy, established when the last noble Prince of Tarleton had died without a century prior. There had been a conflict over who would rule, and the then Bishop of Tarleton had been successful and established himself as a noble ruler over the Principality.
This was at first opposed by religious leaders of the Sentrite Church, and was seen as an abuse of position, but the now Prince-Bishop of Tarleton had assured his superiors that he was acting in good faith and would remember his loyalties to the faith and church. This led to an awkward balance of power in the region.
Nominally, the Prince-Bishop was still a member of the clergy, and was expected to maintain all the roles and trappings of a Bishop. In fact, however, he was more of a noble. Sentrite priests were permitted to marry and sire children, so succession was easily managed. The nobility of Tarleton would not accept becoming total vassals of the Church in Lanlania, so boundaries were established. The taxes and levies of the Principality were not to be given to the Church outright, but were placed under the jurisdiction of a leading member of the local nobility, titled the Lord Protector of Tarleton, who acted as a sort of secular arm of the Prince-Bishop. The Prince-Bishop meanwhile was the true head of the Principality, and generally had final say.
Still, the Church in Lanlania had a close relationship with the Principality, and there were often visits like this one to discuss religious or political matters. This visit, however, was a bit more serious than usual.
The Sentrite Church was alarmed at the recent talks of religious schism. There was a quarrelsome itinerant preacher with the name Daien who had been speaking out against Lanlanian secular influence on the Sentrite Church, and in particular criticizing the political influence on the faith at large.
Lennox Daien, his full name, had not spent much time in Tarleton as it was something of a Sentrite stronghold, but had great influence in the powerful Kingdoms of Balzary and Denil and in fact made semi-permanent residence in Lienes, where he frequented the court of the Balzarian King. This protection made ot difficult for the Church to deal with him, and while the authorities in Lanlania had denounced the Balzarian King there was little they could do... openly, that is. Hence the arrival of an important Sentrite leader to the Principality.
Pity for Edmund, who hardly knew the relevance of the procession moving past him. He had no way of knowing what decisions would be made in the coming days and how they would change the face of the region -- the conflicts that would arise to tear the land apart and shake the various kingdoms, duchies, and indeed, even the principality to their core. If he knew, he would probably flee, because it would be on just one of these conflicts that he would perish only four short years later, in a field many miles from Tarleton.
But that is a story for another time...