High-Kingdom-of-Battania -

![[battania 1.png]] # High Kingdom of Battanians Ancient Authoritarian High Kingdom. Land of Glory and Devious Aristocratic Native Inhabitants of Calradia. Mystical Tribal Despots Idolizing Valor and Mischief. Masters of the Long Bow, Night Raid, and Wild Charge on Foot. Possessing Deadly Efficiency with Two-Handed Weapons. War, Battle, and Free-Minded Vigilant Loyalists to Tradition and Flamboyance. **High King,** [[Caladog]] [[fen-Gruffendoc]] # Culture ![[-_0006s_0002_ui_fullbackgrounds_2-copy-33.png|inlR|150]]"The misty hills of north-western [[Calradia-Conti.]] are dominated by the [[Battanian]] clans, the original inhabitants of much of the continent ([[Calradia-Conti.]]). Their hilltop fortresses have born witness to countless wars fought to resist outside invaders: first the [[Calradian-Empire]]'s legions, and more recently the rising [[Sturgian]] ([[Principality-of-Sturgia]]) and [[Vlandian]] ([[Kingdom-of-Vlandia]]) kingdoms. They are masters of the longbow, the night raid, the sudden wild charge out of the woods. They idolize valor, but especially like it when mixed with a bit of mischief - the cattle thief who can whisk an entire herd into the fog; the champion who dines with a rival tribe, and, regaling his hosts with an anecdote of battle, produces from his bag the skull of one of their kinsmen that he took as a souvenir." [ — Bannerlord / Modules / SandBoxCore / ModuleData / spcultures.XML] **[[Pen Cannoc]]** sits on a promontory overlooking the Trand river as it plunges from the **Uchalion plateau** into the Vlandian lowlands. Legends speak of the **water-nymphs** who live in the dark pools under the rock, luring travelers and invaders to their deaths, except on those rare occasions when they fall in love with a hero and grant him victory and blessings. Certainly the fisherfolk of this region have learned respect for the perils of the upper Trand, where a small misstep on slippery stone can cast one off a precipice into the waters below. [ — Bannerlord.XML] **Geunat Nal**, the village where [[Nal]] left his head, **is a fur-trapping village near the site of a duel famous in Battanian legend**. The villagers are known for their skill as foresters, helping the nearby cliff-top fortress of [[Car Banseth]] to guard the northern approaches to the Battanian heartland from Sturgian and other raiders. [ — Bannerlord.XML] **[[Dunglanys]]**, the 'Rock of [[Glanys]]', stands on a high crag overlooking the **Llyn Tywal**, the pool of darkness at the heart of the Battanian lands. **It was named after a ancient queen who, legend has it, married in succession five high kings of [[High-Kingdom-of-Battania]], bestowing sovereignty upon them**. It is the center of the rituals that underpin Battanian kingship, and though not every Battanian high king has ruled from here, all are eager to hold it. [ — Bannerlord.XML] **[[Marunath]]**, the 'Horse of the Ford,' is nowhere near a river. **But Battanian bards love nothing more than an incongruous place-name around which a legend can be woven**. In this case the hero [[Ochlaigan]], who was foretold to defeat the seven sons of [[Glanys]] in seven duels near seven fords, encountered the last of his enemies here. He slit his horse's throat and crossed over the stream of blood that gushed forth, defeating his last enemy and **fulfilling the prophecy**. [ — Bannerlord.XML] **Ocs Hall** is one of the few towns in the [[Vlandian]] kingdom that was founded after the seizure of the land from the Empire. This valley was once an isolated holdout of Battanians, centered on the **Llyn Modris**, a lake in a volcanic caldera **that was said to be the seat of a giant**. This land was conquered by the [[Vlandian]] warlord [[Oca]], who also gave his name to the nearby **Ocspool** lake. **The Battanian tribes were driven inland, and took their legends with them**. [ — Bannerlord.XML] "**Founded in 940** when the Battanians, a confederation of hill clans that had long been the [[Calradian-Empire]]'s most resistive subjects, revolted and m assacred the [[Imperial]] garrison. Made up of farmers and herders in the lands between the **Sefen river** and the **Sideric mountains**." [ — Bannerlord / Modules / SandBox/ wolrd_lore_strings.XML] According to the bard, [[Fiogrin]]. (See page [[6]].) > The Battanians take the trees on the outer edges to make the staves for their bows, but, according to [[Fiogrin]], **those in the center are sacred**. Centuries ago, he said, **the holy men of the Battanians hung human sacrifices from the tree-limbs. He says that the practice has long since died out**, [...] According to [[Asaios]]: (See page [[6]].) > One of my companions was [[Fiogrin]], a bard, who said he had watched a number of battles, as **the Battanians ([[High-Kingdom-of-Battania]]) will pay highly for eyewitness accounts of fighting set to song**. > [...] > [[Asaios]] goes on to say: > It used to be that **innkeepers were required to feed everyone** who stepped through their door, **money or no**, but there are now too many people from other lands crisscrossing the Uchalion who might take advantage, and **they cannot honor that law to the letter.** But they still put out huge cauldrons every night filled with stews and porridges, and a soured thickened milk similar to the [[Khuzait-Khanate]]'s yoghurts, and for the price of your room you can eat your fill. According to [[Asaios]]: (See page [[7]].) > On the outskirts of the town ([[Seonon]]) we saw a holy man down by the lake water, dressed in rags and covered in tattoos. The travelers said that he drinks nothing but water from '**the Sacred Lake**' (Llyn Tywal), which allows him to speak with ancestors who have passed into the [[Otherworld]]. Such holy men are allowed to wander freely through the land, even into the great halls of chieftains, whom they frequently berate for violating this ancient taboo or that. But, although [[Caladog]] has more to rebuke about him than any High King in memory, **they do not trouble him**. He goes down to the water and speaks at length with them, convincing them of his great mission to reclaim [[Calradia-Conti.]] for the Battanians, as though he were the second coming of [[Mon]] himself. (Companion: [[Ironbelly]]) > "But there's no legions any more. And since [[Caladog]] became High King, well, he's gotten the young to think that to fight for the [[Calradian-Empire]] is treason. Treason to what? '[[High-Kingdom-of-Battania]]'? There is no [[High-Kingdom-of-Battania]]. Never has been. Just a bunch of quarreling warlords, who'll steal your cows as soon as you turn your back on them." ([[Imulir-(Cc)]] [[the-Ill-Starred]]) > V.2 > When I was just a baby, a woman said to have '**the Sight**' came to my father's hall. When she saw me, she told him that she saw the mark of '**the Faeries**' upon me. She performed a **divination**, and said she had learned that I was to be a prank played on mankind: I should grow up to be a great beauty, but that any man who proposes to marry me shall die. > V.1 > When I was just a baby, a woman came to my father's hall, a woman who was said to be able to speak to the [[Otherworld]]. When she saw me, she told him that she saw the mark of '**the Faeries**' upon me. She performed a **divination**, and said she had learned that I was to be a prank played on mankind: I should grow up to be a great beauty, but that any man who resolves to marry me shall die. > > I come from the highlands. My people were suspicious folk. It is easy to them to get into their heads that a child, especially a girl, practices '**Witchcraft**'. I had two neighbors die of fevers within the same season, and so I was chased from my home and driven to fend for myself. Which I can, and did. I forge my own weapons and can wield them as well, but now I'm looking for steady work. # Kingdom ![[-_0006s_0003_ui_fullbackgrounds_2-copy-34.png|inlR|150]]"From time immemorial there has been a High King of Battania, crowned with great ceremony on the sacred hill of Dunthanach. Ask any [[Battanian]] chieftain, however, whose ”kingdom” he lives in, and he will look around at his hall and his fields and his pastures, his flocks and his retainers, and answer ”Mine, of course.” Only lately, following the example of the [[Calradian-Empire]], have the High Kings made any effort to exert their authority. ”Such unruly cattle as my people require a strong herdsman's hand to steer them from the ravine and protect them from the wolf,” said one recent High King, just before he was betrayed by a jealous cousin and taken in chains to the nearest [[Imperial]] outpost." [ — Bannerlord / Modules / SandBox / ModuleData / spkingdoms.XML] # Leader "The current High King of Battania is [[Caladog]] [[fen-Gruffendoc]], a brilliant war captain adopted by the prior king, [[Aeril]], who then died in mysterious circumstances. Despite the doubts around his accession, [[Caladog]] has made himself popular among the lesser clans of the land who admire him, a man of no great lineage, for having discomfited the Battanians' traditional clan hierarchy. His clan is the [[fen-Gruffendoc]], a formerly obscure family now swollen with his comrades-in-arms with whom he has made marriage alliances." [ — Bannerlord / Modules / SandBox / ModuleData / heroes.XML] # Summary ![[-_0006s_0004_ui_fullbackgrounds_2-copy-35.png|inlR|150]]"The Battanians still remember the olden days when the woods stretched across northern [[Calradia-Conti.]], and [[Calradian-Empire]] and its cities had yet to violate their sanctity. The fierce warriors remain loyal to their traditional ways. They paint their faces when going to battle and even their noblemen prefer to fight on foot while using great axes and two-handed swords with deadly efficiency." [ — Bannerlord / Modules / StoryMode / ModuleData / module_strings.XML] # Clans "Clans represent major extensive families, or in some cases, family-like organizations. A kingdom is usually made up of several clans who hold fiefs and lead its troops. A clan will have a ruler, and when that ruler dies, the clan's leadership and titles will pass to his or her heir. Clans are nominally bound by blood ties, but marriage will result in one of the spouses (usually the wife) joining the other's clan, and sometimes clans will adopt members." [ — Bannerlord / Modules / SandBox / ModuleData / concepts.XML] **Owns 1 of 5 ==Lumber Yards==** | 5112 **Owns 1 of 2 ==Iron Mines==** & **Owns 1 of 5 ==Lumber Yards==** | TIER 6 | [[fen-Gruffendoc]] Ruling Clan | ![[caladog.png\|150]] | [[Marunath]] Rhemtoil Castle Uthelaim Castle | ![[__0016_banner - 2024-08-31T163922.722.jpg\|150]] | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------ | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | ------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | 3952 | TIER 5 | [[fen-Derngil]] Family of Previous High King, [[Aeril]] [[fen-Uthelhain]] | ![[ergeon.png]] | [[Dunglanys]] Aster Castle | ![[__0015_banner - 2024-08-31T163934.241.jpg]] | | 3055 **Owns 2 of 5 ==Lumber Yards==** | TIER 4 | [[fen-Uvain]] Ancient House | ![[melidir.png]] | [[Car Banseth]] Pendraic Castle | ![[__0014_banner - 2024-08-31T163951.120.jpg]] | | 1154 | TIER 4 | [[fen-Morcar]] Clan of Fierce Old Warlord | ![[pryndor.png]] | Llanoc Hen Castle | ![[__0010_banner - 2024-08-31T164047.283.jpg]] | | 6607 **Owns 2 of 5 ==Lumber Yards==** & **Monopoly on ==Stud Farms==** | TIER 3 | [[fen-Penraic]] Horse Monopoly | ![[luichan.png]] | [[Seonon]] Flintolg Castle | ![[__0013_banner - 2024-08-31T164005.274.jpg]] | | 706 **Monopoly on ==Silver==** | TIER 3 | [[fen-Eingal]] Loving own Hubris | ![[aradwyr.png]] | Druimmor Castle | ![[__0011_banner - 2024-08-31T164030.902.jpg]] | | 2184 **Owns 1 of 2 ==Iron Mines==** | TIER 2 | [[fen-Giall]] Clan of Aeron, Rage and Generosity | ![[aeron.png]] | [[Pen Cannoc]] | ![[__0012_banner - 2024-08-31T164018.489.jpg]] | | 863 | TIER 1 | [[fen-Caernacht]] Resentful Clan, Red Faced Warlord | ![[maireas.png]] | Ab Comer Castle | ![[__0009_banner - 2024-08-31T164101.159.jpg]] | | Approximate Wealth = 23,633 | | | | | | | | | [[fen-Uthelhain]] Direct Line of Previous High King, [[Aeril]] | ![[unknown character.png\|150]] | | ![[unknown character.png\|150]] | | | | [[fen-Aedeg]] Clan of Companion - [[Fairhair]] | ![[unknown character.png\|150]] | | ![[unknown character.png\|150]] | | | | [[fen-Dairl]] Clan of Companion - Ferionn, [[the-Ragged-(Battani)]] | ![[unknown character.png\|150]] | | ![[unknown character.png\|150]] | # Settlements & Minor Clans | ![[__0002_batt-cast.png\|150]] | [[Pen Cannoc]] [[Dunglanys]] [[Marunath]] [[Car Banseth]] [[Seonon]] | ![[__0076_banner - 2024-08-31T162152.077 1.jpg\|150]] | [[Wolfskins]] Outlaw / Mafia Inspired by the Fianna Tier 3 | | :----------------------------: | :-------------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------------------------: | :-----------------------------------------------------------------: | | ![[batt caste 2.png\|150]] | [[Battania Castles List]] | ![[__0003_batt-vil.png\|150]] | [[Battania Villages List]] | # Companions | '[[Imulir-(Cc)]]' [[the-Ill-Starred]] Under Gaessa or "Daeth" | [[Blacktooth]] A [[Battanian]] Romantic - Former [[Imperial]] Highwayman | | :-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :----------------------------------------------------------------------: | | 'Ferionn' [[the-Ragged-(Battani)]] Former Wildling of the [[Wolfskins]] - Killer of [[Deimul]] [[fen-Gruffendoc]] | [[Ironbelly]] Pro-Empire Veteran - Not so Proud [[Battanian]] | | 'Cadugan' [[Horsethief]] "Prince of Horse Thieves" | [[the-Red]] Very Proud [[Battanian]] - Skull Collector Like [[Tasiel]] | | [[Fairhair]] Son of Medb - Hamlet Type | [[the-Wanderer-(Battani)]] Master of Slings and Knives - Training Warrior | | [[Cowthief]] Robbed Thief - Killer of Three | [[the-Healer]] Herb Doctor - Entrepreneur | # Troops | ==Source:== | [[Battanian]] Skirmishers | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [ — Bannerlord / Modules / Native / ModuleData / multiplayer_strings.XML] | The [[Battanian]] clans have a lively tradition of their least sociable members going off to the woods to live like animals. Many of those still return to fight alongside their people when they go to war, but not having trained with the kern they often take up the javelin and fight as skirmishers. | | [[Battanian]] Light Infantry | [[Battanian]] Light Ranged | | Also known as the 'Kern', the main fighting forces of the [[Battanian]] clans are backed up by a general levy of men fit to bear arms. A screaming rush of these troops, wielding long knives, clubs and spears, can be a terrifying sight. | The best hunters of the Battanians join their tribal levy as archers. They usually skirmish ahead of the main force, running away from more heavily armed enemy troops. | | [[Battanian]] Heavy Infantry | [[Battanian]] Heavy Infantry | | The best warriors among the Battanians pledge themselves to accompany the tribal leader into the battle whenever he leads. They make up the center of the line, and stiffen the spine of the kern. | Landless younger sons of the [[Battanian]] nobles frequently join fighting companies, known as Fianna, seeking out adventure wherever they can find it. Many live in the woods and hunt with the famed [[Battanian]] longbow, but they can also don armor and fight in tight ranks if necessary. | | [[Battanian]] Shock Infantry | [[Battanian]] Light Cavalry | | The [[Battanian]] heroes of old were known for their ferocity and their disdain for their own safety, and those warriors who hew most closely to this ideal take up the massive falx, a devastating curved blade that is usually used two-handed. They fight in the center of the line, trying to chop their way to the enemy's standard. | While most [[Battanian]] nobles will fight with their oathsworn in the midst of the battle line on foot, a few, including younger and lighter aristocrats, will fight from horseback. They are light rather than heavy cavalry, best used as outriders and flankers. | # Dev Diaries ![blog post 38 taleworldswebsite 03|inlC|150](https://mountandblade2bannerlord.wiki.fextralife.com/file/Mount-and-Blade-2-Bannerlord/blog_post_38_taleworldswebsite_03.jpg) ### [Dev Blog 03/05/18](https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/Blog/58) > Battania lay claim to the misty hills of north-western [[Calradia-Conti.]]. They are inspired by the Celtic peoples of Western Europe and we felt that an earthy, woodland type of green would be the best choice of color to represent this faction. We went through a few different design choices for their banner, focusing on animals like boar, deer and rabbits, stylized in a Celtic art style. However, we wanted a more encapsulating image for the faction and decided to go with a design from Celtic culture which is more iconic and recognizable. ![[Pasted image 20240529150705.png|inlC]] ### [Dev Blog 19/10/17](https://www.taleworlds.com/en/Games/Bannerlord/Blog/30) > The misty hills of north-western [[Calradia-Conti.]] are dominated by the [[Battanian]] clans, the original inhabitants of much of the continent. Their hilltop fortresses have born witness to countless wars fought to resist outside invaders: first the Empire's legions, and more recently the rising [[Sturgian]] and [[Vlandian]] kingdoms. They are masters of the longbow, the night raid, the sudden wild charge out of the woods. They idolize valor, but especially like it when mixed with a bit of mischief - the cattle thief who can whisk an entire herd into the fog; the champion who dines with a rival tribe, and, regaling his hosts with an anecdote of battle, produces from his bag the skull of one of their kinsmen that he took as a souvenir. > > As readers have probably guessed, the Battanians are inspired by the Celtic peoples of Western Europe - in particular, the Picts, Irish, and Welsh of the early medieval era. So we'd like to take this chance to discuss how history influences our design. Mount and Blade's [[Calradia-Conti.]] is a low-fantasy setting that we think gains from cleaving fairly closely to history. Our physics-based combat system, for example, gives a well-balanced sword or a hard-hitting axe the characteristics that you'd expect by looking at it. A murderous-looking ascent up a cliffside to assault a fort should be murderous in the game, thanks to an engine that gives defenders the ability to rain down rocks and arrows on attacking forces. > > Because of this design philosophy, we try not to introduce any social institutions that would be impossible to find in the technological and economic setting we describe. But we also don't mind borrowing a bit from other times and places outside our core setting, the 10th and 11th centuries. For example, the Dark Age Celts built some mysterious and majestic structures, like massive roundhouses and complex concentric fortresses, but did not build major cities. By then, they'd been pushed back to the margins of Europe, where big cities were hard to sustain. Back in Caesar's day, however, the Celts still lived closer to the economic heart of the continent and created impressive towns known as oppida on key trade routes. So you won't find an exact archaeological antecedent for our [[Battanian]] settlements, which mix later Celtic architecture with earlier Celtic town layout. But we think the result will be both visually impressive and credible, sort of an alternate version of how Celtic settlements could have evolved had history been slightly different. > > Lots of our characters, too, are based on history - or legends, at least. For example, the [[Battanian]] king [[Caladog]] is partially inspired by Gruffydd ap Llywellyn, who dominated much of Wales in the 11th century. He was a very colorful figure, ruthless yet possessed of a wicked sense of humor. He is famous for quipping, when accused of having killed off all his competitors for the kingship, "I merely blunt the horns of Wales' sons lest they injure their mother." The charismatic silver-tongued rogue, who'd steal your cattle and then extemporize a poem about it: this was a bit of stereotype of Celts among the English at the time. It's actually a common view that inhabitants of peaceful but despotic kingdoms held of tribal peoples who had a strong oral tradition and enjoyed freedom but little security. Boastful, cunning, resourceful, but perhaps a tad too cussed and individualistic for their own good -- the Battanians aren't an efficient conquering machine like some of their neighbors, but no one makes war with more flair. > > Bannerlord gives us some new features to bring out the uniqueness of its cultures, but we're especially excited about minor factions - mercenaries, nomads and outlaw leagues that have their own agendas that aren't part of the struggle for power. One of the [[Battanian]] minor factions is the [[Wolfskins]] - a society of young warriors who have left their clans to live a life of freedom (and violence) in the woods. So long as they live 'as wolves' - eating no cooked meat, sleeping under no roof, and wearing no woven cloth - they are exempt from the laws of men. The [[Wolfskins]] are inspired by the Fianna, a fighting brotherhood who were the stars of a major Irish saga. It treats them as heroes, but they also have a dark side, extorting money from clans who are interested in mundane things like marriage and crops and don't have time to fight all the time. Simon Young, a historian who wrote a brilliantly entertaining reconstruction of "darkest Britain," AD 500, suggests that the Fianna may in reality have given rise to legends of werewolves. The Code of the Wolf however is our own invention. ![battania protofeudal systems|inlC|500](https://mountandblade2bannerlord.wiki.fextralife.com/file/Mount-and-Blade-2-Bannerlord/battania_protofeudal_systems.png)![companion 1|inlC|500](https://mountandblade2bannerlord.wiki.fextralife.com/file/Mount-and-Blade-2-Bannerlord/companion_1.png)