Sussex

Ruled by: Currently no King or Queen, however Sister Helena Ward leads Sussex for the moment
Order of Succession: Each monarch chooses their own successor

A brief history

The people of Sussex are still reeling from the shock abdication of the legendary King Benegar de Caerleon, leaving the kingdom in the hands of King Luncan Trent. Benegar once served as hand to High King Tristan and was a kind but firm king who enjoyed the love of his people. He came from under the mountain from whence he returned with High King Tristan in 1108, he ruled Sussex in accordance with Solkar’s laws.
He has rarely been seen since the Renewal of Magics in 1118 when he abdicated.
King Luncan Trent later revealed himself as a Fey of House Heron, the house that was later exiled from Albion in the Honour Duel of 1119. While it does not appear that King Luncan was a particularly unjust or tyrannical King, he did not inspire anywhere near the same love or popularity within his people and few are particularly sorry to see him gone.

Key figures

Benegar de Caerleon - Previous monarch of Sussex, current whereabouts… variable. Last seen in Norsca, spring 1122.
Luncan Trent - Previous monarch of Sussex, heir to Benegar. Revealed to be a fey of House Heron in 1119 and exiled after the honour duel.
Sir Marcus Thornbear - hand of the king
Duke Lionel of Hastings - Duke Lionel is a hero of Sussex, reputed to have fought alongside various High Monarchs. Duke Lionel hosts and participates in many tournaments within Sussex
Duchess Annabelle of Chichester - Influential within the royal court in Sussex and often said to be Sussex’s key diplomat to the other nations of Albion.
Earl Mortimer of Lewes - an outspoken critic of the Albion war host who has publicly stated on many occasions that the money used to fund the war host should be spent elsewhere.
Saint Wilfred - Saint Wilfred supposedly taught the people of Sussex to fish. He is honoured in coastal areas and on “Wilf’s Night” at the end of the Summer, when people get together to light bonfires, sing, dance and eat a dish of fish stew topped with potatoes and cheese.

Key organisations

The Knights of Solkar Solkar’s Reach The Hands of Draco The Chalice Order of Knights Hospitaller

Geography

Sussex has a centuries-old reputation for being separate and culturally distinct from the rest of Albion. This relative isolation until recent times is partly due to Sussex's geography, with the sea to the south, the muddy, impenetrable Weald to the centre-north and coastal marshes to the east and west. The roads in and around the north are now largely passable, making the area generally the most affluent, though the Shipwright Road connecting north and south has allowed the major port towns to enjoy a comparable level of economic strength.
Sussex contains four large Wealden forests of Pevensey, Worth, Ashdown and Waterdown. The principal river is the Ouse, which flows from Cornwall in the north west down to the sea in the south east and out towards the island of Kent. Alongside the Ouse is the Shipwright Road, the main artery carrying food to the north and timber south for shipbuilding.
Off the south-west coast is the island of Kent, which supposedly broke away from the mainland of Sussex many years ago. If mainland Sussex is considered a little unusual, the habits, culture and customs of Kent are downright peculiar.
Being isolated from Sussex and the rest of Albion for hundreds of years, Kent remains, in many ways, a microcosm of history. Old and forgotten ways for the rest of Albion are still culturally relevant for the people of Kent.

Places of note:

Arundel - Sussex’s only city and the home of the royal court. Arundel is close to the Northern Borders with Oxford and Wessex. The Lieges Militant and Spiritual for the Order of Knights Hospitaller spend a great deal of time in Arundel since the losses of King Benegar and King Luncan. Beatrice and Elgar work with the other knightly and religious orders, as well as the Nobles of Sussex, to support the people of the Kingdom.
Hastings - a large, affluent coastal town in the West with thriving fisheries and ship-building, close to the Island of Kent. Hastings is famous for the legend of a great battle between the people of Sussex and alleged Franconian invaders in the year 166. Sadly written records and histories were not widespread at that time, and as such the story, if it is true, is now unverifiable.
Brighton - the only town on the Island of Kent. Known for being somewhat unusual and even more accepting of others than the rest of the Kingdom.
Chichester - a deeply religious northern town, home to the great temples of Solkar’s Reach, the home of the Knights of Solkar, and The Chalice, a temple of Damacest wherein the Cup of Damacest is held. Relations between Solkar’s Reach and The Chalice have historically been cordial, but distant. With the rise of the Knights Hospitaller and the Cast of Vengeance, however, more time and effort is being spent on developing the relationship between these two seemingly opposite faiths.
Selsey - a small town in the Weald, supposedly the original home of Saint Wilfred
Wells - a large village that now holds the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller, a hospital located in a bier that has since expanded along with the Order. Wells is the location of the Sussex Hospital and is where Brothers Benedict and Barnabus are usually based.

Tourism

Religion

Sussex is a deeply religious kingdom, most notably continuing King Benegar’s devotion to Solkar, a deity whose sense of righteousness, individualism and honour fitted well into the somewhat stubborn and contrary nature of the people.
The temple of Solkar’s Reach in Chichester was the most common haunt of King Benegar, even above his Royal Court in nearby Arundel. It is still the home of the Knights of Solkar today and serves as a religious centre as well as a seat of justice, albeit tempered by the many hands of Draco that also serve there.
On the other side of the Coin, Sussex’s strange customs and stories lend themselves well to the more natural and mystic figures of Sastrines, Damacest and Melaphine, who are often viewed as three sisters.
Alternatively, Sastrines and Melaphine are sometimes spoken of as lovers, with Damacest being their child and the bridge between the two. Sastrines creates many gifts for Melaphine, and Damacest watches over their journey through the world until it is time for them to enter Melaphine’s halls.
The Chalice, also in Chichester, is one of the oldest temples to Damacest in Albion and is the current home of the Cup of Damacest.
Further to the South, the village of Wells became the first home of the Sovereign and Holy Order of Knights Hospitaller, dedicated to Damacest. The Sussex Hospital has grown from its original bier and by the good graces of the villagers and the surrounding nobles, now comprises a small church, a large barn and the bier.
Being a place where people value free-thinking and individualism, worship of Mithras and Ranalf are fairly common among the middling classes and the peasantry, and to do so is far less frowned upon than in other Kingdoms.

Culture

The people of Sussex have a reputation for independence of thought and an aversion to being pushed around, as expressed through the Sussex motto, We wunt be druv (we will not be driven). The reputation for independence also extends to admiration of the independence of others and toleration of others. If you are honest, principled and strong of heart, Sussex will always welcome you as a friend. Historically, pigs are respected in Sussex for their independent spirit and are associated with the motto. Small metal-cast or wood-carved pigs are often found in even the most humble homes as a symbol of pride and good luck.
Sussex dialect contains an unusual amount of words to describe mud, though in Sussex, all are rather useful. The most commonly-heard include:

• Clodgy - muddy and wet, like a field path after heavy rain
• Ike - a mess or area of mud
• Slab - the thickest mud
• Slob or Slub - thick mud
• Slough - a muddy hole
• Smeery - wet and sticky surface mud
• Stoach - to trample ground, like cattle;
• Stodge - thick puddingy mud
• Stug - watery mud
• Swank - a bog

Other dialect words include:

• Fret - a sea fog
• Went - crossroads
• Winnicks or Willicks - fishermen
• Flittermouse - bat
• Prickleback - hedgehog
• Varm - bracken
• Totty-grass - high grass
• Jiggered - surprised or shocked
• Dosset - a small bit or portion of something
• Goistering - raucous laughter

The traditional Sussex sense of humour is characterised by understatement, sarcasm and irony - it can seem unwelcoming at first, but visitors soon learn that the more a person of Sussex teases you, the more they like you. Polite Sussexfolk are far more worrisome. Sussex is known for its strong tradition of bonfire celebrations and its proud musical heritage. There are many festivals celebrated throughout the year in Sussex that may have fallen out of common observance in other Kingdoms. These include:

Wilf’s night: a celebration of St Wilfred, mostly in the ports and coastal regions.
The Poppy’s Blooming: a midwinter celebration of Melaphine and of remembrance for those who have passed on to her halls. Characterised by cosy fires on the darkest night, small tokens and gifts with some link to those that have passed, songs and storytelling.
The Quickening: a spring celebration that tends to occur in April, though the date is moveable. Celebrated by worship of Sastrines and communal feasting.
The Stork’s Gift: The day after the quickening, most often celebrated by those who wish to bear children. Many people travel to Wells, to the local spring, to gather and drink the waters. It is said that the Spring at Wells was the birthplace of Damacest, and the waters will give strength and fertility to those who drink there. The traditional Sussex sense of humour is characterised by understatement, sarcasm and irony - it can seem unwelcoming at first, but visitors soon learn that the more a person of Sussex teases you, the more they like you. Polite Sussexfolk are far more worrisome. Sussex is known for its strong tradition of bonfire celebrations and its proud musical heritage. There are many festivals celebrated throughout the year in Sussex that may have fallen out of common observance in other Kingdoms. These include:
The Day of Redemption: a day of celebration for Solkar. More solemn than other celebrations, characterised by songs and stories of triumph over adversity or of doing the right thing in spite of terrible odds. Harvest-tide: harvest, but with songs, bonfires and feasting.
Horn Fair: a great fair in midsummer, held in Goose Green, a place that was supposedly home to fairies/pharisees. It is a week-long fair of games and competitions, good food, drolls, stalls, songs and bonfires.

Drolls

Songs and stories are in many ways the heart and soul of Sussex, and most gatherings include music, songs, stories and drolls in one form or another.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trees_They_Grow_So_High https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebernoe_Horn_Fair

Sussex Won’t be Druv Some folks as come to Sussex, They reckons as they know – A durn sight better what to do Than simple folks, like me and you, Could possibly suppose.
But them as comes to Sussex, They mustn't push and shove, For Sussex will be Sussex, And Sussex won't be druv!
Mus Wilfred come to Sussex, Us heaved a stone at he, Because he reckoned he could teach Our Sussex fishers how to reach The fishes in the sea.
But when he dwelt among us, Us gave un land and luv, For Sussex will be Sussex, And Sussex won't be druv!
All folks as come to Sussex Must follow Sussex ways – And when they've larned to know us well, There's no place else they'll wish to dwell In all their blessed days –
There ant no place like Sussex, Until ye goos above, For Sussex will be Sussex, And Sussex won't be druv.

Mythology:

In the hills, barrows and woodlands of Sussex, there is fertile ground and safe haven for all sorts of strange creatures, or so the stories go. These include dragons, giants, fairies and horned devils.
Particular to Sussex, large caves or holes next to rivers supposedly serve as homes to “knuckers” (also known as necks or nixies) a type of water dragon. The young ones are small and keep mostly to themselves, but an older and wiser dragon may pose a substantial threat. Such holes are known as “knuckerholes” and contain supposedly bottomless pools of water to house their inhabitants.
In the villages along the River Ouse, the story is still told of a king whose castle sat on the mouth of the river, and who was troubled by such a dragon. The dragon caused so much trouble, that he claimed he would wed his beautiful daughter to whomever would slay the beast. One month after his proclamation, after many had tried and failed to slay the beast, a mysterious knight-errant, armoured and helmed, came to the castle and dropped the head of the dragon at the king’s feet. The king was beside himself with joy and called that his daughter be brought forth to marry this most noble of knights. And the knight removed her helmet, her red hair pouring down her shoulders and the king stared into the eyes of his daughter. “As you bid me father, I shall take my own hand, and make my own way in the world.” The king was no longer troubled by the dragon, but he never saw his daughter again.
The legendary Bevis of Hastings was a giant so enormous he could stride across the sea. One day, he was called upon to battle a rival giant from Franconia and so he broke away a piece of the land and flung it into the sea, crushing his rival. This piece of land is now the Island of Kent, a strange story for what is, admittedly, a strange place.
Fairies, or 'pharisees' in Sussex dialect, are mischievous but usually benign creatures who like to sing and dance. Sussex’s general love of song, dance and firelight is attributed to a kinship with fairies. A famous tale recounts the story that, at Halloween, the fairies come out into the woods to dance in 'fairy rings'. Their territory is supposedly decreasing, and small children are encouraged not to pick flowers or take away acorn cups from the woodlands, lest a fairy loses their home. According to Etelvina, the old goodwife of Goose Green in the High Weald, the area used to be a home to fairies but they left when a noble lord came to build his house there on land granted by the king. The fact that Etelvina did not like the noble lord had, surely, nothing to do with it.
Horned devils are a common folk villain, used to chide and frighten small children into good behaviour upon the threat of being “carried away by a devil”. Horned devils are also figures of fun, outwitted either by the local populace or in some stories by St Wilfred.
As the Kingdom’s shipbuilding endeavours grew, so did the stories of distraught wood nymphs, driven away from their woodland abodes by the cutting down of woods to supply the industry. The deepest wealden woods of Ashdown, in the east, are now said to be the last true wilderness in Sussex and the home of those angry wood nymphs, and to the water nymphs who carried them along the Ouse and away from the danger.