Taeghas

Count Harald Khorien     Regent: The nominal Count of Taeghas is Harald Khorien. However, as Darien Avan has forced Khorien to swear fealty, the Prince of Avanil has his domain under his thumb.

Khorien does nothing without Avan's permission; he leaves the administration of his kingdom mostly to bureaucrats from the realm to the east.

For the most part, this arrangement sits fine with Khorien. He never wanted to be a king; the line passed to him without his knowledge or permission when his family died in one of Rhuobhe Manslayer's forays into human lands. The succession disrupted the magic he'd been researching and filled his time with the dull, everyday demands of running a kingdom.

After word passed to the Prince of Avanil that Taeghas seemed less than pleased about the political demands on his time, Avan offered Khorien freedom from a king's duties in exchange for loyalty. If the mage-king feels differently about the arrangement now, he shows no sign of it. The count works as absentmindedly with Avan as he does with his flunkies, and displays no anger about the fact that he does not rule in his own kingdom.

However, the count has shown willingness to defend his borders against those with whom he does not always agree. His spells and armies tell anyone who might consider Taeghas an easy grab to reconsider. Khorien has repelled more than one force from Brosengae or Boeruine, and seems tired of battles between Avanil and Boeruine tearing up his own domain.

• Lieutenants: Most of the count's administrative work is overseen by a group of four skilled lieutenants left over from the rule of the previous count. These four control the apparatus of government, including the details of formal events, meetings with the ruler, and the disposition of royal funds. They leave Khorien free to research his spells and learn more of the nature of magic.

Provinces: Khorien oversees portions of land that Eriene Mierelen, Duchess of Brosengae would love to control—namely, the provinces of Brosien, Islien, and Seasdeep—but he's not willing to cede her these lands. Though he has no interest in ruling, he also feels a personal distaste for Mierelen's desire to rule as much as he. Consequently, he will not grant her a single inch of his vast territory.

The province Bhaine holds the capitol, Stormpoint, and the palace of the same name.

Important NPCs: As in Brosengae Avan controls much of the law of Taeghas, and does so with an iron grip. No rival mages live within the boundaries of Taeghas, though—both Khorien and Avan see to that, as their best interests lie with the count controlling all the domain's magical resources. This kingdom rich in magic hides away more than enough energy for the count in its forests and hills.

The Archduke of Boeruine also nurses a secret interest in the law of Taeghas and has stymied many of Avan's edicts with revolts and whispering campaigns. Trade in this kingdom is minimal, controlled by a guild under Khorien's thumb.

Description: Taeghas encompasses a wide range of terrains, though all its provinces share the same temperate, seacoast climate. In the north lies the southernmost region of the Aelvinnwode, while hills dot Aerele Bay on the Straits. Rivers run everywhere, and moors cover the few places where the forest can't get a hold.

The people, as a rule, seem independent and broad-minded, though they have a tendency to close up on certain subjects, such as Khorien. Their ruler has not exactly inspired devotion and loyalty—the citizenry knows that the regent financing their protection is not the one sitting on the throne in Stormpoint.

Sandwiched between Boeruine  and Avanil , Taeghas has become the major battlefield of those two powers. Unless the count takes action, that situation seems unlikely to change.

This article has no secrets.