Ynys Cymragh
Ynys Cymragh, a windswept island of high mountains, deep forests, and green fields, rises out of the waters at the end of the Helcynngae Peninsula across the Straits of Daan. It is a realm apart, home of the legendary people of Daan, liberators of Tircople, who have withdrawn to their isle and suffer few to set foot upon their shores.
History and People
There are no tales of a time before the people of Daan lived on Ynys Cymragh. Their oldest legends tell of their ancestors coming forth from deep caves within the mountains to spread over the peaks, hills, and valleys of the isle. Here they lived in a time of myth, worshipping the gods of the Old Way, until the coming of the Hyperboreans.
Then in 128 I.R., the Hyperboreans landed upon its shores. They quickly colonized the island and renamed it Insula Extremis. Over the ensuing centuries, the original folk of Ynys Cymragh adopted many of the practices of the Hyperboreans, including the worship of Mithras. For long years, the island was a province of the empire and at peace. But in many ways, the ancient traditions remained unaffected by the conquest.
With the disintegration of the Hyperborean Empire in the years leading up to 2500 I.R., the people of Ynys Cymragh again broke into squabbling, petty kingdoms. At the same time, the void left by the departing Hyperboreans led others to exploit the new chaos. One such folk, the Heldring of the Helcynngae Peninsula, began a series of conquests on the mainland of Akados. They also turned to their nearby island neighbors on Insula Extremis. Initially, the kingdoms repelled their attempts at invasion. But then an unnamed lesser king (believed to have been a king of Caer Cadwin) imported Heldring mercenaries in 2521 I.R. to supplement his own army and allowed them to settle in some areas of lower Gwynmet as part of their payment. Caer Cadwin was successful and briefly conquered a large portion of the island, but within two years the Heldring settlers expanded beyond their allotted boundaries and illegally brought in more of their folk across the strait. Soon, the mercenaries who had been invited in overthrew Caer Cadwin and most of its lands, and the rest of the island found itself in a war against the Heldring tribes.
The folk of Ynys Cymragh held fast for years, creating a virtual stalemate at the Strathclyde Mountains. But the greater numbers of the Heldring took a toll as more of the invaders arrived from across the strait and raided the island’s coastal settlements, steadily taking more ground each year.
The stalemate finally broke when Daan, a native of Ynys Cymragh who had served the Hyperboreans in far Irkaina, returned to his homeland with his cavalry of heavy cataphracts. A commander with surpassing military skill and a near-unstoppable force of armored knights, he rallied the petty kingdoms of the island and drove the Heldring back. In 2566 I.R., the kings granted him the Hyperborean title of polemarch and he was named ardrigh (or high king) with absolute authority over all the folk of Ynys Cymragh. In a series of victorious battles, Daan broke the back of the Heldring armies and drove them to a few coastal settlements. In 2576 I.R., he defeated the last Heldring thegns at the Battle of Agedium and expelled the last of the invaders from the island.
For a period of time after that, Ynys Cymragh knew peace, but word of the spreading corruption in the Hyperborean court of Tircople compelled Daan (who still considered himself and his people loyal subjects of the Hyperborean Empire) to raise his standard as polemarch and rally his people to march upon Tircople and overthrow Trystecce, the corrupt empress who had taken over the throne and the church. In 2580 I.R., Daan’s fleet landed at Durwent and swept through the Helcynngae Peninsula, utterly defeating any Heldring who rose against him. As he continued his march north, the warriors of many Heldring tribes flocked to his banner and swelled his ranks. Daan spent the next four years marching the length of Akados and across the Isthmus of Irkaina, rallying thousands upon thousands to his cause.
In 2584 I.R., his march ended at Tircople, and he besieged the imperial city. He finally managed to destroy the lich-queen Trystecce but was slain in the process. With the empire liberated but in tatters, Daan’s loyal men of Ynys Cymragh carried his body back home. Upon their return, the island forever cut itself off from the rest of the world and called all other realms “Lloegyr” (meaning the “Lost Lands”), and took up the practice of calling themselves Daanites. Daan’s body was interred either upon Ynys Wair or the mystical mountain of Mon Magni (depending on which legend is believed). Many Daanites believe that their lost high king will eventually return from the lands of the dead to lead them again someday.
In addition to the Daanites, many elves and Gnomes live on Ynys Cymragh, though they are fairly reclusive and never venture far from their wooded homes. They maintain a closer relationship with the many fey of the region than the humans. That being said, there is enough contact that more than a few half-elves live among the Daanites.
A colony of mountain dwarves also lives in the Strathclydes, but they remain almost entirely in their mountain fastnesses and are almost never encountered by other races. They follow Bilis, the Dwarf-King of the Otherworld.
Today, Ynys Cymragh remains a land separate from all others. Few Daanites travel off the island, and fewer foreigners are allowed on its shores. Though the memory of Daan remains strong, the isle is again divided into several petty kingdoms that continually bicker among themselves, though outright conflict remains rare.
Religion
Many of the folk of Insula Extremis adopted the worship of Mithras when the Hyperboreans conquered the island. The soldier-god remains the most popular deity among the Daanites to this day, with his temples found in nearly every city, town, and village on Ynys Cymragh. Among the Hyperborean pantheon, Thyr also has adherents on the island.
Despite the dominance of Hyperborean religion, many among the Daanites, particularly outside the larger settlements, practice the Old Way and revere a pantheon called the Tuatha Dé (“Tribe of the Gods”). Some also worship one or more of the Heldring gods, such as Odin. Among the dwarves of the island, Bilis is often venerated, while the elves follow their usual fey pantheon.
Trade and Commerce
The folk of Ynys Cymragh have little trade or commerce with those of other lands. Foreign merchants are permitted to land only at Dunkelding, where they may sell or buy after obtaining a license to trade. Trading without a license, or leaving Dunkelding, are both capital crimes that can be punished with permanent banishment or, in some cases, death.
Loyalties and Diplomacy
None of the kingdoms of Ynys Cymragh has embassies or formal relations with any nations beyond their isle. And most other folk are happy to leave them alone, if for no other reason than in recognition of their sacrifice in freeing Tircople from the army of undead centuries ago. The petty kingdoms scheme and bicker among themselves and occasionally fight skirmishes, but they otherwise ignore the rest of the world.
Government
Ynys Cymragh is a land divided by rugged mountains into various lowlands inhabited by various petty kingdoms ruled by “lesser kings” who have warred with each other and the mainland Heldring on and off for millennia.
Today, the petty kingdoms of Ynys Cymragh are: Powynry, which controls the fields and forests east of the Strathclyde Mountains, with its capital of Dunkelding; Gwynmet, which includes the island’s western coastal region and the portion of the Strathclyde Mountains around Mon Magni, with its capital of Demetae; Caer Cadwin on the northwestern-most point of the island which includes the vales of the Powyn Mountains; Caer Cwm, with its domain over the northern reaches of the Strathclyde Mountains; Noduminia, the harsh and barren southwestern coast and Upland Vales in the Strathclydes, with its capital of Luggbroch; and the mysterious druidical island of Ynys Wair in Rhos Bay.
In addition to serving as the capital of Powynry, the strongest of the petty kingdoms, Dunkelding serves as the island’s “public” capital, with the only port at which foreigners are permitted to dock. Those foreign merchants licensed to trade in Ynys Cymragh can land and sell their wares in Dunkelding but they are not permitted to leave the city under pain of death.
Demetae, on the other hand, is the capital established by Daan during his tenure as ardrigh and high king, and remains the spiritual capital of the Daanite peoples. While the Gwynmet king rules from the palace of Daan, by tradition he does not sit upon Daan’s throne. The druids of Mon Magni hold the greatest sway in the court of Demetae and hold their ancient rituals and vigils upon the sacred mountain.
Thirty years ago, the king of Caer Cadwin died under mysterious circumstances without an heir. Since then, the town has descended into chaos, as no one noble has been able to assert enough authority to seize control. Many brigands, thieves, and pirates now make their homes in Caer Cadwin as no one is powerful enough to evict them.
The various kingdoms of the island are divided into townships and administrative regions called cantrefs that are overseen by a Court of Uchelwyr (assembly of prominent landowners). Individual villages that are not considered the major towns and cities of the kingdoms are called commotes. Cantrefs usually include two to six commotes.
Military
Each petty king and noble keeps a house guard and can raise a militia from local towns and farms that consists of all men and women of sword-bearing age. However, there is little or no coordination between any of the kingdoms, or even among the settlements of any given kingdom. Fortunately, it has been long years since any threat has arisen that would require more might than a single king can bring to bear.
Major Threats
Many dark threats exist in the deep forests and peaks of Ynys Cymragh. Mist dragons, wyverns, goblinoids, ogres, trolls, and giants roam here, and hags haunt the lowland moors where they seek to exchange Daanite infants for changelings. Firbolg clans are live amongst the peaks of the Powyns. Even the fey of the forests can be of great peril to unaware humans.
Region
Ynys Cymragh
Parent Organization
Controlled Territories
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