Fhiele Dhoesone plots and rumours

Fhiele has been negotiating secretly with Glarin Blackblade. This renegade dwarf has found a narrow passage leading from Mur Kilad and seeks freedom for his people. If given some land in which to settle his folk Glarin has promised his aid and loyalty to the baroness.

Fhiele has been slowly building an alliance with Stjordvik through meetings with Hjalmar Helder, King Varri Haraldsson's adviser. These pledge mutual defense, although done with the best intentions Fhiele knows that these treaties would be unpopular in Anuire, Fhiele's need for Anuirean troops has currently held her from progressing these talks despite her wish for a secure west border. Stjordvik and Dhoesone share common enemies and common problems. Their thrones are well disposed to one another, but Fhiele would like to see more commitment from the nobles of each realm before obligating Dhoesone formally.

Dhoesone is a realm of two of the human tribes. In the southern provinces the majority of the people are of Anuirean stock, in culture and blood. In the north the realm still maintains many Rjurik traditions and a small number of nomadic tribes.

These cultural differences cause problems familiar to any Rjurik jarl as the settled and nomadic folk quarrel over land usage and the like.

Fhiele has continued the long tradition of barons of Dhoesone of doing little to force harmony beyond encouraging nomads to settle with land grants, she had met with some success, only two clans the Frygrynn and the Parclyd remained of any size, but the rise of the Sons of Hjalsone, and the recent giant incursion have shattered the status quo. Thousands have abandoned their towns and villages to follow the charismatic Father Pais Oakheart and little central authority remains in the wake of the giants in the northern provinces.

Fhiele has begun investigating the Sons of Hjalsone desperate to discover who is behind Father Pais. Father Pais, a druid unaffiliated with the Oaken Grove had been ignored for years as all mouth and no influence before abruptly leaping to prominence through miracles and abruptly awe-inspiring rhetorical powers overnight when she claimed the throne.

Fhiele forged an alliance with Thurazor to reduce future raids, as a side affect a number of goblins have come to settle in Nolien and Tradebhein. These goblins and the native goblins in the forested provinces struggle with villagers for land and as a result many of the minor nobles are pushing for the expulsion of the goblins.

Any expulsion of goblins of course would anger Thurazor and turn a tentative ally into an immediate enemy. But is the unpredictable goblin king more trouble than he's worth? Certainly the alliance with the goblins enrages the Gheallie Sidhe and even those elves in Tuarheviel normally sympathetic to Fhiele frown upon the uneasy alliance.

Fhiele is considering ways to make more use of the goblins, if she must suffer the distaste of those who dislike the alliance then she should at least benefit by it! She is currently negotiating with Thurazor to gain the aid of several more warbands with the intention of using the goblins to drive out the giants in Romiene.

The guilds have corrupted a number of Fhiele's sheriffs into ignoring their wrong-doing and foiling her attempts to rein in their power. Fhiele has been promulgating ploys to identify these rogues and deal with them, one way or another. Fhiele's efforts recently stepped up a notch as in the wake of the Giant's invasion word reached her of covert recruitment attempts by the guilds, ostensibly to form defense units but more likely to oppose her own troops if they sought to act directly against the guilds.

As a result of these concerns she has considered seeking the aid of a bounty hunter from Endier named Marcus Hollowman, he seems highly efficient and unlikely to shirk the fight if a corrupted sheriff needs to be dragged to the courts of justice.

Several of the Baronesses counts are less than fully loyal to the throne. Marcus Holst is corrupt and undermines the throne at every step. Vertico Dhariel though reliable in times of need thinks himself the equal of the Baroness. Alaric Grayblade is in the pocket of Bannier Andien and opposes any action against the guildsman.

While the realm's external threats discourage thoughts of secession the baroness is bitterly aware that to restore Dhoesone to a truly prosperous realm she will need to deal with these obdurate counts, either to replace them if they are truly treasonous or to make them work for the benefit of the realm as a whole, not merely their own province.

Fhiele's brother Fhileraene of Tuarhievel granted her control over much of the law in his realm, partly to cow certain factions in his own court and partly to allow him to focus on more troublesome areas of his realm. While these holdings bring in welcome income for the Baroness they are a source of constant difficulty, many of her people expect her to impose the same laws on the elves as those which affect Dhoesone or even to claim the fealty of the elves outright. Even more troublesome many of the elves chafe under her guidance, seeing her as an upstart human for her continued rulership of Dhoesone and inability to resolve the problem of the rapacious guilds.

Cariele as the only Anuirean realm neighboring Dhoesone should be an ally, it is not, and indeed never has been. Cariele blocks all trade except for that of its own guilds, tries to prevent Dhoesone from drawing support from Mhoried and the heartlands and generally seeks to undermine its northern neighbor at every turn. While Cariele is a small realm and Dhoesone far larger, the constant sniping often causes Fhiele difficulties.

Fulgar the Bold of Rjuvik has banned substantive raids on his Rjurik neighbours to appease the druids, appear more kingly to his fellow Rjurik and avoid provoking war but he considers Dhoeone as fair game. Both Anuirean enough to be rich by Rjurik standards and far weaker than Boeruine or Talinie Dhoesone is the prime target for his raiders, particularly as the realm is close to hand and can be reached without any need to cross the deep and frequently stormy [wiki]Tael Firth[/wiki.

Every spring Fulgar's reavers raid the southern provinces and up the Northbryn to replenish their herds and stores depleted by winter. Since the Shivering Plague the raiders have struck Harper's Point not Todpier. Many nobles are grimly amused by the thought of what awaits the reavers at the town this spring.

Varri Haraldsson, the erratic boy-king of Stjordvik, has a half-brother, the result of his philandering father's misspent youth. The brother is the spitting image of old king Harald. The elves found the lad long ago and Fhiele has hidden the young man's heritage as best she can. Fhiele stands ready to use the youth if necessary - Varri is currently an ally, but he is weak, vulnerable to manipulation, and ineffective - a puppet king from Dhoesone might make a far better ally.

While her half-elven nature substantially reduces tension with Tuarhievel, it creates problems with many of the native Dhoesoneans (the Sons of Hjalsone being merely the most obvious example). Fhiele is therefore keen to "prove" her Anuirean nature by sponsoring traditional festivities (which are often usurped or undermined by the guilds), encouraging envoys from other human lands to visit Dhoesone (which is often difficult as the realm has little to offer), and of course retrieving old artifacts - in particular anything lost in the days of Anuirean empire during one of the many attempts to clear the Giantdowns or curb the goblin peril in Dhoesone or Thurazor.

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