background (warning: LONG)

tâ e Theorondrona thareth:

> I would like some background on everyone's language, like who would have
> used it?  Where?  and When?
>
> Just interested ^_^
>
Rhêndrin (the language that's at the top of this post. What do you think of
the redering of "Eruanno"?) is spoken in the Rhênon subcontinent, north of
Cendos (home of Aredos, to those who know something about my languages) on
the world of Caedha. Caedha is a sort of "back-up" world, where various
human (and otherwise) peoples were taken, because they were threatened with
extinction here. Rhênon is about the size of western Europe. The people who
speak Rhêndrin are the Elves (leoth in Rhêndrin, collective: lethwor). They
live in a semi-feudual society, somewhat similar to the Old Welsh system.

For interested parties, this is outlined below:

Rhênon, is not a single united kingdom. It is composed of several separate
kingdoms each traditionally ruled by its own dynasty. The four most powerful
are Ionnarol, Tewnnath, Fogreol and Gwedhen. There are myriad smaller
kingdoms and principalities.

Kings (teironeoth) claim their right to rule by descent from Araw, the son
of the Star-goddess who founded the Dweinasen Empire.. Kingship is generally
passed from father to son or brother to brother.

Kings are expected to be rulers, law givers, judges, leaders of the war band
and protector of the temples and people. Their income is largely derived
from their own personal estates, but in the larger kindoms kings are
establishing control over their nobles by exacting a land tax on estates.
This took the form of a yearly render, usually of food, but also of worked
goods or gold.

Nobles (tercheth) are the landowners. They owe their position to their
hereditary freedom to own land, and the power this gave them over their
tenant farmers. They owed no service, rent or due to the king other than the
yearly tax, repair of bridges and roads on their lands, and service in war.

Nobles own their land in the form of large estates. These can be grouped
together to form multiple estates, or spread over a wider area. They serve
on the king's council (degion) as a "fîl mad" or good man, acting as royal
officers and advisors. The Degion is able to govern the kingdom in the
king's absence. A noble's son might serve in the king's warband for a few
years, receiving hospitality, arms, treasure and even land in return for his
service, before returning to manage the estates.

Peasants (gwêgioneth) are not slaves or serfs, they are free to move from
one estate to another. This means they are treated kindly by their lords, as
he cannot tax them too heavily for fear of them leaving his estates. There
is no concept of them owing a certain number of days work to the lord, as
there was in Europe. The lord either lets out all his land or employs people
to farm the land he keeps for himself. The king has the power to enforce
them to do four days war service a year. They have to provide their own food
and their own arms. As such, the peasants are generally war-trained as
archers.

Slaves (ceidheoth) are primarily agricultural labourers, born into slavery
and tied to the land. They are regarded as important property and so are
well cared for. A slave is a valuable asset. Slavery can also be imposed as
a religious penance or a criminal punishment. In their spare time both
slaves and peasants can specialise in craft activities like smithying and
shoemaking. Slaves can own goods and save money; they can buy their freedom.

Towns are generally populated by peasants and slaves, and are looked down
upon by the nobvles. The townsmen are traders and craftsmen rather than
farmers, and rule themselves through a council. Towns tend to be quite small
by our standards, and are local centres for commerce- there is always a
market at least once a fortnight for the people of the surrounding district
to come and trade.

The last group of people to be explained are the priests, but I´m not going
to do that. If you've been brave enough to read to the bottom of this, and
even then you'd like to hear more about Rhênon, I'll post something on their
religion.

Dan

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E souvein-te della veritát que se ja dissó,
                 And remember the truth that once was spoken,

Amer un autre es veder le visaic de Deu.
        To love anonther person is to see the face of god.
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