Codex

Duchy: Draught

Barony: Ethos

Leaders: Lady Karyleine Codex of House Codex

Population: 80,000

Known For: Purism; Draught's Only Sizable Forest; Production of Specialty Papers, Inks, and Religious Tomes

Major Towns and Cities: Arbora

Characters of Codex: Here

Description: Content to follow.

The Lordship of Codex saw a number of families rise to rule it in its early history. But either through political or personal affairs, the history of these families ebbed with time, until the current family rose to power over two centuries ago. The exact year and method of this ascension is lost to history - as is the original name and family crest of the family now known simply as 'Codex'. Not merely lost, in fact, but purposely erased from all history books. The reason for this is rumored at and referred to in older works whose authors spent significant time attempting to unravel the truth from the myths. It is generally accepted, however, that Lord at the time and several of his family members, all Dragons of the Purist faith, grew discontent with their lot or their leader and attempted to stage a coup to remove the Soranus family from the Baronial seat. Those involved from the Codex family - then known under their previous, forgotten name - were dealt with. Only one son, Kerrix, who was a wandering man of the Purist Mendicant Brotherhood, was left, and was asked to take over the rule of Codex. As a reminder to himself and all who might follow that they were servants of land and people first, the family name was made synonymous with their lordship's, and their crest came to represent the region's main attributes, its forest and its faith. Over the years, it became tradition for a member of each generation to join one of the Purist orders in honor of his memory and in service to Providence.

In more recent times, history seems to have repeated itself, as the Lord Kristian Codex, a descendent of Kerrix and that same family line responsible for the last near-coup, convinced many others among the Innocents, including Parsifal Valens to exile Athar Soranus, Helena Soranus, Tiege Soranus, Leon Barca and Kristian's own wife, Karyleine Codex. Parsifal Valens wed Ravelle Soranus in a bid for control over the Faithful and the Barony of Ethos and two months passed before the exiles were able to return. On the day they revealed themselves in the Temple of Ethos in Grace, Kristian was felled by an assassin's dart. The Lordship then fell to his wife, Karyleine Codex nee Soranus. Once again, the coup, a bid for power based on a fear that the ruling Soranus family were tainted by Darkness, failed, cementing the family name once more as one of dissidence and ill beginnings. Perhaps it is in the blood after all and not the name.

Codex is bordered by Omenal in Destine on the eastern side and its sister Lordship in Ethos, Meritas, on the western side. Its northern end abuts the barony of Amphorae and the Claremont estate, the Ducal seat of Draught. The southern edge has always been coastline, but this coastline changed places considerably in the recent Schism. A good portion of the lordship fell into the sea after a devastating earthquake, leaving the lordship's seat, Arbora, much closer to the Sea of Veils than it used to be.

The lordship of Codex is mostly rolling hills and stony soil. Spice and herb farms can be found here in small sizes; they do not produce the bulk that Meritas does, so they mostly specialize in boutique and niche markets. The most notable feature that sets Codex apart, however, is that it contains the only sizable forest on Draught, composed primarily of coniferous species. The sacred forest is as old as the Isle, and was said to be already standing when the Isle was raised from the sea and offered shelter to the first Purists. It is thus considered a very holy place.