The Duchy of the Snake

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The Duchy of the Snake is ruled by Keeper Herris, the heir of Duke-Mage Leonides.

The main settlements are as follows :

• Haven is the capital and was one of the largest ports of the old Kingdom. There are many stories relating to the name of the capital - the priests claim that their organisation used to be based here, whilst a number of sailors say that it used to be a haven for pirates.
• East Dock is the Eastern-most port of the Duchy.
• Abarath is the quietest of the Snake settlements and most of the Empathy mages of the Duchy are trained here.
• Teriarja is the Southern-most port of the Duchy. It is currently under scrutiny following an attempt to declare itself independant from the rest of the Duchy sixteen years ago.
• Leonides Castle is situated in the centre of the Snake. The castle and the island belong to Duke-Mage Leonides and will be passed to General Heleth rather than Keeper Herris when the Duke-Mage dies.

Please see Map of Athory.

Detailed Settlement Descriptions

Haven

Haven is a city built in two parts; The Port which is the part of the city encasing the harbour and The Hill which is the remaining, more expensive part of Haven. The Keeper's court stands at a mid-point along the wall which seperates the two. The two gates connecting The Port and The Hill are close to court of the Keeper.

The main features of The Port are :

• The Harbour itself - The Duchy of the Snake holds the largest navy in Athory.
• The Pirate - By the law of the Snake, all buying and selling of goods should take place in The Hill. Unsurprisingly, some people ignore this. Consequently there is rumours of an hidden marketplace, nicknamed "The Pirate". Note : Compare to Carnival's seventh marketplace.
• The inns - Spotted across the area, they range from The Silver Serpent (where visiting nobles will occasionally stay if they are on the wrong side of the wall when the gates shut) to Open House which only the sailors frequent.
• The Offices by the water - A number of low-raking priests live in The Port. They deal with the births, marriages and deaths of the the poorer members of Haven.
• The barracks - These are close to the Keeper's court.

The main features of The Hill are :

• High Office - The office of the higher-ranking priests of Haven.
• The Infinity Halls - The training halls of the higher ranking mages of the Duchy.

The Court of the Keeper

Originally the wall fort of Haven, the Keeper's court is fortified and rather smaller than any other court of Athory. Consequently, guests of the city are usually housed in one of the noble estates and it is a rare honour to be offered hospitality by the Keeper himself. The flags on the wall show, unsurprisingly, a green snake on a blue background.

The Nobility of Haven

• Lord Illiac - Illiac is a middle-aged man, said to be the Keeper's closest friend. His wife died in childbirth with a stillborn son. He has two surviving children, Kathrine and Northir.
• Lady Felicity - Known to be highly educated by her father, Lady Felicity has scorned every offer for her hand. Now in her late thirties, it is believed that she will never marry. There are also rumours that she is a mage of no small ability.
• Lord Barathan - A former leader within the Duchy's navy, Lord Barathan's position was gained due to his success at leading men. His position in now in question following the defeat in Lathany.

There are two unoccupied estates in Haven.

Leonides Castle

Situated in the centre of the Snake, Leonides Castle and its island were forbidden to everyone. This ancient decree had been made by the Duke-Mage Leonides himself before he left Athory for Lathany. The castle used to be the retreat of the Duke-Mage and houses his extensive library (although some of it has since been stolen).

However, when Leonides returned to his island, this changed. He requested representatives from all the Duchies and he endorsed the Keeper Herris as his successor to the Snake in their presence. But a surprise was in store for everyone. Leonides also used the occasion as an opportunity to announce that the island with his castle upon it would no longer be part of the Snake, but instead would become neutral ground and a sanctuary for the Mages of Athory.