Kloth'va

The home of the coblynau, Kloth’va is nestled between the forests and the mountains of Antumnos. Towns in Kloth’va are found within forest clearings, in valleys between the mountains, and within the mountains themselves. The capital, Rhitta, can be found beneath the largest mountain, Mt. Wythfa.

Their main trades are technology, lumber, metal and gemstones.

The ley lines that flow through Kloth’va have given the coblynau the ability to manipulate the land, which they use to their technological and industrial advantage.

Coblynau worship a trio of goddesses: the Maiden Morfydd, the Mother Modron and the Mage Morganda. Modron and Morganda are Morfydd’s mothers.

• Morfydd represents youth, beauty, creativity and growth.
• Modron represents stability, adulthood, fertility and life.
• Morganda represents wisdom, harvest, endings and transformation.

They celebrate three major holidays: Tymor Hau, the first day of planting when they honour Modron; Tymor Twf, the height of growth when they honour Morfydd; and Tymor Cynhaeaf, the last day of harvest when they honour Morganda.

Coblynau have organised themselves into four classes - Nobility, Warriors, Merchants and Workers. Each member of the Nobility will spend a year in each class upon coming of age in order to better appreciate their people. The monarch is elected by the Nobility every five years; Liege Emyr was elected two years ago.

Being based primarily near forests, and having access to ingenious traps, their military style is based in ambushes. They operate in small battalions of those from the Warrior class, but in times of need, their numbers include Merchants and Workers.

Coblynau can use Druidic Magic which allows them to summon and control the forces of the earth. In addition to simpler druidic incantations, coblynau may perform a powerful ritual known as Land-Speaking, which grants a voice to the land itself. Through this ritual, coblynau may learn of happenings across the sprawling lands of Antumnos, seeking guidance from the very heart of the world and discovering threats to its safety and stablity. However, all druids know that the land holds an ancient and vast power, and inviting that power into oneself is not something to be done lightly…

Coblynau also possess an innate affinity for the element of Land and an innate weakness to the element of Dark.

The Noble Houses of the coblynau oversee the seven provinces of Kloth’va, and answer to the reigning monarch. The provinces are named the same as the noble houses. They are as follows:

Anglesen is closest to the sea, and separated from most of the mainland by the Mynyth Mountains. Tunnels have been excavated through the mountains, wherein there are several mining settlements.

Corwy is situated around the River Cor, and is the central hub of Kloth’va’s innovation. Many well-known inventors were raised in Corwy, or relocated there to take advantage of the largest water station in the nation.

Ghent shares its borders with both the Faewilds and the Mynyth Mountains. They are well-known for their vast gemstone trade, and many of their merchants sell fine jewellery.

Howys is the largest province of the seven, and includes much of the Mynyth Mountains. The tallest mountain, Mt. Wythfa, is home to the capital of Rhitta, where Liege Emyr rules from.

Rhovaen is the smallest province, both in size and population, but is quickly becoming known for the many inventors that are being raised there. Liege Emyr originally hails from Rhovaen, and can be seen often visiting their family.

Talbos is the second largest province, and includes much of the forestry in Kloth’va. Their main export is lumber, and the lumberers of the region pride themselves on their sustainability.

Tortha is best known for its ore abundance, innovative mining techniques, and metallurgy.

Kloth’va operates a class system, stemming from the choices made by Queen Lowri following a great misfortune that befell the coblynau.

The Nobility Class are the families who run the day-to-day workings of their province. Originally hailing from the siblings of Queen Lowri, they have expanded and include the heads of the other Classes. There is typically the Lairde of Coin (Merchant Class), the Lairde of Swords (Warrior Class), and the Lairde of Rods (Worker Class). There is also a Lairde of Three, who oversees the religious activities within the province. The head of the province is known as the Lairde of their province name. Every Lairde is elected from the nobility by the people most affected by their Lairdship.

The Merchant Class are the families who primarily travel and trade, and organise many of the festivals and events in the province. Many of these do become priests of the Three as well, though the priesthood is open to all.

The Warrior Class are those who work primarily for the coblynau military. There are a mix of occupations within this class that help the military run smoothly. There are smiths who make weapons and armour, cooks who feed the troops, and those who specialise in combat.

The Worker Class are the primary labourers of the coblynau, as well as teachers and priests. They operate closely with the Merchants to sell goods. The smiths in the Worker Class do not smelt weapons or armour, but smelt tools for labour and homeware.

To play a coblyn, the best way to represent this is with neon markings on the skin. These are commonly on the face, but can run through the rest of their body. Coblynau are born with these markings, and those who have grown up inside the mountains of Kloth'va may have markings that glow in the dark. There are many face paints you can purchase to help achieve this look.

Some coblynau may also have enlarged pupils, an effect you can achieve with half or full sclera contact lenses.

Clothing for coblynau is inspired by Steampunk fashion, an aesthetic rooted in Victorian dress. Coblynau lean more towards masculine and androgynous style, but more feminine styles are also worn. The colour palette would be brown neutrals with some neon accents.

Armour would be a mix of metal and leather, and very patchwork in appearance. Shields are less frequently used by coblynau as they rely more on traps to fix their enemy in place; if shields are used, they would be bucklers - small and easy to hide.

Short swords are most prevalent for melee, and more technologically advanced weapons - like crossbows - are used for ranged combat. Other weapons coblynau use include axes and, for the nobility, longswords.

Ashley Howys, or Ashley Baban and later Ashley Baker

Coblynau born into the Nobility Class will use their Noble House’s name as a surname, while those born into the other Classes will have occupational surnames. Children of the other Classes will use the surname Baban until they enter the workforce. When a noble is elected as monarch, they no longer use their surname.

While coblynau may have a range of viewpoints on the world and their fellow Bendith, here are some commonly held attitudes towards other nations:

Mythvye and the korrigans who make their homes there have long been a curiosity to the coblynau. Being so deeply connected to the earth, even the coblynau of the rivers tend to have little interest in exploring the waters beyond their coasts. For this reason, interactions between these nations in recorded history have been rather one-sided; korrigan ships would appear on the horizon, korrigan raiders would be swiftly thwarted, and the coblynau would wonder amongst themselves how terrible life in Mythvye must be for its people to take to the seas. As of the formation of Vanora’s Watch, positive communication between Mythvye and Kloth’va has been improved, though the korrigan lifestyle still remains a mystery to most coblynau.

Havod’s vast agricultural landscape is a source of great envy to some coblynau, particularly those most religious in nature. Though the two nations have enjoyed peaceful trade relations for some time and the sheer size of Havod is intimidating enough to deter any plans to sour this relationship, it is not uncommon to hear discussion of how Havod’s empty, sprawling fields could be put to better use in the hands of a coblynau druid. With that said, individual coblynau and booakers tend to get along well enough, with the typical booaker practicality blending well with coblyn industriousness.

Though their isolation within the lakes and forests of their homeland can make the gwyllion hard to reach, the coblynau can rely on them as allies thanks to a long-standing and lucrative trade arrangement. Among the most keen consumers of Kloth’va metalwork among the Bendith despite their smaller population, the gwyllion rely on a healthy and peaceful relationship with the coblynau in order to sustain their production of military goods – and the Lairde of Coin is keen to ensure this always remains so, even if it means putting up with gwyllion haughtiness and arrogance from time to time.

Sharing a border close to the Faewilds, the piskies of Lyonn are the only other Bendith community who truly understand the threat posed by the creatures beyond the Five Nations. Though they are often seen as stuck in their ways and too easily influenced by pride, their skill and dedication are to be admired, and it is said that the coblyn Vanora who founded Vanora’s Watch had a particular fondness for the piskies.