The sigil of the house of Starmane.
"Starlight Palace was a great fortress with a high curtain wall of wooden logs that threatened the skies above with their sharpened points... The keep was made of white brick, and from its peak rose Starlight Tower, the tallest structure in the Known World touched by the hands of men." - The Plight of Steel, Chapter 2
Windspeak is the Westernmost kingdom-continent in the country of Deyeron, ruled by the Starmane family. Their sigil is a snow lion wrapped in a banner affixed with a star.
Geography
The landscape of Windspeak is similar to that of Riverfall, minus the treacherous ravines and hills. It is more flat, with a few rolling hills, but far fewer holes to fall into, though most of the land is shrouded in a thin fog most of the year. Long, meandering roads snake across the continent, providing safe passage to travelers, and rivers, equally as long and meandering, run through like veins from one end of the country to the other.
At the North end, the Dragon Island can be accessed by means of numerous stone bridges, eventually leading to Yvaereth, and to Riverfall further on. Very few travel these islands, however, for the Yzerren of Yvaereth patrol them, capturing travelers in their large jail carts.
The shores of Windspeak are tranquil, unlike the roaring coastline of Riverfall, covered in beaches mostly, as the country is far South enough to have them. Many docks and harbors provide sailors with a place to tie their vessels, and allow for easy trade and harboring for the people of Villamaje. They rarely ever utilize this, however, as relations between the two countries are close to non-existent .
The Ruling Family
Archeon Starmane is king of Windspeak during the events of The Plight of Steel. The Starmane family rules fairly over their people, and have gained a reputation of being the most honorable of the royal families in Deyeron, and perhaps in all of the Known World. Their military force is also renowned as being vast and highly skilled in combat, with Sir Winmore Normand and Sir Petrus Veybold, two generals and honored knights, in charge of the soldiers.
The family itself is loving and considerate, raised on morals of respect. In a world filled with liars and brutality, this oftentimes leads to trouble. Archeon Starmane, however, has close ties with Virion Vendyros, as the two were childhood friends. He does not agree with Virion's authoritarian style of ruling, but is allied with him nonetheless.
Significant Locations
- Starlight Palace
- The Pale Gate
History
Amandyl Starmane, the wisest of all ancient kings, came down to Windspeak after the Great Victory of the First Age alone, save for the three priests who came with him. He began his rule some time afterward, and soon began his persecution of the three holy men that had accompanied him. He believed that the Gods were nothing more than a myth, and tried to have the three priests ousted, for he saw how they manipulated the commoners with what he believed to be fantasy. They managed to convince his council to let them stay, as Amandyl had decided to rule over a democratic society, and no decision he made could be passed without consent of his nobles.
He soon married Sileas Bluewyne, a commoner woman he had met on a ride through his lands. The three holy men utilized this to discredit him, convincing the council that the king was mad for tainting his royal blood with that of a peasant. Amandyl was killed by the three priests after gaining the consent of the council, but not before his second child, Andryr, could be born. His first, a girl named Avelina took the throne, since her brother was only a baby, and began construction of Starlight Tower. She disbanded the democratic council, then had the three priests decapitated in the yard. Their bodies, she laid into three rowboats, which were pushed out into a lake a shot with flaming arrows.
Avelina never finished her tower, nor did she marry, and so the throne went to Andryr when she passed. He finished construction of Starlight Tower, and had two children - a boy named Archeon, and a girl named Ascellina. His daughter, when she was only ten, however, was taken by brigands and murdered, leaving Archeon an only child.
Archeon took the throne after his father's death and married Avelina Aeyila, who died while giving birth to their son Adrian.
Name Origin
The name of Windspeak came about when Amandyl arrived on the continent. He was immediately buffeted by the incessant wind, especially on the high peaks of the mountains, which he had to pass through to reach the plot of land on which he would construct his keep.