SIM Background notes: The Kingdom of Rockfall
The Kingdom of Rockfall
Throughout much of its history, Rockfall maintained a certain degree of autonomy within the Empire and later the Allied Lands, remaining effectively independent despite being considerably smaller than most of the kingdoms that make up the Allied Lands. This surprising level of independence is easily explained: a combination of geographical fortune, the local balance of power and simple bloody-mindedness ensures that Rockfall cannot be effectively invaded and conquered, unless the would-be conqueror is willing to pay a very high price indeed.
Rockfall sits within a mountainous region to the north of the Cairngorms, effectively surrounded by mountains that pose an effective deterrent to any sizeable army. The three passes through the mountains – Rumbling Bridge Gorge, Calder Valley and Icefall – are heavily fortified, to the point that a relatively small military force can hold the passes more or less indefinitely. The terrain within the mountains is patchy, making it difficult for serfdom and/or slavery to take root, giving Rockfall more of an egalitarian base than any other kingdom within the Allied Lands, and that is an uneasy truce between the aristocracy and the commoners that formed well before the arrival of the Levellers and endures to this day.
The kingdom has two other advantages that assist it to remain effectively independent. First, because it controls the trade routes running through the valleys, it is able to make itself very useful to the surrounding kingdoms, as well as remaining in touch with technological and magical developments across the Allied Lands. Second, Rockfall exports a considerable degree of both alcohol – the kingdom’s fine wines bring immense profits – and technology. Even before the arrival of the New Learning, Rockfall had a reputation for having the finest craftsmen in the Allied Lands. Now, the craftsmen have embraced the New Learning to a degree unseen outside Cockatrice and Heart’s Eye.
A further advantage is a considerable degree of education and a willingness to allow young men (and often young woman) to spend a year or two apprenticed to a merchant trader, allowing them to see the world outside their mountains. Many of these youngsters return with stories and ideas that can be introduced quickly, including a number of political concepts that challenge the balance of power (see below); a handful of others migrate to merchant and magical quarters in other kingdoms, forming a number of tiny communities that are ready and able to offer support and assistance to their kinsmen. These communal networks do not pose a political threat to their host nations, but they do ensure that their homeland remains abreast of all developments sweeping across the Allied Lands.
The dependency on trade has produced an interesting balance of power. On paper, Rockfall is an feudal monarchy, ruled by the king who rules in concert and sometimes conflict with the aristocracy. In practice, the importance of trade has ensured that merchants have a considerable degree of influence over the kingdom’s politics, to the point that wealthy merchants have often married into the aristocracy, and that every propertied person has the right to elect MPs to Parliament. It isn’t entirely clear how much authority the House of Commons has over the House of Lords, or the monarchy itself, but all parties are very much aware that a major disagreement within the kingdom, even if it doesn’t rise to the level of an outright civil war, will weaken the defences to the point that one or more of their neighbours will feel emboldened to try an invasion. This produces a surprising degree of cooperation, and a certain lack of respect for aristocrats who don’t live up to their titles.
Unusually for a kingdom, there is a considerable degree of sexual equality. Women can hold property in their own names, inherit from their parents, choose their own marriages, and generally do almost everything their male peers can do. (The only real exception is the army, which is male-only.) It is generally believed that Princess Anastasia, the only child of King Arthur and Queen Marion, will assume the throne after her father passes away. There is no great opposition to this within the kingdom, and most objections focus on the Princess’s character – she is known to be lazy, if goodhearted – or the prospect of her marrying someone from outside the kingdom. None of these objections are considered insurmountable.
There are four cities within the kingdom: Robin’s Peak, Rumbling Bridge, Kinross and Caithness. Caithness is the capital, home to the Royal Castle (Caithness Castle), Parliament, the Garrison and most of the trading centres. Rumbling Bridge is just south of Rumbling Bridge Gorge, hemmed in by the rocky walls; Robin’s Peak and Kinross stick to the west and east of the kingdom respectively. They are not free cities in the normal sense of the word, but they maintain a great deal of internal autonomy. Technically, they are under the king’s rule; practically, both sides refrain from putting too much pressure on the relationship.
Rockfall does not have a school of magic, and most magicians are encouraged to travel to one of the long-established schools or apprentice themselves to a local magician. Unusually, there is no distinct magical quarter within any of the major cities; the magicians live and work alongside their mundane counterparts, respected as educated men without the fear that often surrounds magical communities elsewhere. The Royal Family is well known to have a streak of magic, as do most aristocratic and merchant families, and magical immigrants are encouraged to integrate rather than remaining aloof. It is worthwhile to note that this policy has produced excellent results. Very few Supremacists came out of Rockfall, and those that did were often shunned by their peers.
Despite the importance of remaining relatively united, there are deep and dangerous currents bubbling beneath the surface of the mountain kingdom. Conflicts over land use and management have never been wholly resolved, and the arrival of new political concepts and firearms have emboldened the lower classes, demanding representation in the House of Commons (technically, only the propertied people have a vote) and a certain degree of accountability, even control, over the aristocracy and the monarchy itself. A number of Leveller groups have formed within the cities, some public and others doing their best remain underground while they build up a critical mass of supporters they can leverage to demand reforms. A handful even dream of armed revolution.
The prospect of an Alluvian-style uprising has concentrated a few minds, but also caused others to focus on the loyalties of Queen Marion, on the grounds she was a low-ranking Alluvian Princess before she married King Arthur and became his Queen. Many in the aristocracy think the kingdom has gone too far in accommodating the common folk, particularly those who do not or refuse to contribute, and suspect the whole edifice will collapse after the king’s death. The rise of broadsheets challenging accepted truths and reporters digging into matters the aristocracy wishes left untouched has not helped. The fact that Princess Anastasia appears to be unprepared to step into her father’s shoes, let alone marry and produce the next generation of royals, is worst of all, with some factions eagerly anticipating her coronation and others seriously considering ways to force her into marriage with someone a little more responsible or convince her father to put her aside for someone else.
No matter who comes out ahead, the end result is unlikely to be good for the kingdom.
