Mivon
It was to Mivon (pronounced mih-VON) that many of the Aldori swordlords fled after Choral the Conqueror overthrew the nation of Rostland to create modern day Brevoy. Many swordlords settled in Mivon bringing with them the experience and knowledge of the ancient art of the swordlords. Warriors from as far away as Garund make pilgrimages to Mivon to learn the secrets of the swordlords, in order to do this the applicant must best a series of increasingly tough duels.
Mivon is one of the most stable River Kingdoms. The land surrounding the city-state of Mivon, features the town of Jovvox as well as a dozen small walled villages with palisades and guards, and a number of stone keeps along the rivers leading to and from Pitax.
History
When Choral the Conqueror began his bloody conquest in 4499, certain families of the AAldori swordlords fled south into the River Kingdoms and watched their homeland burn. They thought they were in the vanguard of their people. Instead, they were first in flight, as many of their compatriots remained behind to fight the invaders. Though 200 years have passed, the Aldori of Mivon still worry at the memory of their ignominious retreat, and rather than admit the cowardice of their ancestors, have turned the existence of Brevoy itself into an insult to their honor. “Coward” and “Brevoy bird” have become among the gravest insults one can bestow on the Mivoni Aldori, and those who lived here before the exodus have picked it up as well.
The land of Mivon is, like all the River Kingdoms, heavily crisscrossed with rivers. Much of the low-lying land is marshy, and the locals have built high and arching stone bridges for their flocks of sheep and herds of cows, who feed on the high hills and in the highlands of the southeast. To the southwest, the kingdom’s borders give way to the Embeth Forest, and in the northeast lives a tribe of exiled elves. The northwest of Mivon shares an uneasy border with Pitax, and though hostilities have largely ended between the two kingdoms, the history between them suggests that the longstanding enmity is never far from the surface.
The Aldori exiles have brought their love of dueling to Mivon, and here they have formalized its status: the basis of Mivon’s current society is the List of Suitors, a monthly publication that lists the results of the previous month’s duels. Fortunes rise and fall on the basis of a duel, governmental positions are won or lost, and scores are settled with a quick thrust or lunge.
Additionally, the central square of Mivon hosts the Sevier, a weekly gathering for swordsmen and swordswomen who wish to prove themselves in public. They simply appear, present themselves to the judges, and proclaim whom they wish to duel. Duels are usually not held without formal insults, and thus it is customary that a participant in the Sevier studies the list of names, calculates an insult, and delivers it within earshot of at least two witnesses. Many of the Mivoni Aldori have no wish to create everlasting enemies, however, and so must craft an insult that will create a great enough grievance for a response, but not so great that it requires a duel to the death. Attendance among the Aldori is not mandatory; indeed, those who have settled reputations and positions tend to absent themselves from the affair unless they have been specifically challenged to appear.
The rules of Mivoni dueling are:
- The challenged picks the weapon and armor
- The two parties must agree on the victory conditions of the duel; if they cannot, the duel is canceled and both suffer dishonor. Potential conditions include first blood, until one party is disabled, until one party concedes, or until death or otherwise mortal wounding
- The two parties must agree on the stakes: money, position, a spot on the List, or some other defined object.
- Anyone between the ages of 16 and 60 may duel. Minors may not enter the List, no matter how great their skill, and those who achieve seniority may rest upon (or suffer) their reputations thereafter.
- Both men and women may participate
- Only Aldori are eligible to win governmental positions.
- At the Sevier, one may fight only three duels per week, and no duel may last more than 15 minutes.
- All duels must be witnessed by at least one friend of each participant; otherwise, any fatalities resulting from a duel are considered homicide.
- A duel’s outcome is irrevocable, and shall not be cause for vendetta.
Most Aldori of Brevoy regard Mivoni Aldori as part of a subfaction of the swordpact, and many seek duels with the Mivoni to prove the superiority of their own branch of the tradition. The Mivoni conduct regular duels and face constant incursions from bandits and other fame-seekers drawn from across the River Kingdoms, and so their style has necessarily adjusted itself to become a broader, more encompassing net, a defensive style from which strikes and counters spit like lightning. Swordlords from Brevoy come to Mivon to test their skill and the strength of the Mivoni, and those who return to Brevoy—many of them grievously wounded—report that the Mivoni swordpact flourishes.
Non-Aldori winners who achieve some measure of fame in the List may be offered additional Aldori training, provided they have shown interest in the style. Rostlander Aldori may or may not recognize the trainees of Mivoni Aldori as members of the swordpact, depending on whether they wish to insult the bearer of the title.
As with most of the River Kingdoms, the early history of Mivon is fragmented, much of it lost to time and the constant eradication of its previous residents. The bandits who cycle through the region ensure that the legends of the land are full of bloodshed, petty and major. The Aldori exiles have shaped the character of this portion of the River Kingdoms, subjugating the more recent inhabitants, who in their turn put down the original settlers to occupy the area. Of the major River Kingdoms, Mivoy is one of the most stable—not that this says much. The kingdom has a few more settlements than others, with palisades and guards, and some of the Aldori have been working intermittently on construction of stone keeps along the rivers leading to and from Pitax. Historians and their assistants have likewise come to Mivon to study the ancient dwellers of the land, some of whom are still said to lurk in the marshes and fens of the kingdom.