Heralded “Hammer of Truth” and bearing a black hammer on a steel-gray field bordered in darker gray (usually iron or gray fur). Once known as the “Crowned Kingdom,” grim Gault lies to the north, settled hard against the Stagged Mounts and sandwiched between defense-minded Cymry to the west and aggressive Zhadra to the east. Gault is, not surprisingly, militaristic and suspicious by nature, having played the role of proving ground in many a battle between Zhadran and Paladori forces over the centuries. Many of the most hotly-contested, hard-fought wars over the past hundred years have involved Gault—or have at least taken place in Gault’s ravaged fields. Originally settled somewhere around 90 SVC. People from Gault are Gaultic; Gaultic soldiers wear the black Gaultic hammer symbol sewn onto the steel links of their chainmail hauberks. The old tongue of Gault is Gaulthic.
From DAGGERS, Hadrien I: Their northern trek had turned westerly, and the Gaultic banners were seen, though sparsely, in the scattered, sad towns and hamlets they passed through. The people here dressed differently than Zhadrans; the wool and flax garments on distant folk seemed thicker, rougher. The people, like the land, had a subdued mien. The land itself seemed filled with dread; the sky was gray, but the clouds were far off and indistinct, lending a gray pallor to everything beneath. Hadrien donned his Gaultic surcoat again, and commanded one of the men fly the Hammer on his lance. Bloody Gault. This was not his true home. Even though now it was.
Locale: Northern stalwart guarding any and all threats from the Stagged Mounts, while the Storming Sea broods to the south; borders Cymry (west) and Zhadra (east)
Banner: A black hammer on a stone gray field lined in black, bordered with gray wolf pelt (blackened iron for brooches)
Role: Iron-age sophistication and brutality, bearing the brunt of northern invasion since its inception; home to the infamous Blackstone
Theme: Iron Age sentiment meets 14th century fatalism in a merciless grimdark survival-at-all-costs dominion. Goth enthusiasts and dogged fatalists welcome. The Witcher would like it here.
Ruler: His Shackled Grace, Overking Kainen Gaultson XII
Duchies (Earldoms): Carrow, Crimoa, Femmer, Gondar, Harm, Hellhorn, Shunt, Sunder, Sux
Capital: Gondric
Cities & Strongholds: Blackstone, Brineport, Gothram, Ironhald, Femmerhald, Stonesthrow Keep, Sunderhald
Notable Towns: Bitterbrew, Blothlain (Blood Hill), Carne, Crumb, Dirge, Fleabite, Gimbur, Grimforge, Hole, Hovelhome, Knell, Krusk, Shepshep, Shuntlun, Splatt, Tarpit, Tevur
Landmarks: The Barren Hills, the Carrion Flow, the Craven Hills, the Dandaub River, the Dread Waste, the Felwood, Gray Flats, the Ironshorn Range, Rancor Pass, Rotwater Swamp, Seithyn’s Drown, the Stagnant Strand, Wounded Fields
Exports: Iron, metalwork, pain and woe
Internal Factions: The Revenants, the Iron Concordance, the Shackled Sons, Storm Sea Sundries
Old Tongue: Gaulthic (a probable derivative of 7th century Gothic mixed with 8th century Frankish, plus 18th century Magyar and an odd smattering of what seems 19th century Welsh)
Nobiliary: vod (ex: Lord Drusk vod Zerech)
Noble Houses: Carrow, Commohr, Gaultson (Ruling), Greystone, Harm, Flisk, Foed, Femmer, Ironhand, Krohm, Maller, Selton, Shunt, Sneem, Sumberland, Sundercrown, Sux, Zerech
Faiths: Zvystni Bohova (28%), Deith Diadh (24%), Vanhoja Juma (16%), Illumination Reformation (12%), Aegyr Udoen (10%), Vindici Deorum (7%), Olympos Athanatoi (2%), Other (1%)
An ugly, squat edifice of dark rock located in middle Gault. It is the seat of once-prominent House Foed, but has, like much of Gault, fallen from grace significantly in the past hundred years. These days it is whispered the current lord of the Blackstone, Furmian Foed, is merely a puppet to the real lord of Blackstone, a foreign noble named Malacai.Master Malacai: Mystery noble from an unknown land; nominal ruler of the Blackstone
Foed, Lord Furmian: Lord of Blackstone (answers to Malacai)
Tavoularas, Aemos: Loremaster of Blackstone
Kamuul, Ameth: Mindmaster of Blackstone
Hammerhand, Bauden: Battlemaster of Blackstone
Llandis “the Knife”: Shadowmaster of Blackstone
Jezeerah: Bloodmistress of Blackstone
The proud, weathered capital of Gault, within which sits the Iron Chair, a grotesque throne of massive size that the king of Gault is literally chained to when he holds court. (Supposedly one king in ages past lost his temper and slew half of his attendants, causing his alarmed guards to shackle him to the throne. They could not by law punish him, but they ensured he could not move. Legend says he sat there for 40 days before finally succumbing to starvation, thereby allowing his son to finally ascend the throne.) Tradition now demands that the King of Gault shackle himself to his throne at all times when upon it.Gaultson, His Shackled Grace Kainen XII: Overking of Gault
Gaultson, Kainen XI: (DECEASED) Former King of Gault
A mountain holdfast set within a small pass in the Ironshorn Range. Ironhall defends Gault against invasions from beyond the east, most notably the Zhadre. It has thus far proven impregnable, though few have actually tried to take it; most simply take the extra two days to march around the tiny range and continue on. The Gaults haven’t been able to solve this particular troublesome detail as yet, but they are loath to simply abandon the keep.
A small, dense crop of imposing mountains in eastern Gault.
Named for Cantre’r Gwaelod, a sunken Welsh isle; said to have sunk when Prince Seithyn drunkenly lured the well-guard, Mererid, away from her duties, thereby cursing (and sinking) the isle. Now only the Mer inhabit it. It lies some mere half mile off the coast of Gault.
This forbidding range stands as the northern border of the Northern Kingdoms, girding them from the harshest northern winds–as well as the raiding efforts of the many barbarian tribes that reside north of them. They were once called the Rypien Mounts (from the Riphean Mounts that once barred the way to Borea and Hyperborea), and in fact a portion of the Stagged Mounts are still referred to by that name.
A wide expanse of dead land just west of Ironhald.
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