Duchy of Cambria Below are outlines of some of the nobles of the Duchy of Cambria (San Diego). Duke Valerian Duke of Cambria House: Fiona Kith: Sidhe Court: Seelie Seeming: Wilder Politics: Reformer Valerian is a young and rather informal ruler. Adored by his people, he is almost more their friend than their liege-lord. He always puts the best interests of his people first, sometimes at the expense of his political standing. He is not in very high favor at the Court of Pacifica - Queen Aeron holds him in little regard and considers him an adequate ruler with little potential for higher office who goofs off too much. Some feel that this impression is quite far from the truth. There is some speculation that Valerian is happy to have the Queen discount his abilities, so that he can plot against her unnoticed. Some of Valerian's friends at Queen Aeron's court will say in private that the Duke is far more potent a ruler than he seems. In addition to ruling from his seat in Crystal Cove, an enchanted cove nestled beneath the cliffs of La Jolla, he manages the central part of his duchy himself. He lives in the ducal apartments inside Crystal Cove, and depends on his heir and his counselors to keep his in touch with the mortal world. Some fear that his frequent exposure to the glamour of Crystal Cove will lead to Bedlam. He is an accomplished musician and can frequently be found surfing in La Jolla and Del Mar with all the other blond surfer dudes. Despite his apparent lack of seriousness, he has a reputation as a powerful seer, who knows far more about the Dreaming than he lets on. Some say he can manipulate time and the Dreaming itself to further his ends, but most people dismiss this belief as unlikely.

His heir, Lady Rowan, holds a high place in his councils. He is said to be enamored of his advisor, the sorceress Lady Tourmaline. Some fear for the Duke's safety, believing Lady Tourmaline to be a secret member of the Shadow Court out to seduce and destroy the Duke. The Duke pays little heed to these rumors.

The Duke holds several chimera of great power, including enchanted sunglasses that let him see through any illusion spell and a chimerical sword of great power. He recently won the tourney at Pennons, making him Marshall of Pacifica, in charge of the armies of the Kingdom.

Lady Rowan
Heir to Cambria
House: Fiona
Kith: Sidhe
Court: Seelie
Seeming: Wilder
Politics: Modernist

Lady Rowan is a fully modern sidhe, one of the new breed of nobles who appreciate humanity for itself rather than as just a source of glamour. Rowan is more closely connected to the mundane world than most of the sidhe; she runs a local computer gaming company called Arcadia Software. A talented game designer and programmer in her own right, she surrounds herself with creative mortals whom she inspires to new heights of accomplishment. Her close connections to the mundane world cause some to fear that her faerie self will become Undone long before she is due to take the throne. Her rumored romance with Baron Marcus, the troll warlord who holds the Borderlands for the Duke, has raised many eyebrows among the traditional members of the court. Despite her reputation as an iconoclast, none deny her ability as a warrior and leader. Her record of daring quests and victorious battles speaks for itself.

Lady Tourmaline
Advisor to the Duke
House Eiluned
Kith: Sidhe
Court: Seelie
Seeming: Wilder
Politics: Traditionalist

Lady Tourmaline has quite a reputation as a connoisseur of the finer things in life. Her sybaritic lifestyle as an ardent pursuer of erotic pleasure has earned her quite a large following with the satyrs and sidhe of the court. Some whisper that she enthralls her lovers using dark and arcane arts - she shrugs those rumors off as a result of the mixed reputation of the sorcerous House Eiluned. Her open affair with the Duke causes the more traditionalist court members to worry about the Duke's descent into decadence. Other, more self-interested courtiers, have figured out that her star is on the ascendent and curry her favor whenever possible. Paradoxically, she is also known as a benevolent protector of the dukedom's childlings and newly Sained changelings, often taking on the role of mentor and guardian.

 

Countess Felinah Countess of Easternhold House: Gwydion Kith: Sidhe Court: Seelie Seeming: Wilder Politics: Traditionalist Countess Felinah of Easternhold is something of a paradox- a noble of house Gwydion, she acts as if she were born to rule, doing so with a just and even hand. Conversely, she seeks to escape the burdens of her office in a constant social swirl of parties and grand social events. The Countess's soireés are the de rigueur events of the ducal court. Everyone who is anyone attends - failure to receive an invitation to the Countess's Beltaine party is a reliable indication that a noble has fallen into disfavor. Countess Felinah is considered a great court beauty, with her flashing green eyes and auburn hair drawing the attention of many a potential suitor. So far, none have proved successful - at least, not publicly. She holds a fairy glen called the Vale of Apples high in the Cuyamaca mountains as well as a manor near the top of Mount Helix. Some whisper that she uses the manor's nearness to the cross and amphitheater at the top of the mountain to gather glamour which she stores up for some unknown, but presumably Unseelie, purpose. Those who take the Countess at face value laugh this theory off. The Countess is also known as a champion onf the downtrodden, the oppressed, and the commoners in general. The Countess was recently discovered to be the mastermind behind a plot to help the southern nunnehi tribes slaughter the Cambrian nobles, leaving the way clear for her to rule with the nunnehi in her stead. Thanks to the swift action of the valiat kithain at the Starry Wisdom Temple, her plot was unveiled in time. She is rumored to have been sent to High King David's court to be held under geas as a scullery maid..

Baron Carnelian
Baron of Silverisle
House: Aillil
Kith: Sidhe
Court: Unseelie
Seeming: Grump
Politics: Traditionalist

Baron Carnelian rules Silverisle (Coronado), a well to do community of rich and affluent mortals and changelings. Although he is an acknowledged member of House Aillil and an open member of the Unseelie Court, Baron Carnelian is considered by most fae to be a rather harmless old man who still holds to the old ways. He runs a conservative and quiet court out on his little island, and never seems to cause any problems. Baron Carnelian is considered quite the philanthropist - his frequent contributions to local charities (both fae and mortal) have won him many friends and allies. There are, of course, rumors that he is not as harmless as he appears. Every once in a while a childling fae goes missing on a trip to the Silverisle beaches and is never heard from again. Stories of unseelie selkie colonies and cannibal hags circulate from time to time,. but are never proven. He is unmatched in the dueling field, and well-respected for it. He secretly leads the local cell of the Knights of the Cold Watch.
 
 

Sir Lorien
Knight of the Unbroken Circle
House: Scathach
Kith: Sidhe
Court: Seelie
Seeming: Wilder
Politics: Modernist

Lorien ("Don't call me Sir") is a member of the Order of the Unbroken Circle. The Order is dedicated to fighting and slaying Dauntain and chimera born of twisted banality wherever such dangers raise their ugly heads. A scion of the outcast House Scathach, Lorien is far more comfortable in the shadows than the limelight. His modernist principles often cause him to mock his title and courtly duties, but those in the know give him credit for holding a great deal of influence, both in the Kingdom of Pacifica and at the Royal Court of High King David. His mysterious background and studied indifference make him a subject of the romantic fantasies of many a local changeling. If he takes any of them up on their offers, neither he nor they are telling. Even the traditionalists acknowledge his skill with a blade - the few times he has joined the lists at a tourney he has walked away undefeated. It is said that he is as deadly to his enemies as he is loyal to his friends and his liege-lord, High King David. He is a blood-sworn enemy of Count Tormentil, and the feeling is mutual. Neither one is telling why.

 

Baron Marcus Baron of the Borderlands House: Dougal Kith: Troll Court: Seelie Seeming: Wilder Politics: Reformer Baron Marcus is one of a select group of commoner nobles raised to power in the years since the Ascension War. Marcus is unusually handsome for a troll, his strong physique and chiseled features combining to create the very image of hero from ancient legend. A veteran of the Gulf War, Marcus works as the chief park ranger in Potrero, a small town close to the Mexican border. While his mortal duties include caring for the natural beauty of the area and acting as an authority figure in this underpopulated wilderness, he is charged by his faerie liege-lord, Duke Valerian, to hold the Borderlands against incursions from hostile Nunnehi from the Kingdom of the Feathered Serpent in the south. The area he and his brigade patrols stretches from the ocean to the borders of the Kingdom of the Burning Sun in the east.

His brigade is not large or well-equipped enough to carry out their duties and find it difficult to guard against every threat from the south, a fact often used against him by his enemies in court. His suspected romance with Lady Rowan has gained him even more enemies among the traditionalists at court. Fortunately he has a strong following among the local commoners, who revere him as a one of them "made good". He inspires strong loyalty in his troll brigade, who will die for him to the last man. This is another reason why some at court find him dangerous. He is not very good at court intrigue, and does not perceive the danger he may be in. There are rumors that his inability to guard the southern border against every intrusion is proof that he is in league with Nunnehi agitators and local anarchists, and that he only holds the border to be in place to allow an invasion from the south to pass unchallenged. So far Duke Valerian has shown the Baron his strong support, but as one of the Baron's detractors is the Lady Tourmaline, some court observers expect the Duke's support to begin eroding soon. The Baron holds a troll lodge called Valhalla near Potrero. He is rumored to have a least one chimerical weapon of considerable potency. He has been befriended by Scout, a chimerical ferret.

Count Tormentil
Count of Fairbanks
House: Gwydion
Kith: Sidhe
Court: Seelie
Seeming: Wilder
Politics: Tradionalist

Blond, hansome Count Tormentil leads the conservative faction of the local sidhe population. A traditionalist, he abhors the casual way Duke Valerian runs his duchy and court, athough he has never publically challenged the Duke. Some say he is more bluster than bite, while others speculate that he is biding his time and waiting for the right moment to move against the liberal Duke and his commoner-kith allies. Tormentil holds the affluent northern area of the duchy, where his prominent real estate agency makes sure that only proper (and rich) fae settle there. Tormentil is quite wealthy and lives in style in his $4 million mansion near the local country club. He surrounds himself with retainers, including his "executive assistant" Sir Armaund, a seelie sidhe who does most of his dirty work. His heir, Ariel, is a childling currently becoming a wilder in the most wild ways she can think of. The rumor is that he best figure out how to control her before she causes him more damage than his reputation can stand.

Countess Leona
Countess of Easternhold
House: Dougal
Kith: Sidhe
Court: Seelie
Seeming: Grump
Politics: Tradionalist

Countess Leona was recently appointed to her position by Queen Aeron. This came as a surprise to many in the Duchy, including the Duke. Countess Leona is an older, rather forbidding lady with a reputation for strength tempered with fairness. There are whispers that she is hiding something beneath her solid, seelie demeanor, but no one has found out what that may be. She wears House Dougal colors of red, gold, and black and leans on a cane to support her bad leg. Her retinue consists of her sluagh councillor, Lady Morelle, her troll bodyguard Karl, and her two sidhe knights Sir Owen and Sir Damian. In mortal life she is a bestselling horror author, Leona Dean.