Ancient History
In Mirror Theah, the Church of the Prophets never entirely took hold of Avalon. The ruling class, descended from the Montaigne invaders, practiced it, and it became the de facto religion of the cities. But in the countryside, the Old Ways continued to hold sway. (The Old Ways of Mirror Theah are also considerably bloodier than those in 7th Sea.)
Recent History
In 1649, King Richard Lovaine IV of Avalon died. During his lifetime, he broke with the Vaticine Church and declared himself the head of his own Church of Avalon. There were few differences between the churches, although the Church of Avalon did begin to translate the Book of the Prophets into the Avalon tongue.
Richard's daughter Margaret followed him on the throne. Known as "Iron Margaret," she vigorously tried to suppress the druidical religion. Some druids were executed as murderers, but her crusade was not as fiery as in 7th Sea. Initially, she had the support of young Duke Piram of Breg, who also felt that the Old Ways were an ancient abomination keeping Avalon from coming into the modern era. But when Margaret proved that her maneuvers were meant to increase her political control as well as convert the isles, she lost his support. She died at midnight on Teritus 15, 1654 (the spring equinox), killed by druids.
A two-year interregnum followed. Civil war wracked Avalon as dukes and earls vied for independence; rebellion sprang up in Inismore. Duke Piram entered the fray reluctantly, after he realized that the war was not likely to end soon unless someone with a strong army and a strong strategy brought an end about. He takes the title of High King, based on the ancient Highland concept of a "king of kings."
In 1656, Elaine Lovaine, long missing and presumed dead, emerged from the surf bearing the Graal. She claimed to have been chosen and confirmed by Queen Maab of the Seelie Court as Avalon's ruler. Piram, now High King of half of Avalon, refused to cede control to someone claiming legitimacy based on the Old Ways.
Fighting continued until 1658, when Elaine defeated Piram. Those counties unhappy with Piram's modernizations flocked to her banner, and the Highland Marches and Inismore accept her as their queen. (The MacDuff was said to have been literally enchanted by her beauty; the motives of the O'Bannon were less transparent.) The seas rose against Piram's ships, and he found himself out of options. Defeated, he joined with the others in swearing loyalty to her.
Glamour returned to the isles, and the Old Ways found favor once again. The master druid Derwyddon created the magical city of Caerleon overnight; Elaine's castle is all of black marble, jet and silver. The only servants seen within its halls, apart from its soldiers and knights, are soft-spoken, dark-haired children (the eldest of them is no more than fourteen), dressed in black velvet embroidered with pearls and silver thread. Visitors assume they are children of her subject lords, held to ensure their cooperation.
NPCs
Queen Elaine Lovaine
Poets across the isles write of their belle dame sans merci. Elaine cultivates a persona that is as distant and cool, yet as utterly entrancing, as a Sidhe lady. As well she might: should she ever lose her heart, she will lose her kingdom as well. This is the gesa that was laid upon her; Queen Maab will not tolerate a champion who is in the least soft or weak.
And Maab's champion she is. Those requesting favors from Queen Elaine had best be careful, lest she give them what they ask. She has an uncanny knack for granting requests in such a way that the recipient loses something much more dear: a baronage for a son, at the loss of a wife's love; a position in the Exchequer, where the long hours will leave no time for beloved music; and so on.
Maab is a capricious ally, but Avalonian ships can count on fair seas more often than not. Elaine has capitalized on this, expanding her nation's navy to unprecedented proportions. She claims it is for defense; King Leon of Montaigne believes otherwise.
High King James MacDuff II
When Queen Margaret died, the MacDuff rallied the Highlands in a violent revolt for independence. Avalonian officials and Vaticine priests were set upon and slain, their bodies left as a warning to others. The terror attacks were effective, as MacDuff thought they would be. With Margaret dead, no clear line of succession, and Avalon's soldiers busy in their own civil war, the Avalonians in the Highlands had no power to back them. Those who could, fled. Those who couldn't, died.
But their hard-won independence was lost the day Elaine of Avalon's ship landed on Highland shores. James MacDuff fell entirely under her spell, cursing himself for a fool as he did. He dressed up his proposal to unite with Avalon in political language, presented strongly enough to win over the majority of the clans. He had hoped that his capitulation might win him some favor from the queen, but... no. Now, he spends his days in Kirkwall devising reasons to return to Caerleon.
Clan MacBride was furious over the entire state of affairs. But recently, they have quieted their opposition, making the MacDuff's trips abroad less risky for him. Fergus MacBride has learned of Elaine's gesa and now hopes that the MacDuff will succeed with his entreaties to her; he is, after all, both handsome and well-spoken. If he wins her affections, Avalon will fall and the Highlands will be free once again.
The O'Bannon
The druids of Inismore don't, as a rule, make sacrifices in the same way that their Avalonian brothers do. That's because, in Inismore, there's only one fellow worth killing: the ard ri, Jack O'Bannon.
Every few generations, usually in a time of need, the O'Bannon appears in Tara, kisses the Fal Stone, and assumes the throne. He reigns for a time, dispensing advice and bringing prophecies from the Otherworld. Then, when the signs are right, he waits for the druids to come for him. He confirms a steward to rule in his absence (usually, a member of the loyal O'Toole family), and goes off to be strangled, bludgeoned, and drowned in a bog.
This makes him cranky.
He does it because he loves Inismore, and the knowledge and foretellings he has brought back have forestalled foreign invasion, healed civil wars, and ended plagues and famine. He does it, but he doesn't especially like it. News that will directly aid his lands and his people he shares freely when he returns, but he's stingy with other treasures from his store of wisdom. "I died to learn that," he'll tell a petitioner. "What'll ye do to know it?" He will dispense unasked-for advice as he sees fit, but the recipent should beware: he's called "Mad Jack" for a reason. Watching life go on about him, he is bitter and sentimental by turns. On a kindly day, he gives good advice, and those who follow it stop quarreling with their sweethearts, reconcile with their aged parents, and get their cow that "wandered" over to the neighbor's back without much trouble. On a bad day, Jack's a troublemaker, destroying the simple human relationships he can't ever have.
His latest return came a year after Margaret of Avalon died, and a year before Elaine emerged from the sea. He watched and waited his first three years back, brokering peace between feuding Inish clans. The island was united (or as united as Inismore ever gets) and all expected to stand against Elaine, to make her fight for her claim on the island - but instead the O'Bannon sailed to Caerleon and pledged support. The move puzzled many, and has caused some murmurings of discontent (especially among the Lynch family).
Duke Piram of Breg
The duke has been in a permanently black mood these past ten years. Avalon had been this close to leaving its superstitions, its religion of fear and darkness, and its divisions behind. He had been reluctant at first to go to war, to take responsibility for the island, but eventually had embraced the idea. The rest of the world was moving forward; it was time for Avalon to do so as well, and under her own power, not as an organ of Montaigne. And he was within six months of pacifying the island, he thought.
Then Elaine came, and six months became two years, and he didn't win. More than that, he was beaten, losing autonomy in Breg and swearing fealty to Elaine. Avalon moves forward, as he had hoped, but only with the assistance of the Sea Queen and the Glamour of the Goodly Folke. But what can he do? He swore an oath, no light thing. And besides, even if he were to break his sworn word, why should he succeed now? Time has only increased Elaine's power.
But recently, there has been a ray of light shining through the clouds over Breg. A kitchen scullion, stamped with the fine features of the Lovaine family, has come to Piram's attention. He is not yet sure what to make of her, but he has been reviewing the terms of his oath quite closely, to see just what the "letter of the law" will allow.
Melody
Twelve years ago, an old Breggan fisherman encountered a miracle: a healthy baby girl, floating in a basket at sea. He took her home to his childless wife, and they raised her up, naming her Melody for her beautiful voice. When the elderly pair died, she found work in the kitchens of Duke Piram's castle.
The baker has told her that the woman in charge of the table linens said that the duke was watching her closely after the big feast at last Prophets' Mass. The news worries her; if she has offended the duke, perhaps it would be better to leave the castle before any punishments come down.
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