Wulfwald RPG Setting: The Kingdoms of Wulfwald

The Kingdoms of Wulfwald

Westlund Seaxe

Ruler: Cyneric son of Cedric

Banner: A gold dragon on a black background.

Westlund Seaxe is geographically the largest, the most heavily populated, militarily the most powerful, politically and culturally the most influential, and financially the wealthiest of all the kingdoms of Wulfwald. Wedged between the Dwarven Mountains and the road to Frisca, Westlund makes a fortune controlling the trade between Wulfwald, the dwarves, and the Kingdom of Frisca. Its rich farmland is another asset as is its powerful army. Its military might not only protects, it is an aggressive force able to raid and loot enemy kingdoms, or serve as enough of a threat to garner tribute from those kingdoms that lack the means, or will, to fight back.

Westlund Seaxe also boasts Wulfwald’s only city and several of its largest towns and the most impressive and powerful royal court.

Games set in Westlund Seaxe have a lot of scope, as there are many opportunities, both political and military, not to mention the presence of dwarves and dragons in the western mountains, and the constant spying, reconnaissance, and raiding into neighbouring kingdoms.

Southlund Seaxe

Ruler: Offa son of Eomaner.

Banner: A red Eagle on a white background.

Southlund Seaxe is a long thin stretch of land. It borders Westlund Seaxe, and Wulfingas on its north border. On its southern border there is Wildling and outlaw infested marshland. The south-west territory is the access to the trade road with the Kingdom of Frisca, which is why it has become a vassal to its more powerful neighbour Westlund Seaxe who has placed a puppet king on the throne. The real king, the youthful Wybert and his loyal followers are in hiding in the marshlands trying to raise a rebel force, but between outlaws, Wildlings, and the power of his Westlund neighbours his situation looks grim.

Games set in Southlund Seaxe are based around fighting the occupation, or suppressing the rebellion, outlaw attacks on the trade route, or wildling raids.

Eastlund Seaxe

Ruler: Beornheard

Banner: A black raven on a blood red background.

With the wild forest on its borders and extensive woodland lumber and charcoal is Eastlund Seaxe’s main trade, but since his marriage to a wildling princess the new king has become obsessed with the supernatural and the elves of the wild forest.

Adventures in Eastland Seaxe are influenced by magic, monsters, and myth.

Westlund Jute

Ruler: Cena and Ethelstan.

Banner: White Horse on a black background.

Cena and Ethelstan, the two kings of Westland Jute, are under siege. There are wildlings from the northern highlands, mountain men in the west, their ancestral enemies the Geats on their eastern border, and the Middle Seaxe to the south all looking to expand into Jutish lands. However, Cena and Ethelstan hate each other and although open conflict would be suicidal for the kingdom, they constantly intrigue against each other.

Games set in Westlund Jute will involve defensive campaigns, shifting alliances, and factional intrigue.

Geatlund

Ruler: Beorn.

Banner: Rearing Bear

The warlike Geats, much like the land they inhabit, are wild and untamed in many ways their loose alliance of tribes, commanded in battle by the warlord Unfrith, are closer to their Wildling neighbours than they are the other kingdoms in Wulfwald. They have no qualms about allying themselves with Wildling tribes, or raiding the neighbouring kingdoms of the Middle Seaxe, Middle Angland, or the Eastland Seaxe. Of course, every Geat warlord knows that it doesn’t hurt to play the Wildling tribes against one another either. Their greatest and most hated enemy though are the Jutes, whose land the Geats claim is theirs by right

Games set in Geatlund will be centred on intertribal alliances, warfare, raiding, and campaigns of annihilation against the Jutes.

Middle Seaxe

Ruler: Sigward.

Banner:  Silver Boar on a black background.

Sigward is nominally an ally of the Westlund Seaxe, but in reality, he is more like a client king paying ever-increasing tribute to Cyneric and using his own warbands to fight campaigns that are beneficial to Westlund but increasingly ruinous for Sigward and his people. Overtly there is little Sigward can do, a refusal to send tribute or spears would most likely result in an invasion by his Westlund ‘ally’. All Sigurd can do is bide his time and work covertly against the Westlund king.

Games set in Middle Seaxe will mainly revolve around covert attempts to weaken the Westlund king’s iron grip on the kingdom.

Middle Angland

Ruler: Queen Gisa

Banner: Red fox on a green background

Gisa was little more than a maiden when she was given to the grizzled greybeard Ealdræd in marriage. Within a year of the wedding day Ealdræd was in his burial mound and Gisa was with child, luckily for her it was a boy, the Athling Eadmaer.

Now she is under siege from a legion of Ealdormen, and Thegns seeking her hand in marriage, all relatives of Ealdræd, all with a claim to the throne, and all claiming only they are strong enough to ensure sure the Atheling lives to become king. Adding to Gisa’s woes are the noble suitors arriving from other kingdoms, all hoping to win a young queen’s heart and more importantly her kingdom.  Unluckily for them Gisa is wise, cunning, ruthless, and determined that no one but her beloved son, Eadmaer will ever sit upon the throne of Angland.

Games set in Angland will revolve around courtly intrigue, as Gisa pits the suitors against one another and attempts to hold power until her son comes of age.

Wulfingas

Rulers: Beorhtwulf (43 yrs), Rǽdwulf (37 yrs), Hrothwulf (35 yrs), Aethelwulf (25 yrs), Oswulf (24 yrs) Eadwulf (17 yrs).

Banners: Various wolf banners.

King Wulfric ruled his kingdom with fear and brute force, and raised six quarrelsome sons who he kept from turning on him by playing them off against each other. It is rumoured that on his deathbed, surrounded by his sons, when asked who would inherit the kingdom he said only ‘the worst of you’ and died with a smile on his lips. Now the six brothers are set on tearing one another and the kingdom apart, in a bloody six-way civil war, while the land hungry King of Westlund Seaxe watches with interest.

Games set in the Wulfingas will revolve around the bitter struggle of the six would be wolf kings.