Kend and Cisson
A Tale of Two Countries
Although separate nations in the time of The Prelates, these two countries have been more commonly joined under the authority of Kend with Cisson being simply the northern county of the country.
Lying just south of the Red Mountains, nestled between the countries of Caan, Siinland, Rissen and High Sen, Kend is possibly one of the more beautiful areas of Dwy-Earde, a land of hills and valleys, forests and rivers. The country is roughly sixty leagues north to south and forty east to west, which is a fairly common size for the continent.
The great River Wead runs through here on its journey east from its source in Caan. A smaller, unnavigable river at this stage in its life, it enters Kend on the west over the gentle Cullin Falls just nearby to Weidess Burh.
The village of Cullin Falls, later prospered and grew into a small town and became the administrative centre of Kend, though in the time of The Prelates, administration was conducted from the market town of Cape, on the border with Siinland. (Note, at one point Siinland claimed Cape for it's own, though the legality of this was always disputed.)
Never a rich country, the economy of Kend has variously been based on dairy and beef farming, especially in the northern pastures in the shadow of the Red Mountains, and linen manufacture from the flax crops in the south.
Some copper and a little iron were mined from the hills to the north of Weidess Burh at one time.
Weidess Burh
This ancient, Haften built keep, was once a small outpost beyond the lines of the Haften Empire. Unlike many of their constructions, this is a modest, practical fort, smaller than most, created to protect the valley pass from Caan.
During Pree's War, the keep was to become treasured in the hearts of many that fought. At the time is was half ruined, with many of the upper rooms unusable and the great hall missing the entire wall at the far end. However, this allowed General Farthing to conduct meetings with the dragons as they could enter the hall through the broken end, though this was not possible for some of the larger Red Dragons.
Probably the most important room to those of the army was the old kitchen. This large, arched roof room in the basement of the keep, boasted a large open hearth on top of which cooking fires could be built and large, basic tables and benches where anyone could sit without worry of rank. This demonstration of equality was often thought to better represent the ideals of Pree and Farthing than any more academic writings.