Tarraign is one of the former mountain kingdoms with holdings both to the north and the south of the twin mountains that define its eastern and western borders, called the Two Sisters. It is home to the greatest library and university known in the new Kingdom of Amber.
Piero the Sorceror, Lord of Eagle's Peak
Nestled in the mountains, in terrain so harsh that it's difficult to do anything other than raise the occasional garden and herd goats that can nibble up the last bits of vegetation clinging to the rock, is the barony of Eagle's Peak.
It is the domain of Piero, whom some call the Black Sorceror. This quiet, hidden bit of land is the perfect place for a man such as him, given to isolation and possessed of a number of hobbies for which, the fewer witnesses the better.
Piero used his magic in Oberon's service, but most of those who witnessed these displays prefer to forget them. Accordingly, after the war, Piero was awarded this bit of land -- home to some of Andros' most fierce resisters, country folk with great loyalty to the old ways, as well as terrain suitable for an ambush, and a mountain fortress built right into the rock, so high up that the land can be seen for miles around -- as both a reward and an unsubtle hint that Oberon was very grateful for his service and would be even more grateful if he'd stay some place where people wouldn't be reminded of his service.
Given that Piero has never much liked politics, he is rarely seen at court. He and Malek have some ancient rivalry that neither of them is willing to discuss, though, and Piero occasionally rouses himself to interfere -- usually through the services of an emissary -- when there is something that Malek particularly wants. The barony's primary export is wool -- wool of extraordinarily fine quality, but in small quantities -- and this provides a little bit of leverage given its popularity with the nobility.
It is said, too, that to spend an evening atop the highest peak, the Eagle's Peak, above even the level of the fortress, is to open oneself to magic and to knowledge. This is the place of prophetic dreams, of visions of past and present and future. Many of those who come to seek such things never return.
Selm, the Masked Baron, Lord of the Three Valleys
Selm is the son of a minor Amber hero upon whom Oberon decided to confer a posthumous reward. He was raised in Oberon's court shortly following the war of conquest; he is one of Oberon's most reliable supporters. In his adolescence, selm's face was scarred, the result of a training accident, the scars so severe that he always wears a black mask (often stylishly decorated at its fringes).
Selm overlord of a small parcel of Andros, a trio of valleys called simply, the Three Valleys (Oberon did not take great care to be original in the replacing the names of places in Andros). It is on the northern edge of what was Andros, and fully within the Aesens (thus his placement, here).
Selm is temperamental, as well as somewhat sadistic, facts quietly blamed on his scars. He is a fencer of no small accomplishment, and he has had the benefit of an excellent education. He is known for his cruelty and his caprice, as well as his loyalty to Oberon. He is a talented negotiator, studying each opponent for his fears and weaknesses, and ruthlessly exploiting anything he finds. Selm is nonetheless quite sociable, and can often be seen cutting an elegant figure in black and filigreed silver at the most prestigious social events -- much as Selm is not the best of guests, still others fear not to invite him. Despite -- or perhaps because of -- his scars, Selm considers himself something of a ladies' man, taking special pride in seducing the wives of political rivals. In many ways, he is regarded with apprehension similar in character, if not in volume, to that with which many regard Lord Karm. Selm himself has been careful never to cross Karm's swords, though the brave speculate behind closed doors as to who would win such a fight.
Selm commands a small band of scouts, highly trained cavalry soldiers with a knack for speed and stealth. It is said that they are used to pass confidential messages and cargo that cannot be entrusted to others, and, on occasion, to make annoying people disappear. Interestingly, he has not been entrusted with greater military command than this.
Possessed of a staggering intellect and a vast education, King Tarraign was reknown as a scholar and his kingdom was the seat of a vast academy that his family had founded, holding the finest library among any of the kingdoms. When war came, Old Tarraign proved that his knowledge was not limited to books. Already regarded as the finest tactician among the kings, he combined that skill with his intimate knowledge of his small mountain kingdom and held Oberon's forces at bay at every turn.
Unable to overcome Tarraign through strategy, Oberon turned to brute force. Overwhelming one of the passes to Tarraign with an immense force (at great cost) he marched onto the capital and threatened to burn the Academy and the Library to the ground. Tarraign's surrender was on the terms that neither be harmed.
Oberon held his end of the bargain, and accepted Tarraign's oath of fealty. Tarraign in turn proved a loyal advisor, and many say that it was his tactical genius which turned the tide in many of Oberon's battles.
In the aftermath of the wars, Tarraign turned down many of the honors offered to him by the new king, accepting only the honorific "Counsellor". Instead, he returned ot his kingdom (now duchy) to return to the Academic life that he prefers. He has been known to sit on the kings councils when his expertise is pertinent, but he stubbornly resists anything which takes him too far from his kingdom.
Tarraign himself is an old man who looks nothing like the most feared commander of menin the kingdoms. Tall, his posture is slightly stooped and his white hair tends towards raggedly unkempt, and his rail thin physique is maintained by his burning singlemindedness when faced with a puzzle, often driving him to skip meals for days on end.
Though he has no named successor, Tarraign has no shortage of choices. His grandchildren have recently come of age and are promising great-grandchildren soon. It is rumored that he has his eye on some of his more promising grandchildren to succeed him.
His Crest is a Goat on Sanguine.