' This forest is scary as fuck '. There's not much information about it in the books I've read so far. Sadly, I haven't been able to gather much information. Sometimes, I ask my mother about the forest with childlike curiosity, "Mom, do big monsters really roam in the forest like the storybooks say? Will they come here?"
My mom replied reassuringly, "No, my lovely little lord. No monster can cross the wall of Silverwood. The brave knights are always guarding there. No need to fear, your father and mother will always protect you."
Before I get into the knight thing, let me tell you about the Silverwood territory. This territory exists on the west side of the Kingdom of Thornvale. Besides my father's territory, there are two baron territories and an earl's territory. The name "Silverwood" comes from the wood that grows inside the forest, directly linked to my father's territory. After my great-grandfather made a significant contribution in a certain war, he was granted this territory and the viscount title. It has been 150 years since this territory has been under the Silverwood family's rule.
The Silverwood tree is great for shipbuilding, castle construction, and siege weapon making. It's very famous and useful wood. Our viscounty is quite large, with more than 350,000 residents, which is an astronomical number for a normal viscount. Only an earl's territory would typically have such a large population. This is because my grandfather was a wise ruler. When a massive drought hit the kingdom, he provided significant benefits to commoners. That year, 30% of the southern residents came to the western territory, hearing about Viscount Silverwood's generosity. Before they joined, the total population of the whole viscounty was only 5,000, which was even lower than a baron's territory.
What my grandfather did was take most able-bodied commoners and begin searching for food on the outskirts of the forest. Luckily, they found a type of grass that could be eaten after boiling to stave off hunger. That grass was enough for 10,000 people to sustain themselves for a month. But as more immigrants started coming, the territory's population grew to 15,000. Once more, the viscount ventured into the forest with knights and commoners and was able to fetch grass and some beasts. Though the grass could sustain people for a while, it was not a permanent solution.
The immigrants kept coming, which forced the viscount to plant the grass on farms. But after waiting for months, the grass didn't grow. So the viscount had to repeatedly venture into the forest, hunting and fetching large amounts of food with his knights and soldiers. Many able-bodied commoners enlisted as foot soldiers, but casualties were high. Many loyal knights under my grandfather died under beast attacks during these hunting expeditions. But the good news was that because of these repeated hunting sessions, the territory was able to sustain itself somehow throughout the whole year. Because of these hunts, the territory trained a significant number of hunters, many of whom became elite hunters.
When the drought finally ended, many people had died, many had turned into bandits, and many noble houses had perished due to small-scale rebellions. After the drought, slowly, crops started to come from the far eastern kingdoms. At that time, the population of the viscounty was around 25,000. Now, it's 35,000, which is astronomical. Other territories bordering the forest also tried what my grandfather did, but they were quite unfortunate. Due to bad luck or something else, they couldn't venture as deep into the forest because those areas were the domains of fearsome or golden beasts. My grandfather was quite lucky that he didn't have to face those fearsome beasts.
Now, let's talk about the social structure here. There are three main classes: the King, the Nobles, and the Commoners. There are also slaves, who are lower than commoners, but there's no need to mention them in detail since slave trading was banned.
In the noble social system, there is a hierarchy, which goes as follows: Knight -> Baron -> Viscount -> Earl -> Duke. Knights are considered formal nobles only when they have their own knightdom. Without it, no other noble will acknowledge them as part of the noble class.
1. The King:
At the top of the social structure is the King, who rules over the entire kingdom. The King's word is law, and all other nobles swear fealty to him. He oversees the governance of the land, makes important decisions regarding warfare, diplomacy, and manages the overall welfare of the kingdom.
2. The Nobles:
Under the King, the nobility is arranged in a strict hierarchy:
Duke: The highest-ranking nobles, Dukes typically govern large territories known as duchies. They often have considerable influence and power, sometimes even comparable to the King's. They are responsible for maintaining the peace and prosperity of their lands and owe their loyalty directly to the King.
Earl: Below Dukes are Earls, who oversee smaller territories called earldoms. Earls play crucial roles in the administration and military support of the kingdom. They are responsible for enforcing the King's laws and ensuring the safety of their regions.
Viscount: Viscounts, like my father, control territories known as viscountcies. They serve as local rulers and manage day-to-day affairs within their lands. Viscounts often act as intermediaries between Barons and Earls, maintaining the balance of power and resources.
Baron: Barons govern baronies, which are smaller than viscountcies. They are often responsible for specific portions of a viscount's land. Barons manage agricultural production, local trade, and the welfare of the commoners within their jurisdiction.
Knight: At the base of the noble hierarchy are Knights. While knights are noble, they are formally recognized only when they have their own knightdom, essentially a small piece of land granted to them for their service. Without land, knights are often seen more as retainers to higher-ranking nobles rather than true nobles themselves. Knights serve as the military backbone of the kingdom, leading soldiers in times of war and ensuring local security.
3. The Commoners:
Commoners make up the bulk of the population. They are the farmers, craftsmen, traders, and laborers who sustain the kingdom's economy. While they don't hold the power and privileges of the nobility, they play essential roles in the functioning of society.
The ban on slave trading has slightly uplifted the status of commoners, as there is no longer a class lower than them to perform the most menial tasks. This has led to a society where hard work and loyalty can sometimes result in upward mobility, albeit rarely.