{"id":241,"date":"2022-04-19T13:46:40","date_gmt":"2022-04-19T13:46:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fiveoaths.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=241"},"modified":"2025-05-11T14:55:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-11T14:55:00","slug":"baol","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fiveoaths.com\/wordpress\/explore-the-world\/the-five-realms\/baol\/","title":{"rendered":"Baol"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201c<\/span>A king and queen in amber hall<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>Betrayed to death by one and all<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>Now quiet midst the heather reigns<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>And royal blood flows through pauper’s veins<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>Whither the little grain we reap<\/span><\/i>
<\/span><\/i>To them who sold our land but cheap<\/span><\/i>\u201d – A highland rhyme of Baol<\/span>

<\/span>\u201c<\/span>Baol is really two realms. There are few more desolate places in the Five Realms then the highlands of Baol, and few more pleasant than the lowlands. It is hard to believe what they say, that before the first R\u00e9ig unified the Realms that the highlands ruled over the lowlands, in the famed amber halls of legend (of which there is no modern trace by the by). Unless you are somehow related to the sullen and barbarous clans of the highlands your guide advises that you seek a welcome in Dunarragid or Uaircinn or even farflung Iarguil, where the townsfolk are more used to strangers and less likely to either marry them to one of their mudsoaked kin or trade them to another clan to settle some hundred year-old feud<\/span><\/i>\u201d – Treasna an\u2019F\u00e1nach, <\/span>A Survey of the Five Realms<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n

Where is Baol?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

Baol lies to the northwest of Tirneach, where the coast curves around from the Endless Sea and opens itself up to the Sea of Fortunes. It is divided both in its geography and its society. The rolling lowlands of Baol boast fertile farmlands and pastures, where roads wind easily and cross lazy-flowing rivers. The lowlands are home to many settlements, towns and cities that have grown rich on the trade that passes through. The highlands of Baol are another proposition entirely, abundant in forests and dangerous wild animals, with high mountains ranges spreading out to the sea. The highlands are divided into two peninsulas, the Bolge to the north and the Bight to the south, divided by Bolb\u2019s Bay in between. There are no towns of note in the highlands, only hamlets and small villages scattered here and there.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vast differences between the highlands and lowlands have produced vastly different people. The lowlanders are solid, honest folk. They believe that a bright future awaits anyone who is willing to put in a hard day\u2019s work. They are welcoming to strangers, knowing that every new friend is a potential connection that can help you in the future. The Trade Guilds<\/a> are the ultimate expression of this philosophy, people who have come together for mutual profit and support.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The highlanders on the other hand are a grim, suspicious people. Every highlander belongs to a Clann<\/a>, a huge tribe that encompasses many different species and people. These Clanns hark back to the ancient days of Baol, when the whole of Baol was ruled from the highlands. Highlanders know that things will never be better than those days, and blame the lowlanders for the betrayal of the king and queen of the Amber Hall. All that matters to highlanders now is the survival of their people, and they will do anything to achieve that.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baol is not a peaceful Realm. The predations of the Gwyllt are one aspect of this: their monstrous eruptions disrupt trade in the lowlands and their servants are known to kidnap children in the highlands. But the Gwyllt are no more active in Baol than any other Realm apart from Bruid. No, the cause for concern to the courtiers in Uasa is the constant internecine warfare between the highlands and the lowlands. Borders raids are common throughout the Five Realms but the highlanders view the lowlands as a bountiful harvest to be reaped. The Clanns send raiding parties down to the lowlands with great regularity all through the raiding season which begins in spring and ends in autumn. These raids are punctuated by pitched battles when the Riders of the lowlands send gall\u00f3glaigh to put a stop to the brigandry of their highland cousins.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

Origins of Baol<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

Even the lowlanders acknowledge that there was once such thing as the Amber Hall, home to the Amber King and the Amber Queen, and that all of Baol was united under the rule of the highlands. The neighbouring Realm of Siabhal scoffs at this, saying that they have actual history on their side rather than legend, and that Siabhal was the only Realm to stand on its own before unification. They do not say this too loudly around highlanders however, as they tend to settle arguments with claymores rather than cunning arguments.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Amber King and Queen were reputed to have great powers of magic and lives long beyond the scope of most mortals. It is said they built the Amber Hall in the highlands to commune with a higher plane of existence, with the Shaper Themself as some would have it. Many posit a more sinister connection, as it is well known that the Gwyllt are not fully of this world, and they say that the Amber Hall only stood for so long because of pacts and bargains made with the insidious foes of all the species. And anyway, if the Amber Hall had drawn its power from the Shaper, wouldn\u2019t it still be standing instead of being lost to history?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fall of the Amber Hall is also the subject of disagreement. Highlanders blame the lowlanders, saying that the love of wealth that characterises their eastern cousins drove them to betray the Amber King and Queen to terrible powers, and to the endless ruination of Baol. There are others, highlanders and lowlanders both, who say that the deals that were struck to keep the Amber King and Queen in power had to come to an end sometime. Were the highlanders and lowlanders who hold this opinion differ is the motives of their former royalty. Highlanders say the Amber King and Queen sacrificed themselves to save Baol, while lowlanders say that the Amber King and Queen were foolish enough to make promises they couldn\u2019t keep.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The actual location of the Amber Hall is unknown. Most Ridings claim to be the true location of the Amber Hall. The highland Clanns all originated as the families of the Amber Hall\u2019s sworn courtiers, or so they claim.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since they were freed to pursue their own destiny, the many towns of the Baolach lowlands have grown in prestige and wealth. The Trade Guilds gather more influence with each passing year, and many believe that they are the true power in Baol, and that the Iarla dances to their tune.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

Playing a Baolach Character<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n

When anyone meets someone from Baol, the first thing they will try to determine is where they\u2019re from within Baol. The common joke is that you should never make up your mind about a Baolach before you find out which side of their head they wear their hat on, referring to the risks associated with asking a Baolach where they are from directly. If you\u2019re playing a character from Baol, your background will vary widely depending on whether you\u2019re from the highlands or lowlands.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lowlander characters are likely to have some background as farmers, traders or artisans. Apart from the raids by the highlanders, life in the lowlands revolves around the harvests, the markets and the workshops. Most lowlanders receive organised schooling, in schools either established by the Guilds or the Church of the Shaper. The Trade Guilds are happy to sponsor those willing to try new methods and skills, so humans do well in the lowlands. Creidhe are widespread and welcomed with open arms in any lowland town, while Field Wildlings are often persuaded to migrate west from Siabhal by the Trade Guilds who want to take advantage of their green fingers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Highlander characters probably grew up in hardship, but in the heart of a huge extended family. The Clanns are political as well as familial entities, and most Clanns hold territory across several Ridings in the highlands. The most prominent clanns are known as “courtly clanns”,<\/a> and all their members have the right to join the gall\u00f3glaigh. The Drakeblooded House Crashing Rain once swore allegiance to the Amber King and Queen themselves, and now are spread among the highland Clanns. There are some Leasiar here, who are only a handful of generations removed from the days of the Amber Hall, and refuse to relinquish the glory of those days no matter how grim the present might be.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The divisions within Baol are exacerbated by the stubbornness of both highlanders and lowlanders, and this is represented by their Realm Feat: Stubborn as a Goat. Baolach characters can spend 1 Vigour to ignore a Push effect directed against them. Baolaigh stand their ground\u2026even when perhaps they shouldn\u2019t!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most important Oath for characters from Baol is the Fourth Oath, sworn to fight alongside your fellow gall\u00f3glaigh. Most Baolaigh that join up with the gall\u00f3glaigh do so to get away from life in Baol. In Baol where you\u2019re from matters more than who you are. Not so in the gall\u00f3glaigh, where lowlanders and highlanders must learn to get along. Some carry these lessons home with them, find peace with their neighbours and try to work for a better future. Others figure that once their service is done the Oaths no longer apply, and go right back to regarding their neighbours as enemies.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

Highlander opinions on the other realms:<\/b><\/h4>\n\n\n