Kethira-720TR-Harn-Kaldor-Naniom

Naniom (manor)

At Naniom, the Nephen River is wide and relatively shallow. In summertime, when the snowmelt is run off and the rain lessens, the water at the bridge site is less than 5 feet deep. Before there was a bridge, the site was used as a ford. It would be a dangerous ford, as the river is nearly four hundred feet wide and the water is rarely clear; but it would also be the only reasonable place to wade across the river for many miles.

Fortunately, that is not necessary as the bridge at Naniom is very old. Four tall spans of solid stone and deep abutments on either bank make the bridge immune to river conditions. Even when the river runs deep and fast, such as mid-spring, there is fifteen feet of clearance under the outer spans and nearly thirty feet under the inner spans. At each of the abutments and the three mid-river piers there is a fortified tower, fully two stories high, also of good stone construction. In the middle, the surface of the bridge rises nearly fifty feet above the water.

Many folk believe that the bridge is of Khuzan construction, citing the age of the stone and the excellent jointing. Local legends speak of the bridge as already old when King Medrik the First proclaimed the Kingdom of Kaldor back in 188TR. It may indeed date back much further than that, as some of the older stones replaced in maintenance work show Khuzan jointing. Certainly this was an area where the Khuzdul were active, back in the Codominium era millennia ago before they retreated to their mountains. However, the tower in the center is definitely more recent and of human construction.

It is easy to walk down to the waters’ edge; although the banks are ten to fifteen feet high in many places along the Nephen, near the bridge generations of people have worn (and excavated) wide ramps.

The river crossing is politically important for several reasons:

1. There are only two bridges across all the length of the Nephen River through Kaldor, and the Ternua Bridge lies twenty-six leagues (over sixty miles) downriver. As such, it is crucial for trade and the economy.
   
   
2. The Nephen is a political boundary; the western bank is part of Nephshire, governed by Baron Indama from Getha Keep. The eastern bank is part of Vemionshire, governed by Sheriff Kaphin from Athelren Keep.
   
   These two governors have markedly different styles:
   
   Baron Chimin Indama is a man personally powerful, skilled with chivalric arms and well regarded in combat. However, it is also said that his intellect suffers at the expense of his skills at arms. He remains loyal to the King of Kaldor, and tends to follow the lead of Earl Dariune of Balimshire just to the south (it helps that Earl Dariune is also the Chancellor of the Exchequer, one of the King’s most powerful advisors). His shire is handled by those he trusts and fairly tightly controlled.
   
   Sir Tulath Kaphin needs no help being known at court. He is one of the several bastard sons of the King, all known but none formally acknowledged. Sir Kaphin is something of a wastrel, having an undistinguished military career and a fondness for arts and women. However, since his recent marriage to Baron Verdreth’s daughter, he seems to have reformed – somewhat. His style as governor has largely been to ensure proper taxes and fees are paid, then to leave his subjects alone. As a result, large parts of Vemionshire, already rural even for Hârn, have little actual loyalty to the Crown.
   
   
3. It represents as far upriver as boat traffic can go. About a mile upriver from the spans, the Nephen has higher banks, narrows and speeds up, and is full of stones and unseen hazards. Barges gather at either bank of the bridge, and just below it, to take on passengers and cargo for the trip downriver, towards Kiban and Ternua, and Tashal. They also travel upriver, poled or towed by oxen along the banks. Because of the politics, a small hamlet is slowly developing on each bank; West Naniom and East Naniom. Each has a population of about fifty, composed mainly of bargemen and their families, and the masons who tend the bridge, and those who run the stopping-places (“inn” would be too strong a word) for those who reach the bridge at night when it is closed. There is at least one ostler on each bank, ready to stable oxen, mules and horses while their owners travel; theft or other trouble is rare because of the high vigilance of all living there. They are well aware of the difficulties they would face if Naniom developed a reputation for being difficult for travelers.
   
   
4. It remains a neutral meeting place. The eastern bank is Vemion, the western bank is Neph, but the bridge itself is royal ground – not part of either shire. The center span of the bridge is a favored place for negotiations, and for combat. Knights and nobles often take up the bridge as a field of honor, settling their disputes where none can claim a political advantage. When this happens, the bridge is closed for the duration. Even those travelers who have paid their toll must wait for the affairs of the nobles to finish.