Runner's Crown

Unlike the Sorrow Islands, which were arguably settled on by accident, the colonisation of the Runner's Crown was an orchestrated effort led by chiefs and other members of the old clans during the reign of Gouthas Broadbane. The gradual dereliction of the Lord's Seat and its authority under Gouthas forced many landed clansmen out of statecraft as petty rivalries between new and old guard resulted in numerous banishments and disagreements. While these chiefs were mostly technically under the umbrella of House Tokköhün, they were part of a minority that looked down on the new House system. They did not subcribe to what they saw as the artificially imposed authority of naive structures that hoped to usurp the established order of Clans and Cairns. As a result, throughout the 4410's MRE, many chiefs called for a migration. In the wake of Rupert Larazaar's voyage, the southern reaches of the world were fesh in people's minds, and the eastmost islands had shown promise for settlement   A group of five clans travelled eastward, though only three made it to Runner's Crown as two decided to make their homes in settlements such as Rupert's Landing and Walenukk. The three that made it to Runner's Crown made landfall in 4412MRE and settled first in New Hightown, then spread across the island.Cragside and Flurdon were founded within the first decade.   Modern day Runner's Crown is still defined by the issues that beset the founding clans: legitimacy, authority and subordination. In the beginning, communites were able to police themselves internally, preserving their previous laws and customs in parallel with each other. However, soon, tensions grew between the clans who- while united by distrust of Gwendor- were not harmonious. Luckily, the wisdom of elders prevailed and a coaliton of authorities was formed in 4419MRE to unify the jurisdictions of the three clans. While this did solve the issues of authority and legitimacy, it did nothint to address the question of subordination. The extent to which Runner's Crown represented a new polity was greatly contested, some some wishing for some Gwendorian influence, while most wished to have nothing to do with the regime they'd worked so hard to escape. Control of New Hightown was paramount as it represented the major hub for trade and production, but Gwendor-sceptic communities opted to head inland away from the modernising influences of the growing town. Gray's Landing operates as another port, and any who refuse to or cannot enter New Hightown travel through its docks.   As it stands, New Hightown has been ceded to the less extreme Clan Gorrossie, while the rest of the island is firmly under the control of Clan Malük and Clan Heim. However, this is not a violent division of control, but more a comfortable and natural compromise in which each gets what they wish for. Gorrossie wished for a 'New Gwendor' that could harness fresh lands, while Malük and Heim wanted a traditional clan existence beyond the interference of modern statecraft. The two realms peacefully coexist in a symbiotic relationship by which the rural protects the urban and the urban supplies the rural.