The Independent Principality of Piffling

The Independent Principality of Piffling is a small nation occupying the island of Piffling, about fifty miles off the southern coast of Albion. Though it is a protectorate of The Empire of Albion, the principality maintains a carefully guarded degree of independence. This is because Piffling is a Wayfarer State - one of the small nations scattered across the world that permit magical transportation to cross their borders.

The First Wayfarer State

When the larger nations of the world implemented the Rites of Sovereignty and closed their borders to magical transportation, the Wayfarer's Guild faced a crisis. Their most important and lucrative business had always been long-distance travel - carrying a person halfway across the world in a moment, and reducing a journey of weeks or months to nothing. With the Rites preventing them from teleporting across national boundaries, much of this business ceased to be viable. This was an inconvenience for the great nations as well: their wealthy and powerful (to say nothing of their diplomats and spies) were accustomed to traveling anywhere they wished at a moment's notice. While the Rites of Sovereignty were essential for national security, a solution was still needed to allow for rapid, long-distance teleportation.

Thus the idea of the Wayfarer State was born. Many large nations had smaller neighbors on their borders who could be enticed to forgo the protections of the Rites in exchange for other considerations. The Independent Principality of Piffling was the first nation to accept this proposal: that it would permit magical transportation to and from the island, so long as the Empire guaranteed its safety and independence. The nature of the Rites themselves provided an additional safeguard - if the Empire ever attempted to conquer Piffling, the Rites would expand to protect it, thereby destroying the very value the Empire sought from the territory.

The Wayfarer's Guild established its headquarters in the capital, Piffling Vale, and quickly began arranging similar agreements across the world. Many small nations accepted, with their larger and better-protected neighbors pledging to assure their safety and independence. Today, Wayfarer States like Piffling serve as multinational transportation hubs. The Guild's mages transport customers from one unwarded location to another, after which travelers use local means to cross borders and reach their final destinations.

Wealthy and Cosmopolitan

As the importance of the island has grown, it has fashioned itself into an elegant transportation hub, and many visitors enjoy the amenities of Piffling Vale while passing through the town. Travelers from all over the world pass through the city on their way to and from Albion, and the high cost of teleportation ensures that these visitors arrive with well-filled purses. Shops, restaurants, and fine casinos have established themselves in the capital to provide for every desire of these wealthy patrons, while many of the smaller villages have embraced discreet cottages and carefully maintained accommodations for those seeking a more picturesque holiday.

History of Piffling

The island of Piffling was originally a possession of the Kingdom of High Albion, best known at the time for its sheep. It became independent in 1265, when King Felix I disinherited his eldest son, Prince Rudyard the Dour. The king granted Rudyard the island as a consolation prize, and as a convenient way to remove the insufferably dull and dreary young prince from the rest of the royal family. As a condition of Piffling's independence, Rudyard and all of his descendants were permanently excluded from the succession of High Albion.

Until then, the island had been known as Sarkey, but upon his accession Rudyard renamed it Piffling. He also established the flag still in use today: a mouse standing on an open book, set against a grey field. He never explained the meaning of these choices, and scholars have been speculating (and joking) about them ever since.

The people of Piffling found Rudyard an easy ruler. He rarely interfered in their affairs, and his decrees were largely ignored with impunity. His only consistent habit was attending every funeral on the island, where he insisted the ceremonies be punctual and brief. This struck most as a harmless eccentricity. Few believed the arrangement would last in the long term, for if Rudyard died without heirs the island was expected to revert to High Albion. Almost no one imagined that marriage and children lay in Rudyard's future.

Yet that is exactly what happened. In 1267, a Changeling woman named Madailéin came to Piffling after escaping The Sidhe Courts. To the astonishment of all - including Rudyard - she took a liking to the dour prince. With little fuss or ceremony she arranged her own wedding, which, modest as it was, became the most elaborate event the island had ever seen. When later asked why she had chosen Rudyard, Madailéin replied that he was the person least like a Sidhe lord she had ever met, and that this was immensely appealing. "Besides," she added, "he makes me laugh. Not on purpose - but I do laugh!"