Earldom of Desmond

The south is the kingdom of music and the arts, of harpers, of skilled ficheall players and horsemen. The fairs are the greatest in all Ireland.

Name: Earldom of Desmond
Alignment: CN (traditionally Gaelic, fiercely independent)
Type: Large Duchy-Level Realm
Population: ~120,000 (Humans 88%, Half-elves 7%, Halflings 3%, Others 2%)
Government: Feudal Earldom (clan-based lords under a paramount Earl)
Ruler: Earl of Desmond, “The White Knight of Munster”
Languages: Common, Gaelic, Elven

Qualities

Clannic Rivalries (internal political instability)
Border Wars (frequent skirmishes)
Fertile Riverlands (agricultural wealth)
Old Druidic Sites (powerful ley-line activity)

Danger Level

Moderate—bandits, feuding clans, cursed ruins, raiding mercenary companies.

Notable Factions

The Geraldine Court: The ruling family and their knightly retinues.
The Desmond Clans: Semi-autonomous Gaelic lords with their own militias.
The Old Faith Circle: Druids who maintain megalithic sacred sites.
The River Merchants’ Guild: Prosperous traders of grain, wool, and salt-fish.

Major Locations

Desmond Keep: Seat of the Earl; mix of Anglo-Norman fortification and Gaelic hall.
The Golden Vale: Fertile farmland supplying the earldom’s wealth.
The Blackwater March: Swamps haunted by fey and restless spirits.
Ardfert Monastery: Repository of ancient manuscripts and holy relics.

Adventure Hooks

The Clans Rise: A brewing revolt threatens to ignite a full civil war.
The Druid’s Stone: Ley-lines beneath Desmond crackle with dangerous energy.
The Swamp King: A fey claimant returns from the Blackwater to demand tribute.
Barbarian Raiders: Seaborne mercenaries strike at vulnerable coastal villages.
The Earl’s Secret: The crown claims the Earl shelters a forbidden artifact.

The Earldom of Desmond thrives where storm-split highlands meet fertile river lowlands. Norman keeps rise over ancient Gaelic ringforts, druids maintain sacred groves in defiance of the Imperial Church, and merchant guilds control the river trade that keeps the earldom wealthy. Clans feud, marcher knights patrol the wild borders, and old powers stir beneath the barrow-mounds. The earldom stands prosperous yet perpetually on the brink of uprising—or conquest.