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“You are well come, and can live here well, but we expect between ten and twenty of you to die. You will die from your own lack of wit, or because I decree your deadth. Here, you live by our Way, or you die by my will.” Thus spake Thomas the Master at arms to the two hundred incomers from Earth.

Castle is an agricultural, pre-industrial settlement of thirty-five thousand persons who call themselves The Folk. Their speech is called Folk too. This work is narrated in neither English nor Folk, but a mélange of the two. The intention being to use English with a flavour of Folk, which like English is not entirely consistent, and thus not make the reader have to work too hard to obtain a sense of Folk.

However, the dialogue of the Folk is generally rendered more nearly in Folk. Likewise the dialogue of the incursionists, who become newfolk, as one would expect, starts as several variants of English but gradually evolves towards Folk. In general the language used in the narrative leans towards the context, though some use is maekt (made) of the words brought by the incursionists that are becoming accepted as Folk words. In the process of becoming Folk ‘loan’ words they acquire the necessary modifications to function in Folk as they so do. Also as one would expect, different characters’ speech evolves at different rates. In general older incomers retain more of their English for longer, just as happens with any group of immigrants any where.

The Folk inhabit a bitterly cold planet, elsewise, as far as any is aware, empty of persons, of which little has been explored and even less exploited. The castle where most of them live, which they call the Keep, is of antiquity and covers a one thousand acre site. It is capable of protecting in excess of a quarter of a million folk, but no knowledge or even significant legends of their history remain. It is not known whether such knowledge ever existed since the archives only go back five and a half centuries to the Fell Year, though they contain a few references to earlier events.

Castle is governed by the hereditary Lady and her Council, usually between twenty and thirty persons. At present the nucleus of the Council is Lord Yew and his two lifelong friends, Will the Master huntsman and Thomas the Master at arms. The three are in their early sixties and all looking forward to retirement. Though a feudal settlement once, Castle is now effectively an agrarian coöperative with the Lady or Lord and their agreän* acting as the chief executive officer. By tradition the Council consists of all major craft leaders and other prominent citizens. The latter are as oft put forward by the Folk as asked to serve by the Council.

The population is stable and has not grown due to the fevers, a recurrent disease which more than decimates the population from time to time. Adoption, which confers the same status as blood relationship, is a common and necessary practice due to ever present death from accident as well as the fevers, and it may involve persons of any age, though most adoptions are of children and the elderly by mature adults.

The climate and the fevers mean coöperation is vital to the survival of all, and it is a fundamental part of the Castle Way, the code by which the Folk live. All are valued but especially children.

Sexual discrimination is unknown, and historically there have been equal numbers of both sexes in positions of authority. Likewise, there has never been any discrimination based on sexuality, and marriages are created and defined by the folk involved, be that of however many of which ever sex. A marriage may be dissolved or changed by those involved, but all retain their obligations to the vulnerable and not just their children.

There is no formal education system, and children are educated by their family, kin, clan and friends, collectively known as their kith, which involves basic literacy, numeracy and, if appropriate, craft skills. They also have to learn of the Castle Way and the ways of the castle, both of which are complex. Children are apprenticed to a Mistress or Master crafter at fourteen years of age or so, which due to the longer Castle year equates to approximately eighteen Earth years, though many choose to apprentice much younger than that.

Incursions of between two and three hundred persons of all ages from Earth occur every forty to fifty years with a typical loss of between ten and twenty who can not or will not adjust to their new circumstances. Most of the incomers settle to become valued citizens on a world where the code the Folk live by is as stark as the climate they live with. Some do not, and their alternative is death.

This incursion brings rapid and dramatic improvements in medicine, agriculture and technology, setting the feet of the Folk on their first steps towards their industrial revolution with some surprising consequences.

*agreän( s) one(s) with whom one has marital agreement - spouse(s) . Verb is to be agreeän or unagreeän, married or unmarried.