Title Holders of the Greenwood Bow
From the oldest songs of the Greenwood Expanse comes the tradition of the Twenty of Dunthanach, the living masters of the longbow and the highest martial honor Battania grants to any archer. At any time, only twenty living Battanians may bear this title. They are not merely warriors of exceptional skill, but symbols of the Greenwood’s refusal to be broken. Their presence on a battlefield is said to turn forests into fortresses and fog into a weapon.
The Twenty are recognized upon the sacred hill of Dunthanach, where the High King is crowned and the clans gather in times of great need. Here, elder-judges and champions witness the naming of each new title holder. The rite binds the archer to the land itself. From that day forward, the bearer is no longer only of their clan, but of Battania entire. Their word in matters of war is heeded even by mormaers, not by law, but by custom hardened through centuries of bloodshed.
The title may pass by blood or by blade. If a member of the Twenty dies while still holding the title, the honor passes to their eldest child, should that heir be of age and able to draw the Greenwood bow. This inheritance is not ceremonial. The child is expected to prove worthy in battle soon after claiming the title, or risk being challenged by rivals seeking to expose weakness. Thus even inherited masters are tested by the land and its enemies.
To claim the title by deed is to step into one of Battania’s most brutal customs. A challenger must be a proven Fian or archer of equivalent renown and must face a current holder of the Twenty in single combat to the death. The duel must be overseen by at least six nobles of different clans or by the High King himself. No duel is recognized without such witnesses. If neither combatant can kill the other, if mercy is shown or victory is unclear, both are stripped of claim to the title. The challenger is denied entry, and the former holder is cast down from the Twenty. This rule exists to prevent ritualized rivalry and to ensure that only those willing to stake their lives without hesitation bear the Greenwood’s highest bow.
Despite the cruelty of the rite, the elevation of a new member of the Twenty is met with reverence. Clan heads customarily present gifts in recognition of the skill and courage proven at Dunthanach. These offerings vary by clan—fine cloaks, carved horn, silver bands, war steeds, or retainers sworn for a season—but together they mark the bearer as one who now stands above clan rivalry in matters of war. A peasant who rises to the Twenty is raised to noble standing by deed. They are granted land-rights, retainers, and a seat in council during times of war, though their voice carries weight only so long as their reputation endures.
Those named among the Twenty are permitted to carve a bow from the sacred trees of Dunthanach, a right denied to all others. These trees are not worshipped as spirits, but respected as living witnesses to the Greenwood’s memory. The bow carved from such wood is a mark of the bearer’s bond to Battania itself. To lose such a bow is considered a grave shame. To break one in battle is seen as an omen that the bearer’s time among the Twenty is ending.
The Twenty of Dunthanach live with honor sharpened by danger. They are hunted by enemies who know their names and challenged by Battanians who seek to take their place. Many die young. Others fall to treachery or rivalry long before age dulls their aim. To hold the title is to become a target not only of foreign armies, but of one’s own people’s ambition. Yet the Greenwood remembers them longer than it remembers kings. Their names pass into song, their deeds into warning, and their arrows into the stories told when fog rolls thick over the hills.