Scotland

Overview
There is no unified Kingdom of Scotland to speak of; anymore than a distinct, unified Scottish people. The realm to the north of England is a patchwork of different cultures, ethnicities and languages; to many of the Highland clans the "King" is a distant figure whose authority means little at best; in the myriad islands around the west and northern coasts they know no King at all, instead acknowledging the power of the Lord of the Isles, or even the King of far-off Norway. Language is not much more of a unifying factor either; Gaelic is spoken by a majority of the people, but depending where you are you may find yourself conversing in Cumbric, Norwegian or even English... or in the royal court, French.

For England is not the only part of the British Isles to have succumbed to Norman influence. Since the conquest, Norman and French knights have emigrated further and further north; up through Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland, across the border to the court of the King of Scots, and they have been welcomed. Men with Norman names like de Brus or de Comyn who have risen to prominence under the late King David. The Scottish Church answers (nominally at least) not to the Scots Archbishop of St Andrews, but to the English Archbishop of York far to the south.

And this Norman influence is changing Scotland. King David has adopted the feudal system imposed on the English by the Normans. He has established many institutions that emulate those in England; the office of Justiciar, or chief minister and the appointment of Sheriffs to administer royal lands. The Scoto-Norman nobility are taking up new Lordships in the west like their Anglo-Norman peers south of the border, constructing immense stone castles, and for the first time Scots armies are starting to field cavalry in increasing numbers.

King David may be dead, but the revolution he began continues, for his successor Malcolm - misleadingly nicknamed "the Maiden" - is a man of drive, ambition and military prowess, in spite of his ill health...