To His Royal Sovereign, Kind Brathus of Menea
From Cheedle, his servant and accountant
I have completed my journey across the Narrow Sea and made my way across the Ramparts to the vast steppes which lay beyond. I have spent six summers here in this place and while I have come no closer to finding your missing silver, I have many answers to the questions you asked when I was your accountant. You will recall that it was your firm wish that I determine the point at which "seventy two gold bars was rendered into mere dust." I have not found that point, nor do I believe it exists.
Contrary to your misapprehension of this land, there is no merchant or bandit here who runs this vast land. The traders of this land do not journey over long distances, as we are used to in Westrun. Rather goods are moved in much smaller increments and over much shorter distances under the "protection" of various Warlords. These Warlords, or Wangs, each charge a mark up for the safe passage of goods through their area of influence. By the time 72 gold bars of material reaches the opposite end of the continent, it may only realize 35 gold bars in buying power. Then, the return trip may be equally as costly.
Just as there is no particular bandit in charge, it is equally a mistake to call this place, Shu. For I have learned that Shu is but one metropolis in the river valley that shares that name. I haven't been there, as unlicensed visitors are treated to death, but I have looked upon its walls and seen it first hand. I can attest that it is considerably more massive than Menea, and even several times larger than Peakshadow. If I were to set out across Shu at daybreak on the first day, I might not reach the opposite wall before noon on the third. That is no exaggeration.
Shu is ruled by a woman who styles herself an Empress and while she controls much of what happens in and around the metropolis, the vast swaths of land between her city/state and the two others which occupy this continent is settled by a never ending contest among nomadic tribesmen.
The tribesmen make up a nomadic society which is divided into competing tribes of warriors numbering between 50 to 1000 males and perhaps twice that number in women and children. Each tribe will have three times that number in horses -- which are held in almost as great esteem as the women and children.
Generally, a tribe is made up of a group of males with some common familial bond, but the tribesmen also have a method by which proven warriors are sometimes brought into a tribe as Andari, or blood-brothers. Each tribe is made up of two types of members, those that fight and hunt; and those who raise infants and make homes. The former are called the Batari, the later Ordari.
The tribesmen rely on animal husbandry to survive, but also subsist by frequent raids and extortion of the city/states to live above the sustenance level. Because of their ferocity, they are feared across the continent. Their mobility makes them extremely difficult to defeat militarily. In very lean times they have even been known to cross the Pillars of Heaven a.k.a Ramparts and raid the Provinces of Westrun. To be spared this indignity, the Provincial Governors all pay quiet tribute in much the same manner that the Empress and the other two Emperors do.
The tribesmen have a peculiar use of horse and archery that has made them at times seem invincible to larger, more stationary armies. Under particularly gifted Wangs they have been capable of humbling opponents many times their numbers. From time immemorial the tribes have wandered across the Steppes of Eastrun which they call the Grass Sea. A flatland of thick turf and few trees, the Steppes support herding and animal husbandry, but little in the way of permanent agricultural settlements. The noteworthy exceptions are the three major river valleys of which Shu is but one. The others are called, Miyabe and Chiro.
Like the men of Balduren in our own land, the men of the Steppes are said to be born in the saddle. While this is very likely untrue, it is nonetheless an accurate description of their riding prowess and the reliance on the horse that is peculiar to their culture and to their land. The Daizu drink the milk of the mares and eat the meat of the animal. They burn its dung for cookfires, use its hair and sinew for bowstrings, and harvest its skin for their clothing and shelter. The saying, "A man without a horse is like a bird without wings," is a famous proverb among the barbarian.
The tribesmen do not ride in saddles, but upon thick blankets. It is the mark of a warrior to remain astride a mount and those that are unable due to injury or illness are considered a liability to the whole tribe. It is not uncommon for a warrior to keep two or three mounts for his personal use, riding one until it is tired and swapping out a fresh mount tethered to his first for that purpose. In this way, they are able to cover long distances, sometimes as much as 100 or 125 miles in a single day's ride.
Riding is everything to this people. A tribesman is expected to remain in the Batari, raiding and going to war until his 60th Summer. Beyond that, he can remain among the Ordari as an honored veteran until he is unable to sit astride a horse, hunt for the tribe, or able to see to his own care. When his infirmity reaches that point, he will be left behind as the tribe moves on. His body will become meat for the wolves and other creatures of the plains.
Widows are highly honored among the Daizu. In the Fall following the death of their husband, they will be matched with a young male of their choosing who will be joining the Batari next spring. The warrior to be support her and her children and forego a new wife until she has passed. Given the warrior culture of the Daizu, it is not unusual for a woman of the Ordari to have two and three husbands in a life time.
As for their religious beleifs, the tribes seem to have little. There is a wonderful treatise on this matter I found in the library of Old Cambris. I recommend it highly. The Four Winds of Eastrun was my first foray into this land.
The tribesmen live in tents of horsehide called gerg. The gerg are round and thick, excellent for warding off rain and wind. Considered cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter. As many as two dozen people will sometimes occupy a single gerg. Livestock is always left to the elements.
The women and horses of the nomads are considered non-combatants and may be taken as spoils of war, but it is considered a grave affront to Heaven to kill either unnecessarily. So assiduously are these strictures followed, that the women and spare horses of a tribe are often left unguarded while the Batari goes hunting or on a raid. This does result in them sometimes being carried off, but as they are given a place within their new tribes they may even sometimes cooperate with their captors to better their position in life. On the other hand, men are seldom made captives. They are often put to the sword unless they have shown themselves worthy of adoption into the tribe.
I recall that you expressed some interest in the livestock of Eastrun. Outside of the cities, there is none, save that of the horse. The Steppe horse is much shorter than those steeds of Westrun. Standing about 12 to 13 hands, it is a short-legged creature with a large head and a great shaggy coat. This breed of horse is never shoed, nor fed, but always forced to graze on its own. As a consequence they are a hardy breed that need little in terms of care and upkeep.
The other beast which still provides meat and fur is greatly diminished in all but the Northern extremes of the land. The so-called Margon is a giant four-legged beast with a great trunk and massive horns. Shaggy as the horses and possessed of some intelligence, these beasts travel in long migrations from one end of the continent to the other, often Summering above the ice shelf and only coming down on the plains in the cool of the Winter. Every hunter dreams of being in on the kill of a Margon and considers it a life goal, but once a kill is made, the tribes generally consider it a taboo to follow the herd. The entirety of the animal will be consumed, its various parts will be dispersed among the needy of the tribe with the horns being turned into bows and blades for particular heroes and their respected Wangs.
Despite the differences between the city dwellers and the barbarians, they are of the same racial stock. According to the city dwellers, they are the offspring of their mightiest Daizu warlord -- a man born of the gods. Wang Jen Shu united all of the tribes under a single banner and proclaimed himself Emperor of All Eastrun. But his name is unknown, as far as I have been able to determine, among the tribesmen. The Daizu I have spoken to have no history beyond two or three of their own generations. They are nonetheless entertained by the notion that one of their numbers sired the so-called civilized men.
As for the civilized Eastruner, their city/states are said to be named for Jen Shu's three favorite concubines. They were settled in the river valleys now called Shu, Miyabe and Chiro and around these rich agricultural prizes the great civilizations of Eastrun took strong root. The division between nomadic Eastrun and civilized Eastrun has been pronounced every since, with the city dwellers referring to their counterparts as Daizu -- the Barbarians. The Daizu referring to the city dwellers as the Nansow... the Feeble Men.
There is more I have to share, but it will await my return. As it is the supplies of paper are scarce and very expensive. I traded a good mare for this piece of parchment and another for its safe passage to the Provinces, where I hope it will make its way to your shipping interests. I will write again when I am able.
Showing posts with label Cultures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cultures. Show all posts
Nahmus Abadi: The Law Which Cannot Change
by Artemor the Wise
In Southrun, the men of the various tribes and nations believe that the Nahmus Abadi is greater than any individual sovereign, which they call Sooltan, or Sooltrop and sometimes Shayke. Once a law is made in a given barony, the Southruners believe that it may never be repealed. For this reason the laws of the Land ever increase and many learned men are charged with learning them by rote, and then reciting on command. Though such a thing is seldom necessary as every large city seems to contain large stones upon which these laws are painstakingly graven.
According to the Southruner, the basis for all laws comes to them from a legendary figure named Roo-uhh-lah who was led by some spirit to the heart of their great desert and found twenty commandments inscribed on great stone monoliths. To these basic laws, various rulers have added injunctions and commandments of their own, which may not contradict the spirit of the basic twenty-three laws, nor the letter of the rulings of their predecessors. Though it is true that the men of Midir have a different set of precedents and additions than their neighbors from Byza, both reference the same basic 20 laws.
Note that several laws contain words whose meanings are unknown. These words are not written, but contain the preferred translation of Roo-uhh-lah in parantheses.
1. If a man profanes a [god] he will be cursed to the seventh generation.
2. If a man does not show [obeisance to this law], he will be cursed to the seventh generation.
3. If a man [sours water], he will be cursed to the seventh generation, for it belongs to all.
4. If a man does not offer hospitality, he will be cursed to the seventh generation.
5. If a man does not show [reverence to the fathers of others] though the two be as enemies, he will be cursed to the seventh generation.
6. If a man commits a murder, he must be killed.
7. If a man harms a child or violates a woman, he must be killed.
8. If a man commits a robbery, he must be killed.
9. If a man is found to be a [sorcerer or djinn], he must be killed.
10. If a man violates a [stone wall that is still standing], he must be killed.
11. If a man cannot hold his [slaves, wives, camels or coin] he deserves to part with them.
12. If a man [divorces his first-time wife], he shall pay [her weight] in coin, but if she is not he shall [dismiss her] with a kind word.
13. If a man spoils [the virgin of another man], he shall pay [her weight] in coin.
14. If a man [knocks out the eye] of another man, he shall {weigh it out in coin} and pay it over ten times.
15. If a man’s [slave-woman], comparing herself to her mistress, speaks insolently to her, her mouth shall] be scoured with a handful of salt.
16. If a man appeared as a witness, and was shown to be a perjurer, he must pay [the weight of his tongue after it has been severed] in coin.
17. If a man seeks [to own property he shall establish an obelisk] and fire a bow shot in all directions from it. This property shall be his unless the bowshot is fired over water, for water belongs to all.
18. If a man [moves an obelisk], he shall pay its weight in coin.
19. If a man claims to be [an astrologer], but is known not, then he will undergo the trials of water, sand, and fire; and then pay [the weight of his tongue after it has been severed] in coin.
20. If a man is accused of any wrong and cannot prove himself, he must seek [an astrologer]; if he is proven innocent, his accuser must pay [their combined weight] in coin. If guilty, he must pay twice what the law prescribes.
The Kingdom of Treft
A Brief Geographical Treatment
by Bayburry of Peakshadow
Treft, one of the Eight Kingdoms, is a democracy. The City/State of Treft offers citizenship status to natural born citizens and to those people in its society who are invited to go through the proper rite. Citizens are easily separated from metics by use of the toga, the wearing of which by non-citizens is a crime punishable by death, or maiming and exile.
The government of Treft is exceedingly ponderous and considered arcane to people outside of its structure. Basically, it is run by dozens of committees who meet on various days at various times and who offer motions to the popular vote. Each citizen votes by way of a signet stone, which is graven with the image of their house and the declaration of their birth. In each house, the patriarch is entrusted with disbursing the stones and for voting for those who have not yet reached majority.
The First Citizen is chosen by populace who then represents Treft before the world and the High Throne in Peakshadow. Though he is considered a King to those outside of his Kingdom, by his own citizens he is regarded as the First Citizen.
The people of Treft are somewhat of an anomaly among the other Eight Kingdoms who do not understand the workings of their governing system. In truth it might be said that the vast numbers of the people of Treft do not fully understand it either. For most of them are metics and not part of the citizenry. But the actual citizens of Treft have a great deal of control, though their individual power is watered down.
Treft is considered the purse of the Eight Kingdoms. The King of the Realm is considerd the Lord of Coin and under his auspices, all of the silver coinage of the Eight Kingdoms is produced. These minting facilites are located in the Fortress of Diestamp. In addition to their mints, the people of Treft are widely known for the silversmiths and jewelers who work in silver.
by Bayburry of Peakshadow
Treft, one of the Eight Kingdoms, is a democracy. The City/State of Treft offers citizenship status to natural born citizens and to those people in its society who are invited to go through the proper rite. Citizens are easily separated from metics by use of the toga, the wearing of which by non-citizens is a crime punishable by death, or maiming and exile.
The government of Treft is exceedingly ponderous and considered arcane to people outside of its structure. Basically, it is run by dozens of committees who meet on various days at various times and who offer motions to the popular vote. Each citizen votes by way of a signet stone, which is graven with the image of their house and the declaration of their birth. In each house, the patriarch is entrusted with disbursing the stones and for voting for those who have not yet reached majority.
The First Citizen is chosen by populace who then represents Treft before the world and the High Throne in Peakshadow. Though he is considered a King to those outside of his Kingdom, by his own citizens he is regarded as the First Citizen.
The people of Treft are somewhat of an anomaly among the other Eight Kingdoms who do not understand the workings of their governing system. In truth it might be said that the vast numbers of the people of Treft do not fully understand it either. For most of them are metics and not part of the citizenry. But the actual citizens of Treft have a great deal of control, though their individual power is watered down.
Treft is considered the purse of the Eight Kingdoms. The King of the Realm is considerd the Lord of Coin and under his auspices, all of the silver coinage of the Eight Kingdoms is produced. These minting facilites are located in the Fortress of Diestamp. In addition to their mints, the people of Treft are widely known for the silversmiths and jewelers who work in silver.
The Kingdom of Talir
A Brief Geographical Treatment
by Bayburry of Peakshadow
Though one of the Eight Kingdoms, Talir is actually a theocracy. Once peopled by pagans dedicated to the worship of Kinurea, goddess of earth, Talir was the last holdout of the so-called elder gods. When the people of Talir finally converted from their old religion, they maintained some of their customs (such as the use of Wine Trees), and their social system remained intact. Thus, every citizen of Talir is an observant member of the Church. Those who are not members of the Church are second-class members of society called metics. Metics have few rights and must pay special taxes.
Talir's most famous city is Watersedge, a port of some reknown. Citizens of Watersedge enjoy great freedoms and prosperity, but its visitors and metics often find the laws onerous and stifling. Even so, a poor metic in Watersedge often lives better and in greater finery than some minor nobles in places like Balduren or Collonia. All of the cities and towns of Talir are run by Viceroys who are priests by law and act locally on behalf of the Supreme Holy Council.
The Supreme Holy Council is made up of priests who serve life terms of office and nominate their own successors. It is this Council which chooses the King of Talir. This King wields some internal executive power, but mostly just represents Talir in the eyes of the rest of the world and especially before the High Throne in Peakshadow. Though he is considered a proper King to those outside of the Kingdom, by his own citizens he is widely regarded as a titular and ceremonial head of state. In Talir he is commonly called the Vicegerent.
For these and other reasons, the people of Talir are considered both culturally strange and religiously zealous by outsiders. They are sometimes unfairly characterized as being superstitious and backward (though this depiction has some merit among their Marsher population). Despite this, Talir is commonly called the Shipyard of the Eight Kingdoms. It is famed for its sacred cypress forests whose wood is used both for the making of weatherproof shingles and for shipbuilding. Additionally, some nobles from around the Eight Kingdoms have been known to panel their manors using the highly polished wood which is admired for its golden yellow hue.
Because of its climate, Talir is also home to transplanted groves of lemon and orange trees that were once found only in Eastrun. That fruit is growing in popularity throughout the Eight Kingdoms, but is seldom available except in places like Menea, Rath and Saklan. The fruit is also highly prized by sailors and merchantmen for it has been shown to stave off the dreaded Yellow Waste.
Lastly, the South East coast of Talir is known also for its swamps, which the locals call the Wetwood. The people who live among those swamps are called Marshers or Marshmen. They are rabidly independent and considered uncivilized. They live on tiny freeholds and sustenance farms, eschew polite society, have their own strong dialect. They sometimes still maintain some private devotion to Kinurea stapled onto the faith of the Church. Their diet consists of frog, shrimp, crayfish, and alligator. This local fare is not highly prized in the rest of Talir or the other South Kingdoms, but strangely have become delicacies in other farflung places like Bolden, Peakshadow and Collonia.
by Bayburry of Peakshadow
Though one of the Eight Kingdoms, Talir is actually a theocracy. Once peopled by pagans dedicated to the worship of Kinurea, goddess of earth, Talir was the last holdout of the so-called elder gods. When the people of Talir finally converted from their old religion, they maintained some of their customs (such as the use of Wine Trees), and their social system remained intact. Thus, every citizen of Talir is an observant member of the Church. Those who are not members of the Church are second-class members of society called metics. Metics have few rights and must pay special taxes.
Talir's most famous city is Watersedge, a port of some reknown. Citizens of Watersedge enjoy great freedoms and prosperity, but its visitors and metics often find the laws onerous and stifling. Even so, a poor metic in Watersedge often lives better and in greater finery than some minor nobles in places like Balduren or Collonia. All of the cities and towns of Talir are run by Viceroys who are priests by law and act locally on behalf of the Supreme Holy Council.
The Supreme Holy Council is made up of priests who serve life terms of office and nominate their own successors. It is this Council which chooses the King of Talir. This King wields some internal executive power, but mostly just represents Talir in the eyes of the rest of the world and especially before the High Throne in Peakshadow. Though he is considered a proper King to those outside of the Kingdom, by his own citizens he is widely regarded as a titular and ceremonial head of state. In Talir he is commonly called the Vicegerent.
For these and other reasons, the people of Talir are considered both culturally strange and religiously zealous by outsiders. They are sometimes unfairly characterized as being superstitious and backward (though this depiction has some merit among their Marsher population). Despite this, Talir is commonly called the Shipyard of the Eight Kingdoms. It is famed for its sacred cypress forests whose wood is used both for the making of weatherproof shingles and for shipbuilding. Additionally, some nobles from around the Eight Kingdoms have been known to panel their manors using the highly polished wood which is admired for its golden yellow hue.
Because of its climate, Talir is also home to transplanted groves of lemon and orange trees that were once found only in Eastrun. That fruit is growing in popularity throughout the Eight Kingdoms, but is seldom available except in places like Menea, Rath and Saklan. The fruit is also highly prized by sailors and merchantmen for it has been shown to stave off the dreaded Yellow Waste.
Lastly, the South East coast of Talir is known also for its swamps, which the locals call the Wetwood. The people who live among those swamps are called Marshers or Marshmen. They are rabidly independent and considered uncivilized. They live on tiny freeholds and sustenance farms, eschew polite society, have their own strong dialect. They sometimes still maintain some private devotion to Kinurea stapled onto the faith of the Church. Their diet consists of frog, shrimp, crayfish, and alligator. This local fare is not highly prized in the rest of Talir or the other South Kingdoms, but strangely have become delicacies in other farflung places like Bolden, Peakshadow and Collonia.
The Betrayals of the Stoneborn: Invection
by Dulagdur, House Paleore, Dun Oromir
As Mya and the Valkauna bear witness, we are not victims. For more than any other, ours is a story of survival and of overcoming great adversity. Just as raw ore has been heated and then beaten into fine second metals, so too are the hearts of our people. It is because we have suffered, that we are strong. It is because we are strong, that we will survive. So then, it has come to us as a sacred obligation, mandated by the fact of our continued existence, that we have a duty to thrive in this, the most hostile of all possible worlds. By right of this obligation we will live until we have heard the Grand Apologies, and until we have seen the Setting of Right, and until we have known the Coming of Order which is inevitably ours -- all others be damned! We are the Stoneborn!
There were many wars in those days and battles without ceasing. Also the Stoneborn could not feel the bite of the death and inevitably many of their number made names for themselves among the other peoples. The greatness of these Stoneborn has never been forgotten and though they strived to toil humbly, they lived instead with great acclaim from those who were not worthy to comb their beards.
All the world trembled for the Chaos that then was, and for the strife that everywhere was the foundation of all things.When the Stoneborn saw the Crown of Creation was claimed by none, they took it upon themselves to assume leadership for the good of all. So rose Clangeddin, Greatest of the Regns, to lead all people to the Law and into the greatness that followed.
This undertaking was blessed by Moradin the Lord, who is the greatest among the servants of the Ere of All. But Moradin is also capricious and unreliable. He does not speak plainly to his people. Ever they serve him well, but he hides his face and is mute as stone. So, despite their devotion to Law, and despite all that his Stoneborn had made and all of the excellent things that they had fashioned, he was still discontent. To this day he is sometimes called Molgolnahr or “Lord of Poor Faith” and the betrayer of his own. Because of his silence, the Stoneborn right to rule was eventually handed to the Fairies, who constantly imagine themselves greater than they ought and whose subsequent failure could not have been more stark.
But the Fairies could not bear it when the Stoneborn would not partake of their decadence and they grew jealous of the beauty that the Stoneborn had created. When their jealousy had reached its peak, the Fairies sent some of their number to lay siege to the Duns and compel the Stoneborn to return to the surface, lest they be starved. But we are a stubborn people and so deeper still our ancestors went into the very heart of Erenth. There they learned under Dunseath to take sustenance from the depths and in the farming of things which need not sunlight to grow.
This great achievement only angered the Fairies who sent hunters after them and many were needlessly killed before the madness of the Fairies was abated by the Short Peace. To this day, the Fairies do not take responsibility for their actions. They claim that every lord and tribe only did as they thought right. They say that only those who actually killed Stoneborn could be made responsible. For this reason, the Short Peace, and every peace of the Fairies, has failed.
The Fairies did indeed help, but it was only a pretext for the Fairy Witch Llothean to gain access to the Bright Ore. Her treachery was eventually the cause of a great conflict between the Fairies which the Stoneborn were happy to ignore. At the end of the Fairy War, some of their Warlocks came to our ancestors to ask a boon. They had banished the Fairy Witch and her evil minions to a distant land, but since their own Majk made them vulnerable to her machinations, they desired others to supervise her imprisonment. So it was that the Duergar were tasked with observing the Fairy Witch and her kind.
Invection
The history of our people is one of overcoming betrayal. The key to understanding both our history and our future is to understand that the world and all that is in it was taken from us and now stands as it will until the Eighth Age -- arrayed against us. For each time we have given faith to those who claimed to befriend our people, we have been repaid with treachery. Each time we have extended the right hand, we have been brought to shame. From the dawn of time we number Seven Great Betrayals which we have had to endure and the humiliations of which we have been forced to carry. As Mya and the Valkauna bear witness, we are not victims. For more than any other, ours is a story of survival and of overcoming great adversity. Just as raw ore has been heated and then beaten into fine second metals, so too are the hearts of our people. It is because we have suffered, that we are strong. It is because we are strong, that we will survive. So then, it has come to us as a sacred obligation, mandated by the fact of our continued existence, that we have a duty to thrive in this, the most hostile of all possible worlds. By right of this obligation we will live until we have heard the Grand Apologies, and until we have seen the Setting of Right, and until we have known the Coming of Order which is inevitably ours -- all others be damned! We are the Stoneborn!
The First Betrayal
In the beginning of time, there was only chaos and disorganization among the many races. Some argued that the growing things ruled under Berronar their Mistress, who is a handmaiden of the Ere of All, and the sister to Moradin the Lord. But the growing things cannot reason so that is folly. Others argue that the Urok ruled under the Nameless One, an apostate of the Ere of All. But as the Urok know only destruction, and have no craft save to take that which is not theirs, this also is folly. Still others maintain that the Little Ones ruled under their wee Lords, who were the minor servants of the Ere of All. But these Little Ones have laws without reason and know nothing of scheduling or of great works. So this also is folly. The unmistakable conclusion is that Chaos itself was Regn, for Law had not yet come. There were many wars in those days and battles without ceasing. Also the Stoneborn could not feel the bite of the death and inevitably many of their number made names for themselves among the other peoples. The greatness of these Stoneborn has never been forgotten and though they strived to toil humbly, they lived instead with great acclaim from those who were not worthy to comb their beards.
All the world trembled for the Chaos that then was, and for the strife that everywhere was the foundation of all things.When the Stoneborn saw the Crown of Creation was claimed by none, they took it upon themselves to assume leadership for the good of all. So rose Clangeddin, Greatest of the Regns, to lead all people to the Law and into the greatness that followed.
This undertaking was blessed by Moradin the Lord, who is the greatest among the servants of the Ere of All. But Moradin is also capricious and unreliable. He does not speak plainly to his people. Ever they serve him well, but he hides his face and is mute as stone. So, despite their devotion to Law, and despite all that his Stoneborn had made and all of the excellent things that they had fashioned, he was still discontent. To this day he is sometimes called Molgolnahr or “Lord of Poor Faith” and the betrayer of his own. Because of his silence, the Stoneborn right to rule was eventually handed to the Fairies, who constantly imagine themselves greater than they ought and whose subsequent failure could not have been more stark.
The Second Betrayal
The second of the Great Betrayals was Stoneborn upon Stoneborn and ended in the Dun Wars. Little is said of this time and the causes of it, save that it was the work of Roknar the Deceiver. Before the Second Betrayal there were seven sons of Clangeddin and when its last course had been lain, none at all remained. So Dumathoin, brother of Clangeddin succeeded him as Regn of All.The Third Betrayal
It was the cursable pride of the Fairies which caused them to make Majk and to play with powers they did not then, and could never ever, fully understand. Untold evil and certain destruction loomed over the world because of the Fairies. So, in their great wisdom the Stoneborn hid from the threat of these new lords and the new lords’ experimentation. The Stoneborn sought solace and privacy from the chaos of the Fairy Warlocks. To protect their civilization from decay, the Duns of old were located deep in the shafts of mountains and beneath the mighty hills. There the Duns became places of unsurpassed beauty and craftsmanship. But the Fairies could not bear it when the Stoneborn would not partake of their decadence and they grew jealous of the beauty that the Stoneborn had created. When their jealousy had reached its peak, the Fairies sent some of their number to lay siege to the Duns and compel the Stoneborn to return to the surface, lest they be starved. But we are a stubborn people and so deeper still our ancestors went into the very heart of Erenth. There they learned under Dunseath to take sustenance from the depths and in the farming of things which need not sunlight to grow.
This great achievement only angered the Fairies who sent hunters after them and many were needlessly killed before the madness of the Fairies was abated by the Short Peace. To this day, the Fairies do not take responsibility for their actions. They claim that every lord and tribe only did as they thought right. They say that only those who actually killed Stoneborn could be made responsible. For this reason, the Short Peace, and every peace of the Fairies, has failed.
The Fourth Betrayal
Despite the unfaithfulness of the Fairies, the Stoneborn were not allowed to resume their natural place as the keepers of the Crown of Creation. Instead of pleading the case of his people, Moradin Molgolnahr kept his stony silence before the Ere of All. So then the Wyrms, the forebears of the cruel dragons were allowed to take charge. It was they that invented the Wyrmgeld – the law of taxation that emptied the Duns of their great wealth and left many Stoneborn in lowly estate. Far from worthy lords, the Wyrms proved themselves capable of naught but hostility, bitter divisions and wars without ceasing. The Fifth Betrayal
When the greatest of these Wars had come to an end, it was believed by many that Moradin would apologize to the Stoneborn and allow them to take charge once again. But he was ever silent and no apology ever came. In his silence, the Young Race has risen upon Erenth. Some hold that the Young Race are a new people made by the Ere of All, but others with longer memories and great knowledge insist that they are just the other offspring of the Children of Berronar and have no right to rule. On this matter, the failure of Moradin to adjudicate suprises few. The Sixth Betrayal
The Short Peace was betrayed by the Fairies who again sought to dominate and subject the Stoneborn by their use of Majk. The Regn of Dun Duergar was assassinated by the Witch of the Fairies under a flag of truce and so began a century of brutal bloodshed that covered the face of Erenth. During this time, great depredations of Majk were also visited upon the Derro and their nation has never recovered. Ever they roam the dark taken in permanent madness and an everlasting testament to the unsurpassed cruelty of the Elf. The Seventh Betrayal
A Millenial Truce was finally crafted between the Fairies and the Stoneborn, but a new treachery arose when the Gnummor and the Old Ones sought to empty the Duns, and enslave the people. They sought the Bright Ore and knew that it had been found by the greatest of the Stoneborn Delvesmen. This new treachery could not be defeated by our ancestors alone so under the Truce of Breslon they sought the aid of the Fairies, but should have known better. The Fairies did indeed help, but it was only a pretext for the Fairy Witch Llothean to gain access to the Bright Ore. Her treachery was eventually the cause of a great conflict between the Fairies which the Stoneborn were happy to ignore. At the end of the Fairy War, some of their Warlocks came to our ancestors to ask a boon. They had banished the Fairy Witch and her evil minions to a distant land, but since their own Majk made them vulnerable to her machinations, they desired others to supervise her imprisonment. So it was that the Duergar were tasked with observing the Fairy Witch and her kind.
The Benediction
Ever the last age of Erenth looms, and ever the Dwarves wait for the resoration of all things. Justice will prevail for the Children of Moradin and the rightful heirs of Erenth. For we are the Stoneborn!The Many Vices of Erenth
To His Majesty, King Mynus of Saklan, Lord of Mountains, Scholar, Wizard, and Moral Paragon to the World
From Heyward of Laketon, traveler, polyglot and linguist of some cunning.
I have written this letter in the hopes of earning the reward you pledged to any who might help you discover the vices which so commonly inspire the actions of men and demi-men the world over. By God, I know of no more vicious tendency than that which is to utter curses and imprecations while angry or under duress -- unless it be to make oaths undertaken lightly or else for mundane matters. So, for your scornful consideration, I have set out those profane utterances that I have heard in pubs and taverns the world over, below:
In Westrun, a man might be heard to say, "Drat" or to call his fellow a "Dolt," or "Clod." If he is particularly malicious towards that same fellow he may refer to him as a "Canker Blossom." To describe a wife or children, or even handiwork as "Poxy" is to say they, or it, are diseased or else unfit. A "Gong Juggler" is one who lies or meddles in things he shouldn't, or is otherwise incompetent. A "Gong Peddler" is a liar and a "Gong Smith" is someone who has taken lying to the level of an artform. The "King's Chair," is a euphemism for something desirable.
Now, the peasants of Westrun are especially gifted at using profanity in rich and varied ways. There is almost no limit to the set of utterances, imprecations and curses that come from the vernacular form of the name of the pagan god, Inoss, such as, "Noss You," or "That is a Nossing fine horse," or "The wagon wheel is Nossed," or "I couldn't Nossing believe my ears." Some of the more skilled users of this word have been known to include it several times in a sentence, switching back and forth between pejorative, expletive, and ecstatic descriptions.
Finally, a man who intends to invoke great trust will say, "God as my witness," or "I swear by God." These utterances are frowned upon in the Canons themselves, though it hardly needs to be pointed out to one such as your Lordship.
In Northrun the worst insult is to refer to a man as a "Skittish Mare" or just a "Mare" or to a lesser degree any other she-animal. To refer to a woman as a "Cold Night's Sleep" is to denigrate her appearance or her ability. The phrase, "Oh the Witch's Womb," or simply "Witches Womb" as a stand alone expression is quite profane and a provocation of the numinous. "By Armsgleme's Axe," or "By the Stones of my Hearth," is a way of making promises one intends to be considered sacred.
In Southrun the imprecations are long and laborious, and the longer and more laborious the better. That said, there are few so-called standard insults. For a people who are prone to exaggeration and hyperbole, the more creative an insult is, the more seriously it is taken. When a man means to compliment or sincerely inquire after another, the man's father is invoked. But, to question a man or insult him, an innocent appeal to his mother will always have a pejorative effect. To inquire after her seemingly politely, by Westrun standards, is bad enough. Letting her be the object of a stream of curses, is the worst it gets. "May the lice of a goat herd find succor upon your mother's hairy bosom," is one such comment I heard in the port city of Sabaha the resulting bloodbath claimed 23 lives and countless maimed before the violence was sated.
In Eastrun the two worst insults levied are, "My horse or your wife," which is generally an unfavorable invitation to intimacy; and "The kala crack your skull," which is often just denoted by knocking ones fist against the forehead in the direction of the persons intended. A profane reference, but one that is generally favorable to the object is to call it the "marrgons horn." That is a euphemistic reference and not to either of the horns of the beast at all. On the other hand, a "margon's egg" is a euphemism for the beasts excrement and is sometimes just referred to as "egg." Expressions with that reference say, "Eggs in your dinner," or "Eggs for your pillow," or "Eggs in your ears."
The Elves are not known for their swift recourse to anger, nor for any particular profanity. Nonetheless, no culture seems immune, for when properly provoked, they will sometimes mutter, Lolths Lips or Lolths Limy Lips. When they are amazed or in awe, or else mean to give some surety of their word, they may be heard to exlaim, "By the ancestral tree."
The Gnomes are a curious lot who are given to craftsmanship and to tools of many sorts. Their favorite imprecations seem to be a slandering of those things. By saying, "Rusty Tools" or "Crook'd Cogs" it is the same as our Drat. When they mean to express awe or suprise they will invoke "Ymur's Hoary Beard" or "Gelf's Gritty Girdle."
Of all peoples I have studied, the Dwarves are a very colorful sort who are often given to exclamations and curses. When I had trouble remembering all those that I had heard and so consulted a Dwarf locally, he made several new ones to repay me for the inconveinance of my request. "Gypsum and Sandstone" is a way of ridiculing something or someone's reliability. While "Ice on the Forge" is a way of cursing something's lack of usefulness or general potency. "Tharm's Stoney Balls" is a sacriligious expression of the highest order which invokes the most ancient of Dwarven ancestors. A much tamer expression is "Clangeddin's Silver Beard" or "Clangeddin's Shiny Pate," which while also referencing an ancestor, has no sacriligious feeling. When a Dwarf means to invoke his highest level of sincerity he will swear saying, "May Mya and the Valkauna bear witness," or just "Valkauna bear witness."
The Halflings are fond of using "Clumbering" to refer to the people they refer to as Big Folk, and by extension, any actions that they find poorly thought out or foolishly executed. Their expression of dismay is an agricultural, "Pickers and thorns." Their expression of surprise is often some version of, "Well if that doesn't dampen my weed," and its correlary, "How does that light your pipe?"
Finally, men who have fought in the campaigns in the Goblin Kingdoms often return using phrases that are translated, "Seed Juggle" and "Drum Beat" in untold combinations. The latter of these is generally favorable while the former is unfavorable. "Seed juggling," or "Seed juggler," or "Juggle on," are the most common forms. For the more positive references, you'll hear, "Drum beating," or "drum beater," or "Beat the drum".
As I wrote, these things have been written with respect to the reward you offered. I can be reached in Laketon for swift resolution of financial matters outstanding. The yellow gaming house on the South Quay has rooms for let and I will spend as much time there as possible to await your letter.
From Heyward of Laketon, traveler, polyglot and linguist of some cunning.
I have written this letter in the hopes of earning the reward you pledged to any who might help you discover the vices which so commonly inspire the actions of men and demi-men the world over. By God, I know of no more vicious tendency than that which is to utter curses and imprecations while angry or under duress -- unless it be to make oaths undertaken lightly or else for mundane matters. So, for your scornful consideration, I have set out those profane utterances that I have heard in pubs and taverns the world over, below:
In Westrun, a man might be heard to say, "Drat" or to call his fellow a "Dolt," or "Clod." If he is particularly malicious towards that same fellow he may refer to him as a "Canker Blossom." To describe a wife or children, or even handiwork as "Poxy" is to say they, or it, are diseased or else unfit. A "Gong Juggler" is one who lies or meddles in things he shouldn't, or is otherwise incompetent. A "Gong Peddler" is a liar and a "Gong Smith" is someone who has taken lying to the level of an artform. The "King's Chair," is a euphemism for something desirable.
Now, the peasants of Westrun are especially gifted at using profanity in rich and varied ways. There is almost no limit to the set of utterances, imprecations and curses that come from the vernacular form of the name of the pagan god, Inoss, such as, "Noss You," or "That is a Nossing fine horse," or "The wagon wheel is Nossed," or "I couldn't Nossing believe my ears." Some of the more skilled users of this word have been known to include it several times in a sentence, switching back and forth between pejorative, expletive, and ecstatic descriptions.
Finally, a man who intends to invoke great trust will say, "God as my witness," or "I swear by God." These utterances are frowned upon in the Canons themselves, though it hardly needs to be pointed out to one such as your Lordship.
In Northrun the worst insult is to refer to a man as a "Skittish Mare" or just a "Mare" or to a lesser degree any other she-animal. To refer to a woman as a "Cold Night's Sleep" is to denigrate her appearance or her ability. The phrase, "Oh the Witch's Womb," or simply "Witches Womb" as a stand alone expression is quite profane and a provocation of the numinous. "By Armsgleme's Axe," or "By the Stones of my Hearth," is a way of making promises one intends to be considered sacred.
In Southrun the imprecations are long and laborious, and the longer and more laborious the better. That said, there are few so-called standard insults. For a people who are prone to exaggeration and hyperbole, the more creative an insult is, the more seriously it is taken. When a man means to compliment or sincerely inquire after another, the man's father is invoked. But, to question a man or insult him, an innocent appeal to his mother will always have a pejorative effect. To inquire after her seemingly politely, by Westrun standards, is bad enough. Letting her be the object of a stream of curses, is the worst it gets. "May the lice of a goat herd find succor upon your mother's hairy bosom," is one such comment I heard in the port city of Sabaha the resulting bloodbath claimed 23 lives and countless maimed before the violence was sated.
In Eastrun the two worst insults levied are, "My horse or your wife," which is generally an unfavorable invitation to intimacy; and "The kala crack your skull," which is often just denoted by knocking ones fist against the forehead in the direction of the persons intended. A profane reference, but one that is generally favorable to the object is to call it the "marrgons horn." That is a euphemistic reference and not to either of the horns of the beast at all. On the other hand, a "margon's egg" is a euphemism for the beasts excrement and is sometimes just referred to as "egg." Expressions with that reference say, "Eggs in your dinner," or "Eggs for your pillow," or "Eggs in your ears."
The Elves are not known for their swift recourse to anger, nor for any particular profanity. Nonetheless, no culture seems immune, for when properly provoked, they will sometimes mutter, Lolths Lips or Lolths Limy Lips. When they are amazed or in awe, or else mean to give some surety of their word, they may be heard to exlaim, "By the ancestral tree."
The Gnomes are a curious lot who are given to craftsmanship and to tools of many sorts. Their favorite imprecations seem to be a slandering of those things. By saying, "Rusty Tools" or "Crook'd Cogs" it is the same as our Drat. When they mean to express awe or suprise they will invoke "Ymur's Hoary Beard" or "Gelf's Gritty Girdle."
Of all peoples I have studied, the Dwarves are a very colorful sort who are often given to exclamations and curses. When I had trouble remembering all those that I had heard and so consulted a Dwarf locally, he made several new ones to repay me for the inconveinance of my request. "Gypsum and Sandstone" is a way of ridiculing something or someone's reliability. While "Ice on the Forge" is a way of cursing something's lack of usefulness or general potency. "Tharm's Stoney Balls" is a sacriligious expression of the highest order which invokes the most ancient of Dwarven ancestors. A much tamer expression is "Clangeddin's Silver Beard" or "Clangeddin's Shiny Pate," which while also referencing an ancestor, has no sacriligious feeling. When a Dwarf means to invoke his highest level of sincerity he will swear saying, "May Mya and the Valkauna bear witness," or just "Valkauna bear witness."
The Halflings are fond of using "Clumbering" to refer to the people they refer to as Big Folk, and by extension, any actions that they find poorly thought out or foolishly executed. Their expression of dismay is an agricultural, "Pickers and thorns." Their expression of surprise is often some version of, "Well if that doesn't dampen my weed," and its correlary, "How does that light your pipe?"
Finally, men who have fought in the campaigns in the Goblin Kingdoms often return using phrases that are translated, "Seed Juggle" and "Drum Beat" in untold combinations. The latter of these is generally favorable while the former is unfavorable. "Seed juggling," or "Seed juggler," or "Juggle on," are the most common forms. For the more positive references, you'll hear, "Drum beating," or "drum beater," or "Beat the drum".
As I wrote, these things have been written with respect to the reward you offered. I can be reached in Laketon for swift resolution of financial matters outstanding. The yellow gaming house on the South Quay has rooms for let and I will spend as much time there as possible to await your letter.
A Survey of the Eastern Bandit Kingdoms
To His Royal Sovereign, Kind Brathus of Menea
From Cheedle, his servant and accountant
I have completed my journey across the Narrow Sea and made my way across the Ramparts to the vast steppes which lay beyond. I have spent six summers here in this place and while I have come no closer to finding your missing money, I have many answers to the questions you asked so quickly when I was your accountant. You will recall that it was your firm wish that I determine the point at which "seventy two gold bars was rendered into mere dust." I have not found that point and do not believe it exists.
Contrary to your misapprehension of this land, there is no monolithic merchant or bandit kingdom here. The traders of this land do not journey vast distances, as we are used to in Westrun. Rather goods are moved in much smaller increments and over much shorter distances under the "protection" of various Warlords who each charge a mark up for the safe passage of goods through their area of influence. By the time 72 gold bars of material reaches the opposite end of the continent, it may only realize 35 gold bars in buying power. Then, the return trip may be equally as costly.
Just as there is no particular bandit in charge, it is equally a mistake to call this place, Shu. For I have learned that Shu is but one massive metropolis in the river valley that shares that name. I haven't been there, as unlicensed visitors are treated to death, but I have looked down upon its walls and seen it first hand. I can attest that it is considerably more massive than Menea and even several times larger than Peakshadow. If I were to set out across Shu at daybreak on the first day, I might not reach the opposite wall before noon on the third. That is no exaggeration.
Shu is ruled by a woman who styles herself an Empress and while she controls much of what happens in and around the metropolis, the vast swaths of land between her Empire and the two others which occupy this continent is settled by a never ending contest among nomadic tribesmen.
The tribesmen are a vast nomadic society which is divided into competing tribes of warriors numbering between 50 to 1000 males and perhaps twice that number in women and children. Each tribe will have three times that number in horses -- which are held in almost as great esteem as the women and children.
Generally, a tribe is made up of a group of males with some common familial bond, but the tribesmen also have a method by which proven warriors are sometimes brought into a tribe as Andari, or blood-brothers. Each tribe is made up of two types of members, those that fight or hunt; and those who raise infants and make homes. The former are called the Batari, the later Ordari.
The tribesmen rely on animal husbandry to survive, but also subsist by frequent raids and extortion of the city/states to live above the sustenance level. Because of their ferocity, they are feared across the continent. Their mobility makes them extremely difficult to defeat militarily. In very lean times they have even been known to cross the Pillars of Heaven a.k.a Ramparts and raid the Provinces of Westrun. To be spared this indignity, the Provincial Governors all pay quiet tribute in much the same manner that the Empress and the other two Emperors do.
The tribesmen have a peculiar use of horse and archery that has made them at times seem invincible to larger, more stationary armies. Under particularly gifted Wangs, or warlords, they have been capable of humbling opponents many times their numbers. From time immemorial the tribes have wandered across the Steppes of Eastrun which they call the Grass Sea. As a vast flatland of thick turf and few trees the Steppes support herding and animal husbandry, but little in the way of permanent agricultural settlements. The noteworthy exceptions are the three major river valleys of which Shu is but one. The others are called, Miyabe and Chiro.
Like the men of Balduren in our own land, the men of the Steppes are said to be born in the saddle. While this is very likely untrue, it is nonetheless an accurate description of their riding prowess and the reliance on the horse that is peculiar to their culture and to their land. The Daizu drink the milk of the mares and eat the meat of the animal. They burn its dung for cookfires, use its hair and sinew for bowstrings, and harvest its skin for their clothing and shelter. The saying, "A man without a horse is like a bird without wings," is a famous proverb among the barbarian.
The tribesmen do not ride in saddles, but upon thick blankets. It is the mark of a warrior to remain astride a mount and those that are unable due to injury or illness are considered a liability to the whole tribe. It is not uncommon for a warrior to keep two or three mounts for his personal use, riding one until it is tired and swapping out a fresh mount tethered to his first for that purpose. In this way, they are able to cover long distances, sometimes as much as 100 or 125 miles in a single day's ride.
Riding is everything to this people. A tribesman is expected to remain in the Batari, raiding and going to war until his 60th Summer. Beyond that, he can remain among the Ordari as an honored veteran until he is unable to sit astride a horse, hunt for the tribe, or able to see to his own care. When his infirmity reaches that point, he will be left behind as the tribe moves on. His body will become meat for the wolves and other creatures of the plains.
Widows
As for their religious beleifs, the tribes seem to have little. There is a wonderful treatise on this matter I found in the library of Old Cambris. I recommend it highly. The Four Winds of Eastrun was my first foray into this land.
The tribesmen live in tents of horsehide called Gerg. They are round and thick, excellent for warding off rain and wind. Considered cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter. As many as two dozen people will sometimes occupy a single Gerg. Livestock is always left to the elements.
The women and horses of the nomads are considered non-combatants and may be taken as spoils of war, but it is considered a grave affront to Heaven to kill either unnecessarily. So assiduously are these strictures followed, that the women and spare horses of a tribe are often left unguarded while the Batari goes hunting or on a raid. This does result in them sometimes being carried off, but as they are given a place within their new tribes they may even sometimes cooperate with their captors to better their position in life. Men are seldom made captives. They are often put to the sword unless they have shown themselves worthy of adoption into the tribe.
I recall that you expressed some interest in the livestock of Eastrun. Outside of the cities, there is none, save that of the horse. The Steppe horse is much shorter than those steeds of Westrun. Standing about 12 to 13 hands, it is a short-legged creature with a large head and a great shaggy coat. This breed of horse is never shoed, nor fed, but always forced to graze on its own. As a consequence they are a hardy breed that need little in terms of care and upkeep.
The other beast which still provides meat and fur is greatly diminished in all but the Northern extremes of the land. The so-called Margon is a giant four-legged beast with a great trunk and massive horns. Shaggy as the horses and possessed of some intelligence, these beasts travel in long migrations from one end of the continent to the other, often Summering above the ice shelf and only coming down on the plains in the cool of the Winter. Every hunter dreams of being in on the kill of a Margon and considers it a life goal, but once a kill is made, the tribes generally consider it a foul taboo to follow the herd. The entirety of the animal will be consumed, its various parts will be dispersed among the needy of the tribe with the horns being turned into bows and blades for particular heroes and their respected Wangs.
Despite the differences between the city dwellers and the barbarians, they are of the same racial stock. According to them, the city dwellers are said to be the offspring of the mightiest warlord. Wang Jen Shu united all of the tribes under a single banner and proclaimed himself emperor. His name is unknown, as far as I have been able to determine among the tribesmen, however. The nomads I have spoken to are nonetheless entertained by the notion that one of their numbers created the civilized men.
As for the civilized Eastruner, their city/states are said to be named for Jen Shu's three favorite concubines. They were settled in the river valleys now called Shu, Miyabe and Chiro and around these rich agricultural prizes the great civilizations of Eastrun took strong root. The division between nomadic Eastrun and civilized Eastrun has been pronounced every since, with the city dwellers referring to their counterparts as Daizu -- the Barbarians. The Daizu referring to the city dwellers as the Nansow... the Feeble Men.
There is more I have to share, but it will await my return. As it is the supplies of paper are scarce and very expensive. I traded a good mare for this piece of parchment and another for its safe passage to the Provinces, where I hope it will make its way to your shipping interests. I will write again when I am able.
From Cheedle, his servant and accountant
I have completed my journey across the Narrow Sea and made my way across the Ramparts to the vast steppes which lay beyond. I have spent six summers here in this place and while I have come no closer to finding your missing money, I have many answers to the questions you asked so quickly when I was your accountant. You will recall that it was your firm wish that I determine the point at which "seventy two gold bars was rendered into mere dust." I have not found that point and do not believe it exists.
Contrary to your misapprehension of this land, there is no monolithic merchant or bandit kingdom here. The traders of this land do not journey vast distances, as we are used to in Westrun. Rather goods are moved in much smaller increments and over much shorter distances under the "protection" of various Warlords who each charge a mark up for the safe passage of goods through their area of influence. By the time 72 gold bars of material reaches the opposite end of the continent, it may only realize 35 gold bars in buying power. Then, the return trip may be equally as costly.
Just as there is no particular bandit in charge, it is equally a mistake to call this place, Shu. For I have learned that Shu is but one massive metropolis in the river valley that shares that name. I haven't been there, as unlicensed visitors are treated to death, but I have looked down upon its walls and seen it first hand. I can attest that it is considerably more massive than Menea and even several times larger than Peakshadow. If I were to set out across Shu at daybreak on the first day, I might not reach the opposite wall before noon on the third. That is no exaggeration.
Shu is ruled by a woman who styles herself an Empress and while she controls much of what happens in and around the metropolis, the vast swaths of land between her Empire and the two others which occupy this continent is settled by a never ending contest among nomadic tribesmen.
The tribesmen are a vast nomadic society which is divided into competing tribes of warriors numbering between 50 to 1000 males and perhaps twice that number in women and children. Each tribe will have three times that number in horses -- which are held in almost as great esteem as the women and children.
Generally, a tribe is made up of a group of males with some common familial bond, but the tribesmen also have a method by which proven warriors are sometimes brought into a tribe as Andari, or blood-brothers. Each tribe is made up of two types of members, those that fight or hunt; and those who raise infants and make homes. The former are called the Batari, the later Ordari.
The tribesmen rely on animal husbandry to survive, but also subsist by frequent raids and extortion of the city/states to live above the sustenance level. Because of their ferocity, they are feared across the continent. Their mobility makes them extremely difficult to defeat militarily. In very lean times they have even been known to cross the Pillars of Heaven a.k.a Ramparts and raid the Provinces of Westrun. To be spared this indignity, the Provincial Governors all pay quiet tribute in much the same manner that the Empress and the other two Emperors do.
The tribesmen have a peculiar use of horse and archery that has made them at times seem invincible to larger, more stationary armies. Under particularly gifted Wangs, or warlords, they have been capable of humbling opponents many times their numbers. From time immemorial the tribes have wandered across the Steppes of Eastrun which they call the Grass Sea. As a vast flatland of thick turf and few trees the Steppes support herding and animal husbandry, but little in the way of permanent agricultural settlements. The noteworthy exceptions are the three major river valleys of which Shu is but one. The others are called, Miyabe and Chiro.
Like the men of Balduren in our own land, the men of the Steppes are said to be born in the saddle. While this is very likely untrue, it is nonetheless an accurate description of their riding prowess and the reliance on the horse that is peculiar to their culture and to their land. The Daizu drink the milk of the mares and eat the meat of the animal. They burn its dung for cookfires, use its hair and sinew for bowstrings, and harvest its skin for their clothing and shelter. The saying, "A man without a horse is like a bird without wings," is a famous proverb among the barbarian.
The tribesmen do not ride in saddles, but upon thick blankets. It is the mark of a warrior to remain astride a mount and those that are unable due to injury or illness are considered a liability to the whole tribe. It is not uncommon for a warrior to keep two or three mounts for his personal use, riding one until it is tired and swapping out a fresh mount tethered to his first for that purpose. In this way, they are able to cover long distances, sometimes as much as 100 or 125 miles in a single day's ride.
Riding is everything to this people. A tribesman is expected to remain in the Batari, raiding and going to war until his 60th Summer. Beyond that, he can remain among the Ordari as an honored veteran until he is unable to sit astride a horse, hunt for the tribe, or able to see to his own care. When his infirmity reaches that point, he will be left behind as the tribe moves on. His body will become meat for the wolves and other creatures of the plains.
Widows
As for their religious beleifs, the tribes seem to have little. There is a wonderful treatise on this matter I found in the library of Old Cambris. I recommend it highly. The Four Winds of Eastrun was my first foray into this land.
The tribesmen live in tents of horsehide called Gerg. They are round and thick, excellent for warding off rain and wind. Considered cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter. As many as two dozen people will sometimes occupy a single Gerg. Livestock is always left to the elements.
The women and horses of the nomads are considered non-combatants and may be taken as spoils of war, but it is considered a grave affront to Heaven to kill either unnecessarily. So assiduously are these strictures followed, that the women and spare horses of a tribe are often left unguarded while the Batari goes hunting or on a raid. This does result in them sometimes being carried off, but as they are given a place within their new tribes they may even sometimes cooperate with their captors to better their position in life. Men are seldom made captives. They are often put to the sword unless they have shown themselves worthy of adoption into the tribe.
I recall that you expressed some interest in the livestock of Eastrun. Outside of the cities, there is none, save that of the horse. The Steppe horse is much shorter than those steeds of Westrun. Standing about 12 to 13 hands, it is a short-legged creature with a large head and a great shaggy coat. This breed of horse is never shoed, nor fed, but always forced to graze on its own. As a consequence they are a hardy breed that need little in terms of care and upkeep.
The other beast which still provides meat and fur is greatly diminished in all but the Northern extremes of the land. The so-called Margon is a giant four-legged beast with a great trunk and massive horns. Shaggy as the horses and possessed of some intelligence, these beasts travel in long migrations from one end of the continent to the other, often Summering above the ice shelf and only coming down on the plains in the cool of the Winter. Every hunter dreams of being in on the kill of a Margon and considers it a life goal, but once a kill is made, the tribes generally consider it a foul taboo to follow the herd. The entirety of the animal will be consumed, its various parts will be dispersed among the needy of the tribe with the horns being turned into bows and blades for particular heroes and their respected Wangs.
Despite the differences between the city dwellers and the barbarians, they are of the same racial stock. According to them, the city dwellers are said to be the offspring of the mightiest warlord. Wang Jen Shu united all of the tribes under a single banner and proclaimed himself emperor. His name is unknown, as far as I have been able to determine among the tribesmen, however. The nomads I have spoken to are nonetheless entertained by the notion that one of their numbers created the civilized men.
As for the civilized Eastruner, their city/states are said to be named for Jen Shu's three favorite concubines. They were settled in the river valleys now called Shu, Miyabe and Chiro and around these rich agricultural prizes the great civilizations of Eastrun took strong root. The division between nomadic Eastrun and civilized Eastrun has been pronounced every since, with the city dwellers referring to their counterparts as Daizu -- the Barbarians. The Daizu referring to the city dwellers as the Nansow... the Feeble Men.
There is more I have to share, but it will await my return. As it is the supplies of paper are scarce and very expensive. I traded a good mare for this piece of parchment and another for its safe passage to the Provinces, where I hope it will make its way to your shipping interests. I will write again when I am able.
The Way of a Dwarf with his Mate
To the Grand Druid from the speeches of Ulivar Ironsmith, Curate of Festog.
My most Neutral of Lords and fellow Hierophants in attendance, at this third session of the council you seek the answer to the question of the Dwarven female and I find it hard to believe at this late date and hour that you need to be spoken to regarding this most elementary of issues. Having heard some of the more ridiculous theories among the Hierophants I am prompted to disabuse you of the falsehoods which imprison your thinking.
It is well known by our people, but seldom acknowledged that the god Moradin Molgolnahr, foresaw how having females would distract his people, the Dwarves, from the hard work he demanded of them. So he decreed that his children would be males and males only, and so it remained this way until after the crowning of Clangeddin Silverbeard as the Regn of Regns under the Great Petition.
Clangeddin became a Dwarf of great stature and a hero to his people, but he was also a monarch loved by the other races. His kingdom spread over all Erenth. Safety and justice were his watchwords. Peace and prosperity were his aims. In time, a spirit of the ancient world was taken by his accomplishments and greatly impressed. She became his companion and consort, though she was not seen by any except Clangeddin. She was called Mya. She offered him advice and comfort and respite from his labors, but she was also his inspiration and the passion of his labors.
Now Clangeddin was so favorably disposed toward Mya; and Moradin the Lord was so greatly impressed with the effect she had on his labors, that Moradin allowed her and her kind to occupy Arvanaith forever, ever welcoming the arrival of their beloved fallen Dwarves. There they are called the Valkauna, or Witnesses in Waiting, who choose their spouses from among the greatest of Dwarves.
To this very day Dwarves belong to the face of Erenth and toil upon it, while the female spirits admire them for their accomplishments, but remain ever invisible. In Arvanaith the Valkauna are safe from the ravages of war, disease, famine and pestilence. They may become corporeal (but never visible) and only with respect to the bodies of their chosen mates. Note that it is the Valkauna who do the chosing and only when the Dwarves are deemed worthy (rarely before age 50). Once Dwarves are selected, they are powerless to refuse, though most try for at least some time... more on that later.
Yes, Dwarves are bound for life to theValkauna. No, they do not suffer the frailties of infidelity or of promiscuity. But, owing perhaps to the invisibility and unavailability of their future spirit consorts, plus a general ignorance among young males about the nature of these things, I acknowledge that unmated male Dwarves can often develop a powerful fascination for elven females. Even if it continues later in life, this fascination is vehemently denied except among the most trusted company. Now, other females, especially human females, are much less impressive to the Dwarf, as they are often considered too hagard, too childish, too willful and/or too lazy to be attractive. It is my opinion that the attraction to female elves is in some way also magnified by the racial animosity that exists between Dwarves and Elves generally.
Yes, it is well known that some of the seedier shops in the human city of Peakshadow have reported a steady demand for crude charcoal-on-parchment drawings of scantily clad elf maidens. Yes, the buyers are nearly always Dwarves. It is a matter of some shame to the Dwarven people, though perfectly understandable. Like much concerning females generally, the topic is never considered in polite company.
As near as we can tell the Valkauna are willing produce offspring only once every few years, but they will do this until their chosen Dwarf mate either joins them in Arvanaith, the hereafter, or else enters his dottage. A common number of sons for a Dwarf to aspire to is seven. One who achieves such a feat is considered complete or finished and will seldom have another except to attempt to replace those lost before his death. A Dwarf with seven sons is considered to have made a great achievement in that fact alone and the Festival of the Seventh is widely attended by relatives near and far. Feasting and merriment will last for days.
Like all the demi-humans, the Dwarf must be returned to his Hallowed Place or Arvanaith in order to join all of his ancestors in the spiritual realm. There he will also behold his mate for the first time, she and her sister Valkauna will welcome him home and have a banquet in his honor. They will dwell together in the spirit realm for all eternity.
The Valkauna call this the Homecoming and await it with joyful expectation and attend it with great celebration. The Dwarf men are understandably more nervous about the idea of the whole affair. They usually only come to fully accept its inevitability in the last year of the natural lives -- as they themselves become progressively insubstantial and make the final pilgrimage to Arvanaith. Note that like all the demihumans, it is a great tragedy when Dwarves die and are not returned to their Hallowed Place as most believe that their souls will be consigned to wander the face of Erenth forever. In this case, the Valkauna are considered widows and their lives have come to the saddest possible end -- an eternity separated from the one they have chosen.
It has been rightly said that Dwarves are dour and taciturn by nature. They don't talk about their feelings, except for the overwhelming ones like anger, pride and merriment (though never silliness). Moreover, they live in all-male cultures and have little use for admitting the softer sides of their personalities. Hard work, combat, fortitude, and manliness are the norm. Aside from the Valkauna, they have no real contact with the softer, finer, effeminate portion of the universe (except for whatever contact they have with other races). This is mitigated somewhat in we Curates, who have a greater understanding of the world and a less rigid view as we tend towards nuetrality.
The Dwarves do an especially poor job of explaining procreation to their children. The Binding is a taboo subject for them and is only undertaken in hushed tones, if ever. Only in the most extreme cases, will it be explained and usually by a Curate. The general result of so much secrecy can tend toward temporary terror on the part of the Dwarf when first chosen by his Valkauna.
During The Binding, the Valkauna approaches a Dwarf first as a soft voice. Many are quite convinced they are experiencing hallucinations or hauntings and some question their own sanity. They will often ignore the voice that they hear and practice a level of denial that only the most intractable personalities can ever muster. Eventually the voice give rise to slight, but ever increasing, physical contact as the Valkauna explains her intentions.
When this happens males are often prone to fits of rage, embarrasment and fear. Some have been known to flee for days before dropping from exhaustion. After that first encounter, Dwarves finally relax and resign themselves to their fates. Thereafter they learn to take comfort in a constant companion, voice of encouragement and ever present witness of their achievements.
Dwarven offspring are always Dwarves. From his birth a youngling he will remain among the Valkauna until he is about 8 years old. He will observe his father during this maturing time and come to know the way of his people. On his day of Becoming, the youngling will appear to his father and naturally fall in alongside his father's labors, working as an apprentice with his brothers, if any. As a result of this, Dwarves are especially loyal to their fathers. They usually revere them with something approaching hero worship and can become terribly unhinged by the dishonorable actions of their sires. Despite this near deification of their fathers, each Dwarf is desperate to proven himself and is driven toward making his own name in the world.
For their part, after selecting a mate, the Valkauna will remain by his side and become blindly devoted to him for his entire life. She has no interest in the rest of the world except as it impacts her mate. She will sometimes communicate with her chosen mate, whispering encouraging and soothing words. She may listen compassionately to his complaints or compliment him on his accomplishments. All the while she will be spurring him on to greater and greater things. This exchange often has the appearance to outsiders (and the unmated) as the habit of older Dwarves muttering to themselves.
Over the span of their lives, Dwarves grow to love and rely on their consorts and to long for their company, while still somewhat fearful of the end that must bring them together. Though, many Dwarves dying of natural deaths and especially those in the height of battle are observed leaving this world joyously. It is said that a chorus of Valkauna sing great chants to welcome their Homecoming. Many Dwarves have obviously heard it before being taken in battle.
Above all, it is very important to remember is that Dwarves consider the Valkauna their greatest treasures. It is not only rude and vulgar to discuss them but approaches sacrilege, as well. Dwarves will rarely talk about their mates, or of the subject of mating, or even of females generally. They seldom do this with their sons, much less with unrelated Dwarves. They most certainly would NEVER speak on the subject with non-Dwarves.
My most Neutral of Lords and fellow Hierophants in attendance, at this third session of the council you seek the answer to the question of the Dwarven female and I find it hard to believe at this late date and hour that you need to be spoken to regarding this most elementary of issues. Having heard some of the more ridiculous theories among the Hierophants I am prompted to disabuse you of the falsehoods which imprison your thinking.
It is well known by our people, but seldom acknowledged that the god Moradin Molgolnahr, foresaw how having females would distract his people, the Dwarves, from the hard work he demanded of them. So he decreed that his children would be males and males only, and so it remained this way until after the crowning of Clangeddin Silverbeard as the Regn of Regns under the Great Petition.
Clangeddin became a Dwarf of great stature and a hero to his people, but he was also a monarch loved by the other races. His kingdom spread over all Erenth. Safety and justice were his watchwords. Peace and prosperity were his aims. In time, a spirit of the ancient world was taken by his accomplishments and greatly impressed. She became his companion and consort, though she was not seen by any except Clangeddin. She was called Mya. She offered him advice and comfort and respite from his labors, but she was also his inspiration and the passion of his labors.
Now Clangeddin was so favorably disposed toward Mya; and Moradin the Lord was so greatly impressed with the effect she had on his labors, that Moradin allowed her and her kind to occupy Arvanaith forever, ever welcoming the arrival of their beloved fallen Dwarves. There they are called the Valkauna, or Witnesses in Waiting, who choose their spouses from among the greatest of Dwarves.
To this very day Dwarves belong to the face of Erenth and toil upon it, while the female spirits admire them for their accomplishments, but remain ever invisible. In Arvanaith the Valkauna are safe from the ravages of war, disease, famine and pestilence. They may become corporeal (but never visible) and only with respect to the bodies of their chosen mates. Note that it is the Valkauna who do the chosing and only when the Dwarves are deemed worthy (rarely before age 50). Once Dwarves are selected, they are powerless to refuse, though most try for at least some time... more on that later.
Yes, Dwarves are bound for life to theValkauna. No, they do not suffer the frailties of infidelity or of promiscuity. But, owing perhaps to the invisibility and unavailability of their future spirit consorts, plus a general ignorance among young males about the nature of these things, I acknowledge that unmated male Dwarves can often develop a powerful fascination for elven females. Even if it continues later in life, this fascination is vehemently denied except among the most trusted company. Now, other females, especially human females, are much less impressive to the Dwarf, as they are often considered too hagard, too childish, too willful and/or too lazy to be attractive. It is my opinion that the attraction to female elves is in some way also magnified by the racial animosity that exists between Dwarves and Elves generally.
Yes, it is well known that some of the seedier shops in the human city of Peakshadow have reported a steady demand for crude charcoal-on-parchment drawings of scantily clad elf maidens. Yes, the buyers are nearly always Dwarves. It is a matter of some shame to the Dwarven people, though perfectly understandable. Like much concerning females generally, the topic is never considered in polite company.
As near as we can tell the Valkauna are willing produce offspring only once every few years, but they will do this until their chosen Dwarf mate either joins them in Arvanaith, the hereafter, or else enters his dottage. A common number of sons for a Dwarf to aspire to is seven. One who achieves such a feat is considered complete or finished and will seldom have another except to attempt to replace those lost before his death. A Dwarf with seven sons is considered to have made a great achievement in that fact alone and the Festival of the Seventh is widely attended by relatives near and far. Feasting and merriment will last for days.
Like all the demi-humans, the Dwarf must be returned to his Hallowed Place or Arvanaith in order to join all of his ancestors in the spiritual realm. There he will also behold his mate for the first time, she and her sister Valkauna will welcome him home and have a banquet in his honor. They will dwell together in the spirit realm for all eternity.
The Valkauna call this the Homecoming and await it with joyful expectation and attend it with great celebration. The Dwarf men are understandably more nervous about the idea of the whole affair. They usually only come to fully accept its inevitability in the last year of the natural lives -- as they themselves become progressively insubstantial and make the final pilgrimage to Arvanaith. Note that like all the demihumans, it is a great tragedy when Dwarves die and are not returned to their Hallowed Place as most believe that their souls will be consigned to wander the face of Erenth forever. In this case, the Valkauna are considered widows and their lives have come to the saddest possible end -- an eternity separated from the one they have chosen.
It has been rightly said that Dwarves are dour and taciturn by nature. They don't talk about their feelings, except for the overwhelming ones like anger, pride and merriment (though never silliness). Moreover, they live in all-male cultures and have little use for admitting the softer sides of their personalities. Hard work, combat, fortitude, and manliness are the norm. Aside from the Valkauna, they have no real contact with the softer, finer, effeminate portion of the universe (except for whatever contact they have with other races). This is mitigated somewhat in we Curates, who have a greater understanding of the world and a less rigid view as we tend towards nuetrality.
The Dwarves do an especially poor job of explaining procreation to their children. The Binding is a taboo subject for them and is only undertaken in hushed tones, if ever. Only in the most extreme cases, will it be explained and usually by a Curate. The general result of so much secrecy can tend toward temporary terror on the part of the Dwarf when first chosen by his Valkauna.
During The Binding, the Valkauna approaches a Dwarf first as a soft voice. Many are quite convinced they are experiencing hallucinations or hauntings and some question their own sanity. They will often ignore the voice that they hear and practice a level of denial that only the most intractable personalities can ever muster. Eventually the voice give rise to slight, but ever increasing, physical contact as the Valkauna explains her intentions.
When this happens males are often prone to fits of rage, embarrasment and fear. Some have been known to flee for days before dropping from exhaustion. After that first encounter, Dwarves finally relax and resign themselves to their fates. Thereafter they learn to take comfort in a constant companion, voice of encouragement and ever present witness of their achievements.
Dwarven offspring are always Dwarves. From his birth a youngling he will remain among the Valkauna until he is about 8 years old. He will observe his father during this maturing time and come to know the way of his people. On his day of Becoming, the youngling will appear to his father and naturally fall in alongside his father's labors, working as an apprentice with his brothers, if any. As a result of this, Dwarves are especially loyal to their fathers. They usually revere them with something approaching hero worship and can become terribly unhinged by the dishonorable actions of their sires. Despite this near deification of their fathers, each Dwarf is desperate to proven himself and is driven toward making his own name in the world.
For their part, after selecting a mate, the Valkauna will remain by his side and become blindly devoted to him for his entire life. She has no interest in the rest of the world except as it impacts her mate. She will sometimes communicate with her chosen mate, whispering encouraging and soothing words. She may listen compassionately to his complaints or compliment him on his accomplishments. All the while she will be spurring him on to greater and greater things. This exchange often has the appearance to outsiders (and the unmated) as the habit of older Dwarves muttering to themselves.
Over the span of their lives, Dwarves grow to love and rely on their consorts and to long for their company, while still somewhat fearful of the end that must bring them together. Though, many Dwarves dying of natural deaths and especially those in the height of battle are observed leaving this world joyously. It is said that a chorus of Valkauna sing great chants to welcome their Homecoming. Many Dwarves have obviously heard it before being taken in battle.
Above all, it is very important to remember is that Dwarves consider the Valkauna their greatest treasures. It is not only rude and vulgar to discuss them but approaches sacrilege, as well. Dwarves will rarely talk about their mates, or of the subject of mating, or even of females generally. They seldom do this with their sons, much less with unrelated Dwarves. They most certainly would NEVER speak on the subject with non-Dwarves.
On the Vices of Many Races
To His Royal Majesty, King Mynus of Sakland, Magister and Scholar, Seeker of Knowledge
From Tindol of Laketon, sage and guilded member of the Bards and Bandsmen House #7
My lord, you have requested information on the social ills which plague the many peoples of Erenth. As I am well-traveled and practiced in many forms of entertainment, I thought to give you what I knew of the ways that men will wile away their time in various games of skill and chance.
Westrun
From Tindol of Laketon, sage and guilded member of the Bards and Bandsmen House #7
My lord, you have requested information on the social ills which plague the many peoples of Erenth. As I am well-traveled and practiced in many forms of entertainment, I thought to give you what I knew of the ways that men will wile away their time in various games of skill and chance.
Westrun
As you know, the people of Westrun are fond of two games: Checks and Draughts. Both are two player games using tokens of two colors. The tokens are flat and round and usually colored white and black.
The game board is a subdivided square of alternating smaller dark and light colored smaller squares number 64.
Each player starts with 12 pieces of their own color. The row closest to each player is called the "King Row". The black moves first.
In Checks, a player places all of his pieces alternating with his opponent. A player cannot move a piece once it is played, and it must be played on the whtie player's King's Row, if possible. If that column is occupied than the piece is played in the first vacancy closest to King's Row. When a column is filled, no more playing is possible there.
The Game is over when either player has arranged his pieces so that there are four in a row, either diagnolly, vertically or horizontally. If nobody has four in a row, the game is a draw.
In Draughts, a player places all 12 of his pieces on the dark colored squares closest to the his King's Row. Thereafter, a player can move in two ways. A piece can be moved forward, diagonally, to the very next dark square. A piece can also jump over an opponents piece to remove it from the board, provided there is clear space on the other side of the opponents piece to land. A player can also use one piece to make multiple jumps in any one single turn, provided each jump continues to lead immediately into the next jump and in a straight line.
If a player's piece moves into the King Row on the other player's side, it becomes a king. It can move forward and backward. A king cannot jump out of the King Row until the next turn. Unlike Regular pieces, Kings can "jump" various empty boxes at a time to capture a regular piece. These "King Jumps" may only occur in diagnoally alligned boxes. Neither Kings nor regular pieces may move in any direction that is not diagonal.Northrun
The first player who cannot move loses. So if a player loses all of his pieces, he loses the game. And if he cannot move, he loses (even if he has pieces). A player may also resign (choose to lose). If nobody can lose, the game is a draw.
The Men of the North have a game called Mill. This uses draughts as our games of Westrun, but the rules are a bit more complicated. The board consists of a grid with twenty-four interesections or points. Each player only has nine pieces. Players try to form 'mills'— three of their own men lined horizontally or vertically—allowing a player to remove an opponent's man from the game.Eastrun
The game begins with an empty board. The players determine who plays first, then take turns placing their men one per play on empty points. If a player is able to place three of his pieces in a straight line, vertically or horizontally, he has formed a mill and may remove one of his opponent's pieces from the board and the game. Any piece can be chosen for the removal, but a piece not in an opponent's mill must be selected, if possible. Once all pieces have been placed, the second part begins.
In the second part, players continue to alternate moves, this time moving a man to an adjacent point. A piece may not "jump" another piece. Players continue to try and form mills, and remove their opponent's pieces in the same manner as in phase one. A player may "break" a mill by moving one of his pieces out of an existing mill, then moving the piece back to form the same mill a second time, or any number of times; and each time removing one of his opponent's men. The act of removing an opponent's man is sometimes called "pounding" the opponent. When one player has been reduced to three men, the third part begins.
In the third part, there is no longer a limitation of moving to only adjacent points: The player's men may jump from any point to any vacant point on the board. A player wins by reducing the opponent to two pieces, or by leaving him without a legal move.
The Eastrun version of draughts, is called Tiles and begins with the same board and pieces though many more are used.
The first two moves by each player are in the 4 central squares of the board. The players place their pieces alternately. The dark player makes the first move.
Upon his third move, dark must then place a piece such that there exists at least one straight (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) occupied line between the new piece and another dark piece, with one or more contiguous light pieces between them. After placing the piece, dark captures and replaces all light pieces lying on a straight line between the new piece and any anchoring dark pieces.Southrun
Now light plays. This player operates under the same rules, with the roles reversed: light lays down a light piece, capturing one or more dark pieces. Players take alternate turns. If one player cannot make a valid move, play passes back to the other player. When neither player can move, the game ends. This occurs when the grid has filled up or when neither player can legally place a piece in any of the remaining squares. The player with the most pieces on the board at the end of the game wins.
The men of the South play a game called Twelve Lines.
The objective is to remove (bear off) all of one's own draughts, from the board before one's opponent can do the same. The draughts are scattered at first and may be blocked or hit by the opponent. As the playing time for each individual game is short, it is often played in matches, where victory is awarded to the first player to reach a certain number of points.Dwarf Realms
Each side of the board has a track of 12 long spaces, called triangles. The triangles are considered to be connected across one edge of the board, forming a continuous track in the shape of a horseshoe, and are numbered from 1 to 24. Players begin with two draughts on their 24-triangle, three draughts on their 8-triangle, and five draughts each on their 13-triangle and their 6-triangle. The two players move their draughts in opposing directions, from the 24-triangle towards the 1-triangle.
Triangles 1 through 6 are called the home board or inner board, and triangles 7 through 12 are called the outer board. The 7-triangle is referred to as the bar triangle, and the 13-triangle as the midtriangle.
To start the game, each player rolls one die, and the player with the higher number moves first using both the numbers shown. If the players roll the same number, they must roll again as the first move can not be a doublet. Both dice must land completely flat on the right hand side of the gameboard. The players then alternate turns, rolling two dice at the beginning of each turn.
After rolling the dice players must, if possible, move their draughts according to the number of pips shown on each die. For example, if the player rolls a 6 and a 3 (notated as "6-3"), that player must move one draught six triangles forward, and another or the same draught three triangles forward. The same draught may be moved twice as long as the two moves are distinct: six and then three, or three and then six. If a player rolls two of the same number, called doubles, that player must play each die twice. For example, upon rolling a 5-5 that player may move up to four separate draughts forward five spaces each.
For any roll, if a player can move both dice, that player is compelled to do so. If players cannot move either die in a roll, given the position of their draughts, then that turn is over and the turn passes to the opponent. If either one die or the other but not both can be moved, the higher must be used. When removing draughts from the board ("bearing off"), the exact roll must be used unless a die is greater than any draught can use to bear off; in that case the die is played by taking a draught from the highest-numbered triangle off the board. If one die is unable to be moved, but such a move is made possible by the moving of the other die, that move is compulsory.
In the course of a move, a draught may land on any triangle that is unoccupied or is occupied only by a player's own draughts. It may also land on a triangle occupied by exactly one opposing draught, or "blot". In this case, the blot has been hit, and is placed in the middle of the board on the bar that divides the two sides of the playing surface. A draught may never land on a triangle occupied by two or more opposing draughts; thus, no triangle is ever occupied by draughts from both players simultaneously.
Draughts placed on the bar re-enter the game through the opponent's home board. A roll of 2 allows the draught to enter on the 23-triangle, a roll of 3 on the 22-triangle, and so forth. A player may not move any other draughts until all draughts on the bar belonging to that player have re-entered the game.
When all of a player's draughts are in that player's home board, that player may start removing them; this is called bearing off. A roll of 1 may be used to bear off a draught from the 1-triangle, a 2 from the 2-triangle, and so on. A die may not be used to bear off draughts from a lower-numbered triangle unless there are no draughts on any higher triangles.
If one player has not borne off any draughts by the time that player's opponent has borne off all fifteen, then the player has lost a Double, which counts for double a normal loss. If the losing player has not borne off any draughts and still has draughts on the bar or in the opponent's home board, then the player has lost a Triple, which counts for triple a normal loss.
To speed up match play and to provide an added dimension for strategy, a doubling cube is usually used. The doubling cube is not a die to be rolled but rather a marker, in the form of a cube with the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 inscribed on its sides, denoting the current stake. At the start of each game, the doubling cube is placed on the bar with the number 64 showing; the cube is then said to be "centered, on 1". When the cube is centered, the player about to roll may propose that the game be played for twice the current stakes. His opponent must either accept ("take") the doubled stakes or resign ("drop") the game immediately. If the opponent takes, the cube, now showing the doubled stake, is moved to the opponent's side of the board. This is done to indicate that the right to re-double belongs exclusively to the player who last accepted a double.
Whenever a player accepts doubled stakes, the cube is placed on his side of the board with the corresponding power of two facing upward. If the opponent drops the doubled stakes, he loses the game at the current value of the doubling cube. For instance, if the cube showed the number 2 and a player wanted to redouble the stakes to put it at 4, the opponent choosing to drop the redouble would lose two, or twice the original stake.
The dwarves are known for a game called Bartuk. Which attempts to simulate a battle between Kings on a board remarkably similar to our draughts board. The rules are far more complex and instead of using simple interchangeable pieces, Bartuk requires the memorization of different movements, captures and strengths for each individual piece as all sixteen are inscribed with a different rune.Elf Realms
Elves play a game called Red Leaves which uses leaves mounted on carefully oiled sheets of animal skin. This game can be played with two or three players, but is most often enjoyed by four.Halfling Realms
Halflings are found of a game called Stacks and Sticks which allows players to take turns removing small irregular shaped blocks from a pile and replacing them on the top of the pile, until it either falls or is knocked over by a player's attempt. This game can be played by any number of contestants.
On the Vices of Several People
To His Royal Majesty, King Mynus, Sovereign of the Saks and Prince of the Silver Peaks, Paragon of Knowledge and Mercy, Magister of Reknown, and Scholar of Matters both Magnificent and Mundane
From Grele of Laketon, humble servant and sage, duly licensed fellow of the Guilded Caskmasters of Spirits and Preserves, Lodge #3.
Inasmuch as you lordship has requested a full report of the vices that plague the several nations, I have prepared this scroll. My study of the matter has taken me to four continents and to the many cities, towns and villages therein.
I have found in the course of my study that nearly every people produces an intoxicant which may vary in production, potency and taste; but which achieves the same result in those who indulge overmuch. First comes a general loosening of the tongue. Then a haste toward laughter which may progress to other antics. Beyond that the imbiber often becomes belligerent, then stuporific, and finally, unconscious.
The cure for intoxication has as many variants as there are imbibers, but the surest is the passage of time.
Westrun
From Grele of Laketon, humble servant and sage, duly licensed fellow of the Guilded Caskmasters of Spirits and Preserves, Lodge #3.
Inasmuch as you lordship has requested a full report of the vices that plague the several nations, I have prepared this scroll. My study of the matter has taken me to four continents and to the many cities, towns and villages therein.
I have found in the course of my study that nearly every people produces an intoxicant which may vary in production, potency and taste; but which achieves the same result in those who indulge overmuch. First comes a general loosening of the tongue. Then a haste toward laughter which may progress to other antics. Beyond that the imbiber often becomes belligerent, then stuporific, and finally, unconscious.
The cure for intoxication has as many variants as there are imbibers, but the surest is the passage of time.
Westrun
The people of Westrun are known for their barley wine, commonly called ale, which is obtained from the fermentation of that harvest. Menea especially, as the bread basket of the Eight Kingdoms is known for this beverage.Northrun
The wine of grapes is also widely consumed and while there are many vineyards across the kingdoms, the most popular of them are found in the provinces. Provincial wine is highly sought, if more expensive than any of its continental counterparts.
The Kingdom of Talir also boasts a sort of wine made from the molasses drawn from their sugar cane. It comes in three varieties: Brown, Golden, and White.
Men of the North are widely known for their honey wine, which is also called meade. It is a concoction made, as it sounds, from the produce of bees. The soil and clime of the North is unsuitable for grape growth, but even the scrub growth of the highlands supports the husbandry of that stinging insect.Eastrun
Honey wine is consumed in great quantities for all manner of celebrations and preparations. As a rule, it is enjoyed from the large horns of the beasts that those men keep as cattle. This unusual vessel seems to be favored for its shape, which makes them unsuitable for placing on a table top and thereby tends to increase consumption.
The Eastruners have a startlingly potent beverage made from the fermentation of their staple crop of rice. This rice wine is called kesae shu and is available all across Jenia, though it is most often consumed aboard the merchant and pirate ships that ply the coasts. Rice wine is particularly resistant to algae and also helps to decrease the incidence of the wasting disease often suffered among those long at sea.Southrun
Kesae shu is stored in clay vessels and when served, it is ladled into small cups. Despite the potency of the beverage, intoxication is not widely observed in those lands. The men of Eastrun seem particularly ill-constituted for spirits, and will drink to seal contracts or else to mark the passage of specific holidays, but seldom otherwise.
The black wine of Southrun does not have the same effect as the various other wines, wherein excess causes drowsiness. Rather this wine causes an exaggerated sense of energy and wakefulness in those who take it. Overindulgence is rare. It is brewed by pouring boiled water over the roasted and milled kaafe beans, only moments before imbibing. Black wine is sipped from small bowls which fit into the palm of one hand. It is most often shared with a morning meal or in the mid-afternoon and its bitterness is often cut with palm sap.Dwarf Realms
Palm wine or Maay is another beverage enjoyed in Southrun, but is wholly unsuitable for consumption elsewhere. The sap of the palm tree is first harvested as a sweetener, but within just a few hours is able to ferment into a weak intoxicant. It cannot be shipped, however, for if it is left too long, the sap becomes a vinegar which is fit only to be sprinkled over foods in slight quality.
The dwarves drink a barley wine not dissimilar from the ale of Westrun, but which also includes hops in its manufacture. This type of barley wine is called beer by those people and "Dwarf Wort" by others. It is a strong intoxicant, nearly as potent as Provincial wine.Elf Realms
While dwarf wort is common enough among that diminutive people, it is highly sought by the men of the Eight Kingdoms and subsequently expensive. The brewing of this beverage seems to be as much drudgery as the baking of bread and the dwarves seem uninterested in producing quantities beyond personal use.
Elves seldom use grapes in the production of their wine, rather they are most known for the fermentation of berries (Berui), pears (Peravi) and even apples (Apfevin). Elf wine is served heated and spiced which they believe makes it more potent.Halfling Realms
Most men find that Elf wine produces sleep too rapidly to be enjoyed. Dwarves dislike it for its overt sweetness and the presence of sediments.
Halflings are found of ale and wines from both men and elves, but are not brewers in their own right. Rather, the halfling grows and harvests a plant they call pipeweed, which is stored in unwalled sheds and hung to dry, before being cut and sold in oiled pouches.Gnome Realms
There are four strains of pipeweed which are grown: Brightbrittle Green, Stoor Leaf, White Stem, and Rustica Brown. Of those four, only Rustica Brown is usually seen outside of the Halfling Realms. Regardless, all strains are highly sought by men, elves, dwarves and gnomes alike.
Gnomish beer is altogether unlike the vices enjoyed by the other peoples. It is made by boiling ginger root in a process that they regard as highly secretive. The end result is a beer which assaults the nostrils as it is consumed and sometimes produces a fit of coughing in those who are new to it.Goblin Kingdoms
This ginger beer is not an intoxicant, but has been known to quiet nerves, settle stomachs and aid digestion. The gnomes prefer to drink it along with a delicacy they call snowflakes, which are maize kernels turned inside out by intensive heat.
The goblins produce an acrid wine from the various wild tubers that dot the landscape of their home. Their name for this drink is unpronounceable to many (Glog-tuunk) but is called "fire water” or “goblin wine" by the men of Westrun, with whom it has found unlikely appeal.The following pages are committed to the complete methods by which each of these intoxicants are produced, along with diagrams for the equipment needed to produce them. Wherever possible I have included notes detailing the specific material needs of the equipment and where it might be found across the Four Lands.
The tubers themselves are first made edible by a long-boil in crude pots. The cloudy water that remains is then put aside and allowed to ferment. That water is boiled again in the same pot with a hammered copper lid designed to capture and cool the steam that rises. That steam is drawn again and again through the process until the liquid that remains is deemed ready for consumption.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)