The Barbarian
Liturgist
Hail, comrades!
The Barbarian now lies dormant, unable to pour much time into his treasured hobbies. However, he has elected to share something with his worthy fellows. Essentially, it is the draft of a world building project he began toward the end of last year. It is a very rough piece of work, for the moment, so please bear that in mind. Also, very incomplete. Lastly, the original and prevailing intention is that it will be a base for a PnP campaign the Barbarian has planned - although that campaign may never actually happen.
Anyway, without further ado:
Map of the Murian Continent - High Quality (1.5mb JPEG)
Legacy
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A World Under Construction
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The Plainsmen have been fighting their petty wars ever since the downfall of the Dragyr Murtad - their once resplendent, all-encompassing empire. Torn apart from within and without by the very Families that had brought it wealth and power, the carcass of the Old Empire lies strewn across the face of the world. The Plains, a onetime breadbasket for all of the Murian continent, are divided between pretenders and upstarts vying for territory, influence and the lucrative river trade that fills their coffers. The highly developed cities of the Eastern Realm, meanwhile, prey on each other, with vast armies marching night and day in pursuit of an impossible final victory.
Up north, across the Ranges, the Mountain Lords reign in relative seclusion, engaged in their own private, bitter battles. They, most of all, have shed the Dragyr Murtad from their identity. No longer a mere bulwark against the incursions of the Adai legacies, the valleys and hills of the Rangers hum with activity and the drive of a young and vital people. Not so the island-continent of Naxano, settled long ago by Murian pioneers. Silent for hundreds of years, since just before the final stages of the Sundering, no ship comes back from that cursed place. Its fate - perhaps its doom - is unknown. Even the corsairs of the Mirragi Isles have learned to avoid it. Their marines are better employed sacking Muria's coastal settlements and pillaging until their boats groan under the strain. The Free Cities of the Far West and the South do all they can to fight these locusts off, with varying success.
The Woodsmen remain as ever; aloof and fiercely independent. The forests of the M'dede, the M'haen and the M'turo have proven impenetrable to outsiders. Limited trade between the tribes and the surrounding powers is all the contact the Woodsmen want or need. Their frontiers, however, are increasingly bedevilled by the Iron Republic. The ironmen conspire to drive out the tribes so that they may take what fuel they need for their burgeoning industries. It will prove a grim enterprise.
Dear reader, that is the shape of the known world as it stands. Forgive me, if the accent I lend it appears cynical. Know, however, that Muria is fractured, broken and lacking the merest semblance of a grand hope for what is to come. Ambition has usurped hope. But, perhaps, ambition can also help bring it back...
- Moreir Orrision, in the Epilogue of 'The Muraiad'
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Table of Contents:
I. The World
II. A Historical Primer
III. The Nations and Cultures of Muria
IV. Murian Magic?
V. The Game
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I. THE WORLD
'Legacy', the game, is of course the namesake of Legacy, the world. Before we explore the game itself, it is imperative that we firstly establish the context in which it plays out. In many ways Legacy (the world) is similar to our own planet. Roughly spherical; life-supporting, with both flora and fauna; dominated by water save for a few large landmasses; relatively temperate year-round. The greatest similarity, perhaps, is that its dominant life form also happens to be humanity. Legacy, as a role-playing game, is largely centred on the humans of that world. In particular, the humans of Muria - one of Legacy's continents.
Muria is a landmass stretching more than three thousand miles east to west, and another two thousand-odd north to south. Generally, it can be said that Eastern Muria is more verdant than the relatively dry west. It is home to the extensive Forest of the M'omiri, as well as numerous smaller offshoots across its expanse. These forests help add some variety to what is otherwise a sea of lush grassland interspersed with large lakes. The farthest reaches of the Eastern Realm, however, do settle into the familiar plains more common to the west. In all cases, the land is bountiful. Fed by rivers, streams, lake-derived irrigation channels and seasonal rains, it is famous for its orchards and plantations. Not as ideal for wheat as the black earth soil of the Western Realm, the landholders of the East nonetheless reap rich harvests.
The Western Realm is defined by the Great Plain, and the mighty rivers that serrate it. Though it receives far less rain than Eastern Muria, it nonetheless represents an agricultural marvel. Regular seasonal flooding provides for incredible crop yields. The soil is, as such, obscenely rich and fertile all along the flood plains. The Plain provides excellent grazing for a variety of domesticated animals, especially horses and other livestock. To the north of the Great Plain lies the Range, known to many as 'Muria's Spine', or simply 'The Spine'. A panoply of hills, mountains and the valleys that lie between, it is the source for many of the rivers that run across the south and the south-east. Further north yet is the vast Adai Steppe - named after the Adai nomads who dominate it.
The seasons are stable and predictable, with very short winters preceded by long autumns and followed by similarly long springs. Summer tends to last longer than winter, but remains shorter than autumn. Snowfall is rarely seen outside the Range, though rainfall is a near-daily occurrence, and heavy rainfall is quite common, especially in the Eastern Realm.
Flora and Fauna
Legacy is home to a great variety of flora and fauna. Much of it is already familiar to the reader. From livestock to poultry, the range of domesticated farm animals is virtually identical. Dogs are favoured hunting companions and herders amongst landholders, whilst the rich prefer cats - especially the larger, wilder families. In the east, animal companionship is relatively uncommon. The Rangers, for their part, do make use of the unique yaol - a predatory lizard-like quadruped with tough, scaly skin. Generally between twelve and eighteen feet long, yaol are highly adapted to mountainous environments and are capable of scaling seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
They are primarily used as mounts in Ranger armies. Though not as suitable for charging across the open field as horses and qhol, they nonetheless represent highly dangerous opponents in difficult terrain, with a surprising short distance mobility. What is more, they are also very given to engaging opponents without much coaxing, given the right training. Their nimble claws and razor teeth (ideal for cutting) make for a fearsome combination. Furthermore, particular yaol breeds are able to camouflage themselves to better blend in with their surroundings. The advantages of this are obvious and manifold. They are, however, much fewer in number than horses, with stable population growth achievable only with careful management and low wastage. Though they are able to subsist on plants, most yaol are fed meat at least twice a month.
Further up north, the aforementioned qhol form the mainstay of Adai stables. An aggressive and extremely overdeveloped member of the equine family, qhol are ideal chargers. Able to achieve speeds marginally higher than that of most coursers, and endowed with far more muscle mass, these animals are very difficult to stop. However, domestication and training remain very troublesome for the Adai. Amongst them it is said that if a qhol has not taken to its trainers within four months of birth, it should be put down. Even with the appropriate training, qhol are notoriously ill-disposed and undisciplined animals. The qhol herds are, therefore, both a source of strength for the tribes, as well as a significant, ongoing investment of valuable manpower and resources. The latter doubly so, as an average qhol requires more than one and a half times the daily sustenance of its 'lesser' equine cousins, and cannot cover as much distance, overall.
Other exotic creatures have often been found in the M'omiri, especially - and some have even been brought back to various settlements, mostly in the east. These include animals such as the chitter dog, that closely resembles the plains wild dog, but is far larger, more aggressive (very much so a pack-hunting carnivore) and well suited to clambering up the rough bark of the innumerable trees of its sylvan home. Their permanently erected, long ears and distinctive chittering yelp strike fear into many a would-be forager entering their domain. Another example is the kacana - or cacoune in Low Eastern - a small primate generally weighing between forty and seventy pounds, with highly developed joints and a pair of powerful, membranous wings that allow them to fly/glide between tree tops. Curious, playful omnivores, the cacoune fetch a high prince on eastern markets. They are notoriously difficult to catch.
The yuli berries of Taes Mirza are famous across Muria for the opulent, aromatic wines that they produce. Enormous quantities of this wine are shipped westwards every year, and earn the Mirza a very healthy trade income. This is just a small showcase of a select few examples of Murian flora and fauna. It is, therefore, by no means exhaustive, and will be expanded upon in the future.
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II. A HISTORICAL PRIMER
Today, Muria is split roughly between the peoples of the West, and those of the East; between the Rangers and the flatlanders; between the Adai and Woodsmen nomads and the settled folk. A very, very long time ago, these peoples were most likely as one - though some have argued that the Woodsmen are aboriginal inhabitants of the continental landmass. They came to Muria from somewhere across the great waters and settled the gentle slopes and riverbanks of the south-east. They spread quickly, as peoples are wont to do when they encounter no natural or artificial limit to their expansion. This pre-history, with no written records, likely lasted for some thousands of years. At its end, the Peoples covered Muria. Of these, our earliest ancestors, we have found but a few scant ruins, graveyards and some artefacts. Today, they remain a mystery to us.
When writing and iconography finally emerged two thousand years ago, so did our history - and at that point the tale of our past began to be told. But, in order to not confuse the reader, it is imperative that this tale is segmented and organized in some fashion. To this end, we will begin telling the story of Muria from the perspective of the Western peoples, before moving on to those of the East and concluding with the Ranger folk and the Adai. Without further ado...
The story of the Western peoples begins thus;
Once upon a time, the Great Plain was the seat of power for the Dragyr Imperium - better known as 'Dragyr Murtad'. Its fertile floodplains, gentle slopes, temperate seasons and bright, clear rivers had birthed a civilization peopled by men of drive and ambition. Obviously, however, it was not as straightforward as grandiosity arisen from a vacuum. For many hundreds of years before this seminal period, the Great Plain was first home to a multitude of settlements nestled against the flow of its mighty rivers. These settlements saw their fortunes wax and wane with the swelling of riverbanks, the tide of seasons changing and the predations of their neighbours.
Fortuitous position and circumstance soon saw certain settlements become towns. Thereafter, towns became city states. Populations swelled as the rivers delivered season after season of rich soil and plentiful harvests. Trade expanded the scope of human endeavour, spreading the art of pottery; of metalworking; of masonry, high and wide. Success, however, brings pressures of its own, and it was not long before these burgeoning powers turned to war and colonization as a means of ensuring their prosperity would continue. The lesser prepared ones fell quickly, adding to the momentous expansion of their conquerors. Others fought, and fought increasingly well. Horses would be adapted to war by stirrup and breeding. Soft cassiop would be replaced by iron. Ritual combat would give way to pitched battle.
Great and terrible things would befall the people of the Great Plain during this time. They called themselves by many names: the Rykiri, the Neurte, the Gulan, the Ferdas, the Vok'sa - amongst others. What these names meant is lost to us, now, for the most part. But we Plainsmen owe these peoples our past. As has been mentioned, however, they suffered terribly in the Pre-Imperial Era. It was not until roughly the fourth century of their mutual slaughter that Hrugan, son of Chaias-jet-Saskyr, became King of the Veleri, who had inherited and won large stretches of the Eastern Plain, between the rivers Oka and Urska. Hrugan then, in his thirtieth winter, waged aggressive war against the Genyumen and defeated them heavily at the Battle of the Famyri Crossing.
His horsemen thereafter swept the Middle Lands, ravaging the holdings of the Sioske and the Morturi. By his thirty fifth winter he was known as a great warlord throughout the Eastern Plains. At this time, plague and hunger would ravage much of the Great Plain following an unusually long and harsh winter. The Veleri suffered more than most, and Hrugan now faced a restive, dwindling populace, led by kinsmen unwilling to support his endless, costly wars any longer. Showing acumen beyond battle, he sought support from the Evance, settlers out of the Northern Reaches who had taken much of the land around lake Diya, north-west of the Sioske. They had proven themselves strangely resilient in the face of the sickness that felled many of the Plainsmen, and a marriage to the daughter of their Eldest gave Hrugan an army to call upon to quell the rebellious amongst his own kin.
Hrugan's lust for battle led him to take to the field again following the birth of his second son, Marias, three winters later. Though the plague was not yet gone, and death stalked the land, Hrugan's horsemen and Evance auxiliaries met the remnants of the Sioske and their Ulgar allies on the Field of Goldcaps, where they routed them completely in a glorious clash of arms. The triumph was to prove short-lived. One year later, Hrugan the Warrior King of the Veleri, died beneath the walls of Sutri, a town which he had placed under siege. His eldest son was as yet too young to rule, so the laws of inheritance were invoked to bring Hrugan's nephew Tymon to the throne. Later known as Tymon Lungyr (Wise Tymon), the regent became king after only a year in power, when he ordered Marias and his dependants killed. Hrugan's other son succumbed to the same fate some moons later.
The Evance were soon thereafter brought to heel, and Tymon was free to mark his reign. He did so with what would become characteristic fortitude and vision. The Kingdom of the Veleri was thereafter the only state of the Great Plain to have a functioning code of laws in place. To this day, the First Veleri Codex remains a masterpiece of legal thinking, with visible Eastern influences (no doubt partly due to the relative proximity of the Veleri holdings to the Eastern nations). Soon, Tymon's people were paying taxes according to a stable, uniform set of regulations. They were travelling along policed roads linking the various trade and population hubs. They were conquering their neighbours with highly drilled and well equipped armies.
Within three short generations, starting with Tymon's lengthy reign, the Kingdom of the Veleri had united with Dragomar, their last credible opponent on the Great Plain, after almost a century of irresistible conquest through force of arms and diplomatic pressure. The union signalled the rise of the Dragyr Murtad and the onset of a lengthy Golden Age for the Western Realm. The Northern Reaches were the first to fall to this burgeoning juggernaught, with the Ranger tribes unable to resist the encroachment of the Plainsmen. At that time, the men of the Great Plain were utterly relentless and single-minded, cohesively bonded by choice and tradition. To this can be attributed their enormous success.
Their first battles with the powers of the Eastern Realm did not go well, and soon much of the land east of the Urska was lost to their excellent armies. But Imperators such as Mossimer II and Kossman I 'Kosmeri' (Kossman the Proud) did much to redress the balance. It took over two hundred years to subdue the peoples of Eastern Muria. In hindsight it could be seen as an inevitability, though it would prove to be a long and bloody affair. The Dragyr Murtad was too wealthy, too driven and too powerful for any individual Eastern state to prove a match. By the time they saw the collective danger, it was too late. On the three hundred and fortieth anniversary of Imperium, soldiers of the Ismer Banner bathed on the coast near the city of Wuyson in the Murian south-east.
This was the apogee of Dragyri power. Untold expanses lay under their thumb. Many millions toiled for the glory of the Empire, paid their taxes, died under its banners and were burned according to Imperial burial rites. Even the far off island-continent of Naxano was colonized by the bravest men and women of those heady times. It was to be the mark of Dragyri strength and vitality; a monument to the Empire's success as a state and, perhaps, as one nation. It is manifestly ironic that the Sundering would begin in Naxano, though the poetic quality of fate stands as the obvious subtext. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. The Sundering took place centuries after its seeds had taken root, and they were to take that root in the Eastern Realm of the Empire...
The East, in short...
Even before the Dragyr Murtad had conquered it, the Eastern Realm was known to the Plainsmen as a den of opulence, and the home of high culture. The merchants of Qun and Taes Mirza brought wine, literature and slaves to the Plains. Almost fifty years before the Empire existed, the volume of trade - mostly east-to-west - necessitated the building of Mygor itself on the banks of the mighty Yana. That great city began its life as a minor, riverside trading outpost. Many decades later, Deber Qun would arise, on the other side of the river, downstream, when the merchants of Qun decided to accept the goods being shipped by riverine on arrival.
The history of the East, however, is a history of conflict. Much like the Men of the Plains, the Easterners originally settled in small villages, which grew to towns, before finally transitioning to sprawling city states. Those city states, however, never birthed a Tymon Lungyr of their own. War was endemic, and often continuous, but the objective was rarely conquest. The political insularity of Qun, Taes Mirza, Mas Lydal and Eunco - amongst others - was the main reason for the tenuous stability of the political balance in the Eastern Realm before Empire. To put it simply, wars were fought for limited gains, between traditional, conservative rulers unwilling to invest too much into their conduct. It was a tacit sort of agreement amongst the varied nobility of the day; borders were malleable to an extent, but the city states themselves were sacrosanct.
Inconclusive warfare and periodic peace was the way of things for many centuries. That is to say, until the Empire shattered the delicate balance prevailing in the East since time immemorial. It must be said, however, that the Dragyr Murtad was not without Eastern accomplices in establishing the new order. Balearc, at the time a minor city state to the south of Qun, chafed at the mercantile dominance of its northern neighbour. When conflict began over transit rights for goods, the leaders of the city looked westward to the rising Plainsmen for assistance. And so began Dragyr Murtad's eastern conquest. Slow and, at times, disastrously prosecuted, the conquest saw Balearc gain territory and prestige (Woltmarc was previously Margalyn, another minor city state, before it was handed over to the Baleans as spoils-of-war), in exchange for generous military and monetary support. Qun would fall first, and would thereafter be followed by Mas Lydal.
As noted previously, Eastern Muria, as a whole, required two centuries of constant conflict to subdue. Well before that period ended, Balearc itself would be swallowed up by the Dragyr Muria, an inevitable victim of its own folly.
The Sundering...
Dragyr Murtad, for the most part, was a 'good thing' to a great majority of its citizens. The Empire was relatively stable (the odd war with the Adai and the Woodsmen aside), prosperous and, best of all, everywhere. Goods, services and ideas found their way across Muria quickly and efficiently. Populations exploded and cities followed them - particularly in the less developed West. Culture flowered as a result of imperial patronage and rising disposable incomes. And, like all good things, the Imperial idea was destined to fail, eventually.
Much blame has been laid on the doorstep of the Naxanoi savants - the warped men and women stemming from Naxano (and their many descendants) who could, depending on the severity of their taint, perform incredible feats with the power of their minds. It is undeniable that they led the Awakening of the Naxanoi, which saw the Dragyr Murtad badly defeated on the island-continent in a terrible war of independence. And it is undeniable that Tainted Ones lent assistance to the Quni, in their own uprising against the Empire. But blaming them for the Sundering is incorrect, in this author's opinion. The fractures that brought on everything that later befell the Empire were evident well before the war against the risen Naxanoi.
The Quni and the Mirza, especially, were less than amused by the hefty tax increases the Empire was forced to levy due to the uprising on Naxano - and to support Western development, before that. Newly raised Imperial fleets and armies required vast sums of money, and the wealthier East was where the tax burden would have to become truly onerous. Underlying tensions between the Eastern districts and their collective unease with Western dominance worsened noticeably. Intellectual agitation, on the part of the Eastern elite, brought on public discord. It played upon the pettiest of hates and mutual suspicions. It appealed to the lowest common denominator - and it succeeded. Low-scale civil conflict expanded, slowly, as Quni and Mirzan alike acted to cast off the Murtad. The process took some time, and there were many points at which it could have been derailed, had the Imperator more wisdom and tact. Soon, however, the predictable consequences of high-level bungling came to pass and there was open war in the provinces, as local nobles took advantage of a dangerous situation.
Tens of thousands perished before the Dragyri even mobilized to meet the threat (the blame for this belongs to Mirco IV 'Heriskas' and his advisors), tied down as they were in Naxano. By the time the Imperial Banners confronted the hastily gathered rebel host ten miles west of Qun itself, hundreds of thousands were dead in what had become an orgy of pitiless savagery. Westerner against Easterner, Dragyri against rebel; Quni against Plainsman; the landed against the deprived - the points of conflict were innumerable. Victories and defeats by the score were recorded on all sides as the bloodshed worsened, year after year. At first, there was still a semblance of imperial control, and Dragyri garrisons held down most cities and larger towns well enough. But it was not long before the conflict outgrew the Dragyr Murtad and brought on its downfall.
In the north, the Ranger tribes, prideful as ever, shook off the Dragyri with vigour. Two entire Banners were smashed at what is now known as Mer Hac Dragyr - or 'The Place of Dragyri Tears' - which would later become the largest Ranger settlement through a quirk of geography. For their part, the imperial military suffered terribly from desertion and low morale. Plainsmen were expected to fight and die for the Empire in the Eastern Realm, whilst Quni drew garrison duty in the deep south or the far north, while Mirzan forces threatened Qun itself. The imperial identity that was required for social and political stability was still extraordinarily tenuous and largely limited to the most urbane citizens of Dragyr Murtad. The greatest part of the citizenry instead offered its allegiance, first and foremost, to their birthplace.
The Empire, nonetheless, somehow managed to muddle on for another fifty years. The first state to break away and remain independent was, of course, Naxano. Some months later, it was followed by an embryonic Quni state, given the status of a dependant but autonomous principality. A cascade followed over the next several decades, as internal weaknesses were exacerbated by weak institutions and Imperators. The last stage of the downfall began when the Dragyri heartland itself - the Great Plain - fractured. Evance won its independence through bitter struggle. Then Mandarion. Then Rylar-Kirosh. The death knell of the Empire was sounded when Old Dragomar, one of the largest and most populous of the remaining provinces, declared its independence.
This happened some two centuries ago. Since then, Muria has undergone great changes. Balearc rose against Qun in a long and bloody war, finally winning its independence. Not only did it adopt a very unusual form of government (the Republic), but also became known for its magnificent ironworks. Though its official name remains, simply, 'the Republic', it is better known today as the Iron Republic, and its people 'the Ironlanders'.
The Rangers fought off three separate Adai invasions, and often credit themselves with 'saving' the 'soft' Plainsmen during this period. The Great Plains were eventually divided up between the Successor Dynasties, who rule what is now the Kingdom of Old Dragomar, the Kingdom of Evance, the Kingdom of Uldyr, Jeneas Murtad (which still holds itself to be the direct successor of Dragyr Murtad), Amannan and the League of Free Cities.
In the East, the Principality of Qun remains an ever-present, joined by the Principality of Taes Mirza, Mas Lydal, Eunco, Maese Emin and the Neredic Kingdom deeper in the north.
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III. THE NATIONS AND CULTURES OF MURIA
Nation: The Plainsmen; the Lowlanders; the Dragyri
Physical Appearance:
The men of the Plains generally do not exceed five foot nine, and are usually closer to five foot six. Though there is considerable variability east-to-west and north-to-south, most Plainsmen are swarthy fellows of average build, with dark eyes and dark hair. Northerners tend to be lighter in complexion. In particular, inhabitants of Old Dragomar and Jeneas Murtad often fall into that category. Those who reside in Des Uldyr are also somewhat paler, and often taller than other Plainsmen.
Law and Society:
The 'Plainsmen' can be described as a disparate collection of settled lowlander peoples whose eventual expansionism gave rise to the Dragyr Murtad centuries ago, after an age of internecine warfare. They dominate the Western Realm, and are particularly numerous across the Mid-West, with large populations in Jeneas Murtad and Evance.
Of the states peopled by Plainsmen, four are monarchies. These kingdoms include Jeneas Murtad, Old Dragomar, Evance and Des Uldyr. Amannan and the Free Cities constitute exceptions to the aforementioned. Obviously, there are significant differences between the peoples of the four Kingdoms and those of the other states in question. Therefore, a great deal of the information that follows applies only to the successor monarchies (in particular, state governance and the operation of law). If we speak generally, however, there are also remarkable similarities that do well to highlight the Imperial origin of all modern Plainsmen societies.
Most Plainsmen are farm labourers, eking out an existence on the fertile floodplains, or herding sheep and goats across the Great Plain itself. Some are indentured, though most are not. The former are especially conspicuous in Evance. All farmers are subject to the freeholders (szegettin) who 'own' their land, and who in turn pay out taxes to the patrons (aragol) that supervise entire lots.
Above the patrons are the governors (also often referred to as 'archons') that allot freeholds and appoint the aforementioned. They serve to represent the authority of the King across the provinces, to impose taxes on the Crown's behalf, and to raise bodies of fighting men in times of war. Both patrons and governors tend to be nobility - the latter often nobility of some standing. Usually taking up residence in hub towns, governors are also made responsible for the institution of Crown policy and the enforcement of law and order. Governorship of a provincial district is a prestigious post, being only one rung below appointment to the Hened.
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Insert: The Hened
The Hened is an institution that exists to present grievances to the King, to counsel him on the implementation of policy and to provide a recruitment pool for court officials, senior officers and other positions in the higher government. They can also make recommendations to the King as to the appointment of governors. Only the highest nobility is admitted - and the hendan, especially, jealously guard their privilege. Candidates are rigorously screened, and require the support of two thirds majority in the Hened for acceptance. As such, the Hened rarely exceeds more than three hundred or so members, at any given time. This tends to hold true across all four Kingdoms, with a small degree of variability.
This council, of sorts, is further subdivided into its various interest groups. Namely, the Torrero, the Dienmarc, the Hendan, the Notari and the Voed. The Torrero represent the state's artisans, and usually this bloc is constituted by their most senior guild leaders. The Dienmarc are the burghers, represented by the most influential of merchant princes. The Notari are the clerical faction, whilst the Voed stand for the multitude of state civil servants and army officers (that is to say, service based nobility). Finally, the Hendan represent the landholding bloc, and are usually the most numerous group in the Hened, if only by a slight margin.
Every two years, one individual from each bloc is elected by his peers to represent the faction in the Belhad - or the Royal Council. This Council serves the King (the Hendryn) as his closest advisers.
The Hened and the Belhad also maintain the 'Lungyri' Codex (loosely translated as the 'Wisdom'), which is a form of proto-typical constitution that lays out the customs, traditions and laws that make up the legal structure of Plainsman society. The Lungyrien (plural) vary from Kingdom to Kingdom - although only Des Uldyr does not enforce the age-old codex, in some form or other.
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In the four Kingdoms, most land - nominally at least - belongs to the Crown. This land is usually leased-for-life to freeholders on condition. Purchasing the land outright is an extremely costly and time-consuming process that still leaves the Crown with the ability to requisition it, if particular circumstances arise. Generally, freeholders must be able to turn a profit from their land (audited every five years) to retain their lease. If the land turns an overall profit over the course of a lease's lifetime, it is normally inherited by a nominated successor (usually a son), or the eldest surviving progeny.
City and town dwellers are fewer, overall, than labourers and freeholders. They reside in any of a number of significant settlements that cover the Great Plain. Most of these are nestled against the flow of the larger rivers. Cities and towns are the centres of industry and commerce for Plainsmen. Craftsmen and artisans, in particular, are increasingly valued contributors to the economy, who produce various goods for public and state consumption. These population centres tend to be administered by a governor, and are often considered to be their own districts.
The gentry and the nobility provide all civil servants (including patrons and governors), officers, clergy etc. in Plainsman society. These socio-economic classes are service-based, and very few of the families (even the most notable) are landed (as opposed to landholding). Even the Hened, in most cases, is essentially a meritocracy. It is considered by many to be a 'closed club' exactly because of the level of service one must render the state to be considered - although a suitable enough donation may figure in the final decision. Patents of nobility/gentry are available for purchase at a considerable price, but are most often based on award or genealogy/bloodline.
Culture:
Plainsmen are notoriously ambitious, but also very fractious. Their seemingly never-ending search for wealth, power and prestige has yielded both enormous reward and disastrous ruin in equal measure. A society based on the precepts of meritocracy and social mobility is a reflection of this anti-authoritarian cultural trait. Simply put, it is difficult to imagine this contrary people accepting authority at face value. It is even more difficult to imagine someone denying them advancement, if they feel that they have earned it.
On the flipside, Plainsmen question and bicker without pause, can be absolutely intransigent if pushed into a corner - and yet are remarkably respectful of the laws of the land and the established order. They are not given to public dissent on any scale and crime is avoided assiduously, whenever possible. It is a minor paradox. Of course, that is not to say that all Plainsmen fit this mould. Rather, the state of their societies indicates a tendency or predisposition to the above.
Personal respect on the Plains is something that must be earned; it is seldom given on reputation or standing alone. The competitive spirit all of the above endows the population with cannot be overestimated, and must not be underestimated. A true Plainsman responds well to pressure and success - but very poorly to the status quo and decline. They are not a dramatic people like their northern neighbours, the Rangers. Neither are they dreamers. Instead, they are pragmatic and practical. Plainsmen concentrate on earthly concerns, despite their relative religiousness.
Friends and family are very important to a Plainsman. Trust is established very easily with the former (and inherent in the latter), and broken much the same way. Though most Plainsmen will forgive a faux pas or a minor insult magnanimously, these instances are rarely forgotten - and soon a 'catalogue' of positive and negative actions builds up, to which individuals often refer to in their dealings with the friends in question.
Women and Children:
On the Great Plain, the women choose their husbands from a pool of suitors. It is a choice not made lightly, as a woman who seeks to later sever marital ties will find it very difficult to remarry. The courtship process is a negotiation involving several families, wherein the suitors present themselves and their dowries to the potential bride. Eventually, she will make her choice, after consultation with her kin. Often, there is significant pressure on the bride-to-be to choose the suitor with the greatest dowry.
Once married, women normally stay at home and take care of domestic duties, as well as raise the children. There are few trades readily available to them. Only the wealthiest can hope for some education and the opportunity to advance their station in life. For their part, children are carefully nurtured until puberty, at which point they are expected to begin learning a trade, taking on farming duties, or are otherwise groomed for greater things, including civil service, the army and the clergy.
Religion:
One could characterize the Plainsman as a ferociously religious creature. And one would be correct, for the most part. Although there are significant pockets of sceptical individuals and small communities (the Amannite Heresy notwithstanding; see below), and especially so amongst the educated, most Plainsmen consider themselves to be 'believers'. The religion of the Plains has been around since before the Dragyr Murtad. It is believed to have emerged during the chaotic period immediately prior to the ascent of Tymon Lungyr, although the earliest records of the faith have been lost to the passage of time. Essentially, this belief system can be described as 'dualistic elementalism'.
According to the official credo, the universe is a series of dualities and juxtaposed entities. The most significant dualities include the Sun and the Moon, the Masculine and the Feminine, Earth and Wind, Fire and Water, Spring and Autumn and, finally, Summer and Winter. These are further interrelated. For example, the Sun has 'dominion' over Summer and Spring, as well as Fire and Earth. The Masculine has dominion over Summer and Autumn, and Fire and Wind. This complex set of relationships, in turn, regulates the universe. No single deity or pantheon governs this dynamic. Rather, it is treated as the essential ordering of the universe, which requires no higher input or point of origin.
Though myriad priesthoods exist (for example, Jeneas Murtad's famous 'Sulune' sun priesthood), it is the faith itself that is constant in public life. The institutions that claim it for themselves are notoriously unstable and prone to change and conflict. However, the priesthoods nonetheless play a significant role in many aspects of governance and the law. That much is obvious, when one considers that no army of the Plains marches without an augur reading the Dualities, in order to ascertain whether or not it is a good time to do so (the Sun must be ascendant over the Moon). Some would say that their presence is a formality; others would claim that it is a tradition so ingrained few rulers have the wherewithal to break.
Dress:
The Plainsmen dress functionally. They do not have an appreciation for Adai-like extravagance. Instead, they dress simply and effectively. Cloth remains the favoured material across the social strata, although soft Mirzan silk is once again making headway in the circles of the wealthy. It is seen as a symbol of prestige, and an aspiration to culture and heritage (in the days of the Dragyr Murtad the nobility often wore such silk, though it fell out of favour during the aftermath of the Sundering). Natural colours dominate.
Military:
The Kingdoms, Amannan and the Free Cities:
Nation: The Adai Muster
Physical Appearance:
Typical Adai tend to be of average height (around five foot seven), with a relatively stocky build. Their skin tends to be of a ruddy complexion and is often quite tanned. Hair colour ranges from shades of red to very light brown - with few natural blondes.
Society:
The Adai are a roving collection of nomad tribes inhabiting the Northern Steppe - also known as the Adai Steppe - that rarely spend more than a season in a sedentary state and are typified by the zadruga structure of their individual social groupings. In essence, each family group within a particular legacy (equating to a tribe) nominates an elder (hetman) – a council (dumana) of which, in turn, elects a chieftain (belkar) whose role is to loosely control the legacy, and mediate between the family groups that constitute it. In a microcosmic sense, Adai society functions according to a fairly flexible social ranking system.
The Adai hierarchy, from the top down, can be distilled as consisting of the following:
First are the ahmanoi, who are the bearers of the legacy stones (crafted items reputed to confer magical power) and whose prestige is only rivalled by the belkai (chieftains) themselves. They are determined to be ahmanoi at birth, based on the auguries of the Adai priesthood. Many become enormously capable warriors or rukimanoi further endowed with the power of the stones themselves. Though they are not outright granted significant assets, most family groups within legacies actively vie for the favour of the ahmanoi – and as a result an ahman seldom lives in discomfort, as his patron family provides him with all basic needs and luxuries. That is, of course, if the ahman does not already possess great wealth, both plundered and accumulated.
Below the ahmanoi (in a notional sense; true power is almost completely vested in the belkai) are the belkai, who represent and have a degree of control over the legacies that elect them. The belkai are almost universally rich, as nearly all stem from noble families and are, indeed, venedoi (nobles) themselves. A belkar’s position, however, is only held secure insofar as his ability to lead is obvious, and his political enemies few. A dumana can remove a belkar at any time with a majority vote.
One step down from the belkai are the hetmanoi – elders (in name, if not in fact) who are elected by family groups to participate in the dumana and to govern the affairs of the family group and the legacy (in a far more limited scope) as a whole. The hetmanoi, much like the belkai, are mostly venedoi (in some family groups the terms hetmanoi and venedoi are interchangeable due to material factors) before they are elected by their family group. They are usually wealthy and powerful, as a result.
Further below are the venedoi, generally. They are the mount breeding nobility of the Adai. Their wealth, as such, rests on the vast herds of qhol they maintain and sell to aspiring warriors and families, the wide range of products extracted from those herds and their expertise with qhol pedigrees. The venedoi are extremely influential in family and legacy politics, and are usually the men who are selected by their family groups for higher roles. From the venedoi are the ranks of the leaders of the Adai host drawn, as well as its most fearsome cavalry.
The rukimanoi – the priesthood of Enoi and the caretakers of the talismans, the totems and the relics – are next. Often inheriting their positions, but also prone to accepting bodna (freemen) into the fold, the rukimanoi provide the legacies with services including auguries, blessings, funeral rituals, wedding ceremonies and others. Though not particularly prestigious, they are still ranked higher than warriors, and are uniformly well off. Their other focal role is that of medicine men, and for their services in that field, in particular, they are rewarded handsomely.
Just below the rukimanoi are the voyna – the armed riders of the Adai. Each voyin is fairly individual, as their circumstances can vary. The blooded youth, the veteran riders and everything in between constitute the voyna. As a result, the voyna is very large, encompassing upwards of forty percent of the able bodied male population of the Adai. Their first mounts and equipment are provided by their families, but the voyin is only deemed to be his own man when exploits on the field (either against other legacies or outside enemies) bring him booty enough to afford him a dowry for a bride and a family tent, as well as requisite mounts.
Second to last are the bodna – a diverse collection of men, including those who hold a trade (such as a blacksmith, a carpenter, a hunter, a tanner etc.), those who are too old or too young to be of the voyna and those who do not fit into any other social category, but remain free from bondage. Their circumstances vary hugely, and so does their wealth and influence, accordingly.
Last on the ladder are the rabiya. Men and women in bondage – many of whom are other Adai captured in inter-legacy raids. Obligated to not flee from their captors, they are used (albeit with some basic rights) as menial labour, as servants and as haulers of materiel. They are most certainly not wealthy, but they can be in fairly comfortable circumstances if the family they that holds them as rabiya is well off. Their children are raised by the owning family and treated as members of the family group. The rabiya cannot bear arms except for the haidutoi – male rabiya who partake in military action in the hopes of attaining a place as bodna in a foster family after seven years of service. Alternatively, they may elect to be freed to return to whence they stem from. In any case, at this point they may seek to become voyna or remain bodna and apprentice themselves in trade.
Culture:
The Adai are a family-centric, yet individualistic, people who value courage, cleverness and wisdom above all else. Friendships are slow to burgeon, but particularly strong once fully established. Extremely social amongst their own, the Adai retain mixed feelings for other legacies amongst themselves, and a potent suspicion (if not downright dislike) for true outsiders. This can unfortunately extend to even foreign-born rabiya – who are most likely to be undervalued and overworked, and sometimes even abused.
Much emphasis is placed on the martial qualities, which is understandable given the constancy of warfare and continuous low-intensity conflict in Adai history. The cult of the warrior is well and truly in control of many a young male’s psyche, and gifted warriors/war leaders are treasured by both family group and legacy. Though such machismo can often lead to hubris and other forms of overweening pride, the camaraderie of the Muster is often enough to stem serious violence in Adai legacies. However, the problem of violence in situations where voyna of different legacies come together is systemic.
Women and Children:
Women are highly valued in Adai society as matrons of families, as gatherers and as the nurturers of children. Mistreatment of women is frowned upon and can generally diminish one’s prestige/shala. As can the mistreatment of children, who are intentionally raised as independent thinking and headstrong. Fathers are often judged by the ability of their progeny to accomplish more than them, relatively speaking. However, outright rebellion is always tempered with respect for elders. Male children tend to achieve 'manhood' by pubescence.
Women can become rukimanoi - sometimes even venedoi - but very rarely are they allowed to go on the warpath. First and foremost, they are wives, mothers and counsellors.
***
On a societal level, the Adai are quite aggressive and have ravaged numerous holdings of foreigner lords without a particular need to do so. Their propensity for cruelty varies from legacy to legacy and from campaign to campaign. But usually it is the possibility of booty and the prestige to be gained that leads the Muster to military action both within and without (the legacies). Prestige can be gained from immense quantities of booty, the battlefield defeat of enemies and valuable rabiya claimed. This concept is generally known as shala. Without considerable shala no belkar can hold on to his position and its trappings for long, extraneous circumstances notwithstanding.
Adai Aesthetics:
In terms of the arts and crafts, the Adai are limited in many senses. Their architecture is primitive, at best, and largely based on woodwork, whilst pottery is relatively advanced. Stonework is severely constrained by a lack of suitable raw material and expertise (especially), yet metalwork is highly refined (though the metals are almost exclusively traded for). Adai blacksmiths are known for their unique armour and weapons, and for the quality thereof.
The Adai, unfortunately, have very little patience for intricate visual artistry, according to our definition thereof. As a result, their qhol-hide tents are relatively unadorned. However, their propensity for flamboyant - if not gaudy - pageantry and dress is undeniable. Each Adai rider strives to be utterly unique in appearance. Characteristic tattoos and body paint are extraordinarily common, and the former is often applied by rukimanoi who are paid to inscribe protective runes on the bodies and faces of fledgling warriors, in a range of colours. Dress and armour, too, is afforded special attention. Bright, striking hues are extremely common, with Neredic dyes exceedingly popular.
When combined with the personalized totemic and talismanic banners each rider attaches to his mount, the Muster on the warpath resembles a confluent rainbow of lethality. Almost everything is individualized. Sabres are passed down from father to son bearing poetry, verses from a legacy saga or personal messages. Coveted breastplate (usually worn by only the wealthiest riders) is similarly inscribed - often with the 'mark' of the owner or his household. Hairstyles are also deeply individual, with particular kinds of grease often being used to slick hair into different shapes.
This is all symptomatic of the extraordinary individualism prevalent amongst the Adai.
The Sagas:
Their music and oral histories/myths, on the other hand, are extremely developed. Though much of both categories is dominated by the rukimanoi, there are also a significant number of bodna musicians and bards, who help to entertain the populace through song and dance. Furthermore, the former bear the responsibility for the Legacy Sagas - which can be loosely described as the oral tradition of an individual legacy and/or clan.
Sagas tend to be very longwinded, and most legacies have entire 'societies' of rukimanoi on hand to memorize them in portions. Utmanoi of these societies co-ordinate this complex process. It is the highest ambition of any Adai rider to be entered into a Saga for posterity. There are few higher honours amongst their people.
Religion:
The Myth:
Adai religion is centred on Enoi, the Overgod, who brought the world into existence by singing its name, and who is considered the father of all Adai. The rukimanoi regularly offer sacrifices to Enoi – livestock and poultry in particular, though during times of serious food shortages herbs and wood carvings are an acceptable substitute. The Legacy Stones are considered to be Enoi’s gift to the Ten Brothers of the White Plains; Unimohn, Akoma, Bebrud, Aftes, Mamlaz, Talas, Golin, Sarkaz, Ikos and Yelen – the founders of the original Adai legacies.
The story goes that Enoi had sculpted the world in all its glory, and proceeded to gaze upon it in wonderment and the contemplation of his success. At a certain point, his eyes spied a woman of the new race of Man; fair and beauteous as women were only in days of yore, before the corruption of vice and sin had despoiled the blood. He fell in love with his own creation, astounded by its purity of spirit.
Enoi did not relent until he had her, and gave her ten children, who grew into immortal men strong as bears, fast as falcons and mighty in both sword arm and mana. Though the mother faded and elapsed, Enoi’s fatherly pride knew no bounds. He bestowed upon his children the Legacy Stones; artefacts of enormous power, imbued with unfathomable mana, so they would know they had his favour. The race of the Plainsmen flowered, and expanded, under the leadership of the Ten. A hundred generations passed, and each brother created his own legacy; his followers.
It was then that three of the brothers – Bebrud, Mamlaz and Golin – turned on Akoma, betraying their bonds of kinship, so that they could usurp his Stone, his legacy and the fertile lands on which the qhol of Akoma’s legacy grazed. In their conceit they believed that their father would not choose between his children; that he would in fact encourage the competition between them so as to find the strongest and the most worthy of his glory. In one respect, they were right. Enoi could not harm them directly. Instead, as Bebrud, Mamlaz and Golin closed in on Akoma, intent on harming him, the Overgod reclaimed their Legacy Stones. With the help of his other brothers Akoma soon turned the tide of battle, and the three were slain upon the Field of Weeping Rocks, much to the grief of their brothers.
Enoi wept for his children and then brought them together to tell them this: ‘You are mine, but you are also the get of Man. Everlife is not meant for the race of Man. I will take you with me to Jeh, the Fireplace of the Overgod, where no mortal man aspires’. With that said, Enoi kept his promise and took the brothers away. However, before they left, the brothers each gave their most trusted follower their Legacy Stone, to provide guidance and protection for the Adai in an uncertain and dangerous world.
For many generations, the Stones passed from Adai to Adai, usually father to son. However, one horrifying night (according to legend), as the Seven Ahmanoi of the Adai legacies congregated for the seasonal dumana with their personal voyna, something terrible occurred. The ahmanoi disappeared, their followers found dead amidst a scene of horrifying violence by worried bodna who had heard a great commotion.
The next day, the Vesht rukimanoi utman (head of the legacy rukimanoi), a known and proven seer, experienced a vision that told him the Adai must travel to the south, if they are to find the stones. Always to the south, until they reached the land by the Great Red Lake. The legacies heeded the utman’s words and mustered as one for the Warpath that would take them further than they had ever been before.
The seer also foretold that the Adai would either find the Stones, or they would find their end, one way or the other. For three hundred years, the Adai have pushed further and further south, searching for the Great Red Lake of prophecy. Their advance has brought them into direct conflict with the Rangers, who have hitherto capably fought off their invasions. The unfortunate ahmanoi of these difficult times carry ceremonial Stones of power insignificant when compared to the true Legacy Stones of legend.
Reality:
Whether the last portion of the Remembrance is, in fact, an accounting of an event that actually took place is difficult to gauge. Indeed, the Legacy Stones (and their lesser iterations) are a highly controversial topic amongst the learned who study the Adai nomads. It is highly likely that these 'stones of power' are in fact symbolic idols of little real worth - and that the ending to the Remembrance is a veiled justification for a campaign of migratory conquest that has brought the Adai to the Reaches.
Military:
The Muster, in wartime, is a series of gigantic war camps on the move. Each Adai legacy organises its own host for independent action, as a concerted effort by the entire Muster is a rare occurrence that requires serious opposition in the field to even be considered by the belkai. Generally, the host of each legacy is led by one of the ahmanoi (unless a vened of superior martial prowess is evidently available). Each host is further subdivided into hiliad (a thousand men and their mounts), led by a konez (an officer vened), and then rotaka (a hundred men and their mounts), led by senior venedoi nominated by the belkar.
Hosts can cover enormous distances, as they near-universally consist of a purely cavalry force. Usually, between three and four qhon/horses are required per voyin on the campaign trail. In battle, both mount and voyin are either heavily armoured with scale mail/hides (the material and quality of construction is a matter of individual wealth), or lightly armoured for prolonged skirmishing and horse archery.
The heavily armoured riders use lances, slashing sabres, maces and long, rectangular bucklers, whilst the skirmishers make use of pre-curved bows, and a smaller slashing sabre. It is generally the case that the older, more experienced and often wealthier voyna and venedoi are heavily armoured qhol riders, and therefore take pride of place as the shock troops that deliver the fatal blow to a body of enemy troops.
The less experienced and less wealthy skirmishers tend to ride ponies and horses - which have proven to be superior to the qhol in their ability to cover serious distances. Though these beasts of burden are also valued, riding one into battle is usually a sign of one's low status.
Generally speaking, battle tactics involve the goading of the opposing forces into a headlong charge by the lighter riders, whilst the heavily armoured riders prepare to annihilate the now-disorganised enemy with a brutal, enveloping counter-charge. Against other legacies, however, Adai tactics primarily concentrate on a swirling battle of manoeuvre intended to push the enemy into an unfavourable tactical position, which can be exploited in a number of ways.
Savants:
Savants are almost unheard of amongst the Adai. This is largely attributable to the fact that very few of the returnees from Naxano settled beyond the Reaches.
Legacies:
The seven major legacies of the Adai are as follows:
Chelek – The tenacious, hardworking and grim sons of Akoma are a waning legacy. Their voyna is badly depleted, and their bodna find themselves unable to secure vital resources from the territories of the other legacies. Yet the light of past glory still shines. The warpath still beckons to the old faithful of Chelek, the hardiest of the Adai, and perhaps the most foolhardy. Personified by their belkar, the indomitable mountain of a man known as Sikon, the bearmen ride on into destiny. Their totem spirit is the Bear, and the powerstones crafted by Chelek rukimanoi symbolise its composure and its strength.
Surivoi – Many have said that the elders of the Surivoi zadrugas have a third eye open at all times. Their wisdom and their grace, assuredly, has no match in the Adai Muster. Guided by the unusual concentration of ability and quietly contemplative attitudes in their venedoi, the Surivoi have always been underestimated by their foes, much to the misfortune of the latter. Their apparent strength is misleading, if not illusory. Master strategists, great thinkers, seers, philosophers, poets and intelligent warriors; these are the marks of the Surivoi. Their ageless belkar, Hiroi, is exemplary amongst the Surivoi. Their totem spirit is the Eagle, with whose keen eye the rukimanoi of this legacy watch over their people.
Modren – Modren, the salt of the earth, the keepers of the old order, the fanatical pursuers of the Great Red Lake and the Legacy Stones. Bound by tradition, the Modren seek only to restore to the Adai what is rightfully theirs. They are a strong and surprisingly vital legacy, for such traditionalists. Many are their voyna and their herds of qhol. Some say they, alone, retain the favour of Enoi. Whatever the truth may be, they certainly hold enormous influence over the other legacies. Once committed, the Modren never retreat, never surrender, never offer or desire quarter, never set aside the cause and are universally known for their resoluteness, their courage, their hard-headedness and their ability to overcome any opposition to their will. It is known that they also never forget an insult. Their totem is the Earth itself, and their belkar, Sagarai, may well be carved from rock, such is his stature and implacability.
The Vesht – Each belkar of the Vesht is traditionally known as the Wolf – this has been so for an age. Cunning, stout and disciplined, the Vesht comprise some of the most capable warriors of the Adai. Their ability to work together, as a people, to overcome both foes and other obstacles is legendary. Skilled with bow and dagger, as well as spear, the Vesht are formidable opponents in all arenas. Not the strongest legacy, and certainly not the weakest, the Vesht are thought to be the most tightly knit of the Adai, and the most likely to survive catastrophe. Their totem spirit, unsurprisingly, is the cunning and deadly Wolf.
Rodin – The Rodin are insatiable. Their thirst for plunder, for rabiya and for power has propelled them from a position of weakness to the pinnacles of strength. Though their voyna is not the most potent amongst the Adai, their rukimanoi are rumoured to have no equal in the casting of blessings and curses. Their magick is inordinately powerful. Darker rumours of blood sacrifice persist, despite Rodin attempts to quash such insults to their honour. Proud and influential, the Rodin ride their ambition to its limit; their ultimate goal seems to be to unseat the Modren as the greatest of the legacies. Their totem spirit is the viper; subtle and deadly.
Jega - Perhaps inevitably, the legacy bearing the qhol totem has taken on aspects of that beast. The Jega tend to be the most aggressive and warlike of all Adai. Their belkar - Gighai - is a powerful, lithe warrior now entering the twilight of his life. His people clamour for a renewed invasion of the Reaches. Daily, they skirmish with the Rangers, sharing the longest Adai boundary with the Mountain Lords. The Jega are second only to the Modren in the scale of its voyna. They also tend to be particularly enthusiastic in their raids on other legacies, with an abiding appetite for rabiya and shala.
Nakan - The Nakanoi are a legacy divided. One faction, led by the belkar Firkan, seeks to pursue a blood feud against the Chelek over an embarrassing defeat at their hands during a dispute over grazing rights. The other, led by the popular and highly influential hetman Jindei of the Sword, instead seeks to parlay and to thereby preserve the strength of Nakan. It is a struggle that will define this fractious legacy, which bears the totem of lightning.
There exist many other legacies, but none approach the power of the above, and most swear allegiance to one or the other during times of conflict.
***
IV. MURIAN MAGIC?
The concept of 'magic' is a hotly debated one in some Murian social circles, a fact of life in others - and for many it remains 'a delusion of peasants and idiots'. In other words, the question of magic can be answered in a thousand different ways, depending on whom one asks. Certainly, the Naxanoi-descended 'savants' (some 0.5% of the total Murian population is estimated to have some degree of savant ancestry) and their Taint make the issue even murkier. Is their ability to move objects with their will alone a form of magic?
And what of the Adai rukimanoi? Those barbarian shamans are reputed to conduct blood rituals, so as to empower and embolden Adai riders by magical means. Ditto for the albinos of the Woodsmen, whose prestige often rivals that of the chieftains themselves. And, lest we forget, the Great Plain itself is no stranger to such alleged superstitions, with Augurs of the Hightower accompanying most Banners on campaign in Imperial times, and divining their fortune at every junction.
As many Eastern philosophers have argued, however, the existence of a belief in magic
The Barbarian now lies dormant, unable to pour much time into his treasured hobbies. However, he has elected to share something with his worthy fellows. Essentially, it is the draft of a world building project he began toward the end of last year. It is a very rough piece of work, for the moment, so please bear that in mind. Also, very incomplete. Lastly, the original and prevailing intention is that it will be a base for a PnP campaign the Barbarian has planned - although that campaign may never actually happen.
Anyway, without further ado:
Map of the Murian Continent - High Quality (1.5mb JPEG)
Legacy
***
A World Under Construction
***
The Plainsmen have been fighting their petty wars ever since the downfall of the Dragyr Murtad - their once resplendent, all-encompassing empire. Torn apart from within and without by the very Families that had brought it wealth and power, the carcass of the Old Empire lies strewn across the face of the world. The Plains, a onetime breadbasket for all of the Murian continent, are divided between pretenders and upstarts vying for territory, influence and the lucrative river trade that fills their coffers. The highly developed cities of the Eastern Realm, meanwhile, prey on each other, with vast armies marching night and day in pursuit of an impossible final victory.
Up north, across the Ranges, the Mountain Lords reign in relative seclusion, engaged in their own private, bitter battles. They, most of all, have shed the Dragyr Murtad from their identity. No longer a mere bulwark against the incursions of the Adai legacies, the valleys and hills of the Rangers hum with activity and the drive of a young and vital people. Not so the island-continent of Naxano, settled long ago by Murian pioneers. Silent for hundreds of years, since just before the final stages of the Sundering, no ship comes back from that cursed place. Its fate - perhaps its doom - is unknown. Even the corsairs of the Mirragi Isles have learned to avoid it. Their marines are better employed sacking Muria's coastal settlements and pillaging until their boats groan under the strain. The Free Cities of the Far West and the South do all they can to fight these locusts off, with varying success.
The Woodsmen remain as ever; aloof and fiercely independent. The forests of the M'dede, the M'haen and the M'turo have proven impenetrable to outsiders. Limited trade between the tribes and the surrounding powers is all the contact the Woodsmen want or need. Their frontiers, however, are increasingly bedevilled by the Iron Republic. The ironmen conspire to drive out the tribes so that they may take what fuel they need for their burgeoning industries. It will prove a grim enterprise.
Dear reader, that is the shape of the known world as it stands. Forgive me, if the accent I lend it appears cynical. Know, however, that Muria is fractured, broken and lacking the merest semblance of a grand hope for what is to come. Ambition has usurped hope. But, perhaps, ambition can also help bring it back...
- Moreir Orrision, in the Epilogue of 'The Muraiad'
***
Table of Contents:
I. The World
II. A Historical Primer
III. The Nations and Cultures of Muria
IV. Murian Magic?
V. The Game
***
I. THE WORLD
'Legacy', the game, is of course the namesake of Legacy, the world. Before we explore the game itself, it is imperative that we firstly establish the context in which it plays out. In many ways Legacy (the world) is similar to our own planet. Roughly spherical; life-supporting, with both flora and fauna; dominated by water save for a few large landmasses; relatively temperate year-round. The greatest similarity, perhaps, is that its dominant life form also happens to be humanity. Legacy, as a role-playing game, is largely centred on the humans of that world. In particular, the humans of Muria - one of Legacy's continents.
Muria is a landmass stretching more than three thousand miles east to west, and another two thousand-odd north to south. Generally, it can be said that Eastern Muria is more verdant than the relatively dry west. It is home to the extensive Forest of the M'omiri, as well as numerous smaller offshoots across its expanse. These forests help add some variety to what is otherwise a sea of lush grassland interspersed with large lakes. The farthest reaches of the Eastern Realm, however, do settle into the familiar plains more common to the west. In all cases, the land is bountiful. Fed by rivers, streams, lake-derived irrigation channels and seasonal rains, it is famous for its orchards and plantations. Not as ideal for wheat as the black earth soil of the Western Realm, the landholders of the East nonetheless reap rich harvests.
The Western Realm is defined by the Great Plain, and the mighty rivers that serrate it. Though it receives far less rain than Eastern Muria, it nonetheless represents an agricultural marvel. Regular seasonal flooding provides for incredible crop yields. The soil is, as such, obscenely rich and fertile all along the flood plains. The Plain provides excellent grazing for a variety of domesticated animals, especially horses and other livestock. To the north of the Great Plain lies the Range, known to many as 'Muria's Spine', or simply 'The Spine'. A panoply of hills, mountains and the valleys that lie between, it is the source for many of the rivers that run across the south and the south-east. Further north yet is the vast Adai Steppe - named after the Adai nomads who dominate it.
The seasons are stable and predictable, with very short winters preceded by long autumns and followed by similarly long springs. Summer tends to last longer than winter, but remains shorter than autumn. Snowfall is rarely seen outside the Range, though rainfall is a near-daily occurrence, and heavy rainfall is quite common, especially in the Eastern Realm.
Flora and Fauna
Legacy is home to a great variety of flora and fauna. Much of it is already familiar to the reader. From livestock to poultry, the range of domesticated farm animals is virtually identical. Dogs are favoured hunting companions and herders amongst landholders, whilst the rich prefer cats - especially the larger, wilder families. In the east, animal companionship is relatively uncommon. The Rangers, for their part, do make use of the unique yaol - a predatory lizard-like quadruped with tough, scaly skin. Generally between twelve and eighteen feet long, yaol are highly adapted to mountainous environments and are capable of scaling seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
They are primarily used as mounts in Ranger armies. Though not as suitable for charging across the open field as horses and qhol, they nonetheless represent highly dangerous opponents in difficult terrain, with a surprising short distance mobility. What is more, they are also very given to engaging opponents without much coaxing, given the right training. Their nimble claws and razor teeth (ideal for cutting) make for a fearsome combination. Furthermore, particular yaol breeds are able to camouflage themselves to better blend in with their surroundings. The advantages of this are obvious and manifold. They are, however, much fewer in number than horses, with stable population growth achievable only with careful management and low wastage. Though they are able to subsist on plants, most yaol are fed meat at least twice a month.
Further up north, the aforementioned qhol form the mainstay of Adai stables. An aggressive and extremely overdeveloped member of the equine family, qhol are ideal chargers. Able to achieve speeds marginally higher than that of most coursers, and endowed with far more muscle mass, these animals are very difficult to stop. However, domestication and training remain very troublesome for the Adai. Amongst them it is said that if a qhol has not taken to its trainers within four months of birth, it should be put down. Even with the appropriate training, qhol are notoriously ill-disposed and undisciplined animals. The qhol herds are, therefore, both a source of strength for the tribes, as well as a significant, ongoing investment of valuable manpower and resources. The latter doubly so, as an average qhol requires more than one and a half times the daily sustenance of its 'lesser' equine cousins, and cannot cover as much distance, overall.
Other exotic creatures have often been found in the M'omiri, especially - and some have even been brought back to various settlements, mostly in the east. These include animals such as the chitter dog, that closely resembles the plains wild dog, but is far larger, more aggressive (very much so a pack-hunting carnivore) and well suited to clambering up the rough bark of the innumerable trees of its sylvan home. Their permanently erected, long ears and distinctive chittering yelp strike fear into many a would-be forager entering their domain. Another example is the kacana - or cacoune in Low Eastern - a small primate generally weighing between forty and seventy pounds, with highly developed joints and a pair of powerful, membranous wings that allow them to fly/glide between tree tops. Curious, playful omnivores, the cacoune fetch a high prince on eastern markets. They are notoriously difficult to catch.
The yuli berries of Taes Mirza are famous across Muria for the opulent, aromatic wines that they produce. Enormous quantities of this wine are shipped westwards every year, and earn the Mirza a very healthy trade income. This is just a small showcase of a select few examples of Murian flora and fauna. It is, therefore, by no means exhaustive, and will be expanded upon in the future.
***
II. A HISTORICAL PRIMER
Today, Muria is split roughly between the peoples of the West, and those of the East; between the Rangers and the flatlanders; between the Adai and Woodsmen nomads and the settled folk. A very, very long time ago, these peoples were most likely as one - though some have argued that the Woodsmen are aboriginal inhabitants of the continental landmass. They came to Muria from somewhere across the great waters and settled the gentle slopes and riverbanks of the south-east. They spread quickly, as peoples are wont to do when they encounter no natural or artificial limit to their expansion. This pre-history, with no written records, likely lasted for some thousands of years. At its end, the Peoples covered Muria. Of these, our earliest ancestors, we have found but a few scant ruins, graveyards and some artefacts. Today, they remain a mystery to us.
When writing and iconography finally emerged two thousand years ago, so did our history - and at that point the tale of our past began to be told. But, in order to not confuse the reader, it is imperative that this tale is segmented and organized in some fashion. To this end, we will begin telling the story of Muria from the perspective of the Western peoples, before moving on to those of the East and concluding with the Ranger folk and the Adai. Without further ado...
The story of the Western peoples begins thus;
Once upon a time, the Great Plain was the seat of power for the Dragyr Imperium - better known as 'Dragyr Murtad'. Its fertile floodplains, gentle slopes, temperate seasons and bright, clear rivers had birthed a civilization peopled by men of drive and ambition. Obviously, however, it was not as straightforward as grandiosity arisen from a vacuum. For many hundreds of years before this seminal period, the Great Plain was first home to a multitude of settlements nestled against the flow of its mighty rivers. These settlements saw their fortunes wax and wane with the swelling of riverbanks, the tide of seasons changing and the predations of their neighbours.
Fortuitous position and circumstance soon saw certain settlements become towns. Thereafter, towns became city states. Populations swelled as the rivers delivered season after season of rich soil and plentiful harvests. Trade expanded the scope of human endeavour, spreading the art of pottery; of metalworking; of masonry, high and wide. Success, however, brings pressures of its own, and it was not long before these burgeoning powers turned to war and colonization as a means of ensuring their prosperity would continue. The lesser prepared ones fell quickly, adding to the momentous expansion of their conquerors. Others fought, and fought increasingly well. Horses would be adapted to war by stirrup and breeding. Soft cassiop would be replaced by iron. Ritual combat would give way to pitched battle.
Great and terrible things would befall the people of the Great Plain during this time. They called themselves by many names: the Rykiri, the Neurte, the Gulan, the Ferdas, the Vok'sa - amongst others. What these names meant is lost to us, now, for the most part. But we Plainsmen owe these peoples our past. As has been mentioned, however, they suffered terribly in the Pre-Imperial Era. It was not until roughly the fourth century of their mutual slaughter that Hrugan, son of Chaias-jet-Saskyr, became King of the Veleri, who had inherited and won large stretches of the Eastern Plain, between the rivers Oka and Urska. Hrugan then, in his thirtieth winter, waged aggressive war against the Genyumen and defeated them heavily at the Battle of the Famyri Crossing.
His horsemen thereafter swept the Middle Lands, ravaging the holdings of the Sioske and the Morturi. By his thirty fifth winter he was known as a great warlord throughout the Eastern Plains. At this time, plague and hunger would ravage much of the Great Plain following an unusually long and harsh winter. The Veleri suffered more than most, and Hrugan now faced a restive, dwindling populace, led by kinsmen unwilling to support his endless, costly wars any longer. Showing acumen beyond battle, he sought support from the Evance, settlers out of the Northern Reaches who had taken much of the land around lake Diya, north-west of the Sioske. They had proven themselves strangely resilient in the face of the sickness that felled many of the Plainsmen, and a marriage to the daughter of their Eldest gave Hrugan an army to call upon to quell the rebellious amongst his own kin.
Hrugan's lust for battle led him to take to the field again following the birth of his second son, Marias, three winters later. Though the plague was not yet gone, and death stalked the land, Hrugan's horsemen and Evance auxiliaries met the remnants of the Sioske and their Ulgar allies on the Field of Goldcaps, where they routed them completely in a glorious clash of arms. The triumph was to prove short-lived. One year later, Hrugan the Warrior King of the Veleri, died beneath the walls of Sutri, a town which he had placed under siege. His eldest son was as yet too young to rule, so the laws of inheritance were invoked to bring Hrugan's nephew Tymon to the throne. Later known as Tymon Lungyr (Wise Tymon), the regent became king after only a year in power, when he ordered Marias and his dependants killed. Hrugan's other son succumbed to the same fate some moons later.
The Evance were soon thereafter brought to heel, and Tymon was free to mark his reign. He did so with what would become characteristic fortitude and vision. The Kingdom of the Veleri was thereafter the only state of the Great Plain to have a functioning code of laws in place. To this day, the First Veleri Codex remains a masterpiece of legal thinking, with visible Eastern influences (no doubt partly due to the relative proximity of the Veleri holdings to the Eastern nations). Soon, Tymon's people were paying taxes according to a stable, uniform set of regulations. They were travelling along policed roads linking the various trade and population hubs. They were conquering their neighbours with highly drilled and well equipped armies.
Within three short generations, starting with Tymon's lengthy reign, the Kingdom of the Veleri had united with Dragomar, their last credible opponent on the Great Plain, after almost a century of irresistible conquest through force of arms and diplomatic pressure. The union signalled the rise of the Dragyr Murtad and the onset of a lengthy Golden Age for the Western Realm. The Northern Reaches were the first to fall to this burgeoning juggernaught, with the Ranger tribes unable to resist the encroachment of the Plainsmen. At that time, the men of the Great Plain were utterly relentless and single-minded, cohesively bonded by choice and tradition. To this can be attributed their enormous success.
Their first battles with the powers of the Eastern Realm did not go well, and soon much of the land east of the Urska was lost to their excellent armies. But Imperators such as Mossimer II and Kossman I 'Kosmeri' (Kossman the Proud) did much to redress the balance. It took over two hundred years to subdue the peoples of Eastern Muria. In hindsight it could be seen as an inevitability, though it would prove to be a long and bloody affair. The Dragyr Murtad was too wealthy, too driven and too powerful for any individual Eastern state to prove a match. By the time they saw the collective danger, it was too late. On the three hundred and fortieth anniversary of Imperium, soldiers of the Ismer Banner bathed on the coast near the city of Wuyson in the Murian south-east.
This was the apogee of Dragyri power. Untold expanses lay under their thumb. Many millions toiled for the glory of the Empire, paid their taxes, died under its banners and were burned according to Imperial burial rites. Even the far off island-continent of Naxano was colonized by the bravest men and women of those heady times. It was to be the mark of Dragyri strength and vitality; a monument to the Empire's success as a state and, perhaps, as one nation. It is manifestly ironic that the Sundering would begin in Naxano, though the poetic quality of fate stands as the obvious subtext. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. The Sundering took place centuries after its seeds had taken root, and they were to take that root in the Eastern Realm of the Empire...
The East, in short...
Even before the Dragyr Murtad had conquered it, the Eastern Realm was known to the Plainsmen as a den of opulence, and the home of high culture. The merchants of Qun and Taes Mirza brought wine, literature and slaves to the Plains. Almost fifty years before the Empire existed, the volume of trade - mostly east-to-west - necessitated the building of Mygor itself on the banks of the mighty Yana. That great city began its life as a minor, riverside trading outpost. Many decades later, Deber Qun would arise, on the other side of the river, downstream, when the merchants of Qun decided to accept the goods being shipped by riverine on arrival.
The history of the East, however, is a history of conflict. Much like the Men of the Plains, the Easterners originally settled in small villages, which grew to towns, before finally transitioning to sprawling city states. Those city states, however, never birthed a Tymon Lungyr of their own. War was endemic, and often continuous, but the objective was rarely conquest. The political insularity of Qun, Taes Mirza, Mas Lydal and Eunco - amongst others - was the main reason for the tenuous stability of the political balance in the Eastern Realm before Empire. To put it simply, wars were fought for limited gains, between traditional, conservative rulers unwilling to invest too much into their conduct. It was a tacit sort of agreement amongst the varied nobility of the day; borders were malleable to an extent, but the city states themselves were sacrosanct.
Inconclusive warfare and periodic peace was the way of things for many centuries. That is to say, until the Empire shattered the delicate balance prevailing in the East since time immemorial. It must be said, however, that the Dragyr Murtad was not without Eastern accomplices in establishing the new order. Balearc, at the time a minor city state to the south of Qun, chafed at the mercantile dominance of its northern neighbour. When conflict began over transit rights for goods, the leaders of the city looked westward to the rising Plainsmen for assistance. And so began Dragyr Murtad's eastern conquest. Slow and, at times, disastrously prosecuted, the conquest saw Balearc gain territory and prestige (Woltmarc was previously Margalyn, another minor city state, before it was handed over to the Baleans as spoils-of-war), in exchange for generous military and monetary support. Qun would fall first, and would thereafter be followed by Mas Lydal.
As noted previously, Eastern Muria, as a whole, required two centuries of constant conflict to subdue. Well before that period ended, Balearc itself would be swallowed up by the Dragyr Muria, an inevitable victim of its own folly.
The Sundering...
Dragyr Murtad, for the most part, was a 'good thing' to a great majority of its citizens. The Empire was relatively stable (the odd war with the Adai and the Woodsmen aside), prosperous and, best of all, everywhere. Goods, services and ideas found their way across Muria quickly and efficiently. Populations exploded and cities followed them - particularly in the less developed West. Culture flowered as a result of imperial patronage and rising disposable incomes. And, like all good things, the Imperial idea was destined to fail, eventually.
Much blame has been laid on the doorstep of the Naxanoi savants - the warped men and women stemming from Naxano (and their many descendants) who could, depending on the severity of their taint, perform incredible feats with the power of their minds. It is undeniable that they led the Awakening of the Naxanoi, which saw the Dragyr Murtad badly defeated on the island-continent in a terrible war of independence. And it is undeniable that Tainted Ones lent assistance to the Quni, in their own uprising against the Empire. But blaming them for the Sundering is incorrect, in this author's opinion. The fractures that brought on everything that later befell the Empire were evident well before the war against the risen Naxanoi.
The Quni and the Mirza, especially, were less than amused by the hefty tax increases the Empire was forced to levy due to the uprising on Naxano - and to support Western development, before that. Newly raised Imperial fleets and armies required vast sums of money, and the wealthier East was where the tax burden would have to become truly onerous. Underlying tensions between the Eastern districts and their collective unease with Western dominance worsened noticeably. Intellectual agitation, on the part of the Eastern elite, brought on public discord. It played upon the pettiest of hates and mutual suspicions. It appealed to the lowest common denominator - and it succeeded. Low-scale civil conflict expanded, slowly, as Quni and Mirzan alike acted to cast off the Murtad. The process took some time, and there were many points at which it could have been derailed, had the Imperator more wisdom and tact. Soon, however, the predictable consequences of high-level bungling came to pass and there was open war in the provinces, as local nobles took advantage of a dangerous situation.
Tens of thousands perished before the Dragyri even mobilized to meet the threat (the blame for this belongs to Mirco IV 'Heriskas' and his advisors), tied down as they were in Naxano. By the time the Imperial Banners confronted the hastily gathered rebel host ten miles west of Qun itself, hundreds of thousands were dead in what had become an orgy of pitiless savagery. Westerner against Easterner, Dragyri against rebel; Quni against Plainsman; the landed against the deprived - the points of conflict were innumerable. Victories and defeats by the score were recorded on all sides as the bloodshed worsened, year after year. At first, there was still a semblance of imperial control, and Dragyri garrisons held down most cities and larger towns well enough. But it was not long before the conflict outgrew the Dragyr Murtad and brought on its downfall.
In the north, the Ranger tribes, prideful as ever, shook off the Dragyri with vigour. Two entire Banners were smashed at what is now known as Mer Hac Dragyr - or 'The Place of Dragyri Tears' - which would later become the largest Ranger settlement through a quirk of geography. For their part, the imperial military suffered terribly from desertion and low morale. Plainsmen were expected to fight and die for the Empire in the Eastern Realm, whilst Quni drew garrison duty in the deep south or the far north, while Mirzan forces threatened Qun itself. The imperial identity that was required for social and political stability was still extraordinarily tenuous and largely limited to the most urbane citizens of Dragyr Murtad. The greatest part of the citizenry instead offered its allegiance, first and foremost, to their birthplace.
The Empire, nonetheless, somehow managed to muddle on for another fifty years. The first state to break away and remain independent was, of course, Naxano. Some months later, it was followed by an embryonic Quni state, given the status of a dependant but autonomous principality. A cascade followed over the next several decades, as internal weaknesses were exacerbated by weak institutions and Imperators. The last stage of the downfall began when the Dragyri heartland itself - the Great Plain - fractured. Evance won its independence through bitter struggle. Then Mandarion. Then Rylar-Kirosh. The death knell of the Empire was sounded when Old Dragomar, one of the largest and most populous of the remaining provinces, declared its independence.
This happened some two centuries ago. Since then, Muria has undergone great changes. Balearc rose against Qun in a long and bloody war, finally winning its independence. Not only did it adopt a very unusual form of government (the Republic), but also became known for its magnificent ironworks. Though its official name remains, simply, 'the Republic', it is better known today as the Iron Republic, and its people 'the Ironlanders'.
The Rangers fought off three separate Adai invasions, and often credit themselves with 'saving' the 'soft' Plainsmen during this period. The Great Plains were eventually divided up between the Successor Dynasties, who rule what is now the Kingdom of Old Dragomar, the Kingdom of Evance, the Kingdom of Uldyr, Jeneas Murtad (which still holds itself to be the direct successor of Dragyr Murtad), Amannan and the League of Free Cities.
In the East, the Principality of Qun remains an ever-present, joined by the Principality of Taes Mirza, Mas Lydal, Eunco, Maese Emin and the Neredic Kingdom deeper in the north.
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III. THE NATIONS AND CULTURES OF MURIA
Nation: The Plainsmen; the Lowlanders; the Dragyri
Physical Appearance:
The men of the Plains generally do not exceed five foot nine, and are usually closer to five foot six. Though there is considerable variability east-to-west and north-to-south, most Plainsmen are swarthy fellows of average build, with dark eyes and dark hair. Northerners tend to be lighter in complexion. In particular, inhabitants of Old Dragomar and Jeneas Murtad often fall into that category. Those who reside in Des Uldyr are also somewhat paler, and often taller than other Plainsmen.
Law and Society:
The 'Plainsmen' can be described as a disparate collection of settled lowlander peoples whose eventual expansionism gave rise to the Dragyr Murtad centuries ago, after an age of internecine warfare. They dominate the Western Realm, and are particularly numerous across the Mid-West, with large populations in Jeneas Murtad and Evance.
Of the states peopled by Plainsmen, four are monarchies. These kingdoms include Jeneas Murtad, Old Dragomar, Evance and Des Uldyr. Amannan and the Free Cities constitute exceptions to the aforementioned. Obviously, there are significant differences between the peoples of the four Kingdoms and those of the other states in question. Therefore, a great deal of the information that follows applies only to the successor monarchies (in particular, state governance and the operation of law). If we speak generally, however, there are also remarkable similarities that do well to highlight the Imperial origin of all modern Plainsmen societies.
Most Plainsmen are farm labourers, eking out an existence on the fertile floodplains, or herding sheep and goats across the Great Plain itself. Some are indentured, though most are not. The former are especially conspicuous in Evance. All farmers are subject to the freeholders (szegettin) who 'own' their land, and who in turn pay out taxes to the patrons (aragol) that supervise entire lots.
Above the patrons are the governors (also often referred to as 'archons') that allot freeholds and appoint the aforementioned. They serve to represent the authority of the King across the provinces, to impose taxes on the Crown's behalf, and to raise bodies of fighting men in times of war. Both patrons and governors tend to be nobility - the latter often nobility of some standing. Usually taking up residence in hub towns, governors are also made responsible for the institution of Crown policy and the enforcement of law and order. Governorship of a provincial district is a prestigious post, being only one rung below appointment to the Hened.
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Insert: The Hened
The Hened is an institution that exists to present grievances to the King, to counsel him on the implementation of policy and to provide a recruitment pool for court officials, senior officers and other positions in the higher government. They can also make recommendations to the King as to the appointment of governors. Only the highest nobility is admitted - and the hendan, especially, jealously guard their privilege. Candidates are rigorously screened, and require the support of two thirds majority in the Hened for acceptance. As such, the Hened rarely exceeds more than three hundred or so members, at any given time. This tends to hold true across all four Kingdoms, with a small degree of variability.
This council, of sorts, is further subdivided into its various interest groups. Namely, the Torrero, the Dienmarc, the Hendan, the Notari and the Voed. The Torrero represent the state's artisans, and usually this bloc is constituted by their most senior guild leaders. The Dienmarc are the burghers, represented by the most influential of merchant princes. The Notari are the clerical faction, whilst the Voed stand for the multitude of state civil servants and army officers (that is to say, service based nobility). Finally, the Hendan represent the landholding bloc, and are usually the most numerous group in the Hened, if only by a slight margin.
Every two years, one individual from each bloc is elected by his peers to represent the faction in the Belhad - or the Royal Council. This Council serves the King (the Hendryn) as his closest advisers.
The Hened and the Belhad also maintain the 'Lungyri' Codex (loosely translated as the 'Wisdom'), which is a form of proto-typical constitution that lays out the customs, traditions and laws that make up the legal structure of Plainsman society. The Lungyrien (plural) vary from Kingdom to Kingdom - although only Des Uldyr does not enforce the age-old codex, in some form or other.
***
In the four Kingdoms, most land - nominally at least - belongs to the Crown. This land is usually leased-for-life to freeholders on condition. Purchasing the land outright is an extremely costly and time-consuming process that still leaves the Crown with the ability to requisition it, if particular circumstances arise. Generally, freeholders must be able to turn a profit from their land (audited every five years) to retain their lease. If the land turns an overall profit over the course of a lease's lifetime, it is normally inherited by a nominated successor (usually a son), or the eldest surviving progeny.
City and town dwellers are fewer, overall, than labourers and freeholders. They reside in any of a number of significant settlements that cover the Great Plain. Most of these are nestled against the flow of the larger rivers. Cities and towns are the centres of industry and commerce for Plainsmen. Craftsmen and artisans, in particular, are increasingly valued contributors to the economy, who produce various goods for public and state consumption. These population centres tend to be administered by a governor, and are often considered to be their own districts.
The gentry and the nobility provide all civil servants (including patrons and governors), officers, clergy etc. in Plainsman society. These socio-economic classes are service-based, and very few of the families (even the most notable) are landed (as opposed to landholding). Even the Hened, in most cases, is essentially a meritocracy. It is considered by many to be a 'closed club' exactly because of the level of service one must render the state to be considered - although a suitable enough donation may figure in the final decision. Patents of nobility/gentry are available for purchase at a considerable price, but are most often based on award or genealogy/bloodline.
Culture:
Plainsmen are notoriously ambitious, but also very fractious. Their seemingly never-ending search for wealth, power and prestige has yielded both enormous reward and disastrous ruin in equal measure. A society based on the precepts of meritocracy and social mobility is a reflection of this anti-authoritarian cultural trait. Simply put, it is difficult to imagine this contrary people accepting authority at face value. It is even more difficult to imagine someone denying them advancement, if they feel that they have earned it.
On the flipside, Plainsmen question and bicker without pause, can be absolutely intransigent if pushed into a corner - and yet are remarkably respectful of the laws of the land and the established order. They are not given to public dissent on any scale and crime is avoided assiduously, whenever possible. It is a minor paradox. Of course, that is not to say that all Plainsmen fit this mould. Rather, the state of their societies indicates a tendency or predisposition to the above.
Personal respect on the Plains is something that must be earned; it is seldom given on reputation or standing alone. The competitive spirit all of the above endows the population with cannot be overestimated, and must not be underestimated. A true Plainsman responds well to pressure and success - but very poorly to the status quo and decline. They are not a dramatic people like their northern neighbours, the Rangers. Neither are they dreamers. Instead, they are pragmatic and practical. Plainsmen concentrate on earthly concerns, despite their relative religiousness.
Friends and family are very important to a Plainsman. Trust is established very easily with the former (and inherent in the latter), and broken much the same way. Though most Plainsmen will forgive a faux pas or a minor insult magnanimously, these instances are rarely forgotten - and soon a 'catalogue' of positive and negative actions builds up, to which individuals often refer to in their dealings with the friends in question.
Women and Children:
On the Great Plain, the women choose their husbands from a pool of suitors. It is a choice not made lightly, as a woman who seeks to later sever marital ties will find it very difficult to remarry. The courtship process is a negotiation involving several families, wherein the suitors present themselves and their dowries to the potential bride. Eventually, she will make her choice, after consultation with her kin. Often, there is significant pressure on the bride-to-be to choose the suitor with the greatest dowry.
Once married, women normally stay at home and take care of domestic duties, as well as raise the children. There are few trades readily available to them. Only the wealthiest can hope for some education and the opportunity to advance their station in life. For their part, children are carefully nurtured until puberty, at which point they are expected to begin learning a trade, taking on farming duties, or are otherwise groomed for greater things, including civil service, the army and the clergy.
Religion:
One could characterize the Plainsman as a ferociously religious creature. And one would be correct, for the most part. Although there are significant pockets of sceptical individuals and small communities (the Amannite Heresy notwithstanding; see below), and especially so amongst the educated, most Plainsmen consider themselves to be 'believers'. The religion of the Plains has been around since before the Dragyr Murtad. It is believed to have emerged during the chaotic period immediately prior to the ascent of Tymon Lungyr, although the earliest records of the faith have been lost to the passage of time. Essentially, this belief system can be described as 'dualistic elementalism'.
According to the official credo, the universe is a series of dualities and juxtaposed entities. The most significant dualities include the Sun and the Moon, the Masculine and the Feminine, Earth and Wind, Fire and Water, Spring and Autumn and, finally, Summer and Winter. These are further interrelated. For example, the Sun has 'dominion' over Summer and Spring, as well as Fire and Earth. The Masculine has dominion over Summer and Autumn, and Fire and Wind. This complex set of relationships, in turn, regulates the universe. No single deity or pantheon governs this dynamic. Rather, it is treated as the essential ordering of the universe, which requires no higher input or point of origin.
Though myriad priesthoods exist (for example, Jeneas Murtad's famous 'Sulune' sun priesthood), it is the faith itself that is constant in public life. The institutions that claim it for themselves are notoriously unstable and prone to change and conflict. However, the priesthoods nonetheless play a significant role in many aspects of governance and the law. That much is obvious, when one considers that no army of the Plains marches without an augur reading the Dualities, in order to ascertain whether or not it is a good time to do so (the Sun must be ascendant over the Moon). Some would say that their presence is a formality; others would claim that it is a tradition so ingrained few rulers have the wherewithal to break.
Dress:
The Plainsmen dress functionally. They do not have an appreciation for Adai-like extravagance. Instead, they dress simply and effectively. Cloth remains the favoured material across the social strata, although soft Mirzan silk is once again making headway in the circles of the wealthy. It is seen as a symbol of prestige, and an aspiration to culture and heritage (in the days of the Dragyr Murtad the nobility often wore such silk, though it fell out of favour during the aftermath of the Sundering). Natural colours dominate.
Military:
The Kingdoms, Amannan and the Free Cities:
Nation: The Adai Muster
Physical Appearance:
Typical Adai tend to be of average height (around five foot seven), with a relatively stocky build. Their skin tends to be of a ruddy complexion and is often quite tanned. Hair colour ranges from shades of red to very light brown - with few natural blondes.
Society:
The Adai are a roving collection of nomad tribes inhabiting the Northern Steppe - also known as the Adai Steppe - that rarely spend more than a season in a sedentary state and are typified by the zadruga structure of their individual social groupings. In essence, each family group within a particular legacy (equating to a tribe) nominates an elder (hetman) – a council (dumana) of which, in turn, elects a chieftain (belkar) whose role is to loosely control the legacy, and mediate between the family groups that constitute it. In a microcosmic sense, Adai society functions according to a fairly flexible social ranking system.
The Adai hierarchy, from the top down, can be distilled as consisting of the following:
First are the ahmanoi, who are the bearers of the legacy stones (crafted items reputed to confer magical power) and whose prestige is only rivalled by the belkai (chieftains) themselves. They are determined to be ahmanoi at birth, based on the auguries of the Adai priesthood. Many become enormously capable warriors or rukimanoi further endowed with the power of the stones themselves. Though they are not outright granted significant assets, most family groups within legacies actively vie for the favour of the ahmanoi – and as a result an ahman seldom lives in discomfort, as his patron family provides him with all basic needs and luxuries. That is, of course, if the ahman does not already possess great wealth, both plundered and accumulated.
Below the ahmanoi (in a notional sense; true power is almost completely vested in the belkai) are the belkai, who represent and have a degree of control over the legacies that elect them. The belkai are almost universally rich, as nearly all stem from noble families and are, indeed, venedoi (nobles) themselves. A belkar’s position, however, is only held secure insofar as his ability to lead is obvious, and his political enemies few. A dumana can remove a belkar at any time with a majority vote.
One step down from the belkai are the hetmanoi – elders (in name, if not in fact) who are elected by family groups to participate in the dumana and to govern the affairs of the family group and the legacy (in a far more limited scope) as a whole. The hetmanoi, much like the belkai, are mostly venedoi (in some family groups the terms hetmanoi and venedoi are interchangeable due to material factors) before they are elected by their family group. They are usually wealthy and powerful, as a result.
Further below are the venedoi, generally. They are the mount breeding nobility of the Adai. Their wealth, as such, rests on the vast herds of qhol they maintain and sell to aspiring warriors and families, the wide range of products extracted from those herds and their expertise with qhol pedigrees. The venedoi are extremely influential in family and legacy politics, and are usually the men who are selected by their family groups for higher roles. From the venedoi are the ranks of the leaders of the Adai host drawn, as well as its most fearsome cavalry.
The rukimanoi – the priesthood of Enoi and the caretakers of the talismans, the totems and the relics – are next. Often inheriting their positions, but also prone to accepting bodna (freemen) into the fold, the rukimanoi provide the legacies with services including auguries, blessings, funeral rituals, wedding ceremonies and others. Though not particularly prestigious, they are still ranked higher than warriors, and are uniformly well off. Their other focal role is that of medicine men, and for their services in that field, in particular, they are rewarded handsomely.
Just below the rukimanoi are the voyna – the armed riders of the Adai. Each voyin is fairly individual, as their circumstances can vary. The blooded youth, the veteran riders and everything in between constitute the voyna. As a result, the voyna is very large, encompassing upwards of forty percent of the able bodied male population of the Adai. Their first mounts and equipment are provided by their families, but the voyin is only deemed to be his own man when exploits on the field (either against other legacies or outside enemies) bring him booty enough to afford him a dowry for a bride and a family tent, as well as requisite mounts.
Second to last are the bodna – a diverse collection of men, including those who hold a trade (such as a blacksmith, a carpenter, a hunter, a tanner etc.), those who are too old or too young to be of the voyna and those who do not fit into any other social category, but remain free from bondage. Their circumstances vary hugely, and so does their wealth and influence, accordingly.
Last on the ladder are the rabiya. Men and women in bondage – many of whom are other Adai captured in inter-legacy raids. Obligated to not flee from their captors, they are used (albeit with some basic rights) as menial labour, as servants and as haulers of materiel. They are most certainly not wealthy, but they can be in fairly comfortable circumstances if the family they that holds them as rabiya is well off. Their children are raised by the owning family and treated as members of the family group. The rabiya cannot bear arms except for the haidutoi – male rabiya who partake in military action in the hopes of attaining a place as bodna in a foster family after seven years of service. Alternatively, they may elect to be freed to return to whence they stem from. In any case, at this point they may seek to become voyna or remain bodna and apprentice themselves in trade.
Culture:
The Adai are a family-centric, yet individualistic, people who value courage, cleverness and wisdom above all else. Friendships are slow to burgeon, but particularly strong once fully established. Extremely social amongst their own, the Adai retain mixed feelings for other legacies amongst themselves, and a potent suspicion (if not downright dislike) for true outsiders. This can unfortunately extend to even foreign-born rabiya – who are most likely to be undervalued and overworked, and sometimes even abused.
Much emphasis is placed on the martial qualities, which is understandable given the constancy of warfare and continuous low-intensity conflict in Adai history. The cult of the warrior is well and truly in control of many a young male’s psyche, and gifted warriors/war leaders are treasured by both family group and legacy. Though such machismo can often lead to hubris and other forms of overweening pride, the camaraderie of the Muster is often enough to stem serious violence in Adai legacies. However, the problem of violence in situations where voyna of different legacies come together is systemic.
Women and Children:
Women are highly valued in Adai society as matrons of families, as gatherers and as the nurturers of children. Mistreatment of women is frowned upon and can generally diminish one’s prestige/shala. As can the mistreatment of children, who are intentionally raised as independent thinking and headstrong. Fathers are often judged by the ability of their progeny to accomplish more than them, relatively speaking. However, outright rebellion is always tempered with respect for elders. Male children tend to achieve 'manhood' by pubescence.
Women can become rukimanoi - sometimes even venedoi - but very rarely are they allowed to go on the warpath. First and foremost, they are wives, mothers and counsellors.
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On a societal level, the Adai are quite aggressive and have ravaged numerous holdings of foreigner lords without a particular need to do so. Their propensity for cruelty varies from legacy to legacy and from campaign to campaign. But usually it is the possibility of booty and the prestige to be gained that leads the Muster to military action both within and without (the legacies). Prestige can be gained from immense quantities of booty, the battlefield defeat of enemies and valuable rabiya claimed. This concept is generally known as shala. Without considerable shala no belkar can hold on to his position and its trappings for long, extraneous circumstances notwithstanding.
Adai Aesthetics:
In terms of the arts and crafts, the Adai are limited in many senses. Their architecture is primitive, at best, and largely based on woodwork, whilst pottery is relatively advanced. Stonework is severely constrained by a lack of suitable raw material and expertise (especially), yet metalwork is highly refined (though the metals are almost exclusively traded for). Adai blacksmiths are known for their unique armour and weapons, and for the quality thereof.
The Adai, unfortunately, have very little patience for intricate visual artistry, according to our definition thereof. As a result, their qhol-hide tents are relatively unadorned. However, their propensity for flamboyant - if not gaudy - pageantry and dress is undeniable. Each Adai rider strives to be utterly unique in appearance. Characteristic tattoos and body paint are extraordinarily common, and the former is often applied by rukimanoi who are paid to inscribe protective runes on the bodies and faces of fledgling warriors, in a range of colours. Dress and armour, too, is afforded special attention. Bright, striking hues are extremely common, with Neredic dyes exceedingly popular.
When combined with the personalized totemic and talismanic banners each rider attaches to his mount, the Muster on the warpath resembles a confluent rainbow of lethality. Almost everything is individualized. Sabres are passed down from father to son bearing poetry, verses from a legacy saga or personal messages. Coveted breastplate (usually worn by only the wealthiest riders) is similarly inscribed - often with the 'mark' of the owner or his household. Hairstyles are also deeply individual, with particular kinds of grease often being used to slick hair into different shapes.
This is all symptomatic of the extraordinary individualism prevalent amongst the Adai.
The Sagas:
Their music and oral histories/myths, on the other hand, are extremely developed. Though much of both categories is dominated by the rukimanoi, there are also a significant number of bodna musicians and bards, who help to entertain the populace through song and dance. Furthermore, the former bear the responsibility for the Legacy Sagas - which can be loosely described as the oral tradition of an individual legacy and/or clan.
Sagas tend to be very longwinded, and most legacies have entire 'societies' of rukimanoi on hand to memorize them in portions. Utmanoi of these societies co-ordinate this complex process. It is the highest ambition of any Adai rider to be entered into a Saga for posterity. There are few higher honours amongst their people.
Religion:
The Myth:
Adai religion is centred on Enoi, the Overgod, who brought the world into existence by singing its name, and who is considered the father of all Adai. The rukimanoi regularly offer sacrifices to Enoi – livestock and poultry in particular, though during times of serious food shortages herbs and wood carvings are an acceptable substitute. The Legacy Stones are considered to be Enoi’s gift to the Ten Brothers of the White Plains; Unimohn, Akoma, Bebrud, Aftes, Mamlaz, Talas, Golin, Sarkaz, Ikos and Yelen – the founders of the original Adai legacies.
The story goes that Enoi had sculpted the world in all its glory, and proceeded to gaze upon it in wonderment and the contemplation of his success. At a certain point, his eyes spied a woman of the new race of Man; fair and beauteous as women were only in days of yore, before the corruption of vice and sin had despoiled the blood. He fell in love with his own creation, astounded by its purity of spirit.
Enoi did not relent until he had her, and gave her ten children, who grew into immortal men strong as bears, fast as falcons and mighty in both sword arm and mana. Though the mother faded and elapsed, Enoi’s fatherly pride knew no bounds. He bestowed upon his children the Legacy Stones; artefacts of enormous power, imbued with unfathomable mana, so they would know they had his favour. The race of the Plainsmen flowered, and expanded, under the leadership of the Ten. A hundred generations passed, and each brother created his own legacy; his followers.
It was then that three of the brothers – Bebrud, Mamlaz and Golin – turned on Akoma, betraying their bonds of kinship, so that they could usurp his Stone, his legacy and the fertile lands on which the qhol of Akoma’s legacy grazed. In their conceit they believed that their father would not choose between his children; that he would in fact encourage the competition between them so as to find the strongest and the most worthy of his glory. In one respect, they were right. Enoi could not harm them directly. Instead, as Bebrud, Mamlaz and Golin closed in on Akoma, intent on harming him, the Overgod reclaimed their Legacy Stones. With the help of his other brothers Akoma soon turned the tide of battle, and the three were slain upon the Field of Weeping Rocks, much to the grief of their brothers.
Enoi wept for his children and then brought them together to tell them this: ‘You are mine, but you are also the get of Man. Everlife is not meant for the race of Man. I will take you with me to Jeh, the Fireplace of the Overgod, where no mortal man aspires’. With that said, Enoi kept his promise and took the brothers away. However, before they left, the brothers each gave their most trusted follower their Legacy Stone, to provide guidance and protection for the Adai in an uncertain and dangerous world.
For many generations, the Stones passed from Adai to Adai, usually father to son. However, one horrifying night (according to legend), as the Seven Ahmanoi of the Adai legacies congregated for the seasonal dumana with their personal voyna, something terrible occurred. The ahmanoi disappeared, their followers found dead amidst a scene of horrifying violence by worried bodna who had heard a great commotion.
The next day, the Vesht rukimanoi utman (head of the legacy rukimanoi), a known and proven seer, experienced a vision that told him the Adai must travel to the south, if they are to find the stones. Always to the south, until they reached the land by the Great Red Lake. The legacies heeded the utman’s words and mustered as one for the Warpath that would take them further than they had ever been before.
The seer also foretold that the Adai would either find the Stones, or they would find their end, one way or the other. For three hundred years, the Adai have pushed further and further south, searching for the Great Red Lake of prophecy. Their advance has brought them into direct conflict with the Rangers, who have hitherto capably fought off their invasions. The unfortunate ahmanoi of these difficult times carry ceremonial Stones of power insignificant when compared to the true Legacy Stones of legend.
Reality:
Whether the last portion of the Remembrance is, in fact, an accounting of an event that actually took place is difficult to gauge. Indeed, the Legacy Stones (and their lesser iterations) are a highly controversial topic amongst the learned who study the Adai nomads. It is highly likely that these 'stones of power' are in fact symbolic idols of little real worth - and that the ending to the Remembrance is a veiled justification for a campaign of migratory conquest that has brought the Adai to the Reaches.
Military:
The Muster, in wartime, is a series of gigantic war camps on the move. Each Adai legacy organises its own host for independent action, as a concerted effort by the entire Muster is a rare occurrence that requires serious opposition in the field to even be considered by the belkai. Generally, the host of each legacy is led by one of the ahmanoi (unless a vened of superior martial prowess is evidently available). Each host is further subdivided into hiliad (a thousand men and their mounts), led by a konez (an officer vened), and then rotaka (a hundred men and their mounts), led by senior venedoi nominated by the belkar.
Hosts can cover enormous distances, as they near-universally consist of a purely cavalry force. Usually, between three and four qhon/horses are required per voyin on the campaign trail. In battle, both mount and voyin are either heavily armoured with scale mail/hides (the material and quality of construction is a matter of individual wealth), or lightly armoured for prolonged skirmishing and horse archery.
The heavily armoured riders use lances, slashing sabres, maces and long, rectangular bucklers, whilst the skirmishers make use of pre-curved bows, and a smaller slashing sabre. It is generally the case that the older, more experienced and often wealthier voyna and venedoi are heavily armoured qhol riders, and therefore take pride of place as the shock troops that deliver the fatal blow to a body of enemy troops.
The less experienced and less wealthy skirmishers tend to ride ponies and horses - which have proven to be superior to the qhol in their ability to cover serious distances. Though these beasts of burden are also valued, riding one into battle is usually a sign of one's low status.
Generally speaking, battle tactics involve the goading of the opposing forces into a headlong charge by the lighter riders, whilst the heavily armoured riders prepare to annihilate the now-disorganised enemy with a brutal, enveloping counter-charge. Against other legacies, however, Adai tactics primarily concentrate on a swirling battle of manoeuvre intended to push the enemy into an unfavourable tactical position, which can be exploited in a number of ways.
Savants:
Savants are almost unheard of amongst the Adai. This is largely attributable to the fact that very few of the returnees from Naxano settled beyond the Reaches.
Legacies:
The seven major legacies of the Adai are as follows:
Chelek – The tenacious, hardworking and grim sons of Akoma are a waning legacy. Their voyna is badly depleted, and their bodna find themselves unable to secure vital resources from the territories of the other legacies. Yet the light of past glory still shines. The warpath still beckons to the old faithful of Chelek, the hardiest of the Adai, and perhaps the most foolhardy. Personified by their belkar, the indomitable mountain of a man known as Sikon, the bearmen ride on into destiny. Their totem spirit is the Bear, and the powerstones crafted by Chelek rukimanoi symbolise its composure and its strength.
Surivoi – Many have said that the elders of the Surivoi zadrugas have a third eye open at all times. Their wisdom and their grace, assuredly, has no match in the Adai Muster. Guided by the unusual concentration of ability and quietly contemplative attitudes in their venedoi, the Surivoi have always been underestimated by their foes, much to the misfortune of the latter. Their apparent strength is misleading, if not illusory. Master strategists, great thinkers, seers, philosophers, poets and intelligent warriors; these are the marks of the Surivoi. Their ageless belkar, Hiroi, is exemplary amongst the Surivoi. Their totem spirit is the Eagle, with whose keen eye the rukimanoi of this legacy watch over their people.
Modren – Modren, the salt of the earth, the keepers of the old order, the fanatical pursuers of the Great Red Lake and the Legacy Stones. Bound by tradition, the Modren seek only to restore to the Adai what is rightfully theirs. They are a strong and surprisingly vital legacy, for such traditionalists. Many are their voyna and their herds of qhol. Some say they, alone, retain the favour of Enoi. Whatever the truth may be, they certainly hold enormous influence over the other legacies. Once committed, the Modren never retreat, never surrender, never offer or desire quarter, never set aside the cause and are universally known for their resoluteness, their courage, their hard-headedness and their ability to overcome any opposition to their will. It is known that they also never forget an insult. Their totem is the Earth itself, and their belkar, Sagarai, may well be carved from rock, such is his stature and implacability.
The Vesht – Each belkar of the Vesht is traditionally known as the Wolf – this has been so for an age. Cunning, stout and disciplined, the Vesht comprise some of the most capable warriors of the Adai. Their ability to work together, as a people, to overcome both foes and other obstacles is legendary. Skilled with bow and dagger, as well as spear, the Vesht are formidable opponents in all arenas. Not the strongest legacy, and certainly not the weakest, the Vesht are thought to be the most tightly knit of the Adai, and the most likely to survive catastrophe. Their totem spirit, unsurprisingly, is the cunning and deadly Wolf.
Rodin – The Rodin are insatiable. Their thirst for plunder, for rabiya and for power has propelled them from a position of weakness to the pinnacles of strength. Though their voyna is not the most potent amongst the Adai, their rukimanoi are rumoured to have no equal in the casting of blessings and curses. Their magick is inordinately powerful. Darker rumours of blood sacrifice persist, despite Rodin attempts to quash such insults to their honour. Proud and influential, the Rodin ride their ambition to its limit; their ultimate goal seems to be to unseat the Modren as the greatest of the legacies. Their totem spirit is the viper; subtle and deadly.
Jega - Perhaps inevitably, the legacy bearing the qhol totem has taken on aspects of that beast. The Jega tend to be the most aggressive and warlike of all Adai. Their belkar - Gighai - is a powerful, lithe warrior now entering the twilight of his life. His people clamour for a renewed invasion of the Reaches. Daily, they skirmish with the Rangers, sharing the longest Adai boundary with the Mountain Lords. The Jega are second only to the Modren in the scale of its voyna. They also tend to be particularly enthusiastic in their raids on other legacies, with an abiding appetite for rabiya and shala.
Nakan - The Nakanoi are a legacy divided. One faction, led by the belkar Firkan, seeks to pursue a blood feud against the Chelek over an embarrassing defeat at their hands during a dispute over grazing rights. The other, led by the popular and highly influential hetman Jindei of the Sword, instead seeks to parlay and to thereby preserve the strength of Nakan. It is a struggle that will define this fractious legacy, which bears the totem of lightning.
There exist many other legacies, but none approach the power of the above, and most swear allegiance to one or the other during times of conflict.
***
IV. MURIAN MAGIC?
The concept of 'magic' is a hotly debated one in some Murian social circles, a fact of life in others - and for many it remains 'a delusion of peasants and idiots'. In other words, the question of magic can be answered in a thousand different ways, depending on whom one asks. Certainly, the Naxanoi-descended 'savants' (some 0.5% of the total Murian population is estimated to have some degree of savant ancestry) and their Taint make the issue even murkier. Is their ability to move objects with their will alone a form of magic?
And what of the Adai rukimanoi? Those barbarian shamans are reputed to conduct blood rituals, so as to empower and embolden Adai riders by magical means. Ditto for the albinos of the Woodsmen, whose prestige often rivals that of the chieftains themselves. And, lest we forget, the Great Plain itself is no stranger to such alleged superstitions, with Augurs of the Hightower accompanying most Banners on campaign in Imperial times, and divining their fortune at every junction.
As many Eastern philosophers have argued, however, the existence of a belief in magic
