TBNES - 2: Forging The Dawn

I'm super new to all of this, but assuming you folk won't burn me at the stake for that, I'll claim that beginning of the northwestern most river, up in them hills.

I'll fill in a full thing in the next few days/once someone else has made one so I can figure how to do this better/read the FAQ more closely.
 
Indeed.

Please be sure to check out #nes.
 
Can I join? If yes, I would like this area:


I don't know if the area is too small for elves. Is okay?
 
It's up to you (and Immac, if you want to talk to him.) Honestly, a bit of distance is probably a good idea, if only to allow you to become your own thing.
 
Culture name: Corunan Orcs.
Race: ORCS
Location:As indicated, the mouth of the river with a lake close by its mouth.
Society: The various cities and villages of Corunan Orcs are commonly ruled by a primitive republican/democratic council composed of wiseorcs , where rulers are based upon their successes in intelligent debates in matters that trouble Cora.

Exceptions for individual villages and cities do exist where trial by combat or even hereditary rule have replaced the traditional Orcish way of deciding rulers with words and wits. Due to the volatile nature of orcish people, these communities tend to be more... unstable, then democratically or republican ruled entities where bickering is resolved with cleverness instead of swinging swords.

Religion: Worship of Corus the Sun God, chief among gods, is prominent among the Corunan Orcs. Other gods in the pantheon include Marun the Defender, Nyar of Knowledge, and Bast of Cats, among other things.

Economy: Mostly farming of rice, onions, figs, and barley by complicated irrigation ditches. Fishing and trading with the Lorelei Tribes also supplement income.

Country names: Coruna. Mabasi. Nyarina. Marune. etc.

Person Names: Abasii. Akii. Fukayna. Chisisi. Auset. Isis.

Place names: Coru Cora. Coru Narn. Coru Mara. Coru Maan.
 
Culture name: Elves of Narned, Nanda Elves
Race: Elves
Location: The swamps of Narned, inside the Bay of Binkem.
Society: The societal structure of the Elves are catergorized by the professional choices of the citizens. They are classified as : High Lord, Priest, Guardians, Civilians. The HighLord and his family are descendents of the founder of the settlement, Yanshetem. Often the royalty would intermarry which elves of the other settlements and even, sometimes, the local civilians. The priests command the position as the spiritual guardians of the populace. Unlike the other classes, a priests is an elective post, that can only handpicked by the clergy. The Guardians are tasked with the protecting the civilians and the lordships family. Anyone from civilian population can apply to be a guardian, although most of fail because of the very stringent tests that needs to be fulfilled. The best of the Guardians are offered the post of "Kridesh", the personal guards of the Nobility. The civilians make up for the largest portion of the populace, mostly, involved in fishing and gathering, and various production activities.
Religion: The Narned Elves are Pagan, worshiping the the celestial beings as gods, sun, moon, water, wood, earth, stars etc.
Economy: While the waters of the Binkem Bay, offers the elves a bounty of fish and more, the swamps of Narned have been cleared to tame domestic animals for milk and eggs. Hunting of animals as a rule, is abhorred by the elves, as these are often seen as guardians of the Great Gods. The clay from the coasts are often baked into fine clay pots, in demand by the passing traders, who would often exchange them for exotic fruits and wine.
Country names: Future names for polities that spring from your ancestral culture
Person Names:
Male Names : Amrynn,Tamnaeuth, Urddusk, Symkalr, Aeson,Pyrder, Alok, Tannyll, Althidon, Ruardh
Female Names: Shanyrria,Merialeth, Morgwais, Eloen,Lethhonel, Kenia ,Kaylin, Caeda, Elisven, Elincia
Place names:
Name of future Settlement : Ryelnor, Alsa Alari, Myme Ancalen, Umhaserin, Maethkadi, Alyle Dorthore
The swamp is known as the Swamps of Narned. The surrounding waterbody is called Binkem Bay.
 
Culture name: Kojai-Ishi Dwarves (Just stone),

Race:
- Dwarf

Location:
- Mountainous region, along the Jihi river and its highlands and stretching up into the harsher dwellings in the surrounding mountains.



Society:
- Live in tribes of several families, usually led by an eldest member of the tribe.
- Tribes convene in a council, with the oldest capable member overseeing as the master of council possessing veto power, though cannot put forward any motions. The council decides on inter-tribe matters, including the militia.
- The militia is a ranging troop that is made up of physically fit members of every tribe through mandatory service. The highest ranking and only permanent positions in the militia is decided through a decennial ritual climbing of the highest mountain in the Kojai-Ishi highlands, open to any who are willing. Militia units are constantly patrolling through the rugged mountains.
- The concept of justice is ingrained deep into Kojai-Ishi society (see more in religion). This means that, while those who are not old enough to be tribal leaders or are somehow physically incapable of militia service, they are provided for and indiscriminate by family and tribe, usually willingly, though also by law.
Religion:
- The Kojai-Ishi are descendants of those dwarves who turned away from the gods and spirits in disgust after the Wakening. This legacy persists, as nearly every tribe is secular, at least in that they worship no gods, and abhor the use of magic.
- Kojai-Ishi society and law follows a strict adherence to justice, which they see not only as an abstract concept, but as something as real, solid, and unfeeling as stone. Morality is but a pale imitation of justice, and any affront to justice is swiftly righted.

Economy:
- Almost all fertile land is reserved for high altitude crops such as barley, and for domestic animals, mostly yaks and goats. Drinking water is drawn from the Spring River, or simply snow for those living in higher in the mountains. Various lichens are also widely consumed.
- Mineral rich region leads to heavy mining. The Kojai-Ishi highly value stone and metal work.
- Kojai-Ishi economy is almost entirely self-contained, with goods circulated through the tribes. Any outsider trade is done through via the spring river, but is negligible. Trade of metal work, especially weaponry, is heavily restricted.

Country names:
- Kojesh, Suighen, Jeikelgas


Person Names:
- Names are honorific based and highly fluid, with one’s given name possibly changing dozens of times in a lifetime. Based profession, position in family (first born, second born, etc...), position in tribe (relegated to ten eldest), position in council and position in milita. Family name is a word combining the meanings of the mother and father’s family names.
Example: Goghun Nidai Kajka Aja (Sergeant Second-Born Smith Rain (father’s name is water, mother’s is sky)).

Place names:
- Mount Senjin – Highest mountain of the Kusagha mountain range, source of the Jihi river.
- Meghadi valley – arable highlands along the Jihi river.
 
bonefang said:
Location: The swamps of Narned, inside the Bay of Binkem.
Click to expand...

Is this where you wanted to be before? if not, I'm not sure where that is.

Edit: also, your application seems very nation-stateish. Please keep in mind that what we are dealing with at this point are emerging cultures. :)
 
Culture name: Dunak (Meaning "Of the Clans" also the name of the home mountain range)

Race: Dwarves(ish), The Dunak are unique among the races of the world in that they are naturally empathic towards other Dunak. The strength of this ability is determined by the closeness of one's relations to another. For most Dunak, with the exception of close relations, they only have a vague intuition of what one another is feeling. However occasionally some are born with the gift to read the emotions of nearly all Dunak no matter how distantly related.

Location: The Eastern side of the Western mountains by the river

Society: The Dunak are divided into familial clans with the eldest capable member at its head as they tend to have the closest relations with the most members of the clan. The Dunak are almost singularly dedicated to their clan, as one would expect of those who grow up knowing one each others true emotions. They are also are extremely distrustful of those who they can't read well/at all as one doesn't develop a strong sense of trust if you can sense another's intentions. These two factors lead to intense competition and often outright conflict between clans. In these conflicts protecting the clan's bloodline is key as letting an enemy produce an offspring capable of reading your clan will often lead to its downfall. Those whose clan falls apart or cannot trace their bloodline are referred to has the Muddied and represent the lower class of Dunak society as they have no clan to protect and provide for them. Despite this lower position the Clans often use the Muddied as intermediaries as is unlikely that they can be read well by another clan and it is no consequence if they are captured by a rival.

Religion: The Dunak practice ancestral worship, primarily focused on the mythical All-Father who it is said that all Dunak are born from. Religion is fairly primitive and new religious concepts are slow to spread if at all due to the ability to sense another's intentions

Economy: Those more in the mountains tend to focus on herding goats and other animals suited to the higher altitudes along with some terrace farming starting to appear. Those in lower areas practice standard agriculture and fishing. Mining and primitive industry are important but not all encompassing. (not stereotypical dwarven economies)

Country names: Dun-Cron, Dun-Aric, Dun-Tarnuk, Dun-Mankunetc. (Basically Dun prefix (clan) followed by the ruling clan's name)

Person Names: hard sounding fairly simple names (sorry I'm quite bad at the name thing, I'll try to put something more here later)

Place names: Mankun River, Dunak Mountains, Mount Cron, etc. (things tend to be named for the Clan that discovers them/built them)
 
Decamper said:
Culture name: Kojai-Ishi Dwarves (Just stone),


- The militia is a ranging troop that is made up of physically fit members of every tribe through mandatory service. The highest ranking and only permanent positions in the militia is decided through a decennial ritual climbing of the highest mountain in the Kojai-Ishi highlands, open to any who are willing. Militia units are constantly patrolling through the rugged mountains.
Click to expand...

Can you give me a name for the militia?
 
Culture name: Seuridil Marwolaeth Elves

Race: Elvish

Location: The Aellystim rainforest, close to the Naenastip lake.
Spoiler :


Society: The Seuridil Elves are drawn from an ancient system of clans and guilds. There is no fixed position of king or queen - the representatives of the most influential clans and guilds are invited to council and one of its tasks is to choose the next ruler.

Religion: revere many gods.

Economy: as people who live in rainforests, their food supply comes from manioc, cocoa, pineapple and hunting and fishing.

Country names: Sibalrar, Ailaerin, Iralra, Eodai, Hilaellosuir

Person Names: Elatean, Luciin, Behisa, Aelasti, Halargehn, Harith, Eosurllo, Ralae, Namti

Place names: Sisurnu River, Iduello waterfall, Teror, Aellystim, Philophos, Naenastip
 
@thomas

Let's call the militia the Kahei. So, the Kojai-Ishi Kahei.

If there's anything messed up or done wrong, do so tell me. Still learning the ropes of all this.
 
Defacto said:
sorry if I missed something or was poorly done. I had to do before sleeping otherwise exceed the time limit. If you allow me to edit some things (when I wake up) I would be grateful. :sleep: 5 am

Culture name: Seuridil Elves Marwolaeth

Race: Elvish

Location:
Spoiler :


Society: The Seuridil Elves are drawn from an ancient system of clans and guilds. There is no fixed position of king or queen - the representatives of the most influential clans and guilds are invited to council and one of its tasks is to choose the next ruler.

Religion: revere many gods.

Economy: as people who live in rainforests, their food supply comes from manioc, cocoa, pineapple and hunting and fishing.

Country names: Sibalrar, Ailaerin, Iralra

Person Names: Elatean, Luciin, Behisa, Aelasti

Place names: Sisurnu River, Iduello waterfall
Click to expand...

Go for it.
 
Update 0:​
A long time ago in a place called Eran, all of this happened.​

The Corunan:
It is said that the sun’s reflection lingers longer on the water of the Lyman River than anywhere else in the world. The orcs who inhabit the shores of the river say that at the dawn of time, the Sun god was walking along the shore of the great river as he did every day. At the same time, they say, Anushka the first crow was preening, watching his reflection and grooming his beautiful white feathers, brighter and whiter than any other animal in the world, as he did everyday. Every morning, as Corus walked towards him, Anushka would take to wing, determined to show off his beauty against that of the Sun itself. Without care, the crow flitted about the god’s face, flashing his white feathers ever closer and closer to the God, until one morning, in his hubris, he accidentally flew into the Sun’s face. Anushka’s feathers were charred black, blacker than the night sky, and he flew off, cawing in pain and sorrow. Corus, on the other hand, shocked by the unexpected contact, tripped and fell into the river, eventually being washed into what would become the Lyman River. In those days, the orcs say, a simple fisherman named Lyman lived with his family on the banks of the as yet unnamed river. He was tending to his lines that morning, when he saw Corus being washed towards the sea. With no account for his own safety, he dove into the water and pulled the God to shore.

As a reward, Corus blessed Lyman’s family and taught them the secret of gathering gold from the river and shaping it, both beating it into shape and setting it with precious stones. He also taught Lyman the sacred art of creating Corungold, gold forged to be as strong as bronze yet remain as flexible as true gold. Lyman’s family took to calling themselves the Corunan, and his descendants spread along the river, taking with them the secrets of gold working.

The Corunan orcs see each other as kin, all descendants of Lyman and therefore bound together in spirit if not in law. Hundreds of small settlements built of clay and reed thatch, housing no more than a thousand orcs at the most dot both shores of the river, interspersed with fields crisscrossed with long irrigation ditches to fill rice paddies away from the water. These settlements are governed by orcs chosen by their brethren, whether through wit and spry debate or through strength.




Most of the Corunan spend their days toiling in the rice fields, though each village has select barley fields from which the village’s beer is brewed. Trade is conducted along the river, and so stories and knowledge spread rapidly from the mouth of the river downwards and vice versa.

The largest settlement, Coru Cora, at the mouth of the river, comprises just under twenty-thousand orcs and is rivaled in size and influence only by the city of Coru Maan, on the banks of the great lake. In those cities, the traditional system of improvised elected governance has been institutionalized into a formal republican system arbitrated by the priestly class. Slowly but surely those two cities would become the nucleus of Corunan culture in their areas, with villagers making the trips down river to experience the festival days and markets of these growing urban centers.

Those Corunan that live outside the range of the river and the flowing water that feeds the rice patties depend on herds of domesticated cattle well adapted to the savannah. These orcs use the dung produced by the herds to fertilize fields of barley, which they use much more extensively than the river orcs. These settlements, which rarely exceed 300 individuals, are rarely as organized as those on the river, and tend to be much more insular and xenophobic, regularly interacting only with neighboring villages.

The one thing all Corunan have in common is their taboo regarding the ancient marble ruins that can occasionally be found in their domain. The Corunan believe them to be the home of darkness and an ancient evil that lies in wait to ensnare the souls of the unwary. However, despite this institutional fear, both of the large cities exist in close proximity to the ruins..


The Laozi
The tropical islands of Long Lang are inhabited by a myriads of disparate people, but on nearly every shore can be found flotillas of Laozi houseboats called Olanglaut. A peaceful and pacifistic Loreley nation, the Laozi are a cultural influence throughout the sea.

Olanglauts are usually accompanied by simply decorated wooden longhouses in sheltered bays and lagoons. These shore settlements are usually arranged around an orchard which is communally owned and tended.



Laozi settlements are built permanently, but the people who inhabit them are constantly in flow. These settlements and Olanglaut are nominally an extended family unit, but It is very common for a Laozi to be born in a settlement and over the course of their adult life travel and live and be accepted in hundreds of other settlements before their death, working and being accepted into the local family. In this way, Laozi are unified culturally and consider each other all part of a single whole, no matter how distant and separate individual settlements may be. Only one Laozi is bound to a location, and that is the Dau Tien, who rules from the city of Landao. More a ceremonial position than an administrative one, the Dau Tien is officially the spiritual and secular head of the Laozi, but in reality wields little actual power. Landao is one of the only Laozi settlements that is larger than three hundred individuals, and is built of white marble, which is not local to the area.

Laozi settlements are fully egalitarian, with a headman or woman chosen by majority rule and acting mainly as representative to other groups of Laozi and to other people. Laozi settlements subsist predominantly on fishing and other aquatic based agriculture, as Laozi spiritual laws prevent the butchering and consumption of any animal that suckle at the teat.

These spiritual laws define the day to day existence of the Laozi and are collectively called “The Balance.” As much a way of life as laws, individual Laozi subscribe to one or more of the different paths, though fundamentally it is a matter of personal choice. Most of the population at the very least follow the “Balance of Streams, Tides, Sands, and Wind,” which teaches veneration both for the natural world and for the sparks and spirits that inhabit the spirit world. Followers of the Balance of Streams, Tides, Sands, and Wind seek to live lives of compassion and humility.

Other paths teach that the world exists in a balance, and that to live within that balance, one must understand the flow of the energies throughout the worlds. Beyond that, certainly Laozi believe that they must remove all personal thought and emotion from their being and become simply a conduit for the world’s energy.

“By balancing oneself with the flow and by removing one’s egotism, one not only acts in a manner that is an extension of the world’s harmonious energies, one can serve as a spring of its force, channeling its creativity and inspirations. A bed of sand that seeks not to shape the flow of water, that seeks not to force the stream to go this way or that will be gently shaped by the water, and upon that bed of sand the stream will imprint its harmonious ways.” - Zhu Li, Laozi Ascetic

Laozi who chose to devote their lives to understanding the flow of the world often become ascetics, monks who serve as the spiritual guides of the Laozi. Teaching the young and leading discussions and exercises on balance and non-being, these monks are welcomed gratefully into any and all laozi settlements. These monks are vegetarian, refusing to eat any meat, even that of fish, and eschew all comfort in exchange for purity of soul. It is said, even, that the wisest monks are able to abandon their body for a time and commune with Great Spirits, and that the only sustenance they need is the flow of energy in the world.

Laozi art tends to simple designs and patterns, usually depicting aquatic pattern and symbolism engraved on lacquered wood. In addition, The Laozi are known for their softly dyed clothes and for delicate potteries which are highly coveted in the markets of Coru Cora and Vauvra, both of which boast a significant Laozi population.

The Vauvra
The Great city of Vauvra is known as the navel of the world, the center through which everything flows. The city itself is built in two parts. The old city is a gleaming marble complex, older than Vauvran history, with architecture beyond the dreams and reckoning of the common folk built around a great open space that has been used as a market for longer than can be remembered. The new city lies in a sprawling ring around the great walls of the old and is built of mud huts and thatched roofs. The elite and rich inhabit the old city, while farmers, fishermen, and other commoners inhabit the new city. Surrounding the new city are acres of farms of tubers and grains and cattle which provide for the city.



Despite this clear disparity in wealth, nominally every citizen of Vauvra has a right to vote in the election for the ruling council, 5 individuals who decide the laws and policies of the great city. While officially any citizen is eligible for the council, in practice it is very rare that someone not from the elite manages to get elected, if only for the simple reason that the rich have the resources necessary for campaigning. Once elected, a councilor rules either until their death or their resignation.

Vauvrans value innovation and craftsmanship, and the Old City is dotted with workshops where master craftsmen practice their art and train myriads of apprentices in their. Vauvran craftsmen are known for their skilled marble craftswork, emulating the style of the Old City, as well as having a knack for emulating the styles of the myriads of people who travel and trade through the city.

Vauvran colonists have expanded along the coasts of Long Lang and the Central sea, sending the resources gathered in the colonial areas back to Vauvra to be sold and traded for other gods. While Vauvra is the largest city in the known world, with thirty thousand residents and an uncounted number of travellers, the cities of Aquinthar and Swerona are slowly but surely becoming rivals to the central authority of Vauvra.

Because of their trade and electoral system, Vauvrans have developed a base five mathematical system and a rudimentary clerical system administered by the priests.

Vauvrans believe that their ancestors watch over them and guide them, and to judge them, bringing those who are deserving and make a contribution to the world into paradise upon death. Vauvran priests are perhaps the only sanctioned necromancers, and even then Vauvran priests only travel into the Great River to speak to the recently dead, and not bring them back. In this way, any unfinished business can be dealt with before the soul moves on to paradise and distances itself from the affairs of mortals.




The Kojai-ishi
The Dwarves of the Kojai-Ishi are like the mountains of the Kusugha Range: strong, stable, and immovable. Knowing no masters but themselves, the Stone Tribes eke out a harsh existence on the sharp slopes of the mountains.

An ancient Kojai-Ishi legend, inscribed in pictograms on the cliff walls outside of the ancient meeting place in Mount Senjin, can be translated thusly.

“Once long ago the mountains rose to war and took us with them.
We had not asked for this, and did not want this.
The Great Enemy killed hundreds of us.
The Walking Mountains killed thousands of us.
The Great Enemy took the souls of many of our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters.
And the Walking Mountains sent more of us to die.
We beat against them.
One day we escaped and walked and walked and found the Shadow of Senjin.
the Mountains never found us.
Never again.”



This legend forms the core of Kojai-Ishi’s society, and defines the heart of their beleifs. They know that spirits exist, but know that spirits are alien and inhuman, and have agendas and agencies that will use and consume any they seem fit. And so, the Stone Tribes reject contact with spirits and with magic. Because they were enslaved so long ago, they are fiercely independent, with tribes splitting along factional bounds instead of being subject to a chief they dislike. This is also an efficient way to ease population tensions, as, despite the harshness of their environment, Kojai-Ishi take care of the elderly and infirm, helping them live in what comfort can be provided in the mountains.

While the Kojai-Ishi are personally independent, they also subscribe to a strong legal system which has been passed down from generation to generation and is almost a religion. Every dwarf is taught the laws during childhood and expected to uphold them throughout their life. Kojai-Ishi beleive that Justice is absolute and that morality is but a pale reflection of the strength of justice.

All Kojai-Ishi gather in the ancient meeting place in the shadow of Mount Senjin, the highest mountain, once every five years to exchange news, meet distant family and friends, fall in love, and trade goods. At this great meeting, the headmen of every tribe meets in a council arbitrated by the oldest chief, who possesses veto power but may not put forth motions. These meetings last for a month in the middle of summer, and by it’s end the Kojai-Ishi are ready to travel back away from the crowds and to their remote areas.

This meeting also serves as recruitment for the Kahei, who are the only ones who inhabit the Meeting Place in between meetings. All dwarves of a certain age are required to compete in various competitions during the great meeting, and the best are taken to serve for a period of five years. Every ten years a second trial is held, where those who wish to serve with the Kahei for life as it’s leaders are tasked with climbing Senjin. The Kahei travel through the lands occupied by the Kojai-Ishi serving as protectors and couriers.

The Livelyhood of Kojai-Ishi tribes depends largely on their environment. Those that inhabit the fertile Meghadi valley are nearly entirely sedentary, building low stone houses that emulate the shape of mountains. These Kojai-Ishi susbsist on barley and yams, as well as domesticated goats. Further into the highlands and mountains, the Kojai-ishi are more and more nomadic, covering larger and larger areas to gather the foods needed from the spread out arable areas. some tribes even subsist near the peaks of the mountains, hunting birds and eating lichens and hardy plants.




Bronze and copper are worked by sedentary Kojai-Ishi into practical works of art, and even up in the mountains, metalworking is considered nearly priceless. Even outside of the domains of the Stone Tribes, their metalwork is highly valued, as works of the Kojai-Ishi rarely make their way beyond their lands. Additionally, Kojai-Ishi are skilled painters, and many cliff walls throughout their mountains are decorated with intricately stylized paintings.


The Dunak
Those who have ventured into the Dunak mountains and emerged again tell tales of large villages nestled deep in the hidden vales and perched precariously on high slopes. They tell of an insular people, closed and guarded, dwarves who have forsaken the outside world. But, most importantly, they tell of how the Dunak care deeply for those they love and trust, and will defend their family to the bitter end.

Indeed, the Dunak have a connection to their family that others can only dream about, being able to feel the emotions of those that are close to them. The strength of this ability is determined by the closeness of one's relations to another. For most Dunak, with the exception of close relations, they only have a vague intuition of what one another is feeling. However occasionally some are born with the gift to read the emotions of nearly all Dunak no matter how distantly related. The Dunak beleive that this ability was given to them by a great god known as The All-Father, who, after giving life to the Dunak disappeared into the other world.



This empathic connection has two effects on Dunak society. Firstly, the Dunak are split into myriads of isolated clans whose members remain very closely knit. Clans can comprise of anything from one family in a small isolated hamlet to a number of neighboring villages. As the Dunak have an inherent mistrust of those that are difficult for them to read, as a clan grows too large, it tends to fragment into smaller clans. Secondly, Dunak are obsessed with genealogy, and their family tree is the one thing all Dunak children are taught as soon as they are able to learn. Each clan is allowed to intermarry with only a few related clans, and so inbreeding is kept to a minimum.

Dunak clans often compete violently for the scarce resources and few fertile areas, and, in these conflicts, the ability to read an enemy is key. Therefore, clans often try to steal children from other clans in the hopes of breeding individuals who can use and manipulate rival clans.

Those Dunak who are unable to trace a pure ancestry or who simply do not know what their ancestry is occupy an odd place in society. Called “Muddied” by Dunak, these individuals are very difficult to read by other Dunak, and therefore are mistrusted by most clans. However, this same difficulty makes them prized for their ability to negotiate without being a risk to the clan if they are captured. In fact, some Dunak believe that the muddied are organized and using the other clans for their own advantage, but most consider that rumor and fear-mongering.

Dunak villages in the lower valley subsist on barley and corn, as well as potatoes, while higher up, Dunak herd mountain goats. Some villages have taken to leveling areas of the slopes to create primitive terrace farms, where potatoes and corn have begun to supplement the diets of high altitude Dunak.

Like their more northern cousins, Dunak are skilled painters and work both in the same large-scale cliff paintings that Kojai-Ishi do as well as painting small round stones that can be found in mountain stream beds.



The Narned
Binkem is a hot, steamy, muggy island in the middle of the Great Sea. Bloodsucking insects the size of a fist flit through the air, the swampy rivers teem with ravenous fish and snakes large enough to swallow a man whole. And yet, in this harsh environment a highly complex and stratified society exists.



Tribes of Narned exist throughout the island, and have even expanded onto the mainland, but, even within their diaspora, all Narned hold the semi-mythic settlement of Yanshetem to be the first, where elves first learned to live in the unforgiving area.

Narned settlements in the swamps that occupy much of the lowlands of the island subsist primarily on fishing and very limited agriculture. The only livestock common throughout the island are chicken, which can be raised in very little space, and provide a much needed boost of protein to the elvish diet. In the drier highlands, elven settlements practice much more extensive agriculture, growing and harvest manioc as well as numerous tubers and fruits, but even there domestication is very limited as the island has no native domesticate aside for chicken. Narned beleive that Gods and Spirits use land animals and birds as messengers, and so the hunting of meat not gathered from the ocean is strictly taboo.

Because of the ever present threat of disease, Narned society is largely stratified, isolating different aspects of society from each other, safeguarding against the spread of dangerous epidemics. Leading settlements and making administrative decisions are the nobility, who tend to enjoy a more luxurious life than other elves. The Warrior Caste, known as guardians, sit directly beneath the nobility and are responsible for safeguarding settlements and for conducting raids against rival villages. Beneath them are the common folk, who themselves are split into loose casts. Craftsmen are more well regarded, socially, than farmers and fishermen, who themselves are more well regarded than low laborers.

Leading the spiritual lives and communing with local spirits, the Priestly class stands apart from the rest of narned society in that it is not a hereditary caste (though it has been slowly trending towards that.) The ranks of the priests are bolstered by priests handpicking young children of other castes as apprentices. Though by law priests are not allowed to hold any position of power nor work the land, they are provided for and tend to live in luxury. The main function of Priests is to protect Narned settlements from hostile spiritual influences and to forge alliances with friendly local spirits. To this effect, Narned priests raise wards , carved wood with hidden arcane symbols. Their knowledge of how to commune with the spirits is a jealously guarded secret, reportedly taught to the first Narned by the god of the central wind.



Despite the rigidity inherent in class society, the Narned do experience a degree of social mobility. Though nobility tend to marry the nobles of other villages, they are allowed to marry commoners, and it is not rare that a handsome farmer boy or beautiful craftswoman is elevated to noble status through marriage. Similarly, though the Guardians tend to be hereditary, there are tests and trials that a commoner can take to become part of their society. Though these tests are usually difficult for any who has not been raised a guardian, occasionally a commoner does succeed.

Narned Craftsmen are reputed for thier sturdy and aesthetically pleasing pottery work, which they trade to passing traders in exchange for goods not locally produced.

The Seuridil Marwolaeth
The Sisurnu river flows quickly from Lake Naenastip and over the Ideullo falls, carrying with it the voices of river spirits dancing in joy. Light drips from the broad leaves of towering trees, the canopy so thick that often rain water will take days to make it’s way to the forest floor. Yet, despite this, llife abounds in the great rainforest of Aellystim.

There are many scattered elven tribes throughout the great forest living on very little but subsistence hunting and gathering. Only along the river, however, have the people developed agriculture on a scale large enough to support sedentary settlements.

This is almost entirely because of the existence of one substance: Mother’s Gift. Elven legend claims that this substance was given to them by an ancient god known only as The Mother of Trees. Created by adding low-temperature charcoal, bone, pottery shards, and organic waste to the largely nutrient deprived rainforest soil, large scale agriculture is made possible. Seuridil farm and grow large numbers of crops, from manioc to cocoa to a wide array of fruit, which they supplement via hunting and fishing.

Seuridil elves revere high places, and when on the forest floor feel a desperate need to feel the wind on their faces and to see the stars at night. Therefore, most Seuridil Marwolaeth settlements are built high above the ground, nestled in the branches of the great trees.



Even the great settlement of Sibalrar, built along and into the Ideullo falls aspires to open air and high places. Sibalrar is the nexus of Seuridili culture, and according to legend the place that The Mother of Trees gave the gift to their people. As such, most Seuridili attempt to make a trip and leave an offering at the Mother’s Grove, a ring of ancient trees on an island at the top of the falls.



Individual Seuridil settlements are governed by thier own system, whether it be a local strongman or a chosen council. Every generation or so, representatives from all the tribes gather in Sibalrar to chose a new warden, who is meant to speak to the gods for all the Seuridil Marwolaeth as well as being responsible for safeguarding the Mother’s Grove.

Seuridili art is inscribed on the trees in which they live and imbued with a small amount of power, providing light even in the darkest of nights, and preventing even the agile elves from falling to their deaths. Similar to the Narned wards, these magical works of art are meant to keep hostile spirits away from Seuridili settlements.



Map:
Spoiler :


OOC:
Well, that's update 0. I'll have stats up within the next few days. Orders for next turn are due two weeks after I've put the Stats up, and should detail how you envision the culture you've created developing. Some of you (Vauvra) are essentially a nation state already, but most of you are not near that stage yet.

Regarding NPCS: Assume that the blank spaces around you are inhabited by nomadic bands of mostly humans. The Area between the Dunak and Kojai-Ishi are likely filled with dwarves, while elves inhabit the Rainforests. Orcs are likely north of Corunan, while there are probably loreley who have travelled anywhere. That being said, anyone who wants to join is more than welcome as any race, anywhere in our (large) cradle. Simply fill out the application. However, I'd ask that any new culture that emerges be either a nomadic one that wandered into the area or has been influenced on some level by extant cultures.
 
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