Map of the Anderfels, edited (see how below)
The Anderfels of 800 TE
The Anderfel region of the Tevinter Empire is rife with life, mostly of a savage variety. Those who call it home must be hardy to hunt and survive there. Its summers can become quite hot quite suddenly, especially in the interior, killing off the vegetation in the central grasslands swiftly and sporadically. In winters, the mountain areas closest to Tallo's Eye bear the brunt of harsh winds and blinding dust. The steppes further south and those closer to the seas turn muddy whenever it rains. Although the volcano called Tallo's Eye has been inactive in living memory, occasional tremors keep the locals on their toes and sometimes set off mass migrations of creatures, as well as landslides.
Peoples and History
The Yothandi tribe quietly settled the Anderfels nearly six hundred years ago, leaving the Tevinter Imperium behind (some say in horror at the destruction of Arlathan). They tolerated being claimed by the Imperium for a few centuries. The Tevinters were distant at first, allowing the Yothandi more freedom, and they provided regular food supplies when aid was requested. The Yothandi were proud but always suffered from food instability, so breaking away from the empire was particularly painful and led to rationing for the length of the rebellion.
Still, they felt the need to establish their own rule in their own land, which was very different from the heart of the Imperium. They claimed that the Tevinters had grown soft because of their slaves and had forgotten that there was more to life than magic. All of the lasting towns in the Anderfels were established by the Yothandi, who wanted stable bastions against creatures and access to water. When they heard the Tevinters were sending their armies south in a bid to overtake the tribes of Ferelden three hundred years ago, the tribes of the Anderfels met and made the decision to declare independence.
The Orth tribe left the Tevinter hundreds of years before the Yothandi and tried to remain isolationist up in the Wandering Hills. They have always been nomadic, making regular pit stops and marking the land with their own script. They were the first to push for independence and the last to give in to the reconquering, attacking Imperium soldiers in guerilla raids for a year after peace was made. It is said that they know ways into the inactive volcano that is Tallo's Eye but none have been able to follow them in.
177 years of rebellion ended with Tevinter victory nearly 150 years ago. A circle of magisters was established in the Anderfels after the reclamation to keep an eye on the locals. It moved several times without warning, showing up at settlements unannounced. It seems to have settled in Hossberg, leading to the city's recent increase in importance and prosperity. Not only were more soldiers and nobles moved into the region, but an active campaign to intermarry with the Yothandi was carried out. The Orth's numbers were decimated by the final battles but they did all they could to avoid intermixing with the Tevinter. During the war, captured Orth would often be released pregnant. Later, Tevinters strong-armed the weakened Orth into marriages in exchange for support.
The resulting mixed generations have become known as the Anders. Orth separatist tribes still exist, rarely attacking Imperium agents anymore, but they insist on wearing their facial scarification rituals to set themselves apart. The Yothandi no longer refer to themselves as such and have lost most of their folkways.
Main Human Settlements
Hossberg - Gathering in power as a population center, given its ready supply of water and cooler temperatures, it is being built up with structures of Tevinter life, with some larger halls, temples, and the like. It is also becoming a center of art, trading in art it gathers from across the Anderfels. The Magister circle has made itself indispensable by degrees with its healing and nature magics, something the Anders have become more grateful for over time.
Kassel - This is a glorified waystop between Tallo and Hossberg, simple, ugly, and dirty. It is the clearinghouse for people and goods going elsewhere, so there is often work to be found that's safer than many other types of employment in the Anderfels. Imperium patrolmen are sometimes posted here as a punishment for angering nobles. There is a small arena where people take out their frustrations, place impressive bets, or dare each other to do crazy things, and it has a reputation for being quite lethal.
Laysh - This town enjoys more freedom given its remote location, though it is often beset by creatures by land and sea. It has a lawless air and few cases make it before the head priests or the figurehead governor (a position known as Recarius in Tevene) before they are resolved through private duels. Assassinations and poisonings are seen as cowardly and dangerous to everyone, and rogues are watched more carefully than mages. There is a regional saying that one has "earned one's boots in Laysh," because the town makes distinctive footwear out of a variety of beasts, and those who make the kill get the first boots from a carcass. The more fearsome the beast, the more impressive the person who killed it. To steal footwear in Laysh is a deadly insult; to claim to have served in Laysh falsely will be met by violence by anyone who has actually done so.
Nordbotten - As a distant population that wants to be recognized, the people here seek opportunities to stand out. They are accused of pulling stunts, fabricating legends, and pretending to find relics of the Old Gods, in short, doing anything for attention. The locals know that they work hard for what they find. They send regular expeditions into the Hunterhorn Mountains and other dangerous places, and are usually the ones who brave the Deep Roads to Kal-Sharok.
Qundalon - The Moot of Many Rivers is the traditional premiere destination for fishers, hunters, trappers, and others who work and homestead across the eastern half of the abudant Donarks. It is a skeleton of a town that remains on a piece of land jutting out from the web of rivers to the sea. The population rises and falls drastically with the seasons. In spring and summer, many leave to engage in their trades and forget about the empire. In autumn and winter, goods are brought in and families hunker down. Tevinter efforts to build a permanent, larger settlement have so far met with limited success and little enthusiasm, something the Tevinters simply cannot fathom.
Tallo - The port does all it can to get regular shipments to and from Minrathous, but the capital often makes demands or otherwise plays games before acknowledging the much smaller city. Tallo's leaders have tried to draw more Tevinters to visit or live there by creating a social club with a strict guest list (it is notably mostly empty of dignitaries for now) and by holding more public celebrations than elsewhere, except perhaps Hossberg. More slaves are shipped in through the port than ever before, though they often die at sea or while being transported across the interior. Should they survive, they are generally viewed as extra hands to help with the land. Few native-born Anders have the time or inclination to abuse them.
Dwarven Settlements
Kal-Sharok - The dwarves here trade with the Anderfels more since the Tevinter reclamation, but even that is sporadic, since the humans must make the journey all the way to the thaig. There is no easy route to the surface and no safe mid-way point. The thaig tries to hide its slow but steady decline in prestige as the dwarven empire taxes it more heavily.
Regions
The Blasted Hills
Blightlands
Broken Tooth, a jagged butte and known landmark
Feral Fjords
Hunterhorn Mountains
Lattenfluss
Merdaine
The Wandering Hills, heart of the Orth people
The Weathered Pass
Religion
The Yothandi once revered totem spirits based on local creatures but gave up their former beliefs once the Tevinter convinced them at the voices of the Old Gods were truly divine. The Orth worshiped a secret deity known as Tallo and fought against conversion efforts, distrusting the Old Gods. This marked their faith as inimical to the religion of Tevinter. Many expect that the Orth only pay lip service to the dragon deities to this day. Imperium agents often try to catch the Orth in heretical practices to make an example of their continued ignorance.
Character Backgrounds
Unchanged from the Ander Survivor background in the core book, except as follows:
Characters with a Yothandi-Tevene heritage might gain a focus in Cunning (Navigation) on a roll of 5 instead of Historical Lore.
Orth characters might gain a focus in Cunning (Natural Lore) on a roll of 5 instead of Historical Lore.
Destiny/Spoilers (highlight to read)
The challenges of the Anderfels were different in 800 TE. There were more living things to worry about, for one thing. Temperatures were not as high or dry across the interior; the worst of that came later, with the Blights. With the grasslands that would spring up regularly, creatures of all kinds would move in to take advantage of the feast. Population centers were smaller so fighting incursions could be more difficult and losses more deeply felt. Some cities, like Sundarin, did not yet exist. There was no fortress or habitation at what would become Weisshaupt, but it was a noted location.
No comments:
Post a Comment