Prelude to Cormuth

Things everyone should know about Arden:

·         The nation where the campaign starts off is called Arden.   If Cormuth is in a “dark” time, then the people of Arden are exemplary of this.  In Arden there are few maps and no such thing as reliable historical information.  Religion is powerful and monotheism has taken root through the royal family.  Arcane magic is thought of as “the old ways” by the most liberal minded and as proof of sin by the rest of society.  Practitioners are often sentenced to death or at the very least, scorned and treated as pariahs.  Women in Arden are considered property of their husbands or of the elder male in the family if they are unmarried. 

·         Arden is ruled by a mostly benevolent but young monarch, King David Pendraig, and the rule of law extends through him down to his extended family (dukes and Earls are provincial magistrates and Barons often run cities and towns similar to the position of mayors in a Democracy).  All rights and property belong to the king.  No one actually owns land, but families do come to think of land granted them by the king as their own.  Not paying taxes is punishable by death.  Not showing the proper respect to a noble is punishable by death etc.  Although any “crime” one may commit is obviously punishable by death, humanity is a resource and Di, the overly popular monotheistic deity of Arden, urges kindness and mercy.  Often peasants are publicly flogged for crimes which they could easily have been killed for.  Perhaps because of this general respect for human life, a trade class has popped up among the Arden.  One must have special dispensation from the King (or a member of the royal family) to open a “business” or practice a trade, however, once permission is granted to the patriarch of a family, it generally goes for all family members.

·         The geographical boundaries of Arden are as such: a vast mountain range to the West, separating Arden from the human civilization of Weston, the ocean to the south, and to the east, a deep dark forest, mostly unexplored by humanity and said to be populated with all kinds of nasty beasts.  To the north, are the barbaric Boebb.  These people were once nomadic raiding hordes and even now are still greatly feared by the gentle folk of Arden.  A truce has been arranged and the Boebb and Arden now trade with one another, and there is much comingling of families on the northern border of Arden.  If the Boebb still occasionally raid the lands of Arden, it could be because neither nation is quite indisputably certain where the boundaries of their separate nations lie.

·         Arden is joined to the other “known” human kingdoms through a trade agreement.  Although the mountains to the west are treacherous and thought by many to be “impassable,” still somehow, trade caravans from Weston occasionally get through.  The Boebb are more accessible and seem eager to trade with Arden.  Generally, metals flow south from Boebb and everything from lumber to glassware streams up into Boebb from Arden.  The nations aligned by the trade agreement are known as the Union of Three and because of this bond, they are pledged to a nonaggression treaty.  This has allowed all human nations to prosper.

·         Overwhelming evidence supports the idea that Arden was once populated by Elves.  They are rare now and most, but not all people in Arden, think of them as the stuff of legends.  They certainly can’t tell the difference between Elves and “Spritelings.”  Legend has it that once, a long time ago, Elves and their faerie kin ruled the world of Cormuth.  It’s even said by some that the Elves had their own gods.  In these same stories, it’s said that the Elven gods warred against one another in “the Battle of Ages Past” and once the outcome was settled, they all left Cormuth.  No one knows where the Elven gods went and such talk is generally considered heresy, so few bother to speak of it anymore.  Many believe that the deep dark woods south and east of Arden are populated by Elves.  Some also say that the Elves have a city made of glass on an island far off to the northeast.  They say it’s warm there all the time and that the Elves brew sweet wine that will make a normal man drunk from one single sip.  Others believe that the Elves can fly and build cities in the clouds…Much of this is unconfirmed.

·         There are legends of a warlike race of bestial men that once populated the world of Arden.  These stories are much akin to our own legends of creatures such as Bigfoot, although the Ardens take them much more seriously.  It’s said that these “beast men,” called various things: gnolls, orcs, bugbears etc. come out of the forest to kidnap women and consider human children to be a delicacy.  The occasional Weston visitor to Arden confirms the reports.  The Westons claim that their empire is besieged by such creatures, coming across the ocean on boats and killing entire towns.  Of course, one really can’t rely on the intelligence of foreigners…

·         Dwarves are considered real by most in Arden.  Occasionally Dwarves show up with merchant caravans from Boebb and cause quite a stir.  They are instant celebrities and thought of as impressive foreign dignitaries.  The Ardens often refer to Dwarves as “Holchin” (pronounced Holsh’-kin) which is the Boebb word for “little people.”  Dwarves show only moderate enthusiasm for their relations with Arden.  In Arden capital city, Cres, the Dwarves have established an “embassy,” which consists of three Dwarven men who occasionally remind the Arden king of Dwarven interests.

·         The Old Ways – a strange cult of people hold onto the “old ways.”  These people worship an odd pantheon of deities and see arcane magic as a useful tool.  The clergy refers to these people as “druids” and less specifically as Pagans.  With arcane magic use being punishable by death, the practitioners of the old ways tend to keep secret, meeting deep in the woods under cover of the night or forming small communities outside of Arden society.  Their methods and motives are mostly misunderstood.

Things Everyone Should Know About the Weston Empire:

·         The Romanesque people of the Weston Empire consider themselves a cut above other “dirt-digging” human races.  They are more technologically advanced and much of this “enlightenment” goes to forward their command of warfare.  The Weston Empire is the only human nation known to command a navy.  Horses, once rare in Arden, come from trade with the Westons and are often used in combat.  Westons have also made advancements in engineering and medicine which is far beyond that of their peers.  Weston is a Republic, with an emperor and a senate.  Landowners elect representatives to the senate who then govern the state “through the will of the people.” 

·         The people of the Weston Empire value strength, fortitude and cunning above all other virtues.  They do not have the same “Christian” morality as that of their eastern neighbors in Arden and much behavior goes on in Weston that would be considered outrageous in Arden.  Westons do, however, respect the state and laws are enforced to protect citizens of the empire.   Mercy and kindness are not viewed as weakness by the Westons, but rather as a beautiful gesture, perhaps foolish and insignificant, but stylistically attractive.  If showing mercy is going to make a Weston man look weak, he will almost always opt for “strength.”

·         Slavery is legal in Weston and the state makes use of a large slave labor force for various municipal projects.  A citizen of the empire may lose their citizen’s status temporarily (or in extreme cases, even permanently) and be forced into slave labor, but the majority of Weston’s slaves are from conquered peoples indigenous to regions now “owned” by the empire.  Two major groups comprise the slave labor force of Weston, a group of fair skinned “mountain people” who are widely considered to be an offshoot of the Boebb and a group of dark skinned people from the southwestern coastlands.

·         Much of Weston is built along the coastlines.  Weston is bounded on the north by a low mountain range, with a sharp drop and ocean beyond that.  To the east, Weston is confined again by mountains and to the west and south, there is the ocean.  The empire’s expansionistic practices would likely cause major concern to all other races if it weren’t for their geographic constraints.

·         The Weston Empire is at war with a bestial “demon worshipping” people from the northwest.  These foreigners arrive by boat and attack coastal villages, taking everything of value, raping the women before murdering everyone and then burning the village to the ground.  They have a high presence in the empire and the mere mention of the “Hanock” causes concern.

·         Dwarven raiders occasionally pillage the northern towns of the empire, often absconding with casks of wine, furniture and livestock, but leaving the coin of the Empire untouched.  They slay only men and only men who get in their way.  It is unknown where these feral dwarves have come by such primitive customs.  After raiding a village, they disappear back into the hills, and are seldom seen again for decades.  Dwarves have been woven into the myths of the Westons so that they are almost like boogey men, but nowhere near as feared as the Hanock.

·         Elves are as common in the Weston Empire as space aliens. More people claim to have seen a talking gorilla than an elf.

·         The Westons worship is polytheistic, similar to the Roman pantheon of gods.  Because material sacrifice is an important part of worship, typically only the wealthy are devout followers.

Things Everyone Should Know About Boebb

·         Once, and not so long ago, the tribes of Boebb were nomadic hordes who raided the riches of all neighboring countries.  That was then.  Now the Boebb are much more respectable and only raid their human allies in times of great economic trouble.  The tribes were united by a great Jarl named Boebb and their civilization took his name.  Boebb was also the one who struck peace with the Stonehand Dwarves.

·         The Boebb have a good thing going on with their Dwarven allies to the north.  The Stonehand Dwarves trade metals and gems to their friends and in return, they only ask for things like wool and food.  In short, the Dwarves have manipulated the Boebb into becoming agriculturalists through trade.  Although they used to war against one another, the Holchin and the Boebb have now formed a military alliance because they have such a symbiotic relationship through in their trading.  The Dwarves would be greatly frustrated if anything would happen to their human providers and likewise, the Boebb recognize that Dwarven craftsmanship is worth sacrificing for.

·         To an outsider, the Boebb may seem to have loose morals.  They have no qualms with taking advantage of foreigners.  They might hoist an item off their neighbor’s hands because that neighbor obviously isn’t taking proper care of it, but the Boebb are loyal to their friends and especially their families.  Simply put, they put their own interests first, but there are certain lines they will not cross.

·         Boebb is run by a feudal system where the tribe with the most power has the most say.  The chieftain of each tribe has complete authority over his own region and pays up “tribute” to the Jarl.  The Jarl is responsible for negotiating disputes between the tribes and “foreign affairs,” as well as a general military support of the Boebb nation.  Because the Jarl negotiates trade disputes, often things go pretty well for the Jarl and his tribe, in spite of the greater responsibility.  Many families of Boebb, especially near the border with Arden, still lead a nomadic lifestyle.

·         The Boebb have domesticated a species of huge mountain goats and use these for farm work, milk, meat, clothing and even occasionally as mounts (although the Holchin find them more suitable).  The creatures, called Gruffs, are stubborn, ill-tempered and tend to eat anything they can put in their mouths. 

·         The Boebb speak a language which has come to be known as “Northman.”  The language originally had no name for the Boebb, but came to be known, originally as a derogatory reference by their southern neighbors, whom they often raided.  Northman has a great deal of sign language and animalistic utterances and borrows words both from Dwarves, Trade Tongue and Auld Arden.