Erthos, Country of
By Teresa Shannon , June 1996.
Geography
People
Politics
History
Religion
Geography:
Erthos is a desolate kingdom on the Rynne fragment bordered by Lanth
to the North, the Crystal Desert to the West, the Wild Coast to the East
and Ulm to the South. The land is an extension of the Crystal Desert
maintaining much of the dryness in climate and sand, but becomes a
rock desert wherein a broken stony basalt is exposed to the sun and
covers the landscape with its barren, cracked and sharp edges.
Elevation is higher on the northern border and tallest along a spine
(called the Spine of Tlillit) running down the middle of the country to
Ulm while the east and west borders dip lower, the east only 500 or so
feet above sea level (Ythan level).
Some of the aquifers under the Crystal Desert continue below ground
into Erthos, although thousands of feet beneath the Spine of Tlillit
making the retrieval of water from these aquifers impossible for the
majority of life in Erthos. Water falling from the sky onto the Eastern
slope and on top of the Spine is then channeled by the rocks and
gathered in natural and man-made cisterns carved in the basalt.
The Spine is a low mountainous region, not approaching the mountains
of Galic in size and breadth but rising sharply from the desert floor. The
peaks tower over the flat countryside rising to approximately 5000-6000
feet high and forming a narrow strip 5-20 miles wide. There in no recent
volcanic activity (although historically it was obviously so as noted by
the prevalence of basalt), the landscape formed mostly from natural
erosion and the sinking of the land on both sides due to the Shattering
and strain on the edge of the Rynne fragment and settling' of the Ythan
Ocean and its coastal plain.
The Spine is criss-crossed on the top by a system of roads that connects
the population centers with their neighbors and, like the Incan empire,
allow for communication and goods transport through the mountains to
the low lying areas. The roads are carved from the basalt and
maintained and cleared of debris after the rainy season.
The Spine is also riddled with a large cave system underneath, some
caves reaching down into the aquifers and largely unknown to the
general population of Erthos. These contain a variety of life and
connect to the natural cave and aquifer system underneath Lanth, the
Crystal Desert and extending to Hirm in the North and Ulm in the South
and eventually running the length of the fragment through Grolan and
into the mountains bordering Galic.
The strata of the mountains is primarily igneous and metamorphic with
some sedimentary, the landscape owing much to erosion. There are few
metals, but interesting strata, unusual gems and coal could be delved for
and are occasionally just exposed by the winds and rain.
Vegetation is sparse with a continuation of desert succulents and other
plant life on the West side of Erthos, lichens and hardy juniper, pi~non
and resinous small trees, as well as some wildflowers along the Spine,
finally becoming more tropical with palms and grasses on meeting the
Wild Coast which are well supplied with water from the rain coming
from the Ocean and the surfacing of some of the aquifers as springs.
Rain falls on the East coast of Erthos primarily for the first two months
of the year. At this time the rainfall is steady but light. Ground fog
from the eastern slopes of the mountains isolate everyone. This weather
gives little visibility making travel dangerous, but also quiet and
exciting. The grey landscape and desolation exaggerate sounds nearby
and swallow them up only a little farther away. Some valleys are under
fog for the entire two months. This is the time when the cisterns fill up
and supply most of the water for the rest of the year. In years of less or
lighter rain, drought poses quite a threat to the inhabitants of Erthos,
accept in the three major towns and some migration towards the towns,
the Wild Coast and Ulm takes place.
The People
The entire population of Erthos is around 8000 people. Erthos is the
name that Lanth gave to the clans and area that is recognized as a
country and not what the people living there call themselves. They
simply refer to "The Land", "Clan lands" and the "Towns."
Erthos is populated entirely by humans with generally wind-roughened
skin, medium builds with grey eyes and sandy to black hair for men, and
smooth skinned, dark haired "Junoesque" (medium to large body frame
with statuesque proportions and beautiful lines) women rarely seen
because they are sequestered. Smooth complected men are obviously
foreigners and will never be allowed to view the women. Women
traveling will be assigned lodging in the women's quarters and will
rarely ever be dealt with in a serious fashion with regards to business,
diplomacy or war.
There is also a "mixed" race of people forming the poor and manual
laborers generally an admixture of the mountain people of Erthos and
the barbarians of the Wild Coast. Erthos population is fairly low, kept
that way by the environment and the difficulties of clan politics.
Men are obsessed with clan honor and their position as "good clansmen"
in the hierarchy. Marriage is often a way to increase status so marriages
can become a bone of contention among clans and internally, and the
women will often exploit it to their best ability. Everyone tends to be
stubborn and strong-willed. Most marriages take place within the clan
themselves, the men just moving their stuff into the father's tent of their
new wife. When a marriage is significantly high up enough that two
clans are involved then the man joins the clan of the woman's father. In
this way women keep a good degree of control over how they are treated
in marriage as the husband is subject to his wife's father. The women
raise the children and teach the clan crafts and consider themselves
equally strong in spirit with the men and proud of their clan heritage.
Families are extended and father and mother will often have their
children and grandchildren as well as parents and aunts and uncles
sharing living space, ownership and duties.
The diet of most people of Erthos comes from herds of goats and sheep
kept in the high pastures and lower valleys. Milk, cheese and yogurt as
well as the meat of kid and mutton form staples of the diet. This is
occaisionally supplemented with herbs and fruits some clans gather and
harvest and trade with outsiders.
There is no magic that is wrought by the people of Erthos accept that of
occasional shamans with healing and diplomatic abilities granted from
dead clan ancestors and the elements of the land. Fancy displays of
magic would be very mistrusted and may bring attack or superstitious
fear, depending.
Clan historians/bards have an important place in the hierarchy and must
memorize the genealogies of the clan as well as significant events of the
clan's history. Bards are generally hereditary although adoption for
those very gifted to be trained is common.
Politics
Erthos is a clan-based society where an extended family is the surest
means of success and survival. A minor clan will have between 20-75
people, a major clan will have many hundreds. A town in Erthos will
typically have no more than 5 of these smaller families and small
villages may only have one or two, marriages being arranged outside the
village across the spine.
There are wide open spaces owned by no clan and open for everyone
and one can travel through the valleys and up the slopes for days and
never see anyone.
Clan politics are vicious, aggressive, very competitive and filled with
intrigue. Factions from marriages, insults, and inheritance and common
and cause clan warfare or feuds. Factions are usually aligned due to
lines of marriage and sometimes to similar skills goods and crafts
between clans. Rarely has a leader arisen with charisma enough to
gather all the clans together for concerted efforts of survival or warfare.
Clans do not take kindly to interfering outsiders or manipulation,
although this is certainly possible to do if one knows the intimate petty
bickering and historicity of the arguments.
There are three large towns in Erthos (Flintlip in the North near Lanth,
Dleelet in the middle nearest the Wild Coast, Scinlil in the South by
Ulm.) with representatives of all the major clans in them. The towns
have approximately 500-1000 people in them with strictly segregated
neighborhoods. The central market is also segregated with each clan and
their affiliates designated to particular areas only. There is a town
gathering place for the clans to meet and argue their accusations and for
justice to be meted out. Art and crafts are all generally cottage industry
per clan with small amounts of jewelry, textiles and leather goods
predominating. No clan has a monopoly on any trade product and
because of the limited quantities outsider must go to many clans before
enough goods make the trip to Erthos worthwhile. Segregation keeps
the peace, but clans placed next to each other that later develop rivalries
tend to erupt in violence anywhere their clan representatives meet.
The three towns all have natural supplies of water and were easily
accessible by the roads. The springs that feed these towns created a
natural gathering place for clans criss-crossing the mountains looking
for better grazing and providing an opportunity for trading goods and
getting news.
All towns in Erthos are dependent on trade with Lanth for wood, grains,
fruit, finished metals and weapons and other consumables. Meat and
milk does come from herds of mountain goats and sheep kept by the
people. Clans outside of the towns are self-sufficient, but lead a life of
limited luxuries. Occasionally clans will hire out their young men to the
pirates or others for mercenaries.
Erthos does not have an "army." Each clan guards its own lands,
neighborhood, merchant's stalls, and goods. All men in the clans are
trained to fight, all women are trained in many of the particular crafts of
the clan and to be a desirable wife.
Clans
Some of the major clans deserve mention:
Clan of the Crags-very old clan with 800 members or so and their
women are known to make particularly good leathers for armor and in
spinning wool for tents. A clan with high respect from others because it
has managed to avoid any major feuds with any of the other major
clans. It also maintains some of the most western lands of any of the
clans. It keeps only a small contingent in the cities (25 people per city)
and the rest on Clan lands. They are very suspicious of outsiders and do
not trade directly with any of them. They constantly preach that dealing
with outsiders is selling out the Land and will lead to the clans' death of
honor.
Clan of the Eastern Rains-a more recent clan with 500 members and
their women are particularly beautiful and sought after in marriage by
the other clans. They keep large contingents in the cities and heavily
trade with outsiders garnering much wealth for Erthos. They have a
major feud with Clan of Eagles for refusing to supply another wife to
the son of that clan's head after the first one met with an unfortunate
accident.'
Clan of Mountain Storms-an older clan of 300 members, probably the
smallest of the major clans. It produces the hardiest warriors and
fantastic bards who are in demand at clan gatherings, marriages,
festivals, etc. When the people of the Wild Coast have attacked Erthos,
the Clan of the Mountain Storms is always the first to rally to repel an
attack. The training in the mountains is especially arduous and has led
to the small numbers the clan has. Much of their time is spent patrolling
their lands on the eastern slopes of Erthos. They have a feud with the
Clan of Eagles.
Clan of the Waters-a very old clan of 500 reputed to have carved out
many of the cisterns through the spine and especially those supplying
the towns. They have shamans who are supposed to keep the water
clean and pure. They are incredibly crafty in politics always jockeying
for the advantage and their women are also known for scheming ways.
They have many feuds with minor clans over water rights and
accessibility. Of all the clans they know the caverns that may lead
down into the Spine's depths best of all.
Clan of Eagles keep the roads clear between the towns. They have
perhaps 700 members and are well represented in town and council. It
is important to be on this clans good side for they know the roads better
than any and could block them if they wanted to. They heavily
encourage outside trade, perhaps spending too much time with
foreigners. They have a feud with the Clan of Mountain Storms and
Clan of Eastern Rains.
Clan of Steel-has about 600 members and keeps about half of its strength
in the towns and half outside. They have had vigorous trading with
Lanth in weapons-- exchanging jewelry and mountain lichens as well as
some of its less important members and women for "service" in Lanth.
They are a newer clan and also one of the most aggressive.
Clans may gather for important trading sessions, marriages and when
clan discord is so severe as to disrupt the trade and roads of everyone in
Erthos.
History
The history of Erthos is composed of hundreds of individual tales of clan
histories, rife with genealogies and romantic oration. Only a few people
per clan ever learn to read and write and the clan languages in Erthos do
not have written forms. They consider themselves a product of the land
shaped by the same elements that carve out the mountains where they
live. They believe they have always been there. There are clan stories
of the Shattering and pre-Shattering when the Land broke up from the
insincerity and evil of outsiders, but the Land maintained the clans for
their faith and goodness.
They have historically had some difficulty with the Wild Coast and
distrust the Ocean. Lanth has been a very warm neighbor and much
trade has been established with the Lanth merchants taking the time to
visit the clans and ensure a good feeling of cooperation. Lately, there
has been interest expressed in mining operations to start to exploit the
mineral wealth and investigate the caverns under the Spine by House
Coowe and
House Opinomous in Lanth (The Overlords on Lanth's southern border).
Religion
The people of Erthos believe in the power of the Land, the power of
their blood and the power of their Clan. External deities are largely
elemental in nature and not directly worshiped although curses, oaths or
protections may be directly related to this belief. People will swear
blood oaths considered absolutely binding and clan oaths a little lesser
so. Demons are believed to be the land when it is very angry and wishes
to punish the clans. It is believed that demons can only harm or attack
those whose honor has not been pure to the clan system, however.
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