Lanth, Nation of
By Teresa Shannon
Geography
People
Economy
Town Fairs
History
Religion
Geography:
Lanth is north of the Crystal Desert, Erthos amount of hunting, trapping and foraging also fill,
and the Wild Coast, is bordered by the Ythan Ocean to the East, and has Hirm exists, but in a
lesser form and does not constitute and the Republic of Sothanattend these Fairs and send
representatives. Items n as bordering neighbors to the North.
The geography of Lanth is heavily forested (deciduous) hills which become cliffs up to the
shoreline of the Ocean and levels out to a savannah plain ("The Rolling Plains") on the
Berrinsimple craftsmen and technology to make some refineme Plateau to the South where it
meets the sandy wastes becoming the Crystal Desert. Most of Lanth is undeveloped and
uncleared such that it is still virgin forest with outcroppings of civilization. The forest along the
border of the Republic of Sothan (Earth's Womb) is comprised of especially old trees, many from
long before the Shattering and with a high proportion of oak, ash, rowantal Fair is the 7th and 8th
week of the 6th month-the , thorn and yew. These significant trees make the forest continually
attractive to Servants, elves and half-elves and therefore accrues protection from any clearing or
lumbering efforts on the part of humans.
On the Hirm border, the typically rolling hills become more bare and jagged forming a natural
border between the two countries. There is some trading between Lanth and Hirm although
some tribes of wild men do live in the hills on the border and maintain a living by hunting,
gathering and occasionally raiding settlements in either Hirm or Lanth. There is a road going
through the hills from a town in Lanth into Hirm and it is regularly patrolled to prevent attacks to
travellersBefore the Shattering, the area that is Lanth was and caravans.
The forest of Lanth grows up to the border of the ocean. The coast of Lanth is steep with no
natural harbors or shallows and thus form small cliffs approximately 50-200 feet high. The
limestone bedrock protects the forested area from much of the salination erosion of the ocean.
The deep cold waters off the shores of Lanth are teeming with life and are generally unexploited
as fishing grounds. Some of the larger aquatic life can still be found here.
The small border with the Wild Coast is generally unbroken, but changing vegetation indicates
the seperationHistory: of the two countries. The woods and wild coastlines continue into each
other but the Wild Coast does develop natural harbors and the coastline becomes more
appropriate to sailing and fishing vessels.
The border with Erthos comes at the edge of the Berrin Plateau, roads run through for merchants
but the land is sparse and barren becoming a rock desert after leaving the border of Lanth.
The largest border of Lanth is with the Crystal Desert. The Berrin Plateau forms a large flat
geographical feature where the trees fall away and a high altitude savannah called the Rolling
Plain is formed before sloping down to the arid sands of the desert proper. Hills dot the
landscape only as the Desert meets the plateau. The Savannah gets enough precipitation to
maintain a broad spectrum of wildlife, mostly large grazing animals, large carnivores and some
carrion and omnivores to fill the ecological gaps.
Lanth has several rivers throughout, though none of prodigious size, entirely spring fed which
supports the old forest growth, towns and savannah life.
Some of the hills on the Hirm border have cave networks -- some natural, some caused by the
shattering.
Earth's Womb, the northern forest contain many rare and magical animals because the power of
Life is particularly strong here and there is much protection in the copses, thickets and groves.
Humans rarely come here.
People:
The people of Lanth consist mainly of humans with a large sprinkling of half-elves, barbarians in
the hills of Hirm and along the Wild Coast, and a few significant gnomish communities along the
wooded hills near the west of Lanth. The humans are of moderate height and a little on the light
side in their body frames. They tend to have various shades of brown hair and brown eyes with
fairly light complexions.
Among newly imported chattels there is a wide variety of complexions and hair and eye colors
and is a general indicator of their recent foreigness.
Politics:
Much of the human population (75%) are chattels and serfs and work the land and labor for an
Overlord. 14 of these Overlords have agreed to certain self-respecting and quite libertarian laws
and the government constitutes a loosely defined plutocracy, with each Overlord absolute in their
own territory and meeting only rarely if a national threat is perceived, or during a high holiday or
Fair. 24% constitute free landholders, merchants and citizens banded together in one of the five
free towns of Lanth, or the uncontrolled wild peoples previously mentioned. The remaining 1%
represent the controlling Overlords who own most of the land of Lanth and much of the wealth.
The Overlords have divided Lanth into 14 districts, each Overlord controlling one of the 14, with
the five towns exempt from all control (as agreed to by the Overlords to encourage trade and
profit). The Overlords are powerful humans and half-elves, who either have extended lives, or
pass on exclusive control through primogeniture to their family. The Overlords are:
Sindere Silvenil (F 1/2 elf magic user, patient and scheming)
Louhi Marinen (F Human fighter, brash and aggressive)
Perak Jouni (M Human, cleric, subtle and perceptive)
Arneste Doom (M Human, fighter/magic user, imposing, frightening)
The Family Tyndaril (1/2 elves, cautious and diplomatic)
The Family Yloni (Humans, pious and honest)
The Family Coowe (Humans, secretive)
The Family Marew (Humans, erratic and wicked)
The Family Nerrilion (1/2 elves meticulous, rational, aloof)
The Family Ursk (Humans, cruel and cowardly)
The Family Opinomous (Humans, genial, demonstrative, boisterous)
The Family Silkeren (Humans, dictatorial, shrewd)
The Family Barrilik (Humans, crazed and contradictory)
The Family Kuilenil (Humans, enlightened, enthusiastic)
The towns (Darrow, Larren, Porrit, Siker, and Grental) are run by the elected group of the
wealthiest merchants within each of the cities (A syndicate.). Merchants are usually arranged in
guilds with the metalsmiths, mercers, weaponsmiths, masons, and a few others usually
representing the largest most influential guilds. They provide the sole supply of luxury goods
available to Lanth due to trade routes with the Crystal Desert, the Raddan Woods and the Wild
Coast, as well as containing some skilled craftsman to construct items for the religious, military,
agricultural and miscellaneous needs of the towns' denizens and the Overlords.
Darrow is located on the north of Lanth's border with the
Republic of Sothan. It maintains a valuable and exclusive trade with the Republic of Sothan and
many magical goods or components come through here. Darrow usually trades raw materials
and furs to the Republic.
Larren is located near the border of Hirm and is the most barbarians. It always maintains a
strong citizen's garrison which is well drilled. They trade with Hirm to get a certain rare resinous
wood which operate as a delicate incense and is particularly useful in religious rituals. They also
get a certain amount of finished metals from Hirm in return for operating some mines in the hills
for iron and copper, and in trading furs to Hirm. Recently, a gem mine has been started by
Larren in the hills.
Porrit is located near the Wild Coast and Erthos borders to maintain trade routes with them.
Although goods are pottery, and wood for fish, pearls, and the occaisional slaves and loot from
the Wild Coast's pirating sideline. Erthos, which is mostly desert and mountains, trades olives,
oil, dates, nuts and finely crafted small goods in return for wood and metal which it sorely lacks.
House Opinomous owns all the surrounding area around Porrit.
Siker is located on the Crystal Desert border and maintains the most intimate contact with the
Sheiks of any of the bordering nations. Trade caravans carrying contraband, rare items, and
imports from other fragments go through this town before the rest of Lanth and northern
Rynnegoods are generally lightened as are many of the petti. As a consequence the town is very
well off and tends to be somewhat less lawful then the other towns. It sends Lanthianmost,
aware of potentially explosive revolts leave goods from the other towns out to the outer
fragments for a good profit. House Coowes lands border Siker and the Crystal Desert.
Grental for those areas near hills and in the thickest part is the largest town in Lanth and is
centrally located. All roads in Lanth go through
Grental for those areas near hills and in the thickest part and the trade roads connecting all the
towns of Lanth and beyond meet here. Grental for those areas near hills and in the thickest part
is largely a town of shipping and administration. Here various towns representatives bring their
goods to trade off. Goods are moved through here efficiently and the Overlords, if they meet for
a crisis, publicly meet here. The town is noted for a large grove with a spring-fed waterfall in the
middle of town and its excellent service industry (inns, craftsmen, repairs, trading, banks and
shipping).
The towns trade with each other and hold Fairs five times a year (see
Economics) to stimulate trade and sell goods. Merchants from the neighboring kingdoms always
send agents to the Fairs.
Most people (75%) are laborers, farmers, herders or simple craftsman living on the Overlords'
land and paying tithes in labor, volunteers for militias, and supplying food and raw materials.
These people may not leave the land, although occasional Fairs will allow them some respite and
the Overlords are quick to catch even a murmur of rebellion. Treatment of serfs is different
under each Overlord, some are quite generous or mostly leave their lives untouched, some
control and manipulate their chattels with an iron hand. It is a death sentence to try and escape
one's
Overlord.
Economy:
Is mostly agricultural with luxury goods available in the towns. The towns have a solid
mercantile base but the difference between the country life and that of the towns is extreme.
Most people living on the land have simple houses made of wattle and daub, or occasionally
wood and stone, with small plots of land and few animals to support themselves. These families
usually live well away from each other only getting together on rare occasions. Near the
Overlord's manor a denser population prevails with many families sharing communal land for
their animals, working the Overlord's plots of land to feed the castle, and allowing simple
craftsmen and technology to make some refinement to the Overlord's benefit (millstones,
watermills, hunting lands, all owned by the Overlord which charges fees for the usage).
A certain amount of hunting, trapping and foraging also fill in for those areas near hills and in the
thickest parts of the forest.
Slavery exists, but in a lesser form and does not constitute any trade good or significant
economic impact. If one is born into a chattel family one will die in it, as well as all of one's
offspring. Overlords are free to do anything to them, take them as servants, use them sexually, or
torture them, but most, aware of potentially explosive revolts leave their chattels to their life of
manual labor benefitting from their labor, but not excessively so.
The Town Fairs:
Once a year each Town hosts a Fair in a rotating manner at a random place in Lanth (Overlord
permission is automatically obtained as great monetary benefit can be had from hosting a Fair on
one's land). Thus at some time or another all the Overlords' lands have Fairs on them. Each
town organizes their Fair, pays fees to the Overlord and sets up a minitown with entertainment,
building and housing to invite the other towns and non-Lanthian traders to come and trade.
Taxes on goods are generally lightened as are many of the pettier laws when a Fair is going on.
Fairs will attract thousands to ten thousand people who will benefit from the wild time and the
chance to see exotic people and objects. Fairs generally last two weeks. Even the traders from
the Crystal Desert try to attend these Fairs and send representatives. Items not normally
available may be found at the Fairs always at high cost.
The dates of the Fairs are:
Darrow Fair is the 2nd and 3rd week of the 1st month
Larren Fair is the 3rd and 4th week of the 2nd month
Porrit Fair is the 4th and 5th week of the 3rd month
Siker Fair is the 8th week of the 4th month-1st week of the 5th month
Grental Fair is the 7th and 8th week of the 6th month-the largest fair
History:
Before the Shattering, the area that is Lanth was only sparsely populated with wild woods and
hills full of animal life appropriate to a temperate climate.
After the shattering, about 2500 years ago, several powerful people migrated here to set up and
form their own comfortable little kingdoms, these were the original Overlords who had many
diplomatic and military struggles before forming the districts. They were quick to ensure that the
number of the powerful remains constant and are all generally equal in land yield, chattels, and
military might. *(Note: this is a very peculiar arrangement and there is probably a very complex
interesting history involving this powerplay.) The natural borders of Lanth ensure a large degree
of independence and general ignorance of the workings of Lanth with their neighbors. The
Towns, allowed to be established to benefit the Overlords and supply luxury goods, began some
1100 years ago and, while not huge, are densely populated. They remain economically viable
and lucrative, sustaining an economy in Lanth by trading raw materials for finished goods to the
Overlords and trading with other nations. The Crystal Desert, because of its port, has proven
particularly useful in the development of Lanth, bringing slaves from other fragments to help
"colonize" the Lanthian countryside.
The economic and political structure has proven extremely durable and stable for the last 900
years, in general few enough of the chattels are truly miserable, all have food, shelter, festivals
and holidays from their drudgery and a large amount of autonomy and so revolt is absent from
Lanth's history. The Overlords continue to play various power games with each other vying for
greater control, but the balance is such to discourage large scale war.
About 600 years ago there was a major incursion from the barbarians of the
Wild Coast that burned one of the towns and threatened another and laying waste to several
Overlord's lands. The Overlords and towns banded their militia's together to put down the
invasion. Guerilla warfare and some magic was used by both sides and the war lasted
approximately 10 years until the barbarians were thrown back and a 'cordon sanitaire' was
created between the two nations. Diplomatic and economic settlements ensued so that the nation
of Lanth and the Wild Coast now aid each other in their economic pursuits, the Wild Coast
supplying pirated luxury goods and occasional slaves and Lanth supplying rough goods and food
as well as protecting the Northern border. There has been peace ever since the war.
Religion:
Lanth is a place of religious plurality. Chattels brought from other fragments and other nations
each bring their own religion with them and are allowed free practice as long as it doesn't
interfere with the Overlords' control. There is worship of the demi-human deities by the gnomes,
elves and many half-elves in Lanth. Each of the Overlords may have a different deity or none,
religion doesn't appear to overtly affect politics or life. None of the festivals are religious in
nature, instead following establishment of Lanth, the birth or establishment of the various
Overlords and the Fairs.
The Servants have been allowed to set up some bases of operation within Lanth by the Overlords
on the condition that they do not interfere with the Overlords' politics and treatment of people.
The Servants have been allowed to establish groves in six of the districts--Silvenil, Tyndaril,
Yloni, Nerrilion, Opinomous, Berrilik--and are able to move relatively freely between the
districts and towns. They are not allowed to accept members suspected of running away from
their Overlord and so mainly get recruits from the towns and wild tribes, and the few free
landholders. They do make an appearance at the town Fairs. They also attempt to insure that
merchant caravans are protected from wildlife and attacks (and conversely that the animal life is
protected from the merchants) and to keep the natural balance of Lanth. They are in ideological
agreement with the Overlords in keeping Lanth relatively uncivilized and mostly wilderness.
(
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