The Armorican Kingdoms

[CaptainPenguin]

I still have to do Haleco, Durmalgish Marches, Radoth, Nermalia, Gotha and Botheria.
I also have to add several subregions, like the Cumberland, Gundland, Sammeria, and the Black Forest.

[CaptainPenguin]

The land of Gotha is a hilly wildercountry in the south of Alssonia, bordering on the Imperial satellite-nation of Nydria, as well as Watzcha and Botheria. The Gothics are the barbarian people of Gotha, a warlike, primal folk who shun metal.
Gothics are a small and heavy people, ranging from 4'11"-5'7". They have broad flat noses and heavy brows with deep-set eyes. Their jaws are square and strong. Their rough, curly hair is usually a dark brown or red, though it is almost certain to be black with filth and dirt. Gothics wear no particular hairstyle, though some wear braids or ponytails, and men grow beards as a sign of virility. Gothics wear whatever hodgepodge of poorly-tanned animal skins, plants, natural twines and scavenged raiment. Gothics love jewelry and wear whatever shiny metals and jewels that they can find.
Gothics are a seeming defiance of all natural law. They have not progressed, technologically, mentally, or societally, in all the thousand years since they came south as an arm of the Armori invasion. They shun metal, except as an ornament or in armors and weapons which they scavenge off of more civilized victims, and they cannot comprehend the working of stone or tree-wood. They are a rough, warrior people, quick to anger and happiness, amazed by the "magic" of civilization, though they do not understand it.
Gothics organize themselves into tribes, each headed by the strongest Gothic in the tribe. The tribe's women and children are the property of every man in the tribe, to do with as he sees fit, short of slaying them. Gothics dwell in round lodges constructed of leather and hides strung between a network of scavenged branches and whatever other straight, stiff objects can be found. A chieftan of a tribe of Gothics in southern Gotha was found to have constructed his tent by stretching the tanned skins of slain enemies between said enemies' spears.
Gothics worship Uthgo, a wild, bear-headed god who slew his father, the giant Thraleveg, and married his twin sisters, Gevex and Sothex. Below Uthgo there are innumerable nature and animal spirits, worshipped by Gothics to placate the rage of the wilderness.

Gothic Names: Verex (F), Uthexeving (M), Levengor (M), Sothsinma (F), Lallevex (F), Gothgo (M), Gothex (F)

[CaptainPenguin]

The Cumberland is a small, autonomous province of the Empire in the foothills of the Great Mountains. No outsiders are allowed to enter the Cumberland, though many wish to do so, and this interdiction is upheld by the Cumberlanders, a people as mysterious as the land which they defend.
Averaging about 5'-5'5", Cumberlanders have round faces with aquiline noses. They have thick, lionish manes of matted dark brown hair, usually in a dreadlock-like style, with hints of gray interwoven. The eyes of Cumberlanders are always of a pale violet shade, and their gaze seems very penetrating to those who look into their eyes. Cumberlanders have quite darkly-tanned skin, as their homeland is far south (Due east, as the crow flies, from Zinaldia.). Cumberlander garb is unique, unlike anything else in the Armorican Kingdoms. Both men and women wear baggy pantaloons with sashes decorated in serpentine patterns, with their torsos bare and arms covered by odd, sleeve-like garments tied at the shoulder. They also wear a cloth bandanna tied around the head to hold their dreadlocks away from their faces.
Cumberlanders do not show emotion. Stoicism is the only facial expression that is known to have been seen on a Cumberlander. They speak without modulation of tone or pitch. They have never been known to act in anger or any other emotional extreme. When Cumberlanders are seen in a group, all individuals move in unison, and move to precise formations and tactics without any apparent form of communication. They seem to be everywhere in the outskirts of the Cumberland, and no man has entered said country in recorded memory. If one were to cross the borders into the Cumberland, one would see the spectacle of a group of Cumberlanders, armed and stone-faced, rising out of the wilderness as if from thin air, to say "Outsiders are not permitted in the Cumberland," and then proceed to be escorted away. No histories say why the Cumberlanders do this, or what it is that they are protecting. No maps of the Cumberland can be found within the vaunted Imperial Library in Arcturus. Explorers are warned often to, if they must go near, skirt the dusty wastelands that mark the borders of the Cumberland, and to stay on the good side of the Cumberlanders. More than one would-be Cumberland explorer has been discovered staked upon an intricately-tooled Cumberlander spear on the borders of their debatable and desert land. If there are those who have successfully resisted or defeated Cumberlanders, they have not told of it. Cumberlanders are not known to be of the Armorican peoples, nor are they counted among the descendants of the Lands' original inhabitants.
Nobody knows what Cumberlanders believe, or what gods they may follow.

Cumberlander Names: Unknown

[CaptainPenguin]

A savage and lawless country of the north, the Durmalgish Marches are home to the Durmalgishmen, a rough and strong people, as hardy as their homeland is wild.
Pure-blooded Durmalgishmen range from 5'8"-6'4", and generally are a massy and thick-muscled people. They have high cheekbones, narrow, sometimes hooked, noses, square chins, and heavy, thunderous brows. They have red or blonde hair that is straight and dull. However, since the Marches are a haven for criminals and exiles of all kinds, it is often easier to find mongrel folk with a combination of Durmalgish and other features. Durmalgishmen wear their hair long or pulled back in a ponytail, and they grow beards. Durmaglishwomen wear long, thick braids. Durmalgish dress is generally made from leather, heavy wool, or fur, to ward out the wintery cold of the Marches. Men wear long, thigh-length tunics, belted at the waist, with baggy trousers tucked into their soft, moccasin-like, leather shoes. Durmalgishwomen dress in ankle-length dresses, belted at the waist, and wear similar leather shoes. Both may wear heavy furs and cloaks to further defend against the frost in the air. Durmalgishfolk wear jewelry when it suits them. Most men wear hammer-pendants as entreaty to one of the Durmalgish gods, Thurr, for strength and vigor, and women axe-pendants for similar calling to Skadi, a goddess of snow, mountains, and women's strength.
Durmalgishfolk are a rough and hardy people, well schooled in the craft of the mountains and the snows. Durmalgishfolk are also skilled hunters and rovers. Durmalgishfolk are a fractious and war-like people, who organize themselves in clans and make war upon each other. They are quick to anger and quick to make amends, and honor is a great issue for them. Any Durmalgishman who's honor has been slighted will seek vengeance. Durmalgishfolk are also heavy drinkers and mighty eaters. Though they are considered to be civilized by most, the Arcturans rank them as barbarians, for these very reasons.
Durmalgishfolk live in long wooden lodges, constructed around a central fire and feast-table, with partitions along the walls which are the homes of individuals. Families get larger partitions than single individuals. The leader of a clan of Durmalgishfolk lives at the head of the hall, in the partition closest to the fire. The warriors of a clan live in the partitions closest to the chieftan. In the settlements ("klaenhalgr") of larger clans, there may be three or more lodges. In such a case, the chieftan's lodge will be constructed on a raised motte made of piled earth and stones. No matter the size, all Durmalgish settlements are surrounded by wooden palisades to protect them from raids by other clans.
Durmalgishfolk worship numerous gods that are called the Aesir. Among their number are Wodan, Thurr, Skadi, Frej, Tiw, and others. The chief god of the Aesir is Wodan, who is a very wise and powerful god, yet feared, for he heralds a warrior's death. He is a grim and unforgiving god, much unlike the jolly warrior deities that comprise the majority of the Aesir. Durmalgishfolk also acknowledge the existence of the Giants, or Jotuns, who represent natural phenomenon, and are the enemies of the Aesir. When winter frost comes early, the Durmalgishfolk say that the Frost-Jotun are marching south early. When it is too foggy to hunt, they proclaim that the Fog-Jotun are angry.

Durmalgish Names: Saasi (F), Nid (M), Giri (M), Fjal (F), Aesmr (M), Feimli (M), Aestn (F), Eilke (F), Feimli (M), Ragnar (M), Einja (F)

[CaptainPenguin]

High Imperial-
High Imperial is the official language of Arcturus. It is spoken chiefly among  Arcturan Patricians and the various nobilities of other countries. It is very similar to Latin (Obviously). It is a rarer tongue than Vulgar Imperial, as it is primarily the language of the privileged and the nobility.
Words in High Imperial use Latin pronunciation. ('A' is 'ah', E is 'ae', 'AE' is 'i'. 'Emperor' is 'aempaeror'.)

Vulgar Imperial-
Vulgar Imperial is the low form of the Imperial language, spoken among Arcturan Plebeians, as well as about 90% of all other people in the Armorican Lands. While it is not, technically, a separate language than High Imperial, it is sufficiently different to be considered so. It is considered to be a "common" language by nobles and Patricians, though the two tongues share many words.
Words in Vulgar Imperial use Americanized Latin pronunciation. (A is 'uh', E is 'eh', 'AE' is 'ae'. 'Emperor' is 'ehmpehror'.)

Common Terms in Imperial-

Emperor- (Noun, High/Vulgar Imperial. Ehm-pay-roar or (Vulgar) Em-per-ore.) Emperor

Senate- (Noun. High Imperial. Sen-naht-ay or (Vulgar) Sen-at or -eht.) Senate (Also, Senator {Noun. High Imperial Sen-at-ore} Member of the Senate.)

Barbarian- (Noun. High/Vulgar Imperial. Bahr-bare-ee-an or -uhn.) A savage or uncivilized person, especially, unadvanced peoples beyond the borders of the Empire.

-mancor- (Suffix. High Imperial. mahn-sore.) Suffix, preceded by a word for the type of magic, meaning 'one who casts magic' or 'mage', i.e.,
'ignamancor' for 'fire mage' or 'one who casts fire magic'. It has no female form.

Irrumator (Noun, Vulgar Imperial, ear-oo-meh-tor.) A dire insult, meaning 'one who performs oral sex', usually, a male. It is considered extremely impolite to utter, especially in the presence of a woman.

Cunnus (Noun, Vulgar Imperial, kuhn-us.) An obscenity of an extremely offensive nature, reffering to a portion of the female body.

-ila (Suffix, High/Vulgar Imperial, ee-la or {Vulgar pronunciation} il-uh.) A suffix, a diminutive added to names to denote love or affection, i.e., Julia's father calls her Julila. This is also sometimes added to names to denote that the named is a younger sibling.

Tata (Noun, High/Vulgar Imperial, tah-tah.) A diminutive, equivalent to 'Papa'. (Also, Mama, self-explanatory.)

Ecastor! (Noun, High Imperial, aye-cah-store.) An exclamation of surprise or amazement considered polite enough for women to hear and permissible for them to utter. It suggests the invocation of one of the Twin Titans, Castor.

Edepol! (Noun, High Imperial, aye-day-pohl.) An exclamation of surprise or amazement considered polite enough for women to hear, but not permissible for them to speak. It suggests the invocation of one of the Twin Titans, Pollux.

Dignitas (Noun, High Imperial, deeg-nee-tahs.) A difficult concept which, contrary to many assumations, CANNOT be translated into "dignity". It is an abstract noun referring to a man's personal share of standing in a community, involving his moral and ethical worth, his reputation, his entitlement to respect and proper treatment by his peers and by the histories. Dignitas is strictly a private matter, an accumulation of clout and standing stemming from a man's own personal qualities and achievements. Of all the assets a Patrician possesses, dignitas is the one he is most liable to be touchy about; to defend it, he might be prepared to go to battle or to exile, or spill family blood. It is a brother-term to auctoritas.

Auctoritas (Noun, High Imperial, ohk-tore-ee-tahs.) The brother-term of dignitas, auctoritas is much the same concept. However, where dignitas represents personal qualities and achievements, auctoritas represents ones public worthiness, gathered through deeds done under the eye of the people, such as military victories, great constructions or economies, or deeds done for the good of the Empire.

Imperium (Noun, High Imperial, ihm-pear-ee-oom.) A term describing a man's worth, like dignitas or auctoritas, but a simpler one, meaning, roughly, "excellence". It represents the qualities of the greatest of men, such as scholars renowned throughout the Empire, or Emperors such as Tibor Severus II, who constructed Tibor's Wall. One who is said to have the quality of imperium is a worthy man, indeed.

Capite Censi (Noun, High/Vulgar Imperial, cah-pee-tay sen-see or (Vulgar) cap-ih-tay sen-see) Literally, "head count". This term refers to full (non-slave, Arcturan) Imperial citizens too poor to belong to one of the five economic classes of Plebeian, and thus, cannot vote in the Centuriate Assembly. They are mostly urban in origin, and have little say in Arcturan politics.

Advocate (Noun, High/Vulgar Imperial, ahd-voh-cah-tay, or (Vulgar) ad-vo-keht.) One who reads or interprets the law. Can also mean lawyer or attorney in an Imperial court of law.

Abit omen (Phrase, High/Vulgar Imperial, ah-beet oh-maen or (Vulgar) ab-it oh-men.) I prayer for luck, literally, "may there be no evil in it."

[CaptainPenguin]

The northern land of Haleco is a place of natural beauty, with temperate climes toward the coast and a mountainous alpine clime toward the borders. It is home to the bare-footed Halecans, small, long-winded folk who love the telling of tales, and, also, the telling of lies.
Halecans are small, thin folk, like the Chargians, ranging 5'-5'4". They are round-featured, with low-cheekbones, pert noses, and smiling, merry eyes, and are often considered very attractive by people of the North. They have golden skin tones and golden-blonde, shining hair that grows in tight ringlets. Men wear their hair fairly short, while women wear theirs long, some even having hair at waist-length. Halecan men shave their facial hair, for Halecan women find smooth faces to be most handsome. Halecans do not braid or restrain their hair. Both sexes of Halecans wear sleeveless, robe-like garments called, in Halecan-tongue, halecassemaionellasillecae, or "brilliant-fire-cloth", that are died in exceedingly beautiful rainbow patterns, tailored to fit the tastes of each individual Halecan. These robes hang roughly halfway below the knee, and no Halecan will wear any other garment. During the icy winters of their country, they wear a fur-lined cloak that is decorated with dyes to make it as beautiful as possible. Halecans will never, ever, under any circumstances, wear footwear. They say that it prevents them from being close to the Wurd of the World. Their abhorrence of footwear is such that they can be tortured through threats of the application of sandals. Where jewelry is concerned, Halecans wear bracelets and anklets, usually made from pounded silver adorned with semi-precious stones, and, if more adornment is required, wear fresh flowers in their hair.
The Halecans are an exceedingly unique and odd people. They are lovers of  the spoken word. Their language is extremely long winded and flowing, imitating the streams and flowing patterns of the Earth, and when they speak, nothing can stop them. They resent being made to speak in other tongues, saying that the short words 'restrain them from the Wurd of the World'. They have very long names. They absolutely love to tell stories, and at the worst of times will not refrain from launching into a tale. This love of speaking also makes them fantastic liars, and thus, they are not as well-trusted as some races. They are often hired as ambassadors and messengers of royalty and nobility. They are also great entertainers, and though they have not the way with humor that their Chargian brethren have, they are known to have a fine wit as well. They greatly enjoy dancing, and many is the summer night when one would behold colorfully-garbed, golden Halecan folk cavorting in the vales of their beautiful forest home.
The Halecan existence is defined by their religious/ethical/moral/cultural belief in and pseudo-worship of a thing they call The Wurd of the World, or Wurddillensiaeomaienallessere. This is a term exceedingly difficult to explain to non-Halecans. It is, basically, an elemental concept, nature incarnate. It represents the beauty of the world and the mighty power of the Earth and of living things. But it can also mean, variously, the Halecan's own nature, themselves, their way of life, humanity in general, life in general, the vagaries of fate and destiny, and the power of luck. It must be said that no non-Halecan can truly understand or appreciate the Wurd of the World. Halecans use the Wurd of the World to facilitate a very relaxed, "come-what-may" attitude towards the world. When things go wrong, they shrug and say "It is the Wurd of the World." Of course, this expression could mean many things. It is a paradox, which both accepts and rejects blame.

Halecan Names: Llellimallettorinalleanillo, Aleccimollinaelloccsaeinellasereina, Occelletaeiolliccsaoeir (Halecan names are not gender-differentiated.)

[CaptainPenguin]

Radoth, grim, gray land of pines and chill, northernmost of all Armorican lands, is home to the Radothites, called the Gray Pirates, fearsome coastal raiders and fierce warriors, a feared people.
Radothites have the same flat-faced look of Kozkirrim, but with sharp chins and narrow, sometimes hooked, noses. They range from 5'6"-6'3". They have heavy, straight, dull hair that is coal black, dirty brown, or tainted red. Men wear their hair long with a beard, which they may braid, and women wear their hair long and unbound. Radothite men wear knee-length tunics of heavy wool, belted with leather, and baggy breeches tucked into fur-and-leather boots. Radothite women wear ankle length wool robes, and similar boots. Both wear heavy wolf or caribou pelts during cold months. Radothites wear little jewelry, because it is impractical, but what they do wear is generally of silver or brass, with gems.
Radothites come from the same ancient stock as the Kozkirrim and the Daalishmen, but they took a much different path than their brother-races. Radothites, fleeing the destruction of the ancient empire by the Armori, migrated north, encountering the Armori tribes who would become the Marcosians, Durmalgishmen, and Eregard. As a beast may imitate it's prey in order to capture it, so did the Radothites gather Armori traditions, mixing them with their own. They then went further north, into lands beyond the Armorican Kingdoms, into ancient Ixia, of which Radoth legends speak of only as the "Accursed Land", and then they returned south. The Radoth legends say that as they migrated south, fleeing the death of Ixia, they encountered the cold-eyed Hyperboreans. Their people spent three generations in slavery beneath the sorcerors of that frozen land, and then broke free, and escaped south into the peninsula which they now inhabit. It is an iron place, hard and cold, pine-forested and flint-mountained, a place of fists and blades, a place that brooks no casualness or joy. The Radothites are as cold and hard as the land they inhabit. They make their lives through the enslavement of other folk to farm their lands during the short, burning Radoth summer, and raid seacoast settlements for gold and glory and blood.
Radothite homes are similar to Durmalgish homes, but make better use of the local stone.
Radothites worship grim, gray Roth, who gives a man three chances to live, and when those chances are expended, a Radothite's time in the world is over. Below Roth are a cluster of nameless deities representing principles of Fear, Strength, Fire, Storms, et cetera, which are named after the principles which they represent.

Radothite Names: Skarnu (M), Rennu (M), Eska (F), Laakki (F), Eskuru (M), Renka (F), Larku (M), Sarka (F)

[CaptainPenguin]

Malsheg was not a friendly place. The Free City was as rife with pleasure-dens and adventure as I had heard, but the inhabitants were also twice the less welcoming.
I faced the massive, meaty man, Durmalgish by the look of him, as he smashed the table over, spilling my mug, his mug, and my winnings from our dicing.
"Cheater!" he snarled, thrusting a beefy finger in my direction.
I smiled grimly. "I beg to differ. I'd back off, if I were you, my friend." The iron whisper of my blade leaving its sheath brought a momentary pause to his animal ire, but it quickly resumed.
The blade came between us. "I don't see a knife on you, friend. I appear to have the larger, more potent weapon in this pair." I said.
The Durmalgishman bellowed "YOU HAVE NO HONOR AND YOUR MOTHER WAS A BALD KOZKIRRIM WHORE!" He stepped forward, closer to my sword-arm, exhibiting his stupidity.
I thought quickly. I had no intention of killing him, so much as just getting him out of the way. After all, a brawl was beginning, which would attract the authorities, and gambling was forbidden on the festival of Shenga, their god in these parts. Coincidentally, the festival was this week.
I leapt up and slashed over the slavering man's head, severing the cord that held up the flickering oil lantern that lit this den of iniquity. The lantern plummeted down, raining flaming oil onto the man. Well, so much for that foe. He leapt screaming away, clawing at his blazing beard.
I looked forward towards the entrance.
Then I spat. There were the authorities, boiling in through the doorway, smashing down drunken brawlers.
Looked like this would be my last night in Malsheg, after all...

[CaptainPenguin]

Atlantis: Perhaps the first civilized human civilization. Destroyed by a mysterious cataclysm.

Krill: Insectoid race; pre-human, with unmatched magical and scientific knowledge, dire enemies of the nicor. They may or may not be extinct. They left ruins in out-of-the-way places, which are purported by most to have been left by "gods". The only humans who know the truth of them are a few disparate sorcerors.
Nicor: Aquatic race: pre-human, dire enemies of the krill. They left amphibian ruins, half-in, half-out of water. They may or may not be extinct. The only humans who know the truth of them are a few disparate sorcerors.

Eibon: Ancient Atlantean sorceror (dead or vanished) who wrote the Book of Eibon.
Lloigo Shotha: Sorceror who dwells in the Great Mountains.
M'g Azatha: The Mage of Sammeria; A necromancer who dwells in the Imperial region of Sammeria.
Sonc Uyazi: An ancient sorceror (undead) who dwells in an abandoned fortress on Mount Dahafa in the northern border of Botheria.
Occultus: Necromancer who terrorizes the Black Forest region.
Edago Durrat: Benevolent sorceror who dwells in the forests of Chargia. Called upon to heal when all other cures fail.

Ershmi, the Accursed Isle: Island where evil dwells; place of ill omen.

The Flame of the North: In some cultures, the great cold fire that burns at the northern extremity of the world. Another name for the Northern Pole.

Yig: An ancient being or god called upon by sorcerors
Tsathoggua: An ancient being or god called upon by sorcerors
Athudu Zhani: Called the "Worm of Fear". An ancient being or god called upon by sorcerors. Associated with nightmares and fear.
N'lash: An ancient being or god called upon by sorcerors
Aphoom Zah: Called the "Lord of the Northern Pole". An ancient being or god called upon by sorcerors. Associated with cold.
Chaugnar Faugn: An ancient being or god called upon by sorcerors. Dwells in the hills of Gotha.
Glaaki: An ancient being or god called upon by sorcerors. Dwells in Lake Voth in western Marcosia. Wrote the Revelations of Glaaki

Spathi: A sorceror OR an ancient being or god...Nobody is sure which. Wrote the Dialogues of Spathi.

Mount Trothar: Giant lone peak in Seduria; Said to be higher than Mount Teubora and never surmounted.
Mount Teubora: Highest peak in the Alssor Mountains; Said by Alssons to be the site of Aiell Bragh, the Hall in the Sky, home of the gods.
Mount Dahafa: Mountain in the range on the northern border of Botheria. Home of the sorceror Sonc Uyazi.
Greater Fist/Lesser Fist: Twin volcanic peaks that shadow the Nydrian capitol of Golunas.

[CaptainPenguin]

Assoth-Sorrg: Ancient being or god, called upon by sorcerors.
Zh'asz Khoorahm: Ancient being or god, called upon by sorcerors.
Cthuggha: Ancient being or god, called upon by sorcerors. Associated with fire and heat.
Dagon: Ancient god, called upon by sorcerors. Has a fanatical cult in the Southeast.

The Serpent-Men: Pre-human reptile race with great magical and scientific knowledge, the offspring of Yig; They declined like the krill and nicor, and have dissapeared. May or may not be extinct. They worshipped Yig and Set.

Daerddre: Alsson-born sorceress; Called the "Blood-Witch". Said to be the daughter of an Alsson mother and a demon. Has used magic and the blood of virgins to stay young for two-hundred years. Her name suggests the Alsson word for 'demon'. (She doesn't look like other Alssons. Very pale, white skin, shiny, raven's wing black hair, blue eyes. Very "goth" look, piercings and so on, know what I mean?)
Ergu-Larr: Sorceror; Dwells in the Black Iron Tower in the hills above the Watzchan capitol of Elmikz; It is an open secret that he is the true power behind the throne of Watzcha.
La'ash Ba: Sorceress who dwells in the Grayfar Moors in Marcosia; Said to be able to read any tongue, elder or young.
The Oracle: Sorceror that dwells in a temple in the Khossus Mountains; Pilgrims go to find out about the future or the past.

[CaptainPenguin]

The little, beautiful Halecan woman lay like a jewel on the hill beside me, draped in a cloth of indigo with splashes of red and deeper blue. I, Alssonus, had come north seeking adventure, and had found this. It was some sort of celebration for the Halecans, I was sure, for they cavorted and danced and lavished about this sunny meadow. This woman (I did not remember her name; It was spoken to me but the multitudinous syllables defied remembering.) had been chosen to be my guide, and so, I inquired as to the function of the queer tumbling dance which another Halecan performed below us. In my error, I sought to find meaning in the Halecans' celebration of their Wurd of the World.
I pointed to the dancing one. "What is he doing?"
The woman's sapphire-blue eyes returned to me. "What question is this, Visitor? Do you not lay within the domain of the Wurd of the World? In your sense of the word, there is no 'doing' here. What he perpetuates is not an act of purpose, as you name purpose. He performs self-contemplation. He enacts the truth of his being, and of the Wurd of the World, as he beholds it, and thus he explores that truth, beholding and enacting new truth. So do we, we Halecans. For certain visions, we look elsewhere. The 'doing' of which you speak is more easily read on the surface of the World than in the Wurd of it. But all truths are within us, and for these truths we seek into ourselves."
"Then," said I, reacting to a curious detachment in her tone, "you don't watch him? You don't pay attention to each other while you do these things? This," here I indicated the man's cavorting, "isn't intended to communicate something? Doesn't mean anything?"
The question seemed to give the woman a gentle surprise. "What is the need? I also am the Wurd of the World, as he is the Wurd of the World. Wherefore should I desire his truth, when I may freely seek and enact my own?"
Baffling folk, these Halecans were...

[CaptainPenguin]

The Czechki Wilderness stretches alongside Tibor's Wall, between Woron, Alssonia, Arcturus, and Helvetia. It is a dark, gloomy land, possessed of grim weather and a wild country, and its folk are the Czechki barbarians, enemies of the Woronites and the Alssons.
Czechkis are very similar in appearance to Woronites, being their close relatives, however, they are brutishly heavy-featured, and their hair is dirty brown or black. They wear their hair in thick manes, braided or ponytailed or loose, and thread feathers and other interesting trinkets into the dirty strands. Men and women wear garments of poorly-tanned hides and scavenged clothing. They wear necklaces of bones and beads and feathers, and other bric-a-brac that they find. All Czechkis carry a knife or axe on their person.
Czeckhis are the brutish, barbarian inhabitants of the Czechki Wilderness. They are very similar to the more southerly Goths, but they are more hardened warriors, being surrounded on all sides by enemies. Czechkis hold the wilderness in little account. Everything a Czechki sees is his or hers to destroy, reave, use, or eat as they see fit. They are a warlike people, and they nurse great hatreds and grudges, much like their cousins, the Woronites. They are also exceedingly dull-witted, on most accounts.
Czechkis live in communal lodges, pits dug into the ground and roofed with sticks, leaves, and whatever else can be found, with smoke-hole in the center. On the inside, there is a central fire for cooking and warmth, and family beds spread all about.
Czechkis worship Dura, a bloody barbarian god who demands the sacrafice of worthy warriors to feed him. Also worshipped are Tzechka, Lenya-Borr, and Akka, among others.

Czechki Names: Czarr (M), Lennk (F), Zsora (M), Braacz (F), Okkorz (M)

[CaptainPenguin]

I'll be adding some of the smaller kingdoms, namely Helvetia, Iberia, Licuria, and Paphlagonia, soon.

[CaptainPenguin]

Set, the Great Serpent, is a dark and evil god, the Lord of All Snakes, the Demon-God of Venom. He has dwelt on the Earth for the thousand thousand generations since the sea vomited up the land, since before Man's ape ancestors first dropped from the trees, and in the darkest of prophecies it is said that he shall exist until the Firmament itself crumbles, like a constricting serpent crushing the world. In ages misty and forgotten, he was called Yig by his worshippers. In the current age, he is called Set, the name given him by the Cemitians of the South, but he is also known as Mi-Shao-Shur by the slant-eyed ones of the East, and to the Nakcre people of the Great Mountains, he is the Black Serpent.
Set is the father of all snakes, and as such, he is often invoked by sorcer who wish to weave enchantments pertaining to the slitherers. Many sorcerors also worship Set or his other incarnation, Yig. He is a harsh master to serve, however. Many who fail Set have found themselves strangled in the night by snakes which leap from their throats, or blinded by spitting cobras born from loaves of bread. It is said that the dark wizard Thankorius, who dwelt in the Saellos Valley in Arcturus, offended Set by summoning and enslaving one of the ancient and wise Serpent-Kings of Set, and, for so angering the Great Serpent, awoke one morning to find the moat of his castle's moat full of cobras, its floors carpeted with adders, and his breakfast rife with tiny green tree-snakes from the jungles of the Farther South.
Set's symbols are many, and vary according to the incarnation one worships, and the worshippers. But common symbols include intertwined serpents, a green snake in a coil shape, and a sword with a snake for a blade. The Serpent God is often represented as a titanic serpent, or a snake-man, like his children, the Serpent Folk.

[CaptainPenguin]

Y'houndeh is an ancient goddess, as old as Set/Yig, and that ophidian deity's constant foe. She has not been a resident of Earth quite so long as Set, but her cult is still very ancient. She is worshipped in many places under many names.
Y'houndeh is not the mother of mammals, but she is an ancient and powerful patron of them, and her favoring of warm-blooded ones runs deep. She rejects the Black Arts, and so she is not often esteemed among sorcerors, though, truth be told, her intentions are scarcely better than Set her adversary's. She, too, seeks dominion over all the Earth, as, it seems, are all deities in their own way. The various priesthoods of Y'houndeh are fanatical in their devotion, and inquisitions are not uncommon among them, seeking out the cults of Set and demon-worshippers who they can find. Priests of Y'houndeh also seek the destruction of sorcerors and other practicers of Black Magic, which the Elk-Goddess abhors. She, like the Great Serpent, is a harsh mistress, quick to punishment. The High-Priest of Y'houndeh, in her incarnation as Mylahsh in the Marcosian district of Bannor, once went astray of her teachings and delved into a tome of the Black Arts. Throughout the weeks, he complained of a pain in his chest, obstructing his breathing, until, one day, as he spoke the Holy Verse of Mylahsh, the front of his chest exploded outward and a live young deer dashed out of the temple, soaked in his blood.
Y'houndeh's symbols are many, and vary greatly based on the incarnation. Common symbols include elk's antlers, a curved sword with a flower growing from it, and a the head of an elk. She is most often represented as a elk-headed woman wearing a green robe and carrying a curved sword made from bone.

[CaptainPenguin]

The Great Ghoul, Mordiggian, is another ancient god, said to be a brother of Set and the uncle of the Arcturan Titan of the Underworld, Cthonus. He is a horrible deity, called the Charnel God, who has no worshippers, at least among the ranks of Men, though some do offer him their dead as a form of placation of his hunger. His name comes from the Arcturans, who call him the Demon of Cannibals, and say that he resides in the deepest circles of the Inferno.
Certain necromancers call upon the powers of Mordiggian, offering him corpses and blood in exchange for black powers puissant and evil. It is said that the wizard Eibon once summoned the Ghoul God, and that, also, there is a ruined city where there once lived a people, the only ones ever to truly worship Mordiggian, and here there is a fragment of the Charnel God's skeletal hand.
Mordiggian has no worshippers, and possesses no symbols. The dark rituals tied to his worship are written in black tongues accessible only to sorcerors skilled in evil lore. Mordiggian is never represented, except as a shadow within other scenes, as one of the royal murals in the Marcosian capitol of Assenero, called "The Slaying of Khoora Bronzeblade", in which the hero Khoora's death scene is suplemented by a curious darkness between the fallen Khoora and his adversary, representing the presence of Mordiggian.

[CaptainPenguin]

R'lim Shaikorth is an ill-regarded polar deity, said to be the brother or son of Aphoom Zah, Lord of the Pole. The White Worm is a vicious and bestial god, worshipped by few, but his power is great, and he may also call upon the near-limitless puissance of his relative, Aphoom Zah. The Radothites know him by a different name, Skurra-Maggu Jott, and say that he is the father of all ice. They say that Roth, their god, imprisoned him in the never-melting iceberg of Yikilith.
Some sorcerors call upon R'lim Shaikorth, but more often that worship goes to Aphoom Zah, who has a greater control over the forces of cold. The White Worm has a small following among the very northern coastal towns which his floating iceberg-domain of Yikilith visits. Sacrafices to the White Worm are left to freeze to death and then tossed into the sea to drift to Yikilith where R'lim Shaikorth devours them. The presence of this god casts a great cold over the places that he frequents, and prolonged exposure causes utter death from cold.
R'lim Shaikorth has no symbols, but he is said to be in the shape of a massive white serpentine worm, with a horrid humanoid face possessed of bloody-red eyes.

[CaptainPenguin]

The Helvetians are the people of a small, mountain kingdom known as Helvetia, which occupies a small portion of the westernmost arm of the Khossus Mountains. The Helvetians are a warlike people, and often sell the services of their warriors to other nations.
Helvetians are very similar in appearance to Marcosians, however, they tend to be shorter, around 5'3"-5'7". Helvetian men wear thigh-length wool tunics and pantaloons tucked into leather boots, with a knee-length fur-lined sleeveless coat. They also wear a scarf of cloth, tied around the neck with the ruffled extra length hanging out, much like a neck-tie. They wear their hair cut short, with short beards being acceptable among older men. Helvetian women wear knee-length dresses with form-fitting leggings underneath, and leather slippers. They also wear the long, fur-lined coats, but forgoe the neck-ties. They always wear their hair up.
The Helvetians are a war-like, embattled people. They are hardened deeply from centuries of battle against Alssons and Eregardi, who surround their alpine kingdom on both sides. They seem to be born with weapon-skill. All Helvetians, male and female, train with the sword and the spear up to the age of puberty. Men may choose to continue this weapon training, while women, though continued warriorship is frowned upon, may choose to continue their training, or get married. The Helvetians, as it is apparent, are much more gender equal than other cultures. Helvetians also have a long tradition of hiring out their warriors as mercenaries to supplement the little wealth their nation can gather.
Helvetians worship mostly Marcosian or Imperial gods, though gods such as Felica and Zlonty are also worshipped.

Helvetian Names: Zlontana (M), Ellice (F), Lonty (M), Reamy (M), Luenne (F)