In discussing Renbluve, one may come to the impression that their culture is self evident beyond the trivial details mentioned in that city.  Not so. Perhaps in a stretch of backwards revelation, it was decided to focus on those things truely unique to the most advanced city in the modern age, and deal with the general culture when we turn to discussing the life of the Southern Nornsa as a whole.

A culture does not exist seperately from its environment. The lands of the South are warm, sunny, with gently rolling plains and scattered forests and rivers.  They have been settled since time immemorial, and occasionally very ancient stone ruins and even barrows of long lost kingdoms might be found.  The Nornsa do not dwell overly much on history. Perhaps their proximity to the Hydiminoi forest to the North and East, and the frequent contact with the Immortal Elves of the Siti has some factor in this.  The Nornsa have been farmers for some time, the fast growing Guelph trees provide most of their wood, leaving the older hardwood forests mostly untamed, given the love the Nornsa have for horses, they may feel uncomfortable in the closely packed trees. Indeed, one thing that often comes to mind to most people when discussing the Nornsa are their horsemen and cavalry.  It is said that the first men settled here and offered thanks to the gods for the bounty of the land, in return for their peity, the Gods gave them Horses to tame and ride.  Between Horses and Peity, there remains little to say of the 'typical Nornsa', even the poorest farm has at least one old nag to pull a plow, though as one gets closer to Renbluve, free farmers are rarer, and landed nobilty overseeing slave worked plantations grow ever commoner. Those plantation lords live largely idle lives, roaming the land on horseback, and romantic tales are told of them.

To the Nornsa, the worship of the Gods is a given. Piety is rewarded in this life and the next, each house has at least one small shrine to the hearth gods, and every facet of life has some tiny ritual devoted to it, though the sheer volume of such rituals means that many go unperformed simply out of ignorance. A midwife will burn the umbilical cord of a newborn to give thanks because she knows it is proper, while a farmwife might not because there is no reason for her to know better.  the Nornsa belive the Gods are forgiving of such lapses, but look more favorably when such rituals are performed.

Physically the Nornsa are nut brown, often with dark hair and eyes, though a dusky red is not unheard of for hair, and green eyes are particularly prized, though rare.  They are slight of build and delicate of feature, many ascribe this to strong elven blood, and many nobles will proudly claim elven descent even if no evidence exists to back this up.  

They favor trousers and tunics, often of wool or cotton, which grows well in the region, preferring to dye their clothes in muted colors.  Nobles favor half capes over one shoulder, those favoring duels might wear such a cape lined with leather strips for protection.  

Interestingly, the Nornsa do not marry. Men and women take lovers for periods of time, with urban and higher station members of society taking new lovers more frequently.   Children typically stay with the mother for a time, but most sons move in with their father by puberty, and will inherit from their father, while daughters inherit from the mother. Among the poor, it is more common for a couple to stay together, even if they are no longer lovers (and have outside loves), though the same tendency to send children to the appropriate family persists.  In 'stable' relationships, or with a current lover, it is gauche, even rude, to discuss other lovers, past or present.  The wooing process is not easy, and the social codes governing it are positively byzantine.   Foreign conquests are prized among the wealthy, often for the utter naiviety they show, and can be treated almost like pets, though always with an eye for not upsetting them.   Naturally, the Nornsa place a great deal of emphasis on planning pregnancies, and have developed a number of highly effective birth control methods.

Technically, the kingdom of Nornsa is a feudal one, though the peasants are not bound to the land. Nobles typically leave the running of their feifs to local village mayors, though occasional keeps out in the rural regions may hold a local lord with no taste for city life.  Nobles are the 'heart and soul' of the military, though the recent rise of the Dragoon regiments in Renbluve is changing this.  Nobles are expected to provide a certain amount of Horse in times of war. There are two branches of 'Horse' in the Nornsa way. Light Horse, the Hussars, are on fast chargers, lightly armored, armed with long thin swords for the charge, and powerful bows as their primary armament. The Heavy Horse, or Knights, are powerful, almost unstoppable heavily armored lance cavalry in plate. For a time the Knights were viewed as the ultimate expression of Nornsa might, though many poorer nobles could not afford the kit, in the modern age, the mobility and strategic value of the Hussar, and the comparative cheapness of plate in the face of new techniques for forging, has led to increasing debate between members of each 'class' of nobility.  

While there are specific titles for the nobilty, the only true measurement that is used by almost everyone, is Light or Heavy, with a rising new 'class' of nobility, the Compadores... nobles who do not organize into units, do not wear armor, but ride and 'harrass' as they will. Compadores are often called 'dilettants' by the other two, not truely warriors but peacock ruffians playing soldier.

The soldiery, traditionally, was ill equipped, ill trained infantry, armed with spears mostly. Bowmen, generally hunters impressed into service, would be grouped as archers and given minimal training in military tactics.   In the wake of the Warlords March there has been a gradual increase in 'professional' soldiers, culminating in the Dragoons.  Prior to the Warlord Era, the only infantry of note on Nornsa battlegrounds were mercenary regiments, who were often barred from riding horses in battle without noble dispensation... though many a mercenary captain was made a peer, and thus his company would become mounted. Many mercenaries, who were called Dragoons prior to the adoption by the current aerial cavalry, would ride to battle then dismount to fight as infantry to avoid violating the law.

Speaking of Nornsa law, nobles are the primary judges of crimes in their feif, though in their abscence a senseshal, called a sheriff, would be appointed to oversee their duties.  The justice system is rudimentary, and many tales of corrupt sheriffs running roughshod over the peasants make the rounds. Most crimes are punished via death by exposure, often in cages hung at crossroads.  

Tales of people 'pulling one over' corrupt sheriffs are much loved of the peasants. As taxes are levied by portion, a farmer suffering from excess taxes might offer a small bag of grain as his entire crop, obliging the sheriff to take one tenth of the bag, or enough for perhaps a single meal, while the farmer subsists on the charity of neighbors from another county (county, derived from 'counting', an area that falls under a single noble 'tax collector'... thus the most common title for nobles  is 'Count'), or some non-taxed produce, such as fruit or mushrooms from a nearby woods.  Recall that the peasants are free, such as it is, and thus have many options for dealing with oppression from the nobility, and their culture upholds such 'quiet resistance' as an ideal response.


The signature weapon of many Nornsa is the Espadrille, or Grass Blade, a short sword or long knife with a tapered blade, generally no longer than the arm of the weilder.  These are elegant weapons, often light and quick, and a darting motion is used when fencing with them. The long blades are suitable for drawing cuts, heavy enough to cut deep, and the sharp point is more than suitable for stabbing. Shorter blades of the same design are more akin to daggers but confusingly get the same name.  Interestingly, the proper way to carry an espadrille, or at least one longer than the forearm, is sheathed and held in the left hand. In public places there is a notch in tables or benches specifically so that the Espadrille may be set down, and again an entire ettiquete exists governing the proper deportment of Espadrilles.

The Hussars, interestingly, never carry an Espadrille, considering it beneath them. Their weapon is the Stalk, a sword of considerable length, often four feet of blade or more, with a triangular cross section and no edge at all, used to run enemies through.  The Stalk requires a great deal of training to use on foot, though it makes an adequete spear in anyone's hand.   It is notable to point out that the Hussars first formed in the eastern parts of the kingdom, and much of their 'costume' is exotic looking in the more 'settled' western half.

To finish up a common saying about the Nornsa: He is always cheerful, wether dancing, drinking or murdering, but he will cry over a lost horse as if his heart were rent.

Quote from: SpikePehaps we shall pass from the banks of the Erd to the western coast of Hygleac, where the Fisher Kings reign, their sea going ships unmatched in the Gattipol, how they retreat from the mainland when enemies press them, the entire nation fleeing to the seas, where they reign supreme.
.

That name Hygleac combined with Bear-persons, have you been watching 13th Warrior (Eaters of the Dead? )

The rest is interesting (Hussars being a name for a Polish military unit might cause some confusion as well)


Other than those teeny things very nice. What kind of system are you going to use for this? What kind of important conflicts will be going on during the start "year" of this campaign?

Quote from: SilverlionThat name Hygleac combined with Bear-persons, have you been watching 13th Warrior (Eaters of the Dead? )

The rest is interesting (Hussars being a name for a Polish military unit might cause some confusion as well)


Other than those teeny things very nice. What kind of system are you going to use for this? What kind of important conflicts will be going on during the start "year" of this campaign?

Actually, I haven't been watching it, Hygleac was made using my normal naming conventions (string a bunch of letters together in cool ways and see what comes up...), while the bearmen was more independent. The Hussars are... hey get this! Light cavalry... I steal from everywhere, lol... maybe I should change the name just to avoid confusion (Dragoons, for the record were infantry that rode horses and dismounted to fight... often equipped with firearms....)

Espadrilles, of course, are shoes.

Quote from: SpikeActually, I haven't been watching it, Hygleac was made using my normal naming conventions (string a bunch of letters together in cool ways and see what comes up...), while the bearmen was more independent. The Hussars are... hey get this! Light cavalry... I steal from everywhere, lol... maybe I should change the name just to avoid confusion (Dragoons, for the record were infantry that rode horses and dismounted to fight... often equipped with firearms....)

Espadrilles, of course, are shoes.

Yeah I'm aware of them and janissaries and myrmidons and many others. However its funny that the name and the bear tribes meshed that way.

In the original story Beowulf  is related to Hygelic (cousin?), and they mention it in 13th warrior his relation and the "grendel" of that story being a Bear Worshipping tribe.


Not a bad name though just thought I'd mention it, someone may notice the similarities if you publish this.


So system? *pokes* I want to hear what this is going to be used for
When are you running it?

Quote from: SilverlionYeah I'm aware of them and janissaries and myrmidons and many others. However its funny that the name and the bear tribes meshed that way.

In the original story Beowulf  is related to Hygelic (cousin?), and they mention it in 13th warrior his relation and the "grendel" of that story being a Bear Worshipping tribe.


Not a bad name though just thought I'd mention it, someone may notice the similarities if you publish this.


So system? *pokes* I want to hear what this is going to be used for
When are you running it?

Well... I'm thinking I'll be using the MRQ system, run the system through it's paces. I had a post I was going to make covering the treatment of the various races, as MRQ is pretty humanocentric, but I got the Monster book the other night and just about every race I have is in there somewhere.   I got lazy on trying to come up with new lifepath backgrounds for each race once i figured that each race would have certain analogs to the existing ones.

I was a bit nervous about adding in the firearms, nothing I've mentioned so far was working up to that... but then history often doesn't, eh?  I'm tempted to run though a post discussing the tactical and strategic deployment of the Dragoons (most will only fire a single shot as a 'terror weapon' and charge in with spear/lances.  Guns are still viewed mostly as a novelty device, rather than a serious weapon... in fact, I will do a post on Guns specifically).

As for terms like Hussars, Janisarries and so forth, I expect I'll be using more of them where appropriate. No sense inventing new terms for everything.  If knight is a perfectly valid term to steal, so should Hussar, right?


I hope to be running this starting in January. I have two or three pretty much garaunteed players (depending on timing) but I like bigger groups for the dynamics. More people equates to more ideas and party interplay.

The last decade or so has seen the arrival of a fantastic new device upon the scene in the world: Dragoons armed with Firesticks and riding fabulous flying beasts resembling nothing so much as miniature dragons.

It has only been the last five or so years that organized regiments of volunteer soldiers have taken to the skies in any numbers, and those years saw significant improvements.

Roughly 15 years ago, the Royal Alchemists Society discovered a compound, which when properly treated and exposed to a catalyst (their term) reacted violently, often shattering the apparatus it was in.  At first it was a mere novelty, a useless experiment, a prank to play on younger students. However, one bright lad, after ruining a laboratory array trying to follow the instructions had a bright idea to harness this stuff. Initially, his experiments were in the nature of mobile machines, using the explosive blasts propel the arms of a 'windmill' in a very noise mortar and pestle device. It was after this apparatus broke, on arm flying off and peircing the oak door of the lab, that he determined a better use, armless crossbows.

Other uses have since been discovered, the explosive force is used to shatter stone in mining in larger quantities, though still very expensive for the return value.

The original 'Firestick' was a crude affair, a short metal tube affixed to the base of a crossbow stock that contained the 'layer cake' charge (the actual blast is produced with the layers mix when the catalyst passes through them), with a 'charge hole' on top for the firer to pour the liquid catalyzer in. A crossbow bolt would be placed on the stock with one end in the tube.  Firing was incredibly awkward, as one could imagine, and the blast, while impressive, tended to shatter the bolt, flinging a cloud of flinders forward. Sturdier bolts flew forward much as an ordinary crossbow bolt would.

Refinements to this novelty came from the Engineers Society, a gentleman's group of idle rich who have devoted their energies to odd mechanical studies.  At first the bolt was reduced to just the metal tip, which proved remarkably effective, later the tube was lengthened, as it was found that just the tip tended to be incredibly inaccurate. Later soft metal balls were used, though they did tend to either deform horribly in firing, getting stuck in the 'shaft', or roll out if the device dipped too low.

The greatest refinement came from the use of a small brass resivoir in the 'butt' of the stock, with a tube leading to the charge hole. The firing lever works a simple, even primative, pump mechanisim. This allows both hands to be free to aim and fire.  The solution to the ball problem was wrapping the ball with wadding.

With that, Firesticks became fully functional devices, though many question the need in the face of existing weaponry.  The weapons sold publicly are 'fixed tube' weapons, where the cake is dropped in the muzzle, the wadded ball shoved in after with a rod.  The Dragoons, who typically only fire a single shot, however, were given a 'secret' advanced prototype. The 'firing chamber', which is the thickest part of the tube, is removable, the cake and ball are pressed in by hand, and replaced much quicker. Smarter dragoons aquire several 'chambers', prepacking them and allowing for reloading that is much faster than even a crossbow of similar power.  It is not without problems, however. If poorly reset into the 'Gonne', the chamber has a tendancy to fly off the back, injuring, even killing the shooter, often the catalyst tube is bent out of alignment by the removal and replacement of the chamber, leading to more frequent misfires.


The other major 'invention' that lead to the Dragoons is a product of the Archmagus Academy. Long exploring a variety of esoteric magics, the Archmagii had developed the ability to create hybrid species in complicated processes. While the value of these 'monstrosities' was extremely limited, when pressed with a challenge (and the increasing popularity of the flying manses) they standardized a hybrid species that could fly, mounts suitable for reaching the manses in the event that all aboard were abscent or reluctant to send down an elevator basket, and for scouting by air.

Such hybrids are sterile, genderless things, though that hasn't stopped foriegn nations from stealing a number of them to 'breed them'.  The process is long and involved, but the resultant hybrids can live for as much as two decades before expiring.   The Academy currently sells them only to the Crown for the Dragoons, but the nobility is clamoring for a flying mount for personal use.

The Dragoon Mounts (referred to as Dragons, Dragoons, or even Draggies...) are large serpentine lizards with massive wings. The rider sits before the wing, up behind the crested armor of the head, and is strapped to his mount, making dismounting difficult. Typically he will have two long firesticks strapped to his saddle, appropriate for aiming by resting the tube on the crest, and a 'quiver' of long spears. The Dragoon can not perform a proper lance charge, as the force of impact can knock the mount from the sky if a solid enough target is hit, so the Dragoon tends to use a sort of charging throw, though practice 'aerial duels' have involved using the bladed tip of a spear as a slashing weapon during 'flybys'.  This has led to the increased use of a single long bladed spear in addition to a stock of lighter 'javelins' among certain regiments.  

While the members of the Dragoon regiments are almost entirely drawn from the 'middle class' or lower, with only a few 'second son' nobles occupying command positions, they are very much the new nobility of Renbluve, feted and much loved by the populace.  Their colorful 'flight armour' and distinctive behavior makes them 'rebel princes', a 'dashing heroes', and the short history of the Regiments has already a singular tale of heroism, with the 'Lost Fourth' having sacrificed themselves destroying a maruading Dragon who apparently belived the Crown of Renbluve was too grand a nesting site to leave to mere human occupants.

There are those Dragoons who swear their mounts are intelligent, and the beasts are much loved by their riders. Some suggest that a good rider has a mystic connection to his beast, though horsemen have been swearing the same for eons in the absense of any proof.



In the decade or so that Firesticks have been functional devices they have spread far. Renbluve is a major trade center, and ships from every major nation can be found in her docks.  While the secrets of the Cake remain largely impenetrable to foreign alchemists, the construction of the devices is not.  While a handful of firesticks have been exported to places such as Paravail and Tenebria, the majority found in such nations are made locally, and often vary wildly in design (though to date, none have replicated the replaceable chamber of the Dragoon Gonne, though it is surely only a matter of time...), and the Tenebrians reportedly have developed a means of firing multiple shots (actually, a shotgun load, but rumors report otherwise...), all buy their Cakes from Nornsa, and they are worth their weight in gold outside of Renbluve.  Ironically, the catalyst is much easier to replicate, and rumors of non-alchemists making their own 'in the feild' persist.  

There are several weaknesses, of course. First of all the short supply of Cake, followed only shortly by it's delicacy. A crumbly Cake is dangerous to use, a wet cake is worthless, even if dried.  Cake, for the record, has a certain residual 'taste' of magic to it, though the Alchemists swear it should not.. they have long since sworn those who know the method to secrecy, though it is only a matter of time before some former student realizes he knows a valuable thing.

Just over 61 pages now...

An important addendum to the Dragoons:

Given that weight is a serious issue for flying mounts, two important facets of Nornsa culture must be looked at closer.  The dragoons, by default, can not be heavily armored, as the Knights are, making the Hussar concept a much more 'valuable one' in current militaria.  Generally Dragoons wear mostly light leather garments, occasionally layered with down or silk for warmth, though there is a marked tendency among riders to wear bright metal helmets, or half helms over leather caps.  Hussars wear bright cloth wings, perhaps foreshadowing their evolution into the Dragoons of the modern age, the Dragoons could not withstand the wind resistance of such wings on their backs, but instead favor streamers of brightly dyed horsehair tied aroudn their arms or attached to their helmets.

More importantly, the largely egalitarian Nornsa society still has long favored men among the soldiery, particularly the Knights and even the Hussars.  However, Dragoon regiments are predominantly female, something that is still rather shocking to the Nornsa, and downright abominable to many nations.   As a result, the Dragoons have tended to adopt a swaggering braggadicio, as if trying to be more masculine than the men, and those male Dragoons, generally slight of build, are even worse.  This only adds to the colorful behavior of the riders, and if the Dragoons suddenly became less arrogant it  would undoubtedly dismay the populace.

Disregarding the Lost Fourth, the only real battle involving significant numbers of Dragoons was Duchane Bridge, along the border with the Kingdom of Avante, where the Dragoons of the First, assigned an auxillery role, were critical in taking the bridgehead, supporting more conventional forces of light and heavy horse with Myrmidon (mercenary) Infantry from Karkesh, to the south.  The Dragoons were able to sweep the Avante defenders from the bridge itself, and the terror they provoked allowed the ground forces to sweep across unopposed.    This untested unit proved to be the battle winning force, and suffered heavy losses over the three day affair, returning home heroes.  There was some bitterness in the way they were 'misused' in the later stages of the battle that lead to the heavy casualties, but several notable generals became ardent supporters of the regiments in the aftermath.  Regretably no one has determined a good method of employing the Dragoons against conventional ground infantry other than as unconventional cavalry...

Karkesh is the southernmost kingdom of note on the Northern Continent. More exactly, it is the southernmost inheritor of the Nornsa culture as well, though different from the northern Kingdom that still bears that name.

Karkesh is also the home of Ysithyderi, the Sepulchure of the Warlord and if legends are correct the home of a lost city of elves from the Mythic Age... or older.

Nornsa, to the north, has rolling plains, hills and occasional forests. Karkesh has none of these, for the land slowly flattens out into sweeping plains, and the few trees that were native to the region were long ago harvested.

However, Karkesh does have the Scar, a broad swath of land cleaving the nation in two where the Warlord once walked.  Why the Scar appears here, and no where else is a mystery to all.

What is the Scar? That depends on many things. To the south, near Ysithideri, it is a terrible gorge, occupied by monsters too terrible and unique to name.  Farther north, as it widens and becomes one with the plains it becomes a swath of grasslands, appearing only slightly greener and livelier than the land around it... only the grass here is razor sharp and hungry for blood, the low insects form massive 'armies' that consume all that cross their path, and the birds are viscious predators that flock and prey on larger beasts, tearing the flesh from their bones.  There is no safety in the Scar, the bridges that cross the Gorge are subject to accident and high winds that have been known to pluck a man from his feet and toss him to his doom, while in the north the land itself is the enemy.  Thus it has come to pass that there are two Karkesh, divided east and west, but the people are determined to remain one... even as the two kings war over the right to rule.

Karkesh is known as the Summer Lands to the Elves, for the winters are extremely mild, the seas warm, the sun shining.   Rainstorms are brief but strong.

The people are darker and larger than their northern neighbors, and appear more somber in demeanor, though this is not to suggest they are grim. Karkesh is not as wealthy as Nornsa, no good mines, few natural resources other than good croplands, they have little to export. The majority of the people are farmers or herdsmen, they are practical minded people who fill their scant free time with simple pleasures.  If anything the Kerkeshi are beloved of the Elves, for many still live in the region after the fall of Ysithideri, and the dwarves, for the one thing the region is famed for is their varieties of wine and beer.

Before the Dragons destroyed the shining city, it was the center of this divided land, the Scar ended at the city gates, and was slowly being tamed by the wizards and sorcerers of that city.  Now, as a blasted ruin haunted by all manner of demons and ghosts, the way across the Scar is lost, though there are those who make a living understanding it's dangers and leading adventursome sorts through it.

To the West, ruling from the City of Moet, lies the Dragon King, who swore oaths of freindship and peace with the destroyers of Ysithyderi, and who famously can call upon their wrath but once by use of the Horn of Oldamungri.  The Current Dragon King is King Julo, and he has built his throne from the bones of the destroyed city.

To the East, ruling from the city of Kelsem, is King Daved, who's grandfathers swore oaths of vengence against the wyrmkin and all waged a holy war against the traitors of the West.  The Eastern Kerkeshi are grimmer than those of the west, and worship stern gods.  Say what you will about them, but the Kerkeshi of either side are among the most knowledgeable of Dragons of any men.

Neither king, however, can call upon a standing army.  It has long been the practice, since even before the fall, for the nobles of the region to hire bandits to fight for them, rather than attempting to fight the bandits. Over time the rise of Myrmidons, or professional mercenaries, has become the predominant military force available, and when work is scarce these Myrmidons hire themselves to other nations, by their own code they owe allegiance only to coin, not to men.    A myrmidoni (a single member of a myrmidon) can be recognized by his coat of 'coin', pointed helmet and curved sword.  Many are said to worship Death above all others, though how one sould properly worship such a being is unclear to others, the presence of myrmidoni fighting with blindfolds on would suggest they attempt to emulate the servants of Death.  Others are said to worship the money they are paid, in terms more religious then cynical. Such myrmidoni are particularly curious, because their loyalty, once bought, is absolute... unless you are later outbid.  A curious legend arose of a Myrmidon (unit) who was hired to kill a prince in Juimo. The prince offered up his treasury if they would kill the man who had hired them thus. The captain agreed, and once paid, killed the prince. When he returned the severed head to his employer, he killed him too, fulfilling both contracts to the letter.

Of course, you might always stumble across Myrmidons who are little more than bandits with a veneer of respectability.


Regardless.  The Kerkesh grow Jute and cotton, favoring both for garments and other practical goods.  Indeed, shoes soled with braided ropes of Jute are almost universal kerkeshi footwear, and their weapons use similar methods for covering the hilt.  

One might ask, given the land, why cavalry is less popular in kerkesh? The answer is of course that the Kerkeshi do use cavalry, though not as famously as the Nornsa. Horses eat a lot, and the croplands of the region, while vast, are not always suitable to maintaining large quanities of horse. Animals are used for labor more than war. Myrmidons may be horse based, or foot based, many are capable of both.  It should be noted that the crossbow is not much used, the curved bow is preferrable, and firesticks are veiwed as dangerous toys, little more.

It is the Western Kerkeshi who have perfected the use of ice magics to preserve fish from their expansive coasts, a technique finding greater use across the world.  The eastern Kerkeshi have long been reknown for their dances, many of their religious festivals involve elaborate dancing and spinning.  

Both nations have very strict views of the roles of men and women in society, something they appear to have adopted from the dwarves, rather than the Elves.  Elves, to the kerkeshi, do not fall into either male or female roles, but are 'Elvish', and thus seperate. A Kerkeshi male is expected to fight and defend his woman to the ends of his life, an unattached woman attempting to fight for herself would be surrounded by concerned men looking to defend her, while a married woman would be pitied for her weak and useless husband.  

Conversely, women are expected to shoulder the entire burden of maintaining a house, even adopting unmarried men to 'mother'.  Many outsiders question this, but the similarity between kerkeshi culture and taht of the nearby mountain Keks have been noted.  Kerkeshi are rather famous for carrying their odd behavior with them to other nations, which earns them no freinds when traveling.  Kerkeshi women who travel are often running away, and are pitied.

The Kerkeshi build in brick, often sun baked, and due to a lack of wood often used lashed bundles of sturdy grasses and reeds for construction of lighter structures.  This gives them a distinctive architechtural flare, and their buildings are known for their... sturdy... appearance.

Avante is the first of the non-Ysithyderi kingdoms as one progresses north.  For reasons lost to antiquity, the Avante have a powerful dislike of Elves, and after the death of the Warlord launched a war of agression against the southlands.  This sort of brutal hatred was common in the Warlord's wake, as he specialized in setting nations against one another, but the Avante seemed to have more personal reasons.  Regardless, the combined might of the Elves, Dwarves and Humans (and at the time, a few allied Dragons, each considered a nation in their own right) were able to push the Avante back to their hills and dales.  To prevent further wars, the Chasm of Mourning was opened, a long ravine running the length of the border between Avante and the south, the very sea made treacherous with rubble from the work.   The means of its building have since been lost to time, but rumors of enslaved earth spirits, powerful ritual sorceries, and an army of orcish slaves armed with shovels and picks were all involved.  The Chasm is thousands of feet deep, steep sided, and for much of it's length a river runs through the bottom, though dry regions exist. It took nearly a century before the first bridges were built by those seeking peacable trade, by which time the Kingdom of Ysithyderi was no more. The Avante still hold deep seated distrust of the southlands, and wars between them and the Nornsa are frequent.  However, bringing an army over the bridges has made most such 'wars' relatively minor affairs.

The land is rich in minerals, iron in particular, giving the soil a reddish tint. So much so that many refer to the 'Red Hills of Avante' when speaking of the place.   The  Eastern half of the nation is rather pleasant, if slightly dry, and is where most of the population lives. The Western half is a miserable salt water swamp extending to the coast, and if not for the necessities of shipping, and fishing, it is likely only the dispossesed would live there.  Unlike the Nornsa, the Avante are avid explorers of the world, they send ships out to bring things back, not sit at their ports content to let the world come to them.  This has led to an interesting  occurence. Lizardfolk of the Amal have traveled to Avante as ambassadors for their various tribes, and finding the swampy regions by the coast to their liking, have entered a lucrative arrangement with the council of princes.  Dispossessed Amal, those whose tribes have been broken in the wars, or who lack useful lands, may travel to the North and settle in the Avante Swamps, trading exclusively with the humans of the region. The lizardfolk gain new, uncontested homes, the humans gain access to whatever resources the swamps provide... which is more than you might suspect.  This also prevents criminals and bandits from seeking shelter in the already dangerous lands, as the Lizardfolk are more than happy to keep them out. This has resulted in a little disruption of life for some humans who had lived in the swamps for generations, but such people paid no heed to the Princes, paid no taxes, and generally were viewed as parasites.  

The Avante are the darkest of the races of men, the darkest skinned of all races, something that others have claimed is the mark of the Warlord upon them, though historical records show that the natives of the region were always black of skin.  Their hair is thick and straight, commonly black, though dark browns and occasionally ash white hair is not uncommon.   The Avante are a tall people, and they grow their hair long, it is not uncommon for them to style it to add to their height, though this is more common among women than men.   They  prefer clothes of brightly dyed linen, which is one of the few natural fibers common to the region, though wealthier members may import silks.  Poorer Avante of both genders wear only short leather skirts (kilts) during the hot summer months, and cloaks of straw in the colder months.

Warriors, which many soldiers consider themselves, always wear their hair long and loose, placing metal or stone beads throughout their hair. A warrior that is defeated in battle will lose a lock of hair, complete with beads, to the victor, who will wear the locks of his defeated enemies as trophies, tying them to his Falcata, his body (arm bands made of trophy hair are very popular) or sheild, and adding 'unshorn' to one's name is a sign of arrogance.  Fighting to the death is frowned upon when an honorable loss is possible.

The preferred weapon of the Avante people is a two to three foot long hooked spearblade on a short haft, about the same length as the blade.  In organized regiments the weapon is used in short chopping or thrusting moves, often the first rank weilding it one handed so they can carry a sheild of streached hide, while lone warriors use it in great sweeping strikes and almost dancelike flourishes to terrible effect.  

The noblility of the Avante does not hold land, but rather rules over people. Those people hold land, if they can, but may be forced off of it by more powerful groups.  The nation is ruled by a council of these tribal princes, a colorful bunch frequently at war with one another when outside of the council.

I'm not sure, but it may be time to talk about a non-human region... either that or jump to Northern Nornsa... with somewhat scottish tropes...

decisions decisions...

The Hydimenoi forest, or rather it's southern Edge, is viewed by most as the demarcation line between the northern and southern halves of the north (viewed by many as the primary) continent.  This is a rather vague point, and serves little practical value other than color. While the northern lands do tend to be cooler than the southern lands, the hot, arid desert of Hesh is the furthest north of all civilized lands... at least commonly though, the border of the Hesh extend all the way to the mountains that demark the tundrid Plains of the Bearmen.

In truth, the Reve have a well developed civilized land futher north, often forgotten for its isolation, and the fact that the Reve themselves are hardly paragons of cultured behavior. It must be stressed that the Reavers, the ship based barbarian raiders that are the terror of the Eastern Coast, are inhabitants of the southern most, least hospitable lands in their territory, and the kings they pay homage to live in more pleasant regions.  It is a mark of the Reve's very civilized natures that they rarely, if ever, raid their own peoples, though internicine war is far from uncommon.

But it is the Hydimenoi to which we turn our gaze.  This vast forest, but little shrunk since the earliest days of the world, occupies the very center of the world, and is a thousand leagues across in any way.   In the days of Legend the Dwarves felled a thousand miles of woods with ax and flame, and the forest regrew stronger than ever once they had fled.   The humans who live in it's shadow have a great deal of respect for it's power, respect and occasionally a healthy dose of fear.  Some of that power clings to the elves who still make the region their homes, the oldest and greatest of all the scattered elven nations, the Siti.

One must understand that ancient magics still course through the very land where the Forest holds sway.  Even the Elves pay silent homage to the 'Lord of the Forest' as they make their way through it's boughs.  We have mentioned how the land of Haven is mutable, it is in the forest that this is most clear, for where a clearing or hill might be one day, another will find only trees, or a crevise.  It is said that the ancient places of power that may be found within can not be mapped, the directions are less about location and more about the journey one must take to get there.

Before we speak of the Siti themselves, let us speak more of the forest. It is said that an innocent may walk unhindered to the very heart of the forest, yet a thousand children are torn asunder by beasts and more fearsome creatures every year.   The Forest itself is alive, a primal, savage thing, yet may be swayed by beauty. The Trees themselves might move, they are said to have fought the dwarves for every inch of ground, though no one can remember seeing such a thing.  Gods of the beasts are said to roam, the only gods to be found in the mortal realms, great monsterous beasts, far larger than any other.

As for the Lord of the forest? Who can say, for no one has ever said to meet him.

More mysterious still are the ancient barrows and ruined stones that might be found by intrepid souls. Ancient when even the Elves first settled here, no one can say to whom they once belonged, or how they were built in such a hostile place.  A few, more recent, belong to the elves, memorials of earlier times, earlier kingdoms. One thing that unites these scattered remains is that the Forest can not move them, they alone of all her attributes remain fixed.  It is there that one might find sanctuary from the relentless nature... though still more fearsome things are said to dwell at such places.  

So then, one might ask, how DO the Siti survive in a land where all life is for the taking?  It is here we find answers. The Siti survive because they are, in some respects, only a few short steps above the savage beasts they hunt.  In their estimation, all creatures are animals at heart, and civilization is nothing more than a fragile veneer to make life more bareable.  Not that the Siti are uncivilized, far from it. They consider themselves the most advanced, civilized race in the entire world.

They make their homes, rather famously, in the trees. To the casual ear this conjures up visions of tree houses and fortresses, levels and ladders and bridges. This is, however, vastly incorrect. The Siti live among the trees of their homes mostly at the ground level, stringing brightly colored cloth between regions to demark walls and private areas. Wild animals roam freely within this 'city', which moves freely as the trees do, yet is stationary.  By changing the color of the sheets, and their arrangement, entire new areas are opened up, others are closed.   Within, and without, these 'buildings' lies a colorful world of gardens and lightweight furniture carved from wood or rarely stone found in the land around them.  Everything the Siti have is portable, from their rare pottery kilns and forges to their gardens and bedchambers.  They make no attempt to sheild themselves from the sky, preferring to let the trees do that for them, as imperfectly as it may be.  Even their defenders and watchmen are impermanent, wandering silently, invisibly through the woods around them like ghosts.  

The Siti, for the most part, remain a kingdom in mourning for their lost Queen, the oldest and wisest of them. Though she has been dead nearly three hundred years, to the Elves this is not even a generation passed, and they miss her still.   She had reigned from time immemorial, and her passing is perhaps the greatest challenge their nation has faced, for even still they remain largely leaderless. In three hundred years a bare handful of strong, charismatic leaders have risen to the challenge, almost all of them have since left, taking only a handful of followers with them to found newer, more vibrant tribes. Those that remain make no pretenses on the empty throne, but rule in her absence by informal council, and that but rarely.  If not for the vibrant human kingdoms around them, they might not attempt even that much, and the Siti slowly withdraw from the other races and even other elves.

One hallmark of Siti culture is the super-attenuated childhoods they force upon their young.  While elves mature only slightly slower than humans do, the Siti particularly do not like to consider an elf as an adult until centuries have passed. To even be considered more than an infant decades must go by. This has led to an interesting tidbit regarding sexuality.

Like all races, most of what children do is considered natural and harmless. Children are 'shameless' until taught shame by older members of the species. As the Siti consider, and treat their young, as helpless 'children' until long after sexual maturity has blossomed, young elves explore sex, often openly, without censure, a practice which is viewed as natural, and one that continues into 'adolesence' and even 'adulthood'.   It is part of the maturation process that elves undergo that teaches them appropriate times and partners, which as an absolute lack of what elves refer to as  prudish behavior of lesser species, is far more open than even many hedonists consider practical. Of course, the well established proclivity towards 'sensualist' behavior among all elves is  well established, and may not be strictly accounted for by cultural artifact.

More importantly than sexual behavior is the tendency for 'runaways', long considered a dangerous problem, though one that has grown to such prevalence that the Siti are at a loss for how to deal with it.  Young elves, often less than a century in age (and well into physical maturity) often find themselves so frustrated at their lack of 'adulthood' that they flee the Hydimenoi and the strangling culture of their people for 'freedom' and even excitement.  Many never return, some don't make it out of the forest, others die, still others find new homes and forget their birthplace, tainted by bitter memories. This exodus of the youth has only acerbated the situation for most of those who remain, though some families have begun taking a more even handed approach.

Among themselves, the Elves have an almost ruthless sensibility among them.  They engage in constant contests of increasing elaboratness to prove superior in skill, wit, wisdom or warfare. They prize power above all else, but their constant proximity to the savage beasts of the forest make it known to them that only true power has meaning. Power earned or stolen from others is fleeting and dangerous to the holder. Occasionally an Elf will grow fed up with their standing and attempt some foolish risk to bolster their stature, the Elves respect luck and daring to a degree, others try more underhanded tactics, most of which fall flat eventually.  The gossips among the elves occasionally might talk of one elder or another who they believe have been struggling for millenia to hold on to power rightfully another's, the irony being that their years of success obviate the need to hide the original sin.

The Siti have long standing (even by their standards) trade agreements with the Dwarves, dating back to the first Goblin War, and retain some ties with the Nations that once made up Ysithyderi.   Of late, however, the lack of goods or contact flowing from the Hydimenoi has made them more exotic and mysterious, and the forest seems to mourn the lost queen as well...

I am less than perfectly pleased with the last post.  Ah well.

I'm going to split this post in two: first I want to talk about where I am going, what I am doing with it, then I'll drop into my 'authorial tone' and write the post as usual.  For some reason, I just would feel wrong to leap in with both feet and NOT say anything. Its irrational, I know.

I'm going to discuss the Reve.  I've revealed bits and peices of this far flung culture, but I haven't really gone into nitty gritties yet. Obviously they are a loose viking analog, living in rocky coastal fjords, raiding more prosperous lands by sea, living in the distant north.  By itself this gives me a veritable boatload of starting points.  For example, I can easily say that they ride longboats and have berserkers, build long huts, wear beards.  For some reason that seems a cop out, the easy answer. Might as well say :Reves: vikings, and go home and call it a day.  I could lift existing viking tropes whole heartedly and assuage my concience with a longer peice without breaking a sweat.   But this is still a cop out.  Because while I have vaguely created a viking style culture, I have not yet made them my own, they don't belong yet.  This, above all else, is why I have chosen to focus on them before I deal with the northern Nornsa, the Hesh desert dwellers or the vastnesses of the Tenebrian kingdoms, because I've given most of those twists to make them uniquely my own, enough detail that simply stealing whole heartedly from 'real history' would jar with what I've provided.

For example: to give them 'longships' would be to ignore the fact that the wold has progressed technologically (and magically) from the era that the vikings were actually dominant in.  

End part one...



Much has been said of the Reve, but little has been illuminated, neither their culture nor their impact upon the world has been laid bare.   The Reve of course are famous for their 'Reavers', ship borne raiders that have laid waste to small villages on both primary continents. They have done this for a thousand years and yet remain beyond persecution. How is this? For the Tenebrians and the Nornsa and even Paravail have been assualted by them many times. The feirce Spada are not immune to their raids, in fact have suffered greatly due to relative proximity. So, how then do they get away with it?

Distance has much to do with it. The lands of the Reve are far removed from others, cold air from the Tundrid Plateau, rocky mountainous highlands form a nearly impenetrable barrier to an army on foot.  Few from the south know exactly where the Reve 'lands' begin, only that they are found far to the north, and to get there by ship is to sail into the maw of the beast, for the Reve are masters of the sea.

They must be, for the arable lands in their homes are all but nonexistant, narrow rocky strips of green between barren rock and frigid waters. Their southernmost portion of their 'territory' is the worst, as far as lands go, the coastline is jagged and full of a thousand tiny nooks, each settled by independently minded families, or in the case of larger ones, clans.  To be without a ship is to doom ones family to a slow death of starvation.  Much of the year these men 'farm the sea', sailing out with great nets trailing them, scooping up edible seaweed and all manner of fish, and the Reve have mastered the arts of preserving fish, often without magic at all.  But in the harshest parts of the year, when the waters are too rough and filled with fantastic beasts capable of shattering the ships of men, the Reve sail south to richer lands to take what they want, returning in the spring to their families.  

Farther north, inside the 'Horn of Atre', in the great Bay of Jublix, the waters are calmer, and as the Horn gives way to the mainland, arable land is more common and useable, and this is the seat of Reve culture, the home of Reve kings.  The Bay faces north, and the very edge of the world may be seen from the tall cliffs of the Horn if one looks out far enough, even those who have braved the ships of the Reve and the fearsome chaos spawned beasts of the sea have never rounded her.

At the current time there are seven Reve kings, powerful lords with many ships and sworn men.  The number fluctuates as wars and succession may lay a line low, or breed a new one.  The kings rule over their lands, but not their men. The independent minded Reve will swear allegiance to the King he likes, or flee the mainlands for the Fjords around the Horn, or even the smaller islands that lie in Reve waters between them an Lu.   The Reve will collect what allies and freinds he can, and it is often said that each Reve home is it's own kingdom, and every man a king. There is much truth to this, away from the heartlands in the bay of Jublix, the most respected Reve are the ship-captains, the men who own the larger vessels that can make the long winter journeys south.   Crews are impromptu affairs, while a captain may have men he respects and trusts to crew his ship, they are not bound to him, nor do they work for him. If a man wishes to ship out with another captain one year, he will. Thus much of the year a Captain will travel up and down the coast speaking to the men he trusts and getting them to swear oaths to ship with him again that winter.  

A strong arm and sturdy back are respected, obviously, but sun bronzed skin is considered particularly attractive to the Reavers, for it shows a man who has traveled south recently and returned alive.  Ship Wives, those stolen from the south, are prized for dark skin and small bodies,  seperating them from the large, pale local women.  Not that any Reve would trust his home to a soft Ship Wife.

Women hold a special place in Reve culture. Local women, called Hearth Wives, are expected to raise large, often belligerant families with iron hands, to keep the home safe during the dangerous winter months.  Wolves and bears are common in the mountains that run up to the sea, and will prey on men as readily as sheep or goats.  Women favor the spear and the bow for weapons, and are expected to kill a wolf in the wild before they marry to prove their courage to their future husbands.  Sexual fidelity is non-existant among the Reve, though the menfolk are expected to act as if their wives were pure. Many a tale laughingly refers to the Reaver returning to find his wife in bed with a 'lesser man' only to be beaten soundly by his wife when he attacked the lover.  Any child born into a household is raised as a 'biological child' without question, as are adopted children, which are very common.  There is little familial loyalty among the Reve beyond the personal bonds.  Swearing brotherhood has far more meaning than accidents of biology or proximity, and it is exceedingly common for children in the same family to swear oaths to eachother if they are close. Adopting the name of a parent as a surname is the equivilent for a child to parent.  Fratricide and patricide feature prominantly in many stories, not as examples or as warning, but as a fact of life, a warning to the old wolves to be kinder to their pups before they grow teeth.  The very old and infirm are alternatively mocked for failing to die when proper, and respected for their accumulated wisdom and years.  The old are expected to help defend the household, and can be reviled for cowardice for failing to sacrifice their lives for the lives of children.

As a people the Reve are only of middling height, but have heavy bones and tend to be very broad across the shoulders.  Many have short, almost bandy legs, but long powerful arms are common. They have pale skin and eyes, most reavers shave their heads and faces, often leaving only a tarred tail in the back to signify their willingness to 'sail', though the mainlanders and the women (and children) tend to exhibit hair colors ranging from pitch black to ash white, with the darker colors more common among reavers than mainlanders.  Every man (and unmarried woman) is expected to keep a small boat, suitable for a single man to crew for transportation and fishing, though these are not tiny boats by any means but fully seaworthy vessels.  A 'Captain' is expected to keep at least a full ship, if not more than one, which tends to be a massive sail driven vessel of many tons.  Trees are felled in the mountains and drug by hand, the massive logs are split to make the planks, or uncut used to build the massive hearthhomes that make up the average living place. The home is a massive complex of wood and stone, with only a few large rooms and heavy, often iron banded, doors. Storage is underground, and typically accessed from inside, to reduce the need to go outside during the dangerous winters.  Iron is also mined, though in small quantities, but only used for tools and weapons, often the same thing. The Reve favor axes above all other weapons, and among the reavers rarely use ranged weapons. Armor tends to be made of the scaled hides of massive sea beasts, a single such creature, while dangerous to hunt, can feed a dozen households for an entire winter and armor an entire crew, or wooden planks tied together. Metal armor is viewed as a folly, or a 'Lander' trait, chain hauberks are common among those who stay on dry land.  

Female reavers are not uncommon, though it is all but unheard of for there to be an entire crew of women. They too shave their heads, to show their reaver status (though this is a personal choice), and are the most likely to take males captive, though not as 'ship husbands'.  Reve tradition is to geld male prisoners, to prevent them from finding their 'stones' and rebelling, such prisoners are put to work as women around the home, or sheepherding or mining, whatever scut work the captor choses.  Many are dressed as women as well, though to the Reve there is no insult in this, just as there is no shame in a man keeping such a gelding as a 'ship wife', though that is uncommon as well.  Captains are expected to keep their ship wives (rarely more than one) aboard their vessels year round, when they tire of them they are put to work around the house. Other Reve keep theirs in seperate huts within the main homestead area until winter, when they are turned over to the 'stone wife' to put to work.  Killing a slave is a criminal act, though not as much as killing a freeman. Killing another man's slave is an act of war. Murder is punished by the victims family, rather than by enforced law, which is why slave murder is a minor crime, there is no one to seek revenge.    It is more a social taboo, outside the mainland, where a King might have a real say in the matter.

What do the Reavers steal? What are their ships like? These are important questions. To be certain, the Reavers are the unquestioned masters of the sea trade, their vessels are highly advanced. A thousand years ago they launched their raids in long thin boats, rowing to shore with their powerful arms, and unfurling simple sails when the wind was moving the right way.  It is difficult to imagine that these primative vessels were capable of taking the Reavers thousands of miles each way, yet they did, often taking years for each journey, though such long trips are not unheard of even to this day.

While modern ships owe much to those early designs, they are much larger, more complex affairs.  The most common design has several decks and two or three sails on independent masts, capable of sailing almost, but not quite, directly into the wind, though tradition demands that they still be capable of being rowed. More massive vessels often possess only the single mast, but use powerful elemental spirits chained to provide independent power, air elementals power the sails, while water elementals tow the ships through the seas.  It is these ships which are the true terrors of the oceans, for such captains rarely are content to return home each spring, and their men are equally wedded to the seaman's life. They tend to be full time pirates and occasional merchanters who may end up so far removed from Reve life and culture that they no longer return home at all, generations passing, each inheriting the life and ship until she is no longer seaworthy at all, the ship wives becoming true women of the sea, even commanding their 'husbands' vessels after his demise.

For the regular Reve, however, they long to return home, torn between their life of danger and the comforts of home.  They are fond of metals, both decorative and functional, grains and products of industry, such as woven cloths (they wear wool garments primarily, and have some sophistication in it's production, but bolts of already woven cloth are a prize more valuable than gold).  The Reve take only a few prisoners, for their maintenance on the long voyage home cuts into their profits from trade, and spread terror as a means to an end.  Rumors of bloodthirst and madness are spread by survivors, rather than the results of Reve behavior, as hunting men for sport is viewed as wasteful of time and energy better spent looting and moving on.

It is notable that many reaver ships pull into major port cities to trade goods, particularly gold or gems for more useful products that they were unable to steal. It is this honorable trade, and the existance of Reve ships who primarily focus on real trade rather than pillaging, that makes open condemnation of their practices problematic.  More, many civilized kings like the idea of hiring these fearsome 'barbarians' as mercenaries and bodyguards, something many Reve are happy to do.


One of the few 'civilized' people the Reve treat with as equals are the Dwarves. Only the dwarves, with their tunnels and ways can treat with the Reve kings in their courts, and brisk trade of grain and preserved meats for the goods of industrious nations is much needed.  

One thing the Reve are good at is filling long idle periods.  As children they are cooped up in a large, noisy home for months on end, as adults they can trade that for a life at sea.  The many of the more popular games have their origins in Reve culture, and the Dwarves often sale hand carved figurines of wood or bone of surprising delicacy, few indeed could imagine that such things came from the battle scarred hands of a barbaric reaver with his blood stained ax.   Few realize that the colorful warriors of legend are colorful because they learned to work leathers or cloth into bright patterns to get through a long voyage.   A study of the Reve language shows surprising complexity, a word may be long and incredibly descriptive, or short and to the point, yet say the same thing either way.  Skor means ship, Duskormojinatorgefut means 'Three decked ship with red oak sides and bound 'Du' or spirits, or if you will: Ship.

The Reve have an unusual religion. Most races worship gods that look and act roughly like members of that race, with rare exceptions.  The Nia worship, among other things, Snake, for example.

Not so the Reve. Their Gods are few, and exist mostly to be placated. They worship the Sea (in a love/hate sort of way), and elements. Not that their elements have much in common with other peoples.  The Sea is an element, to them, as are Rock, Fire, Tree, Rain (not water...), and so forth. Its considered a jumbled mess, but their worship is demonstrably with some merits, for their Yrtadu, or 'Callers'  are not merely venerated as preists or other holy men, but can accomplish many things comparable to the miracles occasionally performed by holy men from more civlized lands.   Perhaps fittingly, their ships and temples are one in the same, and no price can cause a Reve to sell a ship, not even to another Reve.   A man builds (or has built) his own ship, and if it does not pass to his decendants it is destroyed when he dies, sent back to the sea as payment for daring to travel upon it.  A small portion of whatever treasures a Reaver takes are sacrificed before he sets foot on land again, without fail. Some to the sea, some to ceremonial fires. Hearthwives prefer to sacrifice to Stone, crushing and grinding sacrifices to destruction and burying the remains, or scattering a handful of grain upon stony ground so that the messengers of the rain (crows) can take it to the God after a storm.  Animals are alternatively servants of the gods sent to test men, or terrible demons opposed to the gods who wish to destroy men, robbing the gods of their sacrifices.  One cannot always tell by looking which type of power an animal represents, but the appropriate behavior is the same, respect for its ability and a strong ax to kill it.

Let us speak of ships and sails and those who ply the waves.  There is no single outstanding design for ships, it should be noted. The Reve are famed more for their understanding of the craft of building and the arts of sailing than their designwork.  There are Sages in Nornsa who have devoted their lives to understanding what makes for a good or bad ship design, and the Tenebrians have long had competing families of Shipwrights striving to out do one another in craftsmanship AND beauty for imperial favors for nearly 700 years.  

The Reve ships use some of the most functional design features from antiquity AND the most advanced techniques, if harnessing elementals for power is a technique. In truth it seems more a form of religious rite, and few indeed have mastered the raw elements in such a fashion.

The Tenebrian kingdoms of the Northern Continents are famed for their triremes, even if such ships are viewed by most others as less useful than others. However, to mistake these for purely primative designs is foolish, for the basics have altered wildly since their inception in ages past.  They remain long narrow ships that sit high on the water, true, but the rowers are as likely to be strange contraptions and armatures run by a single man per deck as banks of slaves, their keels and rudders and even sails have all been improved upon the original designed, the famous bronze ram/prows are as likely to be lightweight ceramics, lighter and sharper than the originals, if far more fragile.    The Tenebrian EMPIRE on the other hand uses 'square hulled' ships, known for their odd angles and almost birdlike plummage of sails, some with the shells of giant tortises as armor scales over the hull.  The Nornsa cultures use ships they call galleons, with raised decks fore and aft, with two or three masts appeice.  Such ships rely on the thickness of hulls and the volume of weapons fire to win battles than maneuverability (as the Reve) or exotic armors (as the Tenebrians).

The Reve are not known for their sophistication in naval warfare, ironically. They use an incredibly simple technique that has served them since time immemorial. They close and board, counting on their ferocity to carry the day, and the ship. Of course, as raiders they hardly wish to sink their enemies.  When pressed by superior forces they tend to unleash powerful magics and summon fearsome creatures of the sea in their wake, failing that they always turn and fight to the bitter end.   The Tenebrian kingdoms use ramming and boarding techniques as well, the latter adopted from the Spadans and the Reve, though they use catapults and burning pitch before hand.  The Empire prefers to attack the men rather than the ship, their compliments of soldiers are armed with powerful bows and mounted crossbows designed to clear the decks of enemy ships, leaving them unmanned. The sky is said to turn black when the ships of the Empire go to war, black from the arrows that fill her.  The Norna use large ballistae and on the very largest ships trebuchets on the deck, and banks of smaller ballistae below decks, fired from portals in 'broadsides', each with enough power to punch through a foot of hard wood, and the man on the other side. They seek to scuttle enemy ships, sink them slowly. If looting and pillageing is the order of the day, then the ships are scuttled first, the crew taken prisoner and the cargo unloaded against time.

In the lawlessness of open waters all ships are viewed as potentially hostile. There is no treaty, no law of the sea but might, and piracy is common.  There are several types of pirates, ranging from starving villagers who launch their tiny boats in the night to take a slow moving ship while the crew sleeps, to traders who seek to make money on teh side, to those who were born to a life of piracy and can not imagine a life without a rolling deck underfoot.   There are small islands at the far reaches of Gattipol who are known pirate 'fortresses'; kingdoms without king, lands without laws or industry but theft.  Names like Barson and Grinfaol conjure up romantic or barbaric images depending on who is listening.  

The Dwarves have the most unusual ships. Two seperate hulls, like round cups, spin independently, connected by a high gantry. There are curved 'blades' on each hull and the spin of the 'outer hull', powered by great screws turned by hired orcs or tired donkeys, is used to drive the ship 'forward' or 'backwards', or even turn it. Each hull is considered a seperate ship, with her own crew and captain, but coordination between the two is necessasary for them to do anything.  Ramming or boarding are extremely difficult due to the nature of the double hull, and while the two (rarely more) hulls are 'independent', and can be seperated by simple techniques, this cripples both hulls as neither can go anywhere without the other.

Massive 'Firestick' Cannons have been expiremented with, at great cost, but no navy has adopted them yet, for the alchemical reaction is unstable enough to be problematic with larger 'cakes'.   For now, the Norna Navy, easily the most conservative navy in the world, is content with tried and true technologies.  Rumors of a huge 'flagship' fit for the king persist, and commonly told rumors of caravans full of massive brass 'cannon' being sent out persist.   Of course, rumors also persist that the 'Lost Fourth' survivors reformed their regiment of Dragoons... aboard the flagship, large enough to support a wing of Draggies and their pilots.

The elves, for the record, have never possessed anything resembling a navy. When the Tuatha migrated south, their method of crossing the sea is unknown, but rumors of giant seashells drawn by seaserpents feature heavily in even the less fanciful tales.  Such 'vessels' would be incredibly impractical for most purposes, but then the elves are said to have had access to skybridges, or faegates at one time, and if such legends are true ships would have been unnecessary for trade or travel beyond exploration.  Of course, the Banality would have destroyed such means of travel, possibly for good.