Auronians - Kings of the Golden Ridge

Arcain's Heirs is what they claim to be. As if these murderous savages have anything left of their heroic heritage. He'd spit in their faces, ife he could see what they have become.

— Arion Sevr, Vardano-Heronian noble

Excerpt from "Arcain's Ghost - The Lords of the Golden Ridge and the Caging of Heronia":
"How can the oppressed turn into the oppressor? What can make one force the same violence and humiliation onto someone else that they themselves had to endure? These questions, as broad as they may be, are at the core of the Auronian identity. For they are a victim turned monster in every sense of the word."

Caged Land

Excerpt from "No Smile in Sight - A Report on Life in Modern Heronia" by Ishar Nuravema:
"Few people would call modern Heronia a happy place. Well, as long as you aren't there to seek slaves or bloodshed. The land is effectively split into two parts. To the east and south, where the lands turns rough and mountainous, lies "Free Heronia". Here, the native Heronians remain largely independent, outside the Rhomeian colonies on the coast. It is a land of constant war, where madmen, warlords and worse attempt to form a larger Heronian nation. Their sights are eternally set north, however, to where the final war for Heronia will take place."
"The north, where Heronia turns into flat plain that hugs the river Kefran, is "Mahrban", the land of slaves. Here, the heirs of Arcain rule the land from their golden city. Vast plantations worked by slaves cover the land. Their makeshift barracks surround the warehouses used to store produce both human and not until it can be transported to the trade cities on the coast. Other than them, Arcain's Ridge is the only settlement not inhabitated by slaves, its majestic golden walls and palaces paying tribute to the riches made from suffering."

From Rags to Riches

The precise origins of the Auronians are unknown, but there are accounts, both historical and mythical in nature, that give insight into their story:

The Arkanavska

Written down sometime in the 17th century DA, the Arkanavska tells the tale of Arcain and his tribe, the Voskol. A minor tribe in southwestern Heronia, they suffered generations of violence and slavery at the hands of more powerful tribes and were eventually pushed into a dry, almost lifeless part of the country. To safe his people from certain death, Arkain ventured north. He braved natural and man-made dangers alike, outwitted gods and found paradies as his reward. There he settled his people and from then on they called themselves Auronians, after the mineral riches they now called their own.

Records of the Second Kingdom

The historical account written during the 17th century, a time known as the Second Kingdom in Heronian historiography, tells another story. Although it is less of a story and more a collection of small mentions that were strewn throughout multiple entries. The Voskol are recorded as tribe that had been driven out of the Heronian heartland, the more fertile highlands of the south-east, by the ruling dynasty. Later dates record them as mercenaries in the service of the Eternal Empire who are eventually rewarded with land along the banks of the river Kefran. A mention of the name Auronian is not present.

Wherever it was through fate's hand or Rhomeian assistance, the Auronians would establish themselves in northwestern Heronia around the 1700s DA. From then on, they began to establish themselves as a major force in trade and finance, in large part due to the vast gold deposits found in their new homeland.
By 2730, they had become the dominant power in the region and unleashed the Brakavskarn, a century-long conflict that saw them conquer and enslave most of Heronia. And while their might has suffered since then, nearly half of Heronia having been freed by 3300 DA, the tight grip of Auranor still looms darkly over the land.

All about the Gold

From "Heavy weighs the Crown - Observations on Scetian Cultures and Kingship" by Illia Valera:

by Alayna Danner

"Much as it is a stereotype one cannot deny that Auronian culture revolves around the yellow metal. So much so that its handling divides life inside their kingdom from life outside. Inside Auranor it is so abundant that people use it for the most mundane of things, like pens, shirt buttons or even nail polish. On the outside, it remains the same tool of trade, politics and government that has caused entire wars."
"Auronians have to account for this fact and strict border controls ensure that people do not take more gold than is allowed outside the kingdom. Both for their own protection and to prevent too much gold from entering circulation. Just how obscenely wealthy the Auronian are can be seen in the fact that even the lower class can easily afford jewellery and other trinkets made from pure gold."

Art and Prestige

"Since pure wealth alone is not a decisive sign of class anymore, Auronians have taken to make art from it instead. From statues, mosaics made from coloured gold, finely woven patterns of golden cloth sewn into their own clothes to tattoos made entirely from the material, Auronians use every opportunity to enhance themselves and their surroundings."

Racial Segregation

"Over the past thousand years, Auronians have heavily diverged from the Heronian culture. They no longer consider themselves Heronian, a sentiment shared by most Heronians, and view the other inhabitants as nothing less than barbarians. Segregation is the result, with goods and services getting progressively less numerous the lower an ethnicity you are."

Community

"Hostile as they are towards outsiders, as loving are they towars their own. Community support is one of the pillars of Auronian society. State support of less lucky individuals is generous and even literal strangers are known to help others in need. Every Auronian holds a stake in the realm's mining corporation and is paid monthly dividends from its earnings."

Slavery
"Auronia is a slave state and society in every sense of the world. From farming to housekeeping and mining, almost every echelon of the state is supported and supplied by slave labour. Some estimates put the total number of slaves in Auronia at nearly twelve million, a vast number when compared to the four million Auronians. The Auronians are at the very heart of the international slave trade, selling and buying people from all over their world on large slave markets. Rebellion is an everpresent threat and the result is a general sense of paranoia. Free from the woes of "lesser labour", Auronians are able to focus entirely on the art, culture and science."

Slaves are a commodity like any other. They'll die of plague or war anyway, so why not make a bit of profit first?

— Ardoverus Kain, Auronian Trader

Parent ethnicities

• Heronian

Related Locations

• Heronia - The Caged Daughter

Origins
Primordial Empires
Class
Inheritors
Status
Alive
Spoken Languages
Auronian, Rhomeian

by Sune Reinhardt

History of Pain

Modern Auronian attitudes are rather surprising, if one considers their early history. Spotty as the record is, it paints the picture of a group that had been hunted and mistreated for a large part of its history. Raids, enslavement, deportation, it is clear that the Auronians used to be among the bottom rungs of wider Heronian society. Even their original name, Voskol, seems to support this as the word first appears in Heronian records as a name for slaves.
The Auronians use this as justification for their actions, having arrayed every crime comitted against them in a list known as the "Obidara", the Scroll of Grievances. In light of their actual deeds, however, any claim about just punishment for old crimes rings exceedingly hollow.

Its a powderkeg plain and simple. One day that whole cursed kingdom will be devoured by its own slaves.

— Unknown

Arcain's Ridge

Located at the northwestern edge of Heronia, Arcain's Ridge is a hilltop extending over ten kilometers in length and nearly seven meters in width. This place, now known as Auronia, is the heartland of the gold loving people. The fertile land around it is ideal for farming. And the mountains themselves house vast quantities of gold and other minerals. The ridge itself is completely covered in buildings and serves as the capital of the Auronians.

Slaves and Soldiers

One method by which the Auronians keep order is sheer military superiority. They excel at cavalry combat which gives them a massive advantage over the other Heronians, at least on the flat plains of the north. Furthermore they have developed some of the most lethal counter insurgency tactics known on the Divide. Supporting these two core components is a vast array of slave soldiers, often Mykonians, Themyrans and Esakani. Auronian tactics have failed to be quite as successful in the mountainous south, however, resulting in a slow retreat from the area since the early 3200s DA.

by Bryan Sola