Archugic (Ar-coo-gik)

The snow-bound lands of Archugic are home to several distinct cultures. The original inhabitants, the Firbolg, have remained relatively unchanged in their practices; metallurgy, while considered useful, is still relatively little practiced, with the Firbolg preferring to trade for any metal objects they may want or require. Firbolg tribes are divided into clans; these clans, however, can span many tribes. It is customary for Firbolg to at least consider marrying into another clan, in order to maintain peaceful relations and reduce the risk of inbreeding. So, a Firbolg of the Enuate tribe who is by lineage of the Ellami clan may seek to marry a Firbolg of the Peniqak clan in the Sañuk tribe; any offspring of theirs is evenly divided amongst their two original clans (with the clan of the firstborn determined by special auguries of birds). As a result, an individual Firbolg will generally identify by their tribe to outsiders, but by their clan amongst their peers, a sign that their identity goes beyond merely those of their tribe. The tribes are traditionally lead by two figures; the Head (effectively a chief) and the Heart (a spiritual leader, generally a shaman or druid-type figure). This leadership, however, is much looser than amongst many other peoples- these two generally serve as guides and advisors, rather than giving commands. This is largely due to the fact that the idea of the interests of the individual being subservient to those of the tribe is deeply ingrained in the Firbolg psyche; a Firbolg is a member of their tribe first, a member of their clan second, and an individual (a somewhat distant) third. This manifests itself in the Code, a collection of aphorisms, proverbs, and parables that provide a vague guide to what it means to be a Firbolg. Nearly every single Firbolg has a copy on themselves at all times; generally, it is consulted in times of uncertainty or when the individual feels their dedication to the cause of their people wavering.
The tribes as a whole are semi-migratory; large numbers of them are often on the move through their territory, but there’s always a large, fortified holding, in a place carefully selected to not interfere with the natural world, where the people can store their bulkier possessions, engage in more complicated crafts, and retreat to during the darkest days of winter or in the event of an invasion. In those strongholds, extended families live in long, low stone structures, dug into the ground and heated by a single fire. While the exact layout of the stronghold varies greatly, all of them have at least one feature in common- a large tree in the centre, green-leaved throughout the year and surrounded by stylised stone effigies of any and all Firbolg who have died within the past five years. After the end of that five years (or, to be precise, after the next midwinter), the images are solemnly buried at a secret location where the frozen earth will, hopefully, conceal them forever. The Firbolg are, generally speaking, vaguely pantheistic, with a touch of ancestor-worship; while it is not believed that the souls of the departed can assist them per se, comfort is taken in the thought of their presence during times of difficulty, danger, or distress.

History

It is unclear exactly when the southern continent of Archugic was first settled; the indigenous Firbolg keep oral records, and their stories of their own origins speak only vaguely of an ‘Old Home’ from which their people migrated at some point in the misty past. Certainly, by the time the icy wastes entered recorded history, the Tribes were already firmly established in their respective territories. Life has, for the most part, been relatively stable for the Firbolg; every few generations a tribe will split or two will join together, but these are normally the most dramatic occurrences in Firbolg history.
To the outside world, the Dalrassian Sea was for a long time an incredibly dangerous, seemingly impassable, barrier. There are two stories of the first successful crossing from north to south. The official account, endorsed by the Tethan Empire during the reign of Aietha III, was that the Empress herself personally commanded an Admiral of the Fleet, Lliraen Cyrthan, to take five ships and not return until either he discovered new lands or he had but one ship remaining. The Admiral, according to the story, did as he was commanded, sighting land at Midyear, 718 YT. The peninsula that he discovered was named the Lliraen Peninsula in his honour, a name it retains to this day. The other story, popular in seaside taverns, is that his promotion to Rear Admiral was retrospective; he was actually an able seaman who, along with his fellow crew, got roaring drunk and decided it would be fun to take their ship for an unauthorised sail. One unexpected storm, several weeks of intermittent inebriation, and a near famine later, those still alive aboard the ship were saved from starvation and thirst by the timely appearance of previously unknown land. Whatever the truth, by 722 YT the Empire had established a settlement on the Lliraen Peninusla, named Aiethaea at first, but soon becoming known as Caerarn, an Elvish name. Indeed, there was an unusually large influx of elves into the new colony- it is believed that many saw the vast, seemingly empty forests as a replacement for the long-lost woods of their homeland. Soon enough, contact was established with the Fribolg Tribes- at a Tribemoot in 741 YT, representatives of the Tethan governor established a treaty in which the Firbolg acknowledged the power of the Empire, in exchange for ‘respectful autonomy’. In truth, Tethas never really had much if any power over the Firbolg; their homeland was simply too far from the capital for the by now heavily self-absorbed rulers of the Empire to really bother acknowledging them, and the embryotic province of Archugic was never able to proceed beyond the set-up phase. Between the establishment of Caerarn in 722 YT and the effective end of Imperial control in Archugic in 784 YT, the Empire was unable to extend any real influence beyond the colony’s walls.
The treason of the Archipelago and the consequent loss of most of the Imperial navy in 784 YT immediately severed the physical link between Tethas and its far-off colony. For a generation or so, the rulers of Caerarn and the Lliraen Peninsula continued to identify themselves as governors in the name of the Empire; however, as time went by those forms and titles slowly and unnoticeably disappeared. The last person to claim to be provincial governor, Lady Orestina Promachis, was also the first to identify herself as Grand Mayor of the city-state of Caerarn. To this day, Caerarn dominates the Lliraen Peninsula; the restoration of trading links as civilisation back in Mardet recovered from the Wars of Sundering has generated great profits from commerce in the wide variety of riches available from Archugic, especially furs and lumber. Despite their relative isolation from the outside world, occasionally a Firbolg tribe will seek to trade for some much-needed supplies, exchanging what they need for delicate beadwork and beautifully exotic woodcrafts.
However, the relatively peaceful status quo has begun to change in the past 50 years or so. For reasons that are unclear to almost everyone, the wilds in the far south and west (as far as the edge of the lands of permanent ice) have come alive with marauding bands of savage humanoids, who have outright destroyed at least one Fribolg tribe and harassed many others. In YC 527, a coalition of these dangerous creatures calling itself the Ma’ruun Fyfe broke through the combined defences of a hasty alliance of Fribolg and Lliraeni and managed to advance as far as the walls of Caerarn before being repulsed. However, it is agreed that the Ma’ruun Fyfe have merely been temporarily blunted, not permanently halted. The various Firbolg tribes find themselves under increasing pressure, and the Lliraen Peninsula is nearly cut off. Should Caerarn fall, those still is Archugic may face a grim future of death or enslavement.

Type

Continent