Arandell
The "Democracy" of the North
Despite their name, the Arandell Forests are largely not forests, but rather hills. Situated in the foothills of the Anarak mountains, Arandell is home to vibrant forests and prosperous riverside grasslands. To Arandell’s east lies the Anarak mountains, border between Arandell and The Reikvaldt. Arandell is a peaceful land on the brink of danger as the Witchwood crosses the Anarak and the greedy, lapping shores of the Ice Sea pin in the west of the country.
Ruled by a Great Moot, Arandell has no one political authority. The Great Moot is elected by each of the forty-six Moots scattered around the countryside, and anything that would affect all of Arandell must be put forth and approved by all of the country. This makes them one of the most democratic places on the continent, but also one of the least efficiently governed, as it may take years for a law to pass debate and avoid the “Three Core Veto” that has stonewalled so many propositions in the Moot.
Despite being an ostensibly democratic land, Arandell’s politics created a deeply stratified society, where those who sit on the Moots are given near absolute power over their region and there is no greater force that can bring justice to the tyrants (this is why Middhold originally rebelled against Arandell). Workers are generally treated poorly, and hunting is greatly restricted in spite of the abundance of game in the forests and hills.
Agriculture, herding, hunting, and lumber support the people of Arandell. Trade travels across the Anarak into Reikvaldt and across the Green Sea to the Velemin, Arandell’s only real export is their fine and rare lumber. With no artisanship and no industry, Arandell lives almost completely without metal or wheels, preferring to carry things on their sturdy horses. The only metal to be found in Arandell are the axes of the lumberjacks, though even those are regulated. As there are no cities in Arandell, there are also no schools. Rather, magic is passed down exclusively through apprenticeships.
While a sizable portion of Arandell worship the Galadron, most worship the Aerefons at the thousands of shrines and altars that populate Arandell. Worship of the Thalador is rare among citizens of Arandell, and outright banned by some Moots.
Close to the Witchwood there are a few small pockets of halflings that live in isolation from the rest of Arandell, always ready to leave, but unable to fight off the dangers of the Witchwood without the rangers that the Grand Moot funds.
Arandell has no military, but they do have a large organization of rangers and thugs that both protect the borders and maintain internal order. Should war be declared, the Moots will have no qualms about sacrificing thousands of their citizens in guerilla warfare to grind down their enemies without ever fighting a pitched battle.
Ça rama, Tö volé (The last best light of the north)
Founding Date
Year 827 of the current age
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Alternative Names
The Arandell Forests
Demonym
Aran
Head of State
Government System
Timocracy
Power Structure
Confederation
Economic System
Command/Planned economy
Currency
The Silver Diçe
Legislative Body
The Great Moot, the authoritarian and ineffectual bureaucratic body of Arandell
Judicial Body
The Lesser Moots, the unconstrained oppressors of the Aran
Official Languages
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Ethnicities
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