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Dark Ages
CY 725
People
The History of Dark Ages so far
The shape of the world has been determined most by the fall of Augusta. This mighty empire, the greatest power since the legendary Imryrr in the mists of time, held sway for nearly a thousand years before falling to the savage barbarian and humanoid hordes of the Murky Wood. So long was its reign that men called its capitol the Eternal City. And even with the crumbling of its imperial power, Augusta continues to be the center of culture and civilization, for it is filled with the Light of Amon, the god of law, renewal, and justice. As once the legions of Augusta brought order to the world, so now the Disciples of the Light bring hope to the darkest corners of the earth.
At its height, Augusta dominated all the lower isle of Albion and was poised to absorb the northern Pictish kingdoms and the western isle of Eriu. But pressures from its eastern border forced it to withdraw, leaving the people of the White Isle to their own devices. Its legacy continues on the island in its major roadways and cities, although the latter have become sadly depopulated. Only the once great cities of Lordsgate and Edgemoor retain their luster, due largely to their importance as centers for the northern trade.
Current Species & Cultures
Human Cultures
Augusta has left its imprint in the many towns and cities of Ereba. This is especially true in the Frankish kingdoms, where the civilized Augustans still control the trade that moves through the towns. For the most part, these towns are religious centers. life organized around the churches of Amon. Most skilled craftsmen also tend to be of Augustan origin.
Another legacy of the Augustan world can be found in the south and east, where the former lands of the Empire have been absorbed by the followers of Al'Akbar. There, and into the Iberian peninsula as well, the ancient traditions and culture remain, supplemented by the equally ancient culture of the land of Araby. The peoples of this land are even more diverse than those of Ereba and would require a wholly separate treatment. But their culture retains all the sophistication of that of ancient Augusta, along with its own mystical religious traditions.
Finally, there are the people of the Empire of Byzantios, arisen from the wreckage of Augustan culture in the east. Far more steeped in mystical religious traditions than Augusta, the people of Byzantios are luxurious, sophisticated, and cosmopolitan. They are, indeed, the very antithesis of the barbaric cultures of Ereba. Yet they are surrounded by those barbarian lands, and reliant on them for the raw materials that support their vigorous trade with the civilizations to the east.
Amongst the barbaric cultures of Ereba, first and foremost are the Franks. Originally from the banks of the Reiksturm River, they are a proud and warlkike people with their own traditions who still embrace the Light of Amon. To their east are the Saxon barbarians (related to but distinct from their more civilized cousins in Albion), great barrel-chested forest warriors who are said to be half-beast themselves. North of the Frankish kingdoms are the Frisians, even more closely related to the Saxons of Albion, a race of cunning sea-farers more given to trade than war yet still deadly in combat. Beyond the Frisians are the folk of the Skanni, great fair-haired barbarian giants who are as quick to laughter as they are to violence, sorrow, or brooding.
The lowlands of Albion are most dominated by the Saxons, although the former inhabitants of the island still dwell amongst them. They are skilled warriors and farmers with a strong sense of community and organization. The highlands to the west are the domain of the Cymbrians, a smaller and darker folk with a deep sense of their own traditions and an independent spirit. To the north of the island are the Pictish tribes, distantly related to the Cymbrians, but strangers to the Light of Amon and given to savagery. The far western isle is home to the Eriuish, another people related to the Cymbrians, but perhaps defined by a deeply embedded strain of fey blood.
Nonhuman Cultures
Halflings
Halfling communities tend to live in harmony with human communities. They are for the most part rural and farming communities, but significant attention is paid to the farming of pipe-weed, which the halflings keep as a carefully guarded secret. Few folk other than halflings appreciate the weed, but dwarves, gnomes, and occasionally human wizards partake.
Gnomes
Elves
Needs & Relations
Men and women of Augustan ancestry tend to be proud of their heritage and haughty. They look down on all others as barbarians, even (or perhaps especially) those who rule over them. They have few defining features as a people, although they are frequently of middle stature and angular bone structure, with high cheekbones, deep set eyes, and broad foreheads.
The Franks are a strong, sinuous people with dark hair and eyes. The nobles among them wear their hair long, a distinction of which they are particularly proud. They look down upon Augustans as being weak and soft, although they envy them their culture. Few Franks read, so their devotion is of a more superstitious variety. They see those who have not accepted the Light of Amon as savages little better than animals and barely distinguish them from orcs and goblins.
The Skanni are as defined by their warfare amongst each other as their encounters with trolls, giants, and dragons from the mountainous regions. They regard the civilized lands in the same way the civilized people regard the wilderness-as a resource to be plundered. They are willing to trade if the cities they visit are strongly defended, but if not they see no reason why they cannot take what the city-dwellers are so careless as to leave unguarded. The Frisians understand these people well, and act as middle-men between the Skanni and the civilized nations of the world, profiting from their position, of course!
Saxons are a hard-working, practical, and community-minded race of warriors. Natural rulers, they are comfortable with rigid, defined hierarchies and highly suspicious of independent-minded people. They are a more literate people than the Franks, but far less given to religious awe and mysticism; their sense of religion, as with all other things, is practical. Perhaps because of this practical-mindedness, Saxons regard the wilderness with a kind of superstitious awe. They are not inclined to trust an elf any more than an orc; rather, they may be more comfortable with orcs because they know what the orcs are about.
Cymbrians, as one can guess, do not get on well with Saxons. A clever people with a complicated sense of tradition and law, Cymbrians are more inclined to manipulate tradition and law for their own benefit or to safeguard their independence. They are typically fascinated by the fey world and eager to learn its secrets, especially its magical secrets. Masters of self-justification, they regard their own willingness to make extravagant gestures of generosity as ample reason to "borrow" a neighbor's horse if the neighbor is not at home to lend it, or too fast asleep to politely awaken.