Overview
- Government: Military Aristocracy.
- Exports: Flax, fish, granite, copper.
- Stereotypes: Disciplined warrior; self-assured young athlete; retired general who excels at chess competitions; adolescent boy who cannot wait to go on his first raid; a disgruntled slave who plans to betray his master; arrogant concubine of a high placed general.
Foreign Relations
Allied Major Points: Helorszég (Military Alliance),
Béhegy Kolostor (Non-Aggression Pact, Trade Relationship).
Hostile Major Points: Sárbolszég (War),
Szilavár (Raiding/Piracy).
Vassal States (Minor Points): None.
Origin
There are a great many rivers in these highlands, and they form an essential part of human civilization, providing them with fresh water, fish and arable land. Naturally people gather around these rivers, but they are not free from danger. Aquatic creatures roam through them and some of these can pose significant danger. In one particular occurrence around the Nagyéses river, people were forced to flee and in shear desperation tried to run through the Nagyéses Falls and hide behind them. Many of them were swept away by the sheer force of this wide waterfall, but those who passed through found a cave system behind them, and in there the hallow of
Harczeg, the River Serpent. They woke him, entered into an alliance in exchange for protection and that's how the greatest port town of the region was founded.
The Nagyéses Falls are several hundred meters wide, and the cave system behind them is equally expansive. So their port was able to grow over time, benefiting from their beneficial position near a wide river from which they can fish and sail. Due to this and Harczeg's portfolio, they naturally became raiders, traders and river pirates who sail along the rivers in small yet fast longships. They primarily target smaller settlements (e.g. Minor Points), unaffiliated traders,
sárbolszégian vessels and slave traders. This has put them openly at odds with
Sárbolszég, but they also have a strained relationship with the people of
Szilavár. They leave vessels flying the flag of
Helorszég and
Béhegy Kolostor alone, as they are respectively military allies and in a non-aggression pact.
Structure
The main city is located behind the waterfall, spread throughout the expansive cavern system hidden in the mountainside. Although there are smaller farming settlements on the banks around the base of the waterfall, as well as an outpost atop the Nagyéses Falls. As the cave system was naturally formed, there are many irregularly shaped rooms and caverns, and varying height elevations. This makes it difficult to divide the city in any kind of districts, and as such people of all different ranks and kinds have spread out intermingled throughout the cave-city. Shops and traders can be found usually closer to the entrance, but also further in depending on where there is space.
The caverns are made of granite, and this is also one of the most common rock types around here together with basalt. Most structures are thus made of granite. In a cave system like this, lighting is very important, but tallow or oil for torches is valuable and not available for round-the-clock use to keep a room lit. Thus they have made use of the
fényhozó moss that naturally occurs here, growing it in organized patches on cavern walls to keep the room lit. This light blue-green moss is auto-luminous, generating a vague blue-ish glow.
Culture
While this is a raider culture, of course only a fraction of the population can be active military. Most are farmers, foresters, fishers or crafstmen. But many aim to be part of the raiding parties, as the loot that is brought back by a party can elevate a person in status more quickly than anything else.
It is a strongly martial culture too, and children are trained from a young age, going through progressively more difficult trials as they age that weed out the weak and leave only the strongest to elevate to the status of húszar or warrior. These are organized in raiding parties called földostor, which set during mist season when the weather is calmer and the rivers are more accessible. During storm season they stay at home, where they help out on the farms and in the forests.
Their vessels usually carry only a small group of warriors, but they rely on surprise, shock tactics and superior strategy to quickly take out defenses and obtain what they need. Their warriors are feared throughout the region, not necessarily for being monstrously powerful, but for being terribly efficient and ruthless.
Fashion and Food
The traditional clothing style is a simple tunic, with an extra layer of pelts and hides to offer better protection against the rough weather during storm season. The hides are obtained from game in the surrounding area, while the tunics are made of either linen produced from the flax found here, or made of cotton which they trade for with
Helorszég. In terms of design these are generally quite simple, with sometimes the symbol of one's house or raiding party embroidered upon it. Personal hygiene and cleanliness are also emphasized as an indicator of a disciplined and healthy lifestyle. Even the most ferocious warrior must be able to take care of himself, or he's nothing more than a feral beast.
As the port is settled around a wide river, people have learned to cultivate rye, garlic and lettuce on the fields around the base of the waterfall. Meals are often supplied with the plentiful fish found around here, and in some cases even with whey-preserved meat from a type of cattle they have domesticated, although this is much more rare than fish. Mushrooms, berries and nuts are also commonly eaten or added to meals. The two most common everyday meals are porridge with milk and honey, and flatbread with fish and fruits. Meals are frequently salted and/or enhanced with spices such as caraway and mustard.
Social Structure and Slavery
In general there are three different classes: Hadvezér ('War Leader', e.g. nobles and generals), Fegyelmezett ('Disciplined', e.g. commoners and warriors), Láncolt ('Chained', e.g. slaves). There are intermediate forms such as the háziőr body guards who guard the hadvezér and rank above most other fegyelmezett. There is a form of upward mobility within these ranks that is largely based on merit and bloodline. A competent raiding captain can become a general for example and thus rise to the status of hadvezér.
While they raid other slavers, it is not out of a kind benevolence. They make use of slaves as well, which usually consists of the people they have captured on their raids. They supply manual labor in many cases, but they also eagerly capture any skilled people who can provide knowledge or skills that the harczegians themselves do not possess, or possess only in limited capabilities. This includes physicians, engineers and other well-learned people. These are often made part of a hadvezér's entourage and treated with a respect similar to that given to free folk. Slaves and concubines brought back from raids have also had a distinct effect on cultural values within Harczikötö, which has become a bit more of a melting pot over time.
Sports and Games
Aside from combat practice and war competitions, people here also have long-standing traditions regarding sports. They are considered a healthy form of practice, and participation is encouraged even from a young age. These include: stone and spear throwing, wrestling, swimming, fist fighting, stone lifting and sharpshooting competitions. The two most popular sports however are mountain climbing and ship jumping. The former is quite self-explanatory, and the mountains of the Nagyéses Falls are well-suited to this kind of competition. The latter is consists of jumping around the entirety of a ship from oar to oar, before proceeding to jump onto the next ship docked right next to it. Several ships are docked next to each other in a line and whoever makes it past the last ship first wins.
Board games are also quite common here, both as a form of entertainment and a way to train oneself in tactics and strategy. A keen mind can be developed from practicing even these simplified forms of war. Chess as a game originated from this city, and the best players are still here. Another commonly played game is Királygyilkos, a board war game with two sides with uneven numbers. The objective of the smaller king's army in the center of the board is to have the king escape by reaching any side of the board, while the larger offensive army aim is to take the king. What is unique to this game is that the amount you can move in a turn is limited by a dice throw, which forces you to plan around uncertainty and setbacks.
Concubinage
Concubines are not uncommon here, both slaves and non-slaves. For women this can be a way to elevate their status or that of their family. Even married men may have a concubine or two at times. This is not seen as decadent or sinful in any way, rather it is simply considered a way to keep a strong bloodline alive. As such any children conceived of such a union are considered legitimate as well, and have full inheritance rights.
Organizations
The city is led in its direct needs by the military aristocracy of the hadvézer who have a strong grip on the means to power. But there are several notable groups among them, serving under them or trying to slip things past under their noses such as smuggling of goods or unsanctioned piracy.
Gamemasters
The Játékmesterek or Gamemasters are a group of hadvézer, retired generals and warriors and former top athletes who organize the faith-sanctioned games, including the Day of the Serpent. This is a very prestigious and influential organization, and the vetting process to determine new members is rigorous. After all, many would try to bribe them to gain an edge in these games which could set them ahead in life.
Fisherman's Knot
The Halázcsomó is not really much of an organization, but rather a loose affiliation of fisherman who work together with the local underground to smuggle in goods. They are very decentralized but they can recognize each other and boats holding 'cargo' by a particular type of knot. They work together with a multiple gangs, which can lead to bad blood and occasional liquidations.
Háziőr
This name originated not as an organization, but rather an unofficial social rank of elite warriors or retainers who guard the important hadvézer of the city. They are seated at their lord's table in order of rank based on military prowess. Nowadays they are treated as a separate class by the law as well, and have banded together in a guild. The law states among other things that the murder of a háziőr is to be punished by exile in all cases. They are also no longer just bodyguards, as they also perform administrative roles in peacetime. As tax collectors for example.
Pengéle Gang
There are many smaller criminal groups within the port town, but there was one that became dangerously big at some point. Led by the ruthless Ervin Pengéle, these cutthroats grew in size and held significant control over the eastern part of town. They were responsible for a majority of all smuggled goods in that area, and had firm control on the psychedelics trade. But all that vanished like smoke when Ervin himself was murdered in his own room, while his guards outside his room were none the wiser. To this day no one knows who killed him or how, but it left his gang in shambles. Nowadays it is only a shadow of its former self and even further on the decline. This has lead to internal strife between those who want to aggressively regain their former infamy, and those who believe it is better to lay low for a while and wait for a new opportunity.
New Harczikötö Front
A political movement that has risen up in recent times that wants to detach the highest social class of hadvézer from military accomplishments, and open up the way for social advancement for those more 'peacefully inclined' as they put it. Some have rallied behind them, but many are suspicious of them as they believe this to be purely in their own self-interest rather than the city as a whole, since the leaders of the movement are the heads of rich merchant families with no aptitude for military strategy. They are individually not as popular as some of the more successful hadvézer, which strongly affects the draw of the movement itself as well.
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