The Empire of Anderwel
It is said that when the Westmen first set foot on shore, they found a thousand squabbling kingdoms. And when they asked for the name of the land, they got a thousand different answers. So they gave the land their own name, the one they had dreamed up back in the blood-drinking forests of the Starving Lands and on their long journey across a merciless ocean: Andra Weld. The Other World.
In my humble opionion, their famous sense of the poetic leaves something to be desired in this case.
It would be wrong to call the empire of Anderwel one single country. It is, in fact a convoluted complex of territories – free cities, duchies, counties, marches, even petty kingdoms and their associated fiefdoms – loosely bound together by a common language and the imperial throne in Vitisburg.
Most regions are fiercely independent and while the existence of the emperor is universally acknowledged, even the most famous and powerful emperors of the past knew better than to meddle too closely in the business of their supposed subordinates.
Nevertheless, Anderwel has seen both merciless tyrants and true saints wield great power and it wasn't until the Second War of Brothers and the subsequent rise and coronation of Leuthar, the “Bastard-twice-over”, that the emperor was essentially reduced to a figure head. Strangely enough, this has done almost nothing to lessen the appeal of the crown and gaining it for themselves is the ambition of many a noble house within the realm.
Disputes and power struggles between the different regions are common and it is said there is at least one war taking place in the empire at any given time. The imperial city of Vitisburg especially has the reputation of being 'blood-drenched'.
Geography
Anderwel encompasses all the land between the Volnic Sea and the northern parts of the Ironside Mountains. It's northernmost point is the free city of Moranshafen, the southernmost is the Three Is', with Lake Galerane and the lands of Is'Kettin and Is'denzin. It's neighbors are the kingdoms of the Výměnách to the north, Rothenfels and the dwarven kingdom below the Ironside to the east, and the forest of Monka, as well as Etreia and several other mountain realms, to the south.Ever since the Time of the Three Emperors, Anderwel is traditionally divided into three mayor regions:
Alandisian
The North. Brinland, Moranshafen, the Riverlands with Korbinswacht and the Riverwatch, as well as the lands surrounding the River Tech. Steeped in tradition and plagued by the Wild Hunt.Kalladanian
The Middle. The imperial city of Vitisburg, Drakensland, the Old Heartsland and the southern parts of the former kingdom of the Westmen. The heart of the Empire, where the ideals of chivalry and the demands of politics clash on a daily basis.Karionic
The South. Apersdamm, The Meadows, the foothills of the Ironside and the Three Is' with the cities of Elgernost and Sifismund. The breadbasket of Anderwel and largest region of the three.Inhabitants
Most of the Anderwelsh are human.There are several ethnic groups: Breannians, Wedans (and their offshoots, the Riverlanders and Heartlanders) as well the Sketa and the Fisherpeople.At the end of the second century BR, they were joined by another group: the Westmen.
Having fled the famines and monsters of their old home across the Volnic Sea, the Westmen arrived in great numbers and conquered a sizable portion of the land. Their arrival ultimately led to the rise of the empire and most modern Anderwelsh will have some Westmen blood in them.
In the Southern Alandisians and the Kalladanians, the lines between Breannians, Westmen and Wedans have become so blurry after centuries of intermarriage that most people will usually just identify with whatever region they live in, regardless of their heritage.
The Fisherpeople remain an exception. As seafaring nomads, they travel along the coast of both Anderwel and the Výměnách. Thanks to their reputation as pirates and good-for-nothings, they tend to stay amongst themselves. They value their tradition highly and frown upon intermarriage.
Non-human groups include the Traderfolk or Mongrel-Elves, the Yexari (frequently persecuted shapeshifters), and the Adesjok.
Languages
The lingua franca of Anderwel is Anderwelsh, sometimes called “New Westmannish” or “a linguistic nightmare” by scholars. It is a mixture of Old Westmannish and several Wedanic dialects and contains many Breannic loanwords. It was first documented as its own language in the late third century BR during the reign of Korbinianus III.Breannic and Wedanic languages have survived in remote valleys, songs and religious writing. Around Apersdamm and further south, Karionian (a Wedanic language with slight Westmannish elements) is still widely spoken and many people are bilingual.
Still further south, in Is’Skettin, people speak Anderwelsh in the cities but Sketian, a barely related language, in the countryside.
Religion
The The Church of the Warden is the main religion of Anderwel. There a two branches of the Faith in the empire: the Breannic Church (dominant in the Alandisians and headed by the Patriarch of Istur) and the High Imperial Church (dominant in the Kalladanians and the Karionics and headed by the Bishop of Vitisburg).The differences between the branches are mostly superficial (minor holidays, slightly different saints, differences in the structure of monastic orders, etc) and there has never been an outright war between them. Nevertheless, they will often vie hard for political influence in contested areas. The fact that the emperor has always belonged to the High Imperial Church (obviously) has been a thorn in the Breannic Churches side for centuries.
Beside the main faith there are countless small folk religions, which tend to go unnoticed or are grudgingly tolerated by the Church. Leaving offering to fairies and assorted nature spirits is often not even seen as any kind of worship – it’s just common sense. No one wants angry fae for neighbors, not even the clergymen.
History
You see, in the end, only two things were truly needed to create the empire:
The high kings of Brinland were the cornerstone.
The invasion of the Westmen was the catalyst.
Anderwel is usually considered to have been officially founded 212 BR – the year Korbinianus Vitus wed Ronit, High Queen of Brinland, and was crowned under the newly created title of Emperor.
(more to be added later)
Moranshafen (pop. ~93.000)
Drakensland (pop. ~46.000)
Apersdamm (pop.~ 44.00)
Sifismund (pop. ~39.000)
Istur (pop. ~25.000)
Korbinswacht (pop. ~12.000)
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments