Nerrid Alliance
Fortunately for the rest of Tarien, the innovative and often maddening society of the Nerrid is tucked in the far northwest corner of the continent. Burrowed beneath the pastoral hills and trees of the Nerrid Peninsula is a culture that still appreciates magic, pursues scientific inventions, and adores paperwork.
Structure
Nerrid prefer to stay away from politics, unless, of course, it is someone else’s. At one point, the Nerrid political structure was based around an organization called the Nerrid Secret Service, or just ‘The Service’ as most Nerrid call it. With its dissolution, however, much of bureaucracy that supported the Servie Service migrated over to the government. Filling huge buildings on two sides of the People's Square, the governmentruns efficiently on the principals of direct democracy, careful research, and documentation (generally in triplicate). Managed by government staffers that specialize in unique and often esoteric functions of government, it runs like a well oiled clockwork Nerrid machine. Movement of staff between departments for promotions, demotions, lateral moves, and sometimes even high tea is constant as staff are reassigned to better align their specialties with the workings of government and therefore improve its efficiencies.
While most government agents are full time professionals, they are not the members of Nerrid society that set the vision and direction of the Alliance. Instead, this direction comes from the Small Council of Nerridon - a body of no fewer than 21 and no more than 37 Nerrid that are directly elected for a period no more than twelve consecutive years. Members of the Small Council meet every Kingsday to discuss topics near and dear to the hearts of the people it governs and these events, open to the public, are often great gatherings of food, music, and public debate. Of course, at any time, members of the public can call for a vote of no confidence in the specific members of the Council, bringing debate to a halt until the matter of confidence - and often status of which members sit on the small Council - is resolved.
Culture
Life in Nerrid is pretty ordinary, if you’re a Nerrid. Nerrid are required to work six hours a day for the good of the Alliance. Duties like this include farming, herding, cleaning, food preparation, and other tasks needed for the survival of the state. The rest of their time is theirs to with as they see fit. Most Nerrid use their personal time for tinkering, theorizing, and working on their own ‘pet projects’ (this is how the catapult was invented, a Nerrid wanted to see his pet pig fly.) Nerrid involved in the workings of the government are exempt from these common duties, and instead work twelve to fourteen hours a day on projects for the government, typically with shifts of three years on, and then three years off of leisure time.
History
The Nerrid history is a long and complex one. Originally created by the goddess Kayla, and given (or taken, as some versions state) to the god Intrix for safekeeping. Intrix separated his chosen children from the world, isolating them on the farthest northwest peninsula There, the Nerrid bred, and grew until they covered much of the land. At some indistinct point thereafter, the Nerrid discovered writing, and written history began. Several hundred years later, the Nerrid discovered mathematics, and a great upheaval occurred as they tried to sort out the old calendar, and adapt to the new system (the old system consisted of ‘and then this happened, and after that this happened, and then came…etc…etc.) For consistencies sake, all dates have been changed to the standard DuMare Calendar (This caused a second, great upheaval.)
The first significant occurrence in Nerrid history is the discovery of magic. At some point after Legerdemain's ascension to godhood, Intrix bestowed upon his people the secrets of crafting illusion. They used this, along with their natural aptitude for invention to begin the construction of Nerridon, which would become the jewel of the Nerrid homeland. The central, underground city would be completely inhabitable two hundred years later, but construction has not ceased since its inception.
After the completion of Old Nerrid, the race underwent their first renaissance. This time was known as the Time of Invention and would span over three hundred years. During this time of wonder, the Nerrid discovered stone masonry, gem polishing, and began to lay the foundations for their vast knowledge of advanced engineering. The most famous invention of the time was the last. The Nerrid invented the catapult and, since Nerrid had never really had war previously, they elected to wage one amongst themselves. After the proper forms are filed, displayed, copied in triplicate, signed by all of the participating parties, and ratified, however, interest in it had lessened to the point that only one shot was fired—at the Nerrid who suggested it in the first place. A vote is cast, and the catapult is dismantled. The Industrialists, therefore, came out ahead, and time marched on. By the end of the war, the city of Nerridon covered four square miles.
After a few hundred more years of prosperity (involving the discovery of currency, and the abandonment of it for a much preferred ‘commune’ type atmosphere) the Nerrid realized that they didn’t know that much of the world outside of their own little patch, and decided to send out representatives to visit all the other races and say ‘hi’. Ever cautious, only the most talented Nerrid are chosen, in a vote that lasted several years. The group was dubbed ‘The Service’ and was sent out in various disguises to check up on the state of the world. Thus, the Nerrid (Secret) Service was born.
Nerrid National Library
Several hundred years passed with the Nerrid service growing all the time. Every generation spawned more interested, willing ‘agents’, and as more information is gathered about the outside world, the Nerrid gradually become more and more protective of their homeland. The Nerrid borders were officially closed to those of non-Nerrid stock in 350 BC. This closure corresponded with the time that the Nerrid began to build Upper Nerrid, an extension of Old Nerrid, above ground. This construction would continue, indefinitely. As technology, and engineering skills grew, so did the size of the buildings. The first seven-story tower was built in 45 BC, just two decades after Blenktikopf Nomaninksonsonsonsonson the theory of Tarvivkynaltoni, which states that ‘everything wants to fall down, towards the ground, and it is our job (being Nerrid) to keep it up, somehow.’ The actual, published work spans two-thousand pages (it is, after all, a rather simple concept). This theory would be proven about eighty years later, when the tower was knocked down by an earthquake, spawning an engineering Renaissance.
By the first century AC, the Nerrid Service has over a thousand active members, these include field agents, scribes, a research division, several layers of data analysis corps, and a complex hierarchy. A small international incident happened in Galencia, bringing the Nerrid Service into the spotlight. An ‘Agent Gopher’ is apprehended, and falsely charged with espionage. Unwilling, however, to sully the agency with such an international scandal, the N.S.S. disavows any knowledge of his existence, even to the point where, while standing in front of Agent Gopher at the trial, ambassador Helga Peridoterdoterdoter states: "I see no Nerrid, except for myself, in this room." Agent Gopher is summarily executed. He is considered a national hero, and a statue of him now stands in the People's Square in Upper Nerrid.
Again, several hundred years passed with very little in the way of major events happening at home. Aside from the building of the fifth public library in Old Nerrid, and eventual passing of a law renaming the ‘Nerrid Service’ to the ‘Nerrid Secret Service’ in an effort to forestall a situation similar to the dreaded ‘Gopher Problem’ of 92. By 400 A.C. the N.S.S. had reached it’s tendrils into every facet of Nerrid life, and the Small Council of Nerridon officially changes from ‘commune-like’ to ‘socially-driven’. Old Nerrid touches on every part of the peninsula south of the Frungof Mountains, by this time, and Upper Nerrid has reached the twenty square mile mark.
In 445 AC Nerrid’s second national hero began to emerge into the light, when Olaf Samsonsonsonsonsonsonsonson joined the Secret Service. Later identified as the foretold ‘Knower of Secret Things’ in the "Window of Fire Issue" (as it was termed by the N.S.S.). Throughout the war, Olaf fought ancient vampires, built a tower, and imported extra-planar allies. Given that he had a small hand in setting the world right during the Great War, Olaf returned home a hero. His expansion of the Alliance to the East Nerrid Peninsula earned him the title 'The Eagle of Nerrid'. The statue of Agent Gopher was knocked down, and a statue of Olaf erected to replace him. Agent Gopher’s statue’s head was put on display at the Hall of Curiosities in Old Nerrid.
Perhaps most impressive of Olaf's heroics was the opening of pathways to other planes of existence. It was this, more than any other action, that encouraged the Nerrid Secret Service to open its School of Espionage at Olaf's Tower. In 475 A.C, the druid Alequeas Waterfall cast the ‘Spell of Rebirth’, which sent all extra planar creatures back from whence they came and established the Translocation Ban, something that set Nerrid researchers back decades. The shock to the Secret Service was so great that Olaf was declared Nerrid non-grata (as they say in Eldorian). The statue of him in the People’s Square was torn down and relegated to a back corner of the Hall of Curiosities and Agent Gopher's statue returned to the square. Olaf vanished and was declared dead a few years later, his tower sealed, and name stricken from the roles of active agents.
Life in the Peninsula continued one, with the bureaucracy of the Nerrid government humming along pleasantly and the Nerrid Secret Service expanding both its field agents and support staff until it surpassed 3,000 agents. By the sixth century AC, the workings the government and Secret Service had become some intertwined as to become nearly indistinguishable. As a result, when the Nerrid Secret Service itself folded, perhaps as a result of the atrocities of the Mage Wars, few Nerrid noticed. Their day-to-day actions had long become synonymous with the Nerrid government and for the people of the Peninsula, little seemed to change.
With Balder Eriksonsonsonsonson's discovery of Smoke Powder and the construction of the first Arki-blast, the Nerrid Alliance has once re-asserted itself as the center of innovation in all of Tarien. Though the technology has not spread quickly over the past half-century, most Nerrid believe that engineering projects like these hold the key to their future.
Demography and Population
By law, only Nerrid are allowed within the Nerrid Alliance. This law is strictly unenforced and while most Nerrid are aware of its existence, it is like tarvivkynaltoni - a law meant to be broken. That being said, the population of the Nerrid Peninsula is nearly 100% Nerrid. Sure, there are some giant apes and snakes and trolls that live north the Frungof Mountains but that is not really part of the civilized Nerrid Alliance. One can occasionally find visitors in Lartcha - especially at Balder's Blasting Emporium - but most ships tend to sail into the harbor in the morning and out again before the sun sets. Even more rarely a Human or Khadra might make the journey to Nerridon to research something in the great library. There are, however, no known non-Nerrid citizens that live within the borders of the Alliance.
Territories
The Nerrid Peninsula is located north of the Malpighien Steppes in northwestern Tarien. The steppes themselves are mostly flat, elevated tracks of fertile land and this trait carries into the southern and eastern portions of the Peninsula. While the Wandering River provides a natural border between the Alliance in the north and the Zennonaize Confederacy in the south, a more fomidable barrier appeared between the source of the Wnadering River and the mounth of Feathered River in the middle of the Fifth Century AC. Running along this route is a massive trench - some thirty feet accross and apparently bottomless in depth known as Olaf's Gap. Apparently opened by coperative magic that took 33 Nerrid, the trench is rumoured to be illusory.
No one, to date, has taken a step over its edge to find out.
The Frungof Mountains sit at the center or center-west of the peninsula and it is at the base of these small mountians, where the Mole River heads east toward the Zennon Sea that Nerridon - are at least the Upper Nerridon - sits. Surrounding the mountains on all sides escept for the eastern plains are the vast Schemka Forests, with the ensorceled Volarka section just to the south of the mountains. While the mountains provide ample raw materials for the Alliance, the forests themselves are generally left unspoiled. This is particularly true of the forests to the far northeast of the Peninsula known as the Rahnhopf Forest, home to deadly four-armed apes.
The Mole River in Old Nerridon
At one point, the Alliance did stretch across the Zennon Sea and on to the White Talon - or East Nerrid as it was known at the time. Other than a few outposts, however, settelments never took in this sattelite peninsula. The East Nerrid Peninsula, however, remains free of Human and other intelligent life today. Protected by the Tallwood - an ancient forest home of trolls and other giant-kin, the Confederacy has never managed to get a foothold here.
Most places have multiple names in Nerridian. Confusingly to most humans, Nerrid geography is largly based on where one stands at the time. Therefore, in Eldorian, the Zennon Sea might also be called "The Bay of Nerrid", the Samson's Sea", or the "Malpighein Sea" depending upon one's point of view. Most Nerrid understand this intuitively and though maddening to others, trying to get them to refer to the same place by a single moniker is nearly impossible.
Weather in the Peninsula is generally temperate, trending toward cooler than much of Tarien. Summers are warm but not hot, falls chilly but comfortable in lambswool, winters well below freezing - especially north of the ALliance proper, and springs just bearable in shorts and a smock. Rainfall is average, and in the winter it is not uncommon for most of Upper Nerrid to be closed due to snow.
Military
The Nerrid Alliance has no military at all. Or perhaps, the entire populace is its military as, should anyone be foolish enough to invade their homeland would quickly discover, even the most docile seeming Nerrid is willing to fight for their freedom. Fortunately - perhaps for the Nerrid and perhaps for the invaders - no one has ever attempted such an invasion.
Religion
For the most part, Nerrid worship Intrix, the god of Knowledge and Technology. While some ‘misguided’ Nerrid fall victim to worship of other, Human gods, these are usually weeded out by local officials, and pressed into fieldwork somewhere on the frontier. Nerrid show their dedication to their god through the gathering of information and through inventing and research. Since both of these are second nature to them anyway, actual formal services to Nerrid are rare. They occur once a month, and usually consist of a whole lot of rumor trading, information swapping, and fact debunking.
Foreign Relations
Almost every nation-state in western Tarien has formal relations with the Nerrid Alliance. Consulates and embassies litter the cities of Zennonaize Confederacy, the Sea of Storms and the Eldorian Sea great and small. In almost every one of these nations, the Nerrid Alliance has an official ambassador, as well as a small host of assistant ambassadors, minor dignitaries, and staff. Perhaps it is the communal nature of the Alliance that makes foreign relations such a team effort for the Nerrid, but even beyond these formal diplomats, Nerrid merchants travelling the roads and seas of Tarien all seem to have some sort of governmental function - no matter how minor.
Their efforts, however, are not reciprocated. No nation-state has a formal presence in the Nerrid Alliance. The Underground Kingdom of the Children of Kharl, attempting to take the higher tunnel, did send a diplomat to Nerridon in the first century, BC. The diplomat, who's name has been struck the annals of Khadric history, purportedly shaved his beard and leapt to his death from the highest tower in Nerridon during the third year of his appointment. No further efforts have been made by the Kingdom nor any other nation.
The limit to Nerrid diplomacy, however, seems to be the Kingdoms of Galencia and Kharl. Despite earlier incidents, the Nerrid ambassador is as welcome in Geyla and New Kharolin as they are anywhere else on Tarien. Further east, however, nations are deciding unwelcome and, much to the demise of Nerrid diplomats, unwilling to discuss the matter.
Agriculture & Industry
Much of the population of Nerrid works the land. Most have small plots that grow vegetables, barley, wheat, and other essentials that they use to feed themselves or others that happen by. With the communal nature of their society, there always seems to be someone with fish, roasted chestnuts, or rutabaga and spinach pies just when you need it. In general, the Nerrid stick to an agrarian and pescatarian diet. While they will certainly eat rabbit, goat, or deer, they find it impossible to raise animals for their meat. They do, however, love eggs and vast henhouses can be in Old Nerridon, some with truly revolutionary designs.
Trade & Transport
Very little trade is conducted between the Nerrid Alliance and the rest of the world. At least, very little legitimate trade. There are always those that are interested in Smoke Powder, Nerrid potions, or other inventions - be they technological or arcane. Such items are, by their nature, rare and their markets unique. To move these goods around Tarien, (and to learn everything about everyone elses business of course), many Nerrid take up life as merchants. The charter ships, run caravans, and generally travel to see the world. Often, they find themselves quite good at commerce and sometimes fall in love with a human town or city, electing to settle down there for a few decades.
He was not a poor companion. He did help us slay that dragon by blinding and deafening it. And he had mules to haul out the treasure we found. He even had a mini-keg on one mule. But by Kharl's beard, once he started talking, I wanted to strangle the little fellow.
Maps
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Nerrid Alliance
Late for an Appointment
Henri Philipson was very late, for a very, very important engagement. Upon his return to the Country, he was required (by Section IV, Chapter 8, Paragraph 12, Line 24) to ‘immediately return to quarters, compile the appropriate forms and reports and present them before the ranking supervisor in attendance within the specified amount of time.’ Unfortunately for Henri, when he’d seen his supervisor last, it was at a bar in the Upper City, and both had been more than a little drunk. If Henri’s memory served him right (and he swore that it did), his supervisor had been in a deep discussion on the state of Rutabagas in Pash-ti with a seven-foot penguin. His supervisor had looked at him and said, “Sure, Field Mouse old chap, just drop the suckers off whenever you get the chance.”—But, as Henri had discovered this morning, the seven-foot penguin had been Agent Phoenix, and ‘whenever you get the chance’ had actually been a mispronunciation of "Tomorrow Morning".
Now, Henri hurried across People's Square, giving a brief bow of acknowledgment to the other agents gathered around the Statue that stood at it’s center, and into the front doors of the N.S.S. central office. The foyer, as always, was immaculate. White marble floor, walls, and ceiling seemed to refract the light towards a pinpoint at the center of the room. There sat the Reception Desk, a ten-foot wide monstrosity of oak, ash, and copper. Behind it sat the Receptionists. One looked up at him as he entered, and smiled. He immediately felt a sense of dread that can only be brought on by knowing you are in over your head.
“Ah, Agent Field Mouse, here to see Agent Mule?” she asked, in a sickeningly sweet voice. Henri tried to respond, proffering the hastily written report under his arm, “Yes, I see. If you will just wait over there, please. He should be with you in a moment.” There was a glint in her eye, Henri noticed. It was a glint that had ‘poor bugger’ written all over it.
Henri had a strong feeling that his vacation might be cut very short.
Founding Date
1543 BC
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Capital
Demonym
Neriddian
Ruling Organization
Founders
Government System
Democracy, Representative
Economic System
Command/Planned economy
Subsidiary Organizations
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Notable Members
Related Species
Related Myths
Magic in the Alliance
Unlike much of the rest of Tarien - and certainly unlike its arcana-phobic neighbors in Gartcha and Zennon, magic is part of everyday life in the Nerrid Alliance. The Nerrid are, after high, innately magical creatures. Almost every Nerrid knows some sort of arcane trick and they use them with great frequency. Advertisements made of illusionary script light up the sides of buildings in Nerridon and shops have magical chimes that ring when customers enter through the front door. Streets are cleaned by unseen servants and most of the buildings in Upper Nerridon are sculpted with the arcane arts into fantastic facades. Research into various arcane mysteries is also considered a noble calling and the Small Council of Nerridon routinely offers stipends to those research projects that might benefit Nerrid society as a whole.
This attitude toward arcane in the everyday can land Nerrid in hot oil (sometimes literally) when they travel abroad. Invariably Nerrid travelers refuse to believe the level of mistrust and hostility that Human feel toward magic. More than one Nerrid has left towns around the Sea of Storms and the Eldorian Sea in hurry, just ahead of a mob of angry peasants or sword and torch waving fanatics from town watch. More seasoned travelers have accepted this prejudice and tempered their arcane activities. This means, of course, that they are simply more surreptitious about their use.
Shrouded and Shuttered
Why indeed did the Nerrid close down operations of the Nerrid Secret Service in 697 AC? Did they indeed decide to focus inward, eschewing the rest of Tarien - and the delicious mysteries that continue to play out in its great cities - for a for a life of inward reflection? As a society, did the Nerrid decide that they no longer cared about other civilizations? Of course, there is plenty of research, both scientific and arcane, to keep the Nerrid busy. Lifetimes of experiments to conduct and catalogs to write. Perhaps, given the immensity of the challenge to know and explain document and explain and understand and of course explain everything become overwhelming and something had to go. Or perhaps the decision to close a Service that never officially existed was a delayed response to the Mage Wars. Even after bans on the arcane, few Nerrid could resist practicing their arts even in the most fervently anti-magic regions. And while most governments simple expelled violators, more than one Nerrid was burned at the stake alongside Human witches and warlocks. Perhaps, by withdrawing what is arguably the most social of Nerrid departments, the Nerrid are protesting the state of magic across Tarien. Of course, most field agents either haven't received the news that their operations have been shut down. Or, perhaps better said, they haven't received the proper orders - with all of the appropriate copies, signatures, and seals - and are still working under the premise that they are gathering information about Tarien at large for the benefit of the Alliance. "The N.S.S. never existed in the first place, after all, how could it be shuttered?" one agent in Galencia might ask. Now, can I interest you in some candlesticks?" And then there is one final possibility. Like everything else in Nerrid society, the closure of their most treasured national agency might simply be a clerical error.
A Rare Maple in the Volarka Forest
While have found my time in the Nerrid Alliance...um...noisy, I believe that the little fellows do great work. They have overhauled the ship and resupplied her stock of Smoke Powder. Just don't let that white-haired devil Balder Eriksonsonsonsonson start talking about barrel design. He has some insane notion about engraving the insides to improve accuracy. Ludicrous!