Tucked into a deep and desolate corner of the Tate Empire is the fetchling state New Averisse. Named for an ancient province of the fallen kingdom of man, New Averisse could be said to be the true legacy of the Deadlands, and its people preserve as much of their culture as possible in a very different land. How the fetchlings and the Duleinish humans came to part ways is a matter of some dispute. Many Duleinish tales say the fetchlings were greedy and materialistic, and lost the path chasing glimmers of ore and gems deep in the mountain, or that they shirked away from the simple lifestyle foretold by Mydaiel. Most Averissian records claim that more of their ancestors had magical talent running through their veins, and were exiled for it out of fear and envy. Several historians suspect a class divide was at the heart of the issue; the wealthy, magically skilled Deadlands nobility remaining behind, while the common men, with nothing to distinguish themselves but humility and frugality, followed the ascetic preacher Mydaiel into the veldt. The aristocratic structure of Averissian society lends some credence to this theory.
Government:
Seven Deadlands nobles are said to have been the first to advocate remaining in the mountains, and to have continued their legacy as unchanged as possible by the destruction of their homeland. Other Averissians gradually joined one or another of these families, through marriage, adoption, or formal petition, until now all but a few dissidents among the Averissians are part of one of these seven great houses. A council known as the Exarchs, made up of one representative from each noble house, governs the Averissian people and their small pockets of territory, each member representing a specific aspect of governance and much of the rest of their house often following them in this focus.
House Elorin, said to have been of half-elven descent, specializes in trade. House Ardair, the making and enforcement of laws. House Oregent oversees foreign relations not directly related to trade agreements. House Kettering, supposedly originally founded by a lowborn potter, manages infrastructure. House Sundral handles matters of public opinion and social services. House Tolmachis serves as an intelligence division. House Berevund is said to have historically been made up of military leaders, but with New Averisse forbidden under Tate rule from creating any military organizations, their particular role is limited to providing unarmed ceremonial guards.
Law:
New Averisse is governed by the same laws as the rest of the Tate empire, although separately; Averissians are convicted or pardoned according to Tate law but required to carry out any penalties themselves. Officially, the exarchs are nothing more than mouthpieces and middlemen. Unofficially, the council has voted on several decisions and had them quietly disseminated, and these secret laws are obeyed with near-perfect cooperation. The first forbids any Averissian from reporting a nonviolent crime to Tate authorities, and is punishable by exile. The second is an income tax required of all Averissians working outside the state, which is added to a secret stash. While the Tate government grants formal citizenship after a petition and either two years of residence or a familial connection to another citizen, the people of New Averisse ignore the official status of nearly anyone not of fetchling descent or adoption.
Culture:
The fetchlings of New Averisse are extremely insular and distrusting of outsiders. They are stereotyped as guileful and cowardly, a perception rooted in truth, but a truth largely shaped by Tate dwarves employing fetchlings to do work they consider below the honor of their own people. Whether or not it was caused by centuries of employment largely as spies, assassins, prostitutes, and mercantile middlemen, Averissian society does hold ambition and cunning in high regard, and most tales of fetchling heroes depict not plucky do-gooders or honorable knights, but confident tricksters determined to do whatever it takes to succeed.
Structure:
The cavern networks forming the geography of New Averisse dictate heavy population density. The entire state is one small city, packed into districts divided by noble house. Theoretically, each house would have claim to one or two of the distinct areas within the caves, but many encroach into each other's territory. Along these tiny border zones, families decorate their shed-like homes with the colors of their house, and tensions run high. These squabbles have no real animosity behind them; New Averisse has enough external enemies to focus on.
More desirable territory is usually decided based on the number of exit routes, especially the few hidden ones not passing through Tate-Masen. A single non-aligned center of commerce and socialization formed around the underground lake near the border of Averissian territory.
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