Footlands

The Footlands
''Whats the point of life if a man isn't free to indulge his ambition, I always say. Welcome to the Footlands, you are just in time for the "Fetei do Fortugeuza ! Yes, the streets will be filled with revelers tonight. A fine time to relax, or go wild, or maybe just to sell some 'Elvin' wine! Here, a man is free to make his fate upon the ocean and river waters, by hook or by crook. There's coin to be made in this modern world of ours, if you are clever! And if you are NOT clever, well, luck can be bought! Just visit the old krautitza woman over there, she's got amulets and charms to bring you luck, or send bad fortune to your enemies. Just mind your coin purse around the gypsy halflings....''

Summary


The Footlands are a human-controlled nation along the southern coastline of the Mainland, with a passion for sailing, piracy, questionable capitalism, and superstition. It is a land of winding rivers & creeks, swamps & bogs, fertile farmland, dams & bridges. Its ruling class are worldly ruthless Pirate Lords, and its poor folk are back-woods swamp people. If you need a curse removed (or cast on an enemy), their witch-women are the ones to do it. Evil hags roam the swampy nights looking for young male victims, and its river towns boast some of the wildest parties and festivals in the lands. Halfling gypsies travel the land in carnivals, and wild Sidhe Elven folk control the remote forests. Despite its relatively large size, this is a nation with vast stretches of empty forests and swamps separating its cities.

Geography
Located along the south-central edge of the Mainland, the national borders of the Footlands runs from just east of the Cyressian Mts, all along the coastline, and as far east as the start of the GreatRiver Delta system. Along the way, it encompasses several large islands right off the cost, including the collection of land known as the Uponda Isles in its southeastern corner, although its governmental grasp really weakens that far east. The Footlands control much of the ship traffic in the Gulf of Trageriao, off its southwestern edge.

The Footlands are a sub-tropical land, with balmy, humid conditions most of the year, and a few scant weeks of frosts and freezes in the heart of winter. Heavy rains make the many rivers of the region swell and flood continually, and travel is usually accomplished by boat, either sea-worthy ships, or smaller paddle-boats. The land is riddled with small lakes, streams, marshes, bogs, and wet lands. Patches of higher ground provide lush farmland, and the nation exports a fairly large amount of food.

The western section of the land is more sub-tropical than the eastern section, which curves southward and ultimately fades into the swampy jungles of the GreatRiver delta. In the eastern half of the land, elephants are occasionally used as beasts of burden, or mounts for war, and this part of the land is swampier and more prone to flooding than the west, where more of the larger cities are located.

Racial Distribution


The Footlands are filled primarily with humans (60%), Sidhe Elves (20%), and Halflings (10%). The humans are made of up roughly equal amounts of Mushiffs and Urals. Mushiffs control much of the political structure in the land, and make up virtually all of the merchant and noble classes. It is the Mushiffs who brought advanced ship lore to the land, and as such, the majority of admirals ship captain, river boat wardens, and ferrymen are from this group. The Urals are mostly located in-land, and provide the farming and peasant classes in the land. The Sidhe Elves move in and out of the Footlands' north-eastern region, traveling where the game animals lead them without respect for borders. The Halflings are mostly from the infamous Inayaga clan, and migrate along the coastline throughout the year, moving from festival to festival to peddle their gypsy wares.

History
During the Late Ancient period, the Mushiffs moved into the coastal areas of The Footlands from some long-forgotten homeland south over the seas. Why they came is a mystery, as the Mushiffs are a bit too pragmatic to waste time and money researching the motivations of their ancestors. All that matters to them is that they arrived here, and were more technologically advanced than the other humans who lived along the coastline. About the same time, the Ural humans moved south out of what is now known as Garmond and into the region. They mostly stayed away from the coastlines, and as such, presented no threat to the newly established Mushiffs, who were busy fighting the coastal barbarian groups. The Urals themselves fought with other similar tribes, including a group of humans from the Bhesinian plains called the Azhghatts whom they annihilated completely.

A hundred years or so later, during the height of the great Barbarian Hordes of the Central Mainland, a group of some 40 halfling families moved out of their traditional home in the Mist Mountains, down into what is now seen as the north-eastern section of the country. Neither the halfings nor the humans of this land were as troubled by the barbarian conquests as the rest of the Mainland, so they continued with their lives uninterrupted by the rampant destruction of the great hordes, who preferred the openness of the central Mainlund plains & hills to the swampy forests of the Footlands.

In the years before the rise of the great Parthian Empire, the Urals and Mushiffs ceased their petty squabbling and formed a common society, and in doing so, pushed out the last remaining primitive human barbarians in the nation. They allowed the halflings to remain, and the number of reclusive Sidhe Elves in the countryside seemed to swell with the removal of the barbarians as well. About this same time, the Mushiff Ural society first comes into contact with the bizarre Tyrazyne lizard-men of the Far East, and the two groups begin trading goods, albeit with the occasional navy skirmish. The nation of "The Footlands" is officially declared, but the country is far from settled, as the Sidhe Elves do not consider themselves citizens, and the ogre empire of Gruthar controls a few colonies on the many islands that separate the Footlands from the land of the Tyrazyne south of the Great-River Delta.

During the height of the Parthian Empire Era, the Footlands combined navies with the Tyrazyne of the newly created nation of the Gray Coast, and forced out the ogres from their colonies completely. This joint military effort forged a stable bond of friendship between the Gray Coast and the Footlands, which remains to this day.

Politics & National Relations


The central government of The Footlands is considerably weaker than the overall size and wealth of the nation would indicate. The country has always been a land controlled by a merchant class, instead of noblemen, and as such, national taxation is barely existent, just a simply collection of county dues based on the relative wealth of a township. There are no nationally controlled roads or bridges, and the army is made up of patchwork, privately-funded fleets controlled by the Pirate Lords. These "lords" are simply men (usually Mushiffs) whom arose to power through capitalist activities, outright robbery, or a combination of the two (which is usually the case). The central government offers contracts to the Pirate Lords to fulfill military service when needed. The individual townships and counties in the land will have their own local leader, called the "Mestraie". This local leader decides what taxes the people pay, and how the local money is spent.

As mentioned, The Gray Coast and the Footlands enjoy a tight-knit alliance, fueled by a desire to keep other, stronger nations from controlling the Southern Seas. Despite having expelled Grutharian settlers in the past, Gruthar and the Footlands are not currently hostile towards one another, and the representatives from the Footlands actually conduct diplomatic missions into the ogre stronghold, mostly to keep an eye on the political situation there. Over the years, the Footlands have historically skirmished with the Elves of Sylivas, as the Footlands inch their national border closer and closer westward towards the Elvin nation's lines. Sea battles have also occurred in the past, and as such, the nations are on cold terms with each other. Also, the emergence of Calcova as a naval force, which controls the important Beanuva Straits is frustrating to the Pirate Lords of the Footlands. The Footlands are secretly building a small fleet of war-ships for the Parthian government, who does not want the rest of the nations in the Federation to know that they are arming themselves with ships again.

The Footlands are increasingly coming into land-based conflict with settlers who are moving south from the Bhesinian plains into the far north-western corner of the Footlands. These humans are ethnically Bhesinian, making them different from the Urals in that area, and come with the desire to spread their monotheistic religion and way of life. As such, the Footlanders want no part of this new philosophy, and are highly aggrieved by the presence of these new men. The Bhesinian government does not claim the settlers as citizens, so it claims it has no control over them, but its forces to "protect" these faithful followers of the One True God from "heathen aggression", and as such, quasi-national forces from two nations have clashed in battles to remove/protect the settlements. This is currently the main point of contention for the Footlands in Federation gatherings.

The island of Uponda is under the general rule of the Footland Government (when there is one), but maintains an independent culture. It is populated by a mix of Ikiro, Lowmen and Sidhe Elves living in a state of tolerance for each other. The towns are very racially homogenized, but peace exists on the island, and during times of conflict, a common militia arises out of all three groups.

Backstabbing and poisonings are so common at the capital city that food tasters and minor servants are often criminals who have been sentenced to death. It is accepted that these people are cannon fodder for the court intrigue.

Culture & Customs
The Footlands can be roughly divided into: two distinct human cultures; one halfling group; and one elven group.

The Ural humans are a reclusive and superstitious lot, with the vast majority living in rural, isolated communities. They are suspicious of outsiders and many still practice ancient religions and customs of their ancestors. The common people live in fear of magic, and are often terrorized by rogue witches known as "Green Hags," who have been known to demand children in exchange for the removal of curses. Urals are also known for their cooking techniques, which are treasured by many races across the land, and for their knowledge of herbal remedies and medicine in general. The old wise women of this group of people often know more about sickness than the esteemed scholars in Partha. In the extremely rural, isolated northern section of the land, the Urals are incredibly suspicious of outsiders and omens. All of their customs and traditions are done to appease the gods of the harvest, and some groups practice the ancient tradition of sacrificing unwanted children to ward off bad harvests and disease.

The Mushiff humans are a more cosmopolitan group, much more socially engaged than their Ural countrymen, and as such, have no problem taking on the mantle of leadership for the nation. And since they are doing all the political work, they might as well enjoy the rewards of their efforts as well, according to them! They are gregarious, greedy, friendly, suave, and slick, and they value monetary success above all other traits. The Mushiffs enjoy throwing wild festivals and parties, and are said to have "one hundred holidays" in their land.

The ruling class of Mushiffs who control the port towns along the coast have been in power for a long time, and have a penchant for debauchery and gluttony. Wild orgies and feasts are thrown daily among this upper crust of elites, and often possess household slaves (usually Urals), a rarity in the land. Poor souls who find themselves convicted on petty theft charges, or are unable to pay serious debts find themselves at risk of being "bound" as slaves for a set duration by the government, until their obligation to whomever they wronged is fulfilled. As such, the slavery does not continue for generations, and slaves are not used for hard, manual labor, but they do exist for household maintenance, which is no small task given the lavish, gargantuan mansions that the upper class Mushiffs demand.

A small but well known group of halfling nomads wander the eastern section of the nation, living as gypsies and vagabonds. This group is referred to as the "Inayaga," and were expelled from the Mist Mountain several generations ago. Apparently, they were an extended family of criminals and thieves, and the reigning ikiro council at the time banished them from the mountains. The group is respected by the locals, and allowed to move through the area unmolested for the most part. They travel as a carnival of sorts, with exotic animals from the Mystic East, and entertain locals with their songs and performances.

The Sidhe elves don't really consider themselves citizens of the nation, nor do they regard any lands they walk upon as belonging to any humans anyway. As such, they are isolated from the humans and halflings in this nation, and do not mingle much with either. These elves live essentially as advanced hunter-gatherers, moving their camps through large patches of rough, untamed territory throughout the land. They can be convinced to aid the national government only in times of dire danger, like evasion or encroachment from another nation, and otherwise wish to be left alone. The Sidhe do not tolerate the presence of farms in areas they consider to be theirs, which has caused the group to come into conflict with rural Ural farmers on occasion The Mushiff-controlled government has been surprisingly diplomatic about these squabbles, and does not universally side with their human cousins in these disputes. The savvy Mushiffs know that the Sidhe elves are valuable allies for times when the land is threatened, and work to ensure that everyone in the nation gets along well enough.

The nation produces a wide variety of foodstuffs, with virtually all the land being suitable for agricultural use and a temperate climate allowing for many different kinds of domesticated animals to be raised. Rice is a staple in the southern section the country, which also depends heavily on seafood such as shrimp, kelp, crab, lobster and tuna. Sugarcane grows throughout the region, and corn is the main crop along the northern border. Yams, melons, beans are cultivated, and blackfinn lizards are raised for their eggs on the eastern side of the land. The people living on and around the rivers hunt for crayfish, turtles, and alligators, and bananas, sweet peppers and sausage are all traditional items. Pigs are much more common than cows, and some water buffalo or oxen are kept as beasts of burden.

On a cold night with a full moon, all the "green hags" of northern Footland will gather in large covens and celebrate their evil ways with a holiday called "Witches Winter". These wild packs of witches roam the country in late winter, looking for isolated farm houses with small male children. Such houses can be attacked by the hags, and if they are successful in the assault, the young boys will be dragged from their mother's arms into the night. These children will either be killed and cooked, or raised as elusive male hags, breeding with their "parents" years later. The day is no joke in area with hag populations, but in other, more fortunate places, children will dress as witches and terrorize villages at night with pranks and jokes. The only way to stop the young "hags" is by placing berries or cakes on your doorstep. This holiday is observed mainly by the Urals of the country. The Mushiffs of the Footlands celebrate their new year in the spring, and hold a five day celebration of life, known as Fete. The five days represent Food, Drink, Friends, Sex and Music, and each day is enjoyed with a bounty of its particular theme. Blackfinn Lizard eggs are the traditional staple, and "canebrew" is the local drink of choice.

Famous Figures & Groups
Yost Rabone is the unofficial Ural leader of the Footlands, and has gathered a reputation as a cunning Pirate Captain, earning him the nickname of the "Fitish Amrya" or "yellow fox." It is unusual for a Ural to rise to such a powerful position among the elite Pirate Lords, and Rabone had to murder quite a few enemies (and mentors) along the way.

Mishunia the Asp is the legendary Witch Queen of the Footlands. She is a reclusive, fearsome and quite mad. An occasional gaggle of fledgling witches will study with her, but the Mishunia's temperament can flair suddenly, often with disastrous consequences for those around her. She secretly maintains contact with many of the powerful people of the region, offering them advise, and her black magic skills can be purchased to direct towards a foe.

Religion
This is a rural country, full of superstition and legend. Worshiped throughout the nation is Dynna Capaluda, goddess of creation and fertility. This goddess can be found all over the nation, although her attributes and characteristics change from region to region. Along the coast, she is seen primarily as a mother-figure who is responsible for child birth and health. People in the northern portion of the land view the goddess in more of a cyclical light. They see her as the bringer of life and the force of death, and use rituals and rites to honor and appease her. Lestimino is her son, and is the patron lord of adventurers and travel. Abynsi is a chaotic god that rules the sea, and is difficult to please once offended. The locals along the coast regard him as a vindictive tyrant when slighted, and a benevolent friend when pleased. Krahtitza is the evil goddess of the witches, and is revered and feared in the northern half of the country, which holds the isolated rural areas of the nation. It is to this deity that human sacrifices are made, and her priests are despised and feared by the people of the land. Bustinal and Vizun are evil gods which have small, cult following but no large movements. Pulsuma is a natural god worshiped by druids and farmers on the Foot Peninsula, and is responsible for bountiful harvests and health. Throughout the region, there are no organized religious groups, just small bands of independent followers and priests, and there is no state religion to speak of.