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Qenar is mountainous, with a lot of forest. It has five cantons: Sjehan of the Swans (where Lake Swanfall is located, bordering the nation Avrezin), Birechan the Unbroken (home to Blackrock Pass, which connects Qenar to her western neighbor Avrezin), Tenu (home to the Stronghold in the capital and bordering the Ashen Lands), Tannaj of the Valley (think breadbasket; an interior canton) and Harava of the City of Tears (southern desert canton bordering the Diresands). There's also the Black Wall, which stretches across the eastern border. The Black Priest, one of Qenar's earlier marshals, built it as a defense against the Ashen Lands. An appalling number of men and women died in the effort, and the Wall was nearly breached once. But there it is. Qenar's banner is the Crossed Blades: two crossed black daggers on a green field. At war, the daggers are point-up, ready to the hand; at peace, they are point-down, sheathed. Each canton has its own sigil: Tenu's Iron Gate, Sjehan's Swan Rising, Birechan's Standing Sword, Tannaj's Valley Guard, Harava's Weeping Sun. Qenar's uniform is green or grey, forest and mountain colors. Qenar is ruled by a marshal, who dwells at the Stronghold (an old fortress). Each canton is ruled by a commandant who answers to the marshal. Other powers include the merchant consortia, the farmers, and the scholars. All of them answer to the magistrates, who enforce Qenar's laws; and if the magistrates fail in their duty, they are hunted down by the wraiths, who manifest in various forms. Some call them demons and some call them dreams from a long-lost history, and others call them spirits of the land, which is fairly accurate. Long ago an agreement was made between a marshal of Qenar and the wraiths, and the wraiths never forget; no one crosses a wraith if they can help it, because they are heirs to an older, wilder magic. The military consists of volunteers. Once every five years, soldiers are required to go off elsewhere and make themselves useful--pick up another trade, help with the harvest, what-have-you. Most of them have extended kin-ties. Religion is informal, tending toward animism (forest-spirits, wind-spirits, wolf-spirits and the like) and ancestor-worship. A few gods are also worshipped: the Firebird, a god of justice from the western lands (particularly Avrezin and Sorevv, the latter a theocracy); the Shatterer, a faceless trickster god sometimes said to be the wraiths' creator; and the Dark Mare, a goddess of life and death borrowed from the few nomadic folk who wander the Ashen Lands. Mages in Qenar are considered people like anyone else. However, all Qenaren mages above a certain level of power must take the spellsworn's oath, which forbids them from using magic to kill. The oath can be broken, but it takes the mage's life in return--a provision included in case a mage is in a bind. The magistrates (some of whom are mages) and wraiths are good about enforcing this. Historically, it's because the Qenaren in the distant past saw atrocities perpetuated by magic, and the subsequent reaction led to the spellsworn's oath. Visiting mages don't need to take the oath unless they linger long or cause trouble. All the same, it's a good idea not to push it. Technology: Late medieval/early Renaissance. Some inkling of steam power. Gunpowder is unknown in this area. The Qenaren are good engineers, but lousy on chemistry. Standard armaments: ballistae, trebuchets, shortswords, daggers, Society-wise, they're not keen on formality (except the merchant classes). People are addressed to their face by first name or title ("sir" or "madam" is polite), or if not present, by last name or title. Kin-ties are important, with loyalties running in extended families. Adoption and fostering is common, especially where soldiers are involved. Marriage is a matter between individuals or families; the law doesn't concern itself with such issues. The arts: Mostly music, wooden or porcelain instruments: kitara ("lute"), recorder, transverse flute, drums, ocarina, sometimes lithophone, voice. Traditional music tends to be pentatonic. Brief, pithy poetry--think haiku, tanka or sijo. Sometimes puppet-shows, but players are uncommon (usually foreign). Visual arts tend toward the sparse: inkbrush drawings, etchings. Exception is Harava, where mosaics and stained-glass are common. Sculpture barely exists. Common games for children or adults are tirachen (a chess analog called the Game of Generals), jenachen (the Game of Blades--played with one each, but a Qenaren generally carries two), cat's-cradle. Foodstuffs: Rice. Freshwater fish--Qenar's landlocked. Mutton and goat, yogurt and goat's cheese. Pickled cabbage (think: kimchi), tofu, soy in its various forms, green onion and sagebrush. Various berries and apples. Tea (sometimes imported). Their wines are lousy, though alcohols are imported. Chufa (think: coffee) from marshland Bereshen. Enough? Currency: The mark, which is divided into fifths. You can find 1/5, 2/5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 mark pieces. 1 mark is good enough for a decent meal. (I'm weak on economics, so I'll adapt prices from Legend of the Five Rings or AD&D or something.) Bereshi and Ezinen currencies are also accepted. |
