Post by silent15 on Nov 30, 2016 1:28:59 GMT
The Kingdom of Mercia
Geography - Mercia consists mostly of a massive steppe, broken occasionally by low-rising hills. Nearly all permanent Mercia settlements are located atop one of these hills due to both the more defensible nature of the location and the fact that the land near the hills tends to be more arable. These settlements are linked by a road network worn into the ground by the nomadic tribes travelling between settlements.
Government - Nominally Mercia is a cognatic elective monarchy with each tribe or settlement with more than a thousand people having the right to vote for a king. In practice however central authority is virtually non-existent,due to the distance between the settlements and the independent nature of the nomadic tribes. Among the settlements cognatic primogeniture is the most common form of succession, though some individual traditions still persist. Among the nomadic tribes however there exists no consensus on succession with methods ranging from trial by combat, to being blessed by the tribe shaman, to letting everyone in the tribe vote on it.
History - The history of Mercia is in many ways the history of the relationship between the settlements and the nomadic tribes. While this relationship is currently peaceful, war has broken out between them before. While these war can be brutal, sooner or late the relationship returns to the status quo as both sides tend to benefit more from cooperation than from antagonism. Industry and agriculture for the most part exist only within the settlements but they depend on the nomads to transport their goods from settlement to settlement. Despite this some of the nomadic tribes dislike this state of affairs, preferring a more martial existence. As the settlements are not only capable of defending themselves but can normally count on friendly nomadic tribes for support, these more martial tribes normally prefer to raid beyond Mercia's borders. This behaviour unfortunately, combined with Mercia's mostly powerless central authority, has created the impression in other countries that Mercia is little more than a breeding ground for bandits and raiders.
Culture - Given the sheer size of Mercia, it is perhaps unsurprising that the horse and the mobility it grants holds an important place in Mercian culture. Even among the settlements, being unable to ride is virtually unheard of. Among the nomads alongside horsemanship, archery, hunting, fletching and leatherworking are skills held in high regard. The settlements on the other hand place greater emphasis on melee combat, blacksmithing and stoneworking. (Nearly all Mercian buildings are made of stone, as wood is hard to find on the steppe, making it a significant luxury.) One cultural aspect shared between both the nomadic tribes and the settlements is the importance of keeping one's word. Mercia's staggered trading system, where goods can sometimes spend months in transit, depends on the ability of traders in different settlements to trust not only each other to honour arrangements several months down the line, but also on their ability to trust the nomads to transport the goods and not to abscond with them. This need for trust has bleed over into other aspects of their culture and as such Mercians take promises and oaths very seriously, with oathbreaking being held up as a serious crime.
Religion - To the Mercians, there is little distinction between religion and magic. Their shamans are mages and priests both, communing with spirits to divine the future, influence the weather and provide wisdom to their community. While the Mercians as a whole believe that the spirits are servants of the gods, the exact pantheon of gods worshipped often changes from tribe to tribe. However a few hold sway across most tribes. Among them are Azredak, king of the sky, lord of horses and punisher of oathbreakers. Another is Devara, goddess of the dawn, rivers, and forgiveness.
One of the few things that is consistent across the Mercian tribes' religious beliefs is their their mythical tale of their nation’s founding. According to the Mercians they were once all one tribe were lead by a mighty king named Glædwine and a wise queen called Hildbrand. They were all nomads and no place in the world had not heard the thunder of the hooves. Glædwine wished to go further still. He sought the aid of his shamans to travel beyond the world and ride among the stars themselves. But Hildbrand disagreed. She mourned the loss of their children, lost in battles fought against those who feared their tribe's size. She wished to stop traveling, to rasie their remaining children is peace. Though his heart still yearned to see what yet lay beyond the horizons, Glædwine could not refuse her and together they returned to a site blessed by the spirits where they build the Mercian captial of Hwicce. As time passed, many people inspired by their Queen set forth to build cities of their own. Yet Glædwine was torn. He still felt the call of the open plains. Yet neither did he wish to forsake his beloved wife and their children. After much though and entreating with the spirits he came upon a solution. While Hwicce flourished, many of the smaller settlements still struggled to survive on their own. So for half a year, Glædwine would remain in Hwicce with his queen and their children. But during the other half of the year, he and his companions would ride out, bringing goods from Hwicce to settlements that needed them. In time these settlements flourished and in turn established new settlements of their own. And like Hwicce, some of their people rode between these settlements bringing goods to where they were needed. But unlike Glædwine many of these travellers stayed in the saddle all year round, and their children took up the role after them. And so the foundation was laid for the settlements, the nomads and the relationship between the two that endures to this day.
Military - Their culture and the geography of their homeland predispose the Mercians towards cavalry in warfare and they have a rightful reputation as some of the most skilled horseback warriors in all the lands. The nomads favour harrying attacks with skilled horse archers to wear their opponents down whereas the settlements prefer to employ heavy cavalry to shatter their opponents' line with one thunderous charge. When their lands are invaded by other nations, they employ these tactics in concert with each other to considerable effect. The nomads wear down the enemy with volleys of arrows and exhaust the enemy by encouraging the enemy to chase after them. Once the enemy is suitably weakened the settlers slam into their ranks, often breaking them with a single charge.
Geography - Mercia consists mostly of a massive steppe, broken occasionally by low-rising hills. Nearly all permanent Mercia settlements are located atop one of these hills due to both the more defensible nature of the location and the fact that the land near the hills tends to be more arable. These settlements are linked by a road network worn into the ground by the nomadic tribes travelling between settlements.
Government - Nominally Mercia is a cognatic elective monarchy with each tribe or settlement with more than a thousand people having the right to vote for a king. In practice however central authority is virtually non-existent,due to the distance between the settlements and the independent nature of the nomadic tribes. Among the settlements cognatic primogeniture is the most common form of succession, though some individual traditions still persist. Among the nomadic tribes however there exists no consensus on succession with methods ranging from trial by combat, to being blessed by the tribe shaman, to letting everyone in the tribe vote on it.
History - The history of Mercia is in many ways the history of the relationship between the settlements and the nomadic tribes. While this relationship is currently peaceful, war has broken out between them before. While these war can be brutal, sooner or late the relationship returns to the status quo as both sides tend to benefit more from cooperation than from antagonism. Industry and agriculture for the most part exist only within the settlements but they depend on the nomads to transport their goods from settlement to settlement. Despite this some of the nomadic tribes dislike this state of affairs, preferring a more martial existence. As the settlements are not only capable of defending themselves but can normally count on friendly nomadic tribes for support, these more martial tribes normally prefer to raid beyond Mercia's borders. This behaviour unfortunately, combined with Mercia's mostly powerless central authority, has created the impression in other countries that Mercia is little more than a breeding ground for bandits and raiders.
Culture - Given the sheer size of Mercia, it is perhaps unsurprising that the horse and the mobility it grants holds an important place in Mercian culture. Even among the settlements, being unable to ride is virtually unheard of. Among the nomads alongside horsemanship, archery, hunting, fletching and leatherworking are skills held in high regard. The settlements on the other hand place greater emphasis on melee combat, blacksmithing and stoneworking. (Nearly all Mercian buildings are made of stone, as wood is hard to find on the steppe, making it a significant luxury.) One cultural aspect shared between both the nomadic tribes and the settlements is the importance of keeping one's word. Mercia's staggered trading system, where goods can sometimes spend months in transit, depends on the ability of traders in different settlements to trust not only each other to honour arrangements several months down the line, but also on their ability to trust the nomads to transport the goods and not to abscond with them. This need for trust has bleed over into other aspects of their culture and as such Mercians take promises and oaths very seriously, with oathbreaking being held up as a serious crime.
Religion - To the Mercians, there is little distinction between religion and magic. Their shamans are mages and priests both, communing with spirits to divine the future, influence the weather and provide wisdom to their community. While the Mercians as a whole believe that the spirits are servants of the gods, the exact pantheon of gods worshipped often changes from tribe to tribe. However a few hold sway across most tribes. Among them are Azredak, king of the sky, lord of horses and punisher of oathbreakers. Another is Devara, goddess of the dawn, rivers, and forgiveness.
One of the few things that is consistent across the Mercian tribes' religious beliefs is their their mythical tale of their nation’s founding. According to the Mercians they were once all one tribe were lead by a mighty king named Glædwine and a wise queen called Hildbrand. They were all nomads and no place in the world had not heard the thunder of the hooves. Glædwine wished to go further still. He sought the aid of his shamans to travel beyond the world and ride among the stars themselves. But Hildbrand disagreed. She mourned the loss of their children, lost in battles fought against those who feared their tribe's size. She wished to stop traveling, to rasie their remaining children is peace. Though his heart still yearned to see what yet lay beyond the horizons, Glædwine could not refuse her and together they returned to a site blessed by the spirits where they build the Mercian captial of Hwicce. As time passed, many people inspired by their Queen set forth to build cities of their own. Yet Glædwine was torn. He still felt the call of the open plains. Yet neither did he wish to forsake his beloved wife and their children. After much though and entreating with the spirits he came upon a solution. While Hwicce flourished, many of the smaller settlements still struggled to survive on their own. So for half a year, Glædwine would remain in Hwicce with his queen and their children. But during the other half of the year, he and his companions would ride out, bringing goods from Hwicce to settlements that needed them. In time these settlements flourished and in turn established new settlements of their own. And like Hwicce, some of their people rode between these settlements bringing goods to where they were needed. But unlike Glædwine many of these travellers stayed in the saddle all year round, and their children took up the role after them. And so the foundation was laid for the settlements, the nomads and the relationship between the two that endures to this day.
Military - Their culture and the geography of their homeland predispose the Mercians towards cavalry in warfare and they have a rightful reputation as some of the most skilled horseback warriors in all the lands. The nomads favour harrying attacks with skilled horse archers to wear their opponents down whereas the settlements prefer to employ heavy cavalry to shatter their opponents' line with one thunderous charge. When their lands are invaded by other nations, they employ these tactics in concert with each other to considerable effect. The nomads wear down the enemy with volleys of arrows and exhaust the enemy by encouraging the enemy to chase after them. Once the enemy is suitably weakened the settlers slam into their ranks, often breaking them with a single charge.