Spirits of the Earth

Table of Contents
1. Province History
2. Geographic Information
3. The People, Society, and Culture
4. Public Figures, Guilds, Organizations
5. Local Laws, Superstitions, and Events
6. Character List

Once upon a time, there was an queendom full of life and beauty and wonder. The people prospered under a fair and just ruler, and everyone had more food than they could eat, more wine than they could drink, and more rooms in their houses than they could ever live in. That was until, one day, calamity struck, and the whole of the queendom was destroyed, its surviving peoples scattered to the winds. Where once all had prospered, now all suffered and struggled to begin anew.

The people broke into clans, bound by relations they'd had in the old days, and suspicious of those they did not know. Many tried to continue the lives they'd once had - they hoarded food they could not eat, hid wine they could not drink, and fought for more space even once they were satisfied, but only for their family, their friends, their clan.

A small, nameless clan struggled the most as the others fought over every spare rock and twig. They went to each of the leaders of the other clans, one by one, begging for a place to stay and prosper. One by one, they were turned away.

'Why should we risk ourselves for you?' the clan leaders said, 'We do not know you, we do not claim you.'

And so the nameless clan carried on. Again and again they were turned away, until the only place they had left to them was a small hill where they could camp and keep watch against the night and any who would seek to steal what little they had. One night, after a meager meal, the elders of the nameless clan spoke together about what to do.

It was decided that the nameless clan would send out their strongest warrior. Their champion chosen, the clan gathered what supplies they could, and sent him on his way.

Their strongest warrior never returned.

Again, the elders of the clan gathered, and it was decided that they would send out their fiercest hunter. Their champion chosen, the clan gathered what supplies they could - less this time - and sent her on her way.

Their fiercest hunter never returned.

Again, the elders of the clan gathered. They argued all day and through the night, into the next day, and through the night again. Who else could they send? They had even less now than they did before, they couldn't supply another, and if their best could not make it home, what hope did anyone else have?

On the third day, a girl approached the elders and declared that she would go out in search of a home for their clan.

'You?' they scoffed, looking her over, 'You will not survive. We cannot give you supplies.'

'I do not need supplies,' the girl said, 'I will gather what I need on the road.'

The elders scoffed and bickered more.

'You are not a mighty fighter or a clever hunter, you will not survive.' They said.

'Our best warrior and our best hunter did not return home. I do not need to be like them.' The girl said.

The elders scoffed and bickered more.

'You are too skinny and too young. Someone will hurt you.' They said.

'I am small, and I am quiet,' the girl said, 'I will hide from anyone who would hurt me.'

Seeing that they could not dissuade her, the elders finally agreed to send the girl out. The clan did not have much to give, and so the girl was sent out with only what little her family could part with - a cooking knife to defend herself and a woven blanket to keep her warm.

With that, the girl from the nameless clan set off to find her people a home. She travelled for days, using the mountains to guide her. She foraged for her food, only taking what she needed. She kept quiet and out of sight when she spotted other people, as bandits ruled the roads in those days.

The girl first came upon a wide field, where rabbits were as plentiful as stars in the night sky. Surely, there her clan could hunt, and never fear hunger again. But because the girl was not the fiercest hunter, she carried on her way.

Then the girl came upon a high hill, where she could see for miles and miles. Surely, there her clan could defend themselves, and never fear another bandit raid. But because the girl was not the mightiest warrior, she carried on her way.

And then the girl came upon the Wood, where the sun could only trickle through the trees like a faint morning mist. Surely, there her clan could hide, could gather food as they needed, could flourish together. Because the girl was a survivor, she did not carry on her way.

She stepped into the trees, climbing roots as thick as a bull and picking her way through brambles sharp as a needle. Darker the Wood grew, and the days became as dim as the nights. It was only when midnight became midday that the girl stopped, and beheld a sight few can imagine.

There before her was a mighty tree, its trunk stretching wide beyond her sight, its branches impenetrable. Every knot in its bark equaled ten of the girl in size, and its branches were beyond any man's count. As she gazed upon the tree, a wind blew through the canopy, and with it carried a message:

Who are you to trespass here?

This was no mere tree. This was the tree, the ancient heart of the forest, a being beyond the concept of time and human history. The girl was nothing to him, the lord of the boughs, a mere insect to the ages. And yet, knowing that her clan waited, the girl swallowed her fear and spoke:

'I come on behalf of my clan with no name.' The girl said, 'Please, my lord. We seek a home.'

A home, the leaves rustled overhead in disdain, did you not pass over the grass to get here? Surely a vast city could be built, there.

'I did. But the sky is too wide, and I fear what would become of us, out in the open. Please, my lord. We seek a home.'

Did you not pass the hills? the tree creaked, irritation in each snap of a twig, Surely a mighty castle could be built, there.

'I did. But the hill is so lonely, and I fear what would become of us, cut off from the world. Please, my lord. We seek a home.'

And if I let you stay, what will you do? Will you carve me out, one by one? Take until there is nothing left? Build yourselves above my corpse? The rustling grew louder, the groans and creaking of wood sharper. The tree loomed over the girl, immense and impossible.

'I would only take what you grant me. On this, you have my word.'

What I may give, you gladly take. Of course, you do. But what of you? What of your sacrifice? What would you give?

What, indeed?

{Location}
Northwatch sits in north-central Serendipity, just south of the Terrin Mountain Range

{Borders}

• North - Connlaoth, specifically the Duchies of Vythe and Highheart
• West - Darken Vei
• East - Featherfall
• South - Jadenshine, Moonspear

{Major Cities}

• Caer Northwood - the seat of the High Lord of Northwatch {map here (https://64.media.tumblr.com/290409a69ecef47cca7a1eaace395ba2/a926a6d3aa69e60a-33/s2048x3072/d9c6c7af43f8b874ffebb418b8a22f4c76227e9a.pnj)}
• Caer Domnallach
• Caer Breathnach
• Caer (Name Here) {available for claiming}
• Caer (Name Here) {available for claiming}
• Caer (Name Here) {available for claiming}
• Caer (Name Here) {available for claiming}
• Caer (Name Here) {available for claiming}

{Major/Minor Towns}
See map. While there are plenty of canon towns you can set your threads in, feel free to make your own towns/minor towns.

{Other Key Locations}

• The Northwood
• The Northwood Druid Circle
• Others to be determined (available to create)

{Biomes and Geography}
Being one of the northern Serenian provinces, Northwatch is not prone to hot weather as one might find closer to the Ora river. Instead, the entire province enjoys mild summers, with cold and wet winters. With their northern borders the Terrin mountains themselves, the upper half of the province is quite mountainous, which slowly turns to hillsides and rolling plains the further south one travels. The land - and weather - becomes considerably wetter closer to Jadenshine and the various rivers that flow in the south.

Northwatch is more heavily forested at the base of the Terrin Mountains, with the largest and densest forest being the Northwood. This ancient wood has stood sentinel for nearly a thousand years, just where the mountain passes from Vythe and Highheart end.

{How They View Themselves}

• Generally speaking, the people are a proud, steadfast bunch. They take others at their word, and when their own is given they hold to it. However they are not tolerant of breaches of social contract, and you can expect them to react to such things without caring if they're embarrassing someone.
• The High Lord's Family is an old one, and there is the belief that they go back to the girl of legend who found the Northwood. Whether this is factually true is impossoble to determine, but the lived reality is this family has a deep bond with the Northwood, as evidenced by the powers granted to the Firstborn. After all, if the Northwood didn't believe the family to be worthy, they'd never have been granted such boons.

• The Circles of Northwatch are a reclusive bunch. They are less concerned with politics or thrones or crowns, and are instead focused on the conservation of the natural world. It is customary that the noble families of the Caers intermarry with members of the druid circles, or otherwise give over members of their family to learn from the local Circle. This keeps both groups from becoming isolated from one another, as well as ensuring that public policy keeps the land in mind.

• The Neighbors in Northwatch are afforded a high deference, and any construction is done with the inout of the local Neighbor population. As such, many roads in Northwatch will suddenly curve around a tree or a boulder rather than remove the obstacle. Even the commoners hold to the knowledge that you don't simply barrel your way through somewhere without asking.

• The Watchmen view other provinces, and other Serenian nobles, as being as much their kin as anyone else. While there may be differences, and a whole lot of disagreements, it's their duty to keep the Queendom safe, and they take their duty seriously.

• The Monarchy is the representation of the unity of the Serenian people. While there may be some disagreements, and older oaths may take priority, Northwatch still has a duty to the crown and they manage to make it work even when they have to bend things a bit.

{How Others View Them}

• Many of the southern provinces of Serendipity look at the Watchmen as a wild breed, a stereotype that the Watchmen do not work very hard to break. Though many might consider them ill-mannered, their reputation for earnestness and integrity has most ignore their eccentricities, if only to be polite.

• Connlaoth despises them, as they continue to provide aid to any refugees that cross into their lands. Attempts to sabotage these operations have so far been unsuccessful.

{How They View Others}

• The province of Northwatch considers itself an old enemy of Connlaoth, and any official interactions between Northwatch and Vythe or Highheart are incredibly tense affairs.While they do not regard Connlaothian refugees with the same hostility as Connlaothian patriots, they do eye them with a fair bit of suspicion. Fearing the presence of spies and saboteurs, Connlaothians are usually encouraged to leave for Jadenshine or Moonspear, and forbidden from joining any mioitary operations in Northwatch.

• The Watchmen pay Adelans a distant kind of respect, due to Adela's part in the Threefold War. They haven't had direct contact in quite some time, and so have no specific opinions nor know very much about the individual Adelan territories.

{Local Laws}

• Poaching, or over-taking, is exceptionally illegal in Northwatch. There is a delicate balance between caring for your family and asking too much of the land, and that balance is heavily monitored.
• Over-taking, the act of hunting or gathering more than you need, is a heavy offense. Given Northwatch's emphasis on sustainability and heavy study of effective agricultural methods, it is highly unlikely that anyone absolutely needs to take an excess. Still, a perpetrator of over-taking is not necessarily a poacher, and they are given the chance to explain themselves to a tribunal of the local lord and druid circle. Punishment for a guilty verdict is never easy - there are no fines allowed, for fear some individuals will simply "budget" for such a thing.
• Poaching is an even more severe crime. Where over-taking is being greedy but still using what is taken, poaching is purely for profit and often results in considerable waste. A poacher will stand before a tribunal similar to one accused of over-taking, but the punishment for poaching is death.

{Local Events}

The Summer Run

• The Summer Run is an annual festival that begins the day after the spring equinox.
• The High Lord/Lady or their Firstborn leads a procession from Caer Northwood, traveling clockwise to each Caer in the province before returning home.
• As the procession reaches each Caer, a massive bonfire is lit and an equally massive celebration begins, with feasting, flower crowns, body painting, and dancing.
• Upon arriving back at Caer Northwood, the biggest celebration begins, with a string of different parties beginning at sundown and often lasting for days at a time.
• It is called the Run because of the pace set by the procession, with the procession riding hard and fast between the Caers. Give or take a few days or a week due to weather, the procession usually makes it back to Caer Northwood in a month.

{Locals}

• Euan of Northwood (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=27371.msg402929#msg402929)
• Jewel of Northwood (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=27233.msg397879#msg397879)
• Gawain of Northwood (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=27366.new#new)

{Legends}

• Where Mountains Rise (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=27234.msg397883#msg397883)