Sireap Valley & the Tserani

From this Forge thread

Casnic has fallen!

Into the earth of Sireap

Casnic has fallen!

Rotting with its beasts of burden

A valley lies between Maldor and Ammeni, yet no caravans go there and no lord desires it. It is a cursed place, punished to this day for the callous attrocities committed during the Year of Night by Esau Neverfull, Count of Casnic. The valley's curse is simple, direct, and blunt: Beast shall not serve man.

Surviving the Night

Before the Sky-Fire, Casnic was a large and prosperous Maldorite city, blessed by fertile farmland, bountiful warrens, and plentiful trade. This changed as the world fell into continual night. Count Esau and his court mantained order as well they could, but everyone within Casnic feared the inevitability of famine and starvation. His court magician, Sapa the Assartist, subsequently created Sijjin's farro, a grain that needed no light nor warmth to grow.

The peasantry, called the Tserani, initially accepted this was necessary for survival, but their support waned when their animals began to die. For a month during the Year of Shadow, they would run, crazed, into the farro fields, and remain there until they died of starvation. Rumors emerged suggesting that Sijjin's farro needed the blood of animals as nourishment. The next year, word spread the Count believed these rumors and had experimented with not only sacrificing animals to the farro, but people as well. This prompted a revolt was led by Amos, the Vechil (a commoner overseer of the count's land) before the Year of Shadow. In the end, Casnic was in flames and its nobility destroyed, leaving Vechil Amos and the commoners on their own.

Settling in the Sun

The Tserani survived until the sun rose again, but they have never escaped the legacy of Sijjin's farro. The farro become wild and spread through the wilds of the valley like a weed. Though farro fields still proved lethal to animal life, animal life throughout the valley is known to become particularly wild and unpredictable during Sijjin's Tilling.

A consequence of this is that the Tserani no longer keep animals. They hunt, trap, and fish, but gone are the days of livestock, working animals, and pets. The tilled lands simply have too much of the farro to allow animals to survive.

Centuries after the world began anew, this curse of the farro is still in effect. Tseran farmers no longer plant Sijjin's farrow, but it grows as a weed around all graveyards and cemetaries, marking the area with its black-red chaff and stalks.

Tseran Society Today

The Tseran of Sireap Valley live in a primarily agricultural society with a decentralized political structure, based around village life. They have a much richer selection of produce than what one finds in Maldor proper, and some of the seasonings Ammenite cuisine adores can be found in Tseran cooking. At the same time, however, meat is very rare in the Tseran diet for reasons discussed above. Some are completely vegan, be it out of necessity (many of the poor) or choice (many devout Tserani view animal products as unclean). Over the past few centuries, the Tserani have compensated for their lack of animals by training themselves til the point of making mounts irrelevant (or at least less necessary). The Tserani are famous for both their prowess at running and their ability to carry loads long distances. At least one Ammeni noble is quite proud of his Tserani porters.

Each village is overseen by a council of elders, with the Vechil as the overall ruler. New elders may be selected by the Vechil, a town meeting of all farmers, or by the council itself. The Tseran have a general preference for a balance between these three forms of selection, but there are no laws demanding a certain mix.

The Vechil has become a hereditary position. There are specific laws about how much more extravagant the Vechil's house may be than other farm houses. New Vechils are required to take up residence in a new village that is different from his father's or mother's. The Tserani believe this helps prevent the creation of a new city, and as all Tserani know, cities are vile places just like Casnic. The Vechil's taxes are put to villages, not individuals, and can be paid in two forms: food and service. The Vechil is in charge of overseeing trade between villages as well as between the valley and neighboring Maldorite fiefs.

The Ushers

“We are the Ushers of the Vechil. We are the wind that brings peace to tilled lands of this valley. We bring you a message from the Vechil: You are an outsider who is not welcome here. Heed this message, for we are a wind you cannot withstand and cannot outrun.”

Villages also send men and women to work for the Vechil as part of their taxes. They are called the Ushers, and generally serve terms of 2-4 years, depending on what arrangements the Vechil has that particular village. They are the official representatives of the Vechil's authority, and keep the peace, bring messages to Elders, etc. They wear light brigandine armor, and their traditional weapons are the sling and curved, edged polearm they call an Usher's bill, but most Maldorite infantrymen would call it a glaive, though with a slightly shorter and more curved blade than normal. In combat, the Ushers are extremely competent skirmishers, known for incredible manueverability and ability to close distance. More than once, the Ushers have defended the valley from recklesss heavy infantry or overconfident horsemen.

The Dresors

"Welcome to my camp and join me by the fire. Beware the shadows in the wilds. I know what is in them, and it knows you. Take this with you. It is not much, but Absolon willing, it will be enough. May you pass your trials."

As Maldorite peasants, the Tserani worship a form of Absolon the Sun, and their holy men are known as Dresors. Their brand of faith, however, is seen as corrupt by Maldorit nobles, and the Desors a bizarre hodgepodge of heresy and bastardized magic. The Tserani believe Absolon diverted the the punishment of Sky-Fire by replacing it with The Year of Shadow. The Year of Shadow is thus seen as a test some passed and others failed. The Tserani passed, but not as perfectly as they would have liked thanks to Count Esau and Sapa. The Tserani believe that all people must be tested with Shadow, but the tests need not be as dramatic or as obvious as the Year of Shadow. If one is thought to be experiencing a test, other Tserani give them a wide berth, as radical changes may be in the works.

Additionally, the Tserani believe in spirits who, while not evil per se, are no friend to man. They belong to the moon, while mankind belongs to the Sun. Since the Year of Shadow, the Tserani believe nature has generally allied itself with the moon. Man must defend itself until Absolon returns to create a lasting balance between the worlds of sun & moon. Finally, Dresors craft charms using a syncretic blend of other magic traditions. Most notable is the enhancement & transformation aspect of three-corner sorcery, which came from a rebel apprentic of Sapa named Lingau. These charms serve as wards against evil spirits and peace offerings to those willing to work with Man.

Other Races

Wedged between a river and foothills in the heart of the valley are the ruins of Casnic, and they (and whatever relics they contain) are mainly controlled by the Ratkin, though some reclamation by humanity has begun. Ratkin-human relations are erratic at best, with trouble often erupting from Ratkin foraging beyond the ruins or human relic-hunting within the city. The Ratkin have recently reopened an iron mine near Casnic, though none know how much iron remains in the mine, or what may now lurk within it. It has also been discovered that Sijjin's Farro can be refined into a powerful narcotic that effects the Ratkin, and trade for the drug has emerged between the Tserani and the Ratkin.

There are two Goblin populations in Sireap Valley. First, Vanitors roam the forested hillsides in feral packs, though the woodsmen tell tales bonfires in hidden gullies. Occasionally, fanged Goblins raid villages for food or possibly sport. Second, the Chervans are a smaller tribe of Goblins who have created a niche for themselves working with the Tserani. Using the powers of adaptation, they shapechange into forms capable of carrying goods the humans could not without the use of pack animals. The Chervans make a living by being merchants through the valley and to the outside world. The Chervans have become the preferred merchants between the Tserani villages and the outside world.

Elves are very rare in Sireap. One Elf lives permanently within the ruins of Casnic, residing in a dilapidated tower of forgotten purpose. Four things are known of it: the Elf's name is Slusch Bash, she weilds Three-Corner Magic with terrifying ability, came soon after Elves returned to Near, and she regularly entertains visiting Elves that never stay long. Slusch Bash keeps to herself, and it is safest to respect her privacy. Other Elves have occasionally become Ushers but never elders in the villages.

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