G'huis

G'huis is the largest rathari range both in terms of geographical area and population on Aquanius. Having been settled for thousands of years they have defended their territory from both the Sunna and different dwarven expeditions; although they allow open passage for both of them under the terms of trade and exploration. As a semi-nomadic people their are few population centers except for their center of government and a series of watchtowers they maintain on the east coast.

The range is divided into smaller regions with each region's central gathering point a large wood and stone tower. The tower will rise above the treetops so that it is visible to all those flying around it. The peaks are commonly flying hundreds of different flags and banners depending on who is nearby and what is happening. The eyesight of the rathari allow for effective communication across the range by semaphore.

• Capitol: Split End

  • Major Cities: So'val
• Official Languages(s): Ratharian

  • Regional Languages(s): Soone
• Ethnic Minority Groups:

  • Jo'kari, 18,000, Semi-Independent live near the Escarian Mountains
  • Ni'booke, 15,000, Followers of the True Dawn
  • Narsh, 8,000, Religious semi-radical independents
• Demonym: huis'nan
• Government: Council(s)
• Area: 300,000 sq. km

  • Approximately size of Italy
• Territories:
• Population: 725,000

  • 90% Rathari
  • 6% Goblin
  • 3% Human
  • 1% Other
• Military:

  • 5,000 Standing Regulars
  • All able adults serve two years in militia
• Structures:

  • 42 Towers still active
  • 18 Castles in ruins or abandoned
• Currency:

  • Foreign only

G'huis has enjoyed a couple of hundred of peaceful years with its neighbors. During this time it has prospered providing trade between the rathari and the Children of the Sun. They have harnessed the power of the Chemmic River to power mills to work the grain harvested by the workers they employ. Most of the first workers were Sunna, but in the last decades large numbers of goblins have been brought to these lands to work the fields and herds.

Although rathari have lived in the area for thousands of years before the “founding” of this range it was only officially accepted by its neighbors in Y837 AE after those living here repelled a large incursion from the Children of the Sun. The treaty that ended this war drew the border between the two countries. This war in turn created a permanent settlement and need for centralized government to ensure it was maintained. The hu family was the largest in the area and so they signed the agreement.

This single settlement eventually grew as those families living near it prospered and spread north. As nearby families and communities slowly joined and intermingled over hundreds of years the territory of those who owned a measure of prosperity to G'huis expanded. Eventually it reached a point where communities far removed the central family stopped joining for their was no benefit.

With the agreement became a need to oversee it. At first the Hu Family oversaw everything, but as the extended family grew it became difficult to get agreement on changes. The matriarch of the family selected council of elders to relieve this burden upon the others. Each member was selected for personal loyalty to her, age, and wisdom. Rule was for the elderly as those who could still fly the skies should not be bound by the earth and words.

The council grew as did their territory. Eventually smaller councils sprung up to administrate distant regions. Each council built their own “Council House” modeled on the large towers of Split End. This structure remains in place to the current age. The local council oversees all local issues, but may take its case to the central council for wisdom and adjudication.

With central councils the “freedom to roam” became more constrained. The local rathari did not appreciate newcomers arriving and taking their resources or trade goods. The tradition of freedom conflicted with the government of council. In Y1202 AE a small conflict eventually grew into a range war between the Blue Skies and the Councils. The various Councils would have won except eventually Council militia were fighting each other over long territorial grievances.

This was not a bloody war with massive casualties, but instead thousands were wounded - many too wounded to fly again. The Hu Council eventually sent in their own trained troops along with come neutral Council militia. This was the first use of regular military, which had been created to fight the Sunna if necessary.

When the Eye of the Magi first appeared in the sky the huis'nan leaders saw this as a sign that Aesir was angry with them and the war came to a close. The end result was not just the destruction of several council houses, but stronger centralized controls as the Hu Council brought the more independent councils to heel. In addition those ranges outside of the huis'nan drew together to oppose any further expansion.

In Y108 AH a trading dispute between the huis'nan and hel'nan threatened to break into open conflict. The huis'nan again sent their experienced soldiers to “mediate” this situation. The hel'nan had hired a theodovan mercenary company to open their own “negotiations.” Magic is not unknown among the ratheri; although most consider the practice of anything except proscribed by the Scholars of Aesir. The mercenaries did not just bring sword and shield to the battle, but magic not seen among the huis'nan in generations.

The battle was short and the huis'nan forced to retreat. The hel'nan could not continue to pay the mercenary for long and dismissed them after signing a peace treaty with the huis'nan. Eighteen years after that peace treaty the “Night the Wings Fell” happened. The huis'nan sent in assassins to kill those who hired the mercenaries and other influential hel'nan before their soldiers moved into the territory. By morning the few scattered remnants of the hel'nan had fled - all others were killed.

It was a brutal conflict and one that not only made the point of involving outsiders, but drew their neighbors together rather than risk being destroyed by the huis'nan.

The land is mostly tall Grasslands with a large swath of dense tree Savanna along the northern border. Unlike the extensive river network that crosses the land far north of the range, these lands are dominated by two rivers.

Unlike lands to the north this area is not rich in water resources. Only a few small lakes dot the land that provide fishing enough to support the polulace. Two rivers bring water to the most southern regions, but it is very silty and most rathari prefer to use sand filtration before drinking.

Although smaller than the Chemmic in terms of width and water, the Gulong is formed by the many smaller rivers that run off between the Feurthorn and Kitharen Mountains. This brings water from outside their lands. The river is always running fast except after the heavy rain season when it overflows its banks flooding the nearby plains.

The Chemmic River has its headwaters in the Fuerthorn Mountains along the Neuvar Ridge. It is the most important river in this area carrying water from the mountains until it reaches the Isaurus Ocean. The huis'nan first settled along this river where the Chemmic and Gulong rivers merge. The town of Split End is where the central council sits. The river is very silty along with slight sulfuric smell. Although it is not poisonous to plants or animals - only thin reeds grow along the banks.

G'huis is still ruled by the Hu Council; although many members of this council can clearly claim direct lineage. Instead the council as grown over the years into two distinct bodies. The first is comprised of eight (8) members and serves as executive leadership. Each member of the executive council has near absolute control over one sector of life - War, Food, Life, Truth, Foreign, Law, Skies, and Water.

The more numerous (and lesser) body if formed by two members of each recognized council region. This council has been eighty-four (84) members for over a hundred years. It is within this body that feuds are brought to the light, grievances are filed, and the words of the land finalized. All words start with the executive, but must be approved by a majority of the lower council.

After their founding the huis'nan had a history of rapid, and often violent, expansion to their north. Several other rathari families were forced to join for flee their own ranges. After several wars the borders have settled, but animosity remains.

The Children of the Sun, or Sunna, territories are south of G'huis along a large shared border. Although they have warred in the past and there are still unresolved disputes the two countries have become closer over the years. The Sunna ships have sailed along the coast and even dared the treacherous waters beyond the sight of land. They have hired many ratheri as ship hands for their voyages. The rathari have superior eyesight and understanding of The Wind making the passage quick and safe.

The Y'bome share a small northeastern border with G'huis. The Ysh'nan were the first range to seek mutual protection from the huis'nan. Their home among the lower mountains and evergreens gave them strong natural defenses to any intrusions on their land. They have brought in engineers to construct large theodovan towers and even a pair of keeps to remind the huis'nan they will not be killed in the night.

Very little trade or communication passes between these two ranges with distrust still strong among the Y'bome.

All of the land trade routes that pass through G'huis run through V'eand as well. This has increased the wealth of both ranges giving them little reason to restrict the flow of trade. There are the occasional border disputes caused by hot-headed youth on both sides, but the councils along the boarder work hard to keep anything from escalating out of control.

Of late the Y'eand have been concerned over a policy among the G'huis of “capture” that has taken on a more troubling turn. The ancestral culture of the rathari in Aquanius was matriarchal with men challenging for the right to mate. The woman would set a challenge and the men would compete. These pairings were considered to last a lifetime, but the matriarch could separate them upon word of The Winds. The G'huis capture involves men challenge each other to enter V'eand range and capture women and force a pairing. There is growing concern not just for the women taken, but the reason for this new development.

The Garnnik Clan is a hashan settlement northeast of the coast near the equator. They have established a trading post near the coastal town of So'val north of the mouth of the Chemmic River. The Garnnik have clashed with trading ships of the Sunna, but currently the huis'nan are maintaining a neutral position. They allow both ships to dock and be repaired, but pay a heavy price should any of their crews cause trouble in town.

G'huis have a single standing military lead by the Council of War. In addition each rathari must serve two years in the militia protecting the lands of their regional council. Those claiming direct lineage of the huis'nan must serve four years. The standing military is broken down into eight flights. Five flights are deployed along the border while the remaining three are encamped east of Split End. Every three months the flights are rotated.

Each Flight can be broken into eight wings. The first wing is twice the size of the others and comprised of the best warriors. The last wing are the strongest Wind Callers among the members of the Flight. After seeing the devastating effects of magic in war the Council of War mandated training for those who showed strong enough aptitude. Some of these rathari have traveled to Irill to study magic in the Collegia Arcanum.

G'huis is not a wealthy nation and although it has existed for more than a thousand years it has still lacked the advancement of other younger countries. Most of the regions are self-sufficient producing only enough to provide for themselves and few things to trade with other regions. Hunting and Herding is still the way most of the rathari live in this range.

The lands of G'huis are mineral poor and the rathari themselves make poor miners. In addition the rathari rely on their forests so they allow only enough logging to support themselves. They have brought in some Sunna and a few Goblin tribes to work the arable land. This has produced enough grain to export.

A dwarven trade company has negotiated for the mineral rights to stretches of the Escarian Mountains under their control. This has potential to bring in more trade in the future, but for now it is only an exploration mine.

When G'huis was founded by treaty the entire population was 100% huis'nan. Over the years this number has dwindled as the G'huis absorbs other rathari families and ranges. At the start of the Age of Heroes 63% of the population could still trace back a direct lineage to the huis'nan. Of these less than 20% (12% total population) can claim to be fully huis'nan as most families have intermingled with other families over the years. These families live along the southern border of G'huis.

The Jo'kari represent about 3% of the population and live in a semi-independent range near the Escarian Mountains. The mountains have allowed them to live mostly isolated from the rest of the range. Instead of living in towers or tree stands they make their homes in the caves and peaks of the mountains. The range is self-sufficient; although occasionally young men and women will travel to outer ranges in search of mates. Unlike other ranges the Jo'kari rule under a single pair. The female is the campmaster and in charge of daily life, pairings, and herding. The male is the huntmaster and defends the range and cares for the wild herds.

The Jo'kari have resented the incursions of the dwarven mining company on their lands. Warfare has not broken out, but both sides have begun to carry weapons more often just in case.

The Ni'booke are religious followers of the New Way. Comprising about 2% of the overall population these followers have cast aside all bonds of family and instead embrace the True Dawn. Any of the rathari are free to join; although most families drive their followers out of their range before others embrace them. In some extreme cases they have faced persecution for their beliefs. The True Dawn casts aside the belief that they are the children of Aesir, instead pursuing a religious believe that the gods never existed only demons to drive people mad.

A very small, but vocal, minority whose express drive to to overthrow the control of the councils and return the power to the freedom of the range. The need for some to control actions and deeds of another is what has poisoned the rathari from achieving true enlightenment. Only in returning to their roots can the rathari embrace their tomorrow. The enslavement of some to live as other do is the enslavement of all.

G'huis speak the language of their ancestors which is unique in the world. There is a runic written part of the language but it encompasses less than half of the words of the oral language. Council meetings take place only ratharian. If there is a foreigner in the meeting they are expected to provide their own interpreter. Many of those that live along the northern and southern borders have leaned the languages of their neighbors.

The majority of the religion is called The Wind and holds Aesir as the supreme goddess. Her siblings The Wave and The Earth and younger and thus less important. At first there was the wind, which gathered dust which became The Earth. To fill the earth with life The Wind allowed her rain to fall and fill the seas and rivers. From the water and earth came the other races, but from the glory of the wind came the jundari and rathari.

Several smaller religions have been founded, but none of them have gathered the strength or numbers to become prominent. Most only last while their charismatic leader lives.

The rathari are blessed with a natural affinity for The Wind. Those who seek greater understanding can call down the rains and light the night with lightning. From gentle breezes to hurricane force a powerful rathari magician can harness its power. In recent years the rathari have learned to control other magics. They may not be born to harnessing fire or summoning spirits, but they are fully capable of learning such things.

Magic in G'huis society is seen as a good thing if you are a follower of The Wind. If instead you choose the path of the outsiders you will find yourself shunned. A rathari magician who learns from outsiders will not be abandoned or killed, but they will be considered a lesser mate and ineligible to serve on Council.

The G'huis are at their roots several hunter-gather tribes that merged together for mutual benefit and conquest. Although their physical bodies lake attributes for agriculture they can maintain gardens and small plots of land. They have brought in thousands of outsiders to work their lands, craft their raw materials, and transport heavy loads. This has created a culture of haves and haves-not.