Perils of the Ashenwood OOC

[Palanan]

Further Notes on Geography & Populations


The broad central plains of the Ride are bordered on their far western edge by the Ülgurül Hills, and the Ashenwood itself lies to the immediate west of the Hills. Beyond the Ashenwood extend the lands of the Baronies, which together comprise but one province of the great realm of Argentéuril, whose capital of Argentan is much farther to the west.

There are no large cities in the Ride itself, only scattered towns and settlements, although there are trading ports on the shores of the Caol Mhuir well to the south. The dwarves of the Kingshelm are numerous, and have substantial cities within the curve of the Kingshelm range; but apart from occasional fortified towns they have no major settlements in the Ride itself.

The largest town near the Ülgurül Hills, some fifty miles east of the Wealdmarch, is Wræccaceastre, which in the Western tongue is called Rachester; its dwarven name translates as “Exiles’ Town.” In the streets of Rachester jostle the riffraff and detritus of the Ride—outlaws, scavengers, man-hunters, steppe-rangers, escaped convicts and others of that ilk.

Despite this, Rachester lies upon one of the few roads leading into the Wealdmarch and through the Ülgurül Hills, and so it receives a steady flow of travelers. The Knights of Holy Passage—members of an order sworn to keeping roads safe for pilgrims—maintain a caravanserai just outside of Rachester, and this is where most honest travelers prefer to stay.

To the northwest of the Ülgurül Hills are the twin dwarven settlements of Byrneceastre and Gārceastre, or Burnchester and Garchester in the Western tongue. Together they guard the Stone Road through the Wanspēdiglond, not frequently traveled but still used by traders and dwarven merchants for reaching the northernmost Baronies. Unilke Rachester to their south, Burnchester and Garchester are strictly run as military settlements, overseen by governors appointed by the Kingshelm dwarves.

In the heart of the Ride is a trio of wide, perfectly circular lakes, nestled together within a great fen, all fed by several slim rivers winding in from the north. In the old tongue these lakes are the Trì Piutharan, or Þrī Sweostoran in the speech of the dwarf-lords. In the west flank of the fen rises a long curving ridge, and within the misted forests upon its slopes—the Ealdorweald—survives a small community of elves, who rarely venture beyond the marshes surrounding the Three Sisters.

Outside of the Ealdorweald, elves are not often seen. Those few glimpsed upon less-traveled paths are, in these times, likely to be refugees from the mountain-forests of the Beanntan Àrda, now consumed by war. Most of the elves fleeing the conflict are traveling northwest, making for the Stone Road through the Wanspēdiglond, and from there hoping to reach their long-lost cousins in the Amber Court farther to the north. But elves in ones and twos are scattered diffusely throughout the Ride, and not all of them are bent on flight.

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[Farmerbink]

So, as far as the geography and cultures….

…any thoughts, concepts, follow-up questions?

Alrighty, I finally made time to read (and hopefully understand) the geography.

My take is that Falgarra and her smallish clan live in The Ülgurül Hills proper, in a fairly wild part of the world. Not especially valuable to the Dwarves of Kingshelm- one of those groups that holds themselves free of the tax. In part, allowable because their location is not especially valuable. She may be second or third generation from one of those clans, her parents/grandparents having left for any number of reasons. I'd like to imagine they're still on relatively good terms with the grander Dwarven civilizations, but it's not strictly necessary for her backstory.

She would personally be pretty unfamiliar with the grander geography, but Would think she knows where her ancestors came from- any of the aforementioned military or Kingshelm cities would suit.

[Vegan Squirrel]

My schedule should be much clearer moving forward, sorry for the lack of posting (also, the forum continues to be load slowly, which doesn't help).

I like the geography—the linguistic touches are very nice. It has a very Tolkienesque aesthetic to it, while clearly being its own world with its own dynamics. I'm curious if our adventures will take us back east to explore some of these areas (such as the Mòinteachan Leathannan and the Geur Cúlagan).

I thought about Wræccaceastre and Byrneceastre as places Winston could have grown up, but upon further reflection I think he's actually from one of the southern ports along the shores of the Caol Mhuir. There we'd find the right mix of some ne'er-do-wells, but with an active city watch to keep things in order, and the bandits would prey on merchants carrying goods between the port and the inland areas.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Farmerbink
My take is that Falgarra and her smallish clan live in The Ülgurül Hills proper, in a fairly wild part of the world.

Indeed. Her community is the clanhold of Reidh Sliabh, on a shelf of land partway up the west-facing slope of the westernmost of the high ridges in the Hills. The clanhold looks out over the dense pine forests of the lower slopes, which flow into the broad expanse of the Ashenwood below.

The Ülgur-dwarves have held the Hills since time immemorial, and for long they were on good terms with the Dhaoine Seòlta, the dwarven folk whose ancestral home was the Ride and the curving mountains on its northern flank. But centuries ago the Kingshelm dwarves swept down from further north, and took those mountains for themselves; and those Dhaoine who would not submit fled where they could. Ever since they have been called the Dhaoine Caoineadh, those who yearn for their lost homeland.

Falgarra’s clan is one of the most recent to have left, seeking a new home; and in honor of their peoples’ ancient friendship the Ülgur-dwarves ceded them the western shelf, which had long been vacant for fear of dark things deep within the Ashenwood. But whatever dwells there has been silent and unseen these many long years, and for nearly a century the Ashenwood has slept beneath shadow and mist.

Originally Posted by Vegan Squirrel
I like the geography—the linguistic touches are very nice. It has a very Tolkienesque aesthetic to it, while clearly being its own world with its own dynamics.

High praise indeed, thank you.

Originally Posted by Vegan Squirrel
I thought about Wræccaceastre and Byrneceastre as places Winston could have grown up, but upon further reflection I think he's actually from one of the southern ports along the shores of the Caol Mhuir.

Akumos, the largest of these ports, lies beside the silty delta of the Abhainn Donn, a slow-winding river which drains the south-central Ride. Founded by a seafaring people long ago, Akumos is a rough-and-ready sprawl, fronted by an expanse of ramshackle wharves and sandy hythes, with lateen-rigged coastal traders riding the mild tides of the Caol Mhuir alongside dhows, barges, wallowing cogs and sleek oared galleys.

In Akumos are spoken all the languages of the Ride, from the lilting speech of the Dhaoine Caoineadh to the more gutteral tongue of the Kingshelm dwarves, as well as the odd murmurings of the horse-clans and the Western tongue of Argentéuril and the Baronies. The merchant-princes of Akumos have their own language, derived from the Yehūkūl traders of ages past; but today their factors and fixers can slip fluidly between any of the city’s languages as they haggle over cargoes, tariffs and warehouse fees.

Originally Posted by Vegan Squirrel
My schedule should be much clearer moving forward, sorry for the lack of posting (also, the forum continues to be load slowly, which doesn't help).

No worries, and I hear you about forum issues. It was a mess for me over the weekend.

At this point, if we can hear from everyone in the next couple of days, I’ll try to get the first IC post up this coming weekend.

[Chromascope3D]

So, since it seems that Buck is not native to this region, he's probably been traveling this "southern" countryside for roughly a decade or so, generally living on people's hospitality in exchange for healing and wisdom.

[tonberryking]

Rachester seems like the perfect place for Punk to have been "operating" out of up until the start of the game.


I want to say that her mom spent time in Geur Cùlagan for...mysterious reasons but the orc clan that she and Punk lived with before they were all put to the sword lived in the Rèidhean Mòra.

[Palanan]

Hey, folks—sorry for the delay in getting the IC up. I’m just finishing Week Three of whatever this thing is that I’ve got, and I have close to zero energy.

I’m making progress on drafting the IC, but it’ll likely be another day or two at least. In the meantime, I have one more choice for each of you, having to do with languages.

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A note on languages:

For game purposes, “Common” refers to the language of the Baronies and the western realm of Argentéuril, which refers to itself as Argentais.

There are three dwarven cultures in and around the Ride: the Kingshelm dwarves, who speak Cynetunge; the Dhaoine Caoineadh, who speak Dhaoine Cànain; and the Ülgur-dwarves, who teach their ancient words to none.

Enough trade moves throughout the Ride for a simplified form of Argentais to have become a rough-and-ready language of road and town, and the Dhaoine Caoineadh have left their words imprinted upon the landscape. But the roving horse-clans and pastoralists also speak Kulekhri, the speech of a conquering horse-clan who rose to dominance centuries ago. Their rule has long passed, but their language remains as a common tongue among the clans and the settlements in the Ride.

The form of Argentais used in the Ride, often called Argentais d’Chemin, has absorbed many words from Kulekhri, Cynetunge and Dhaoine Cànain, as well as terms from various clan languages and even a few words from the orc language. This is the common tongue as spoken in the Ride, and it is readily understood in the Baronies to the west of the Ashenwood; but further west, deeper into the heart of Argentéuril, it is widely ridiculed as hick speech, not “true” Argentais but a debased and mongrel tongue. Those who speak it in the royal capital of Argentan can expect to be laughed out of court; but most in the Baronies have no use for the court.

Each of the trading ports on the shores of the Caol Mhuir has its own local argot, each a creole born of centuries of hard bargaining among merchants and sailors from many shores. Akumos, the largest such port, has developed a creole known as Akhiram (or “a’ ’Ram” to younger speakers, “the ‘Ram”). Its core grammar operates on entirely different linguistic principles from Argentais or any of the languages of the Ride, and this plus its widely sourced vocabulary makes it incomprehensible to outsiders.

And so, with that said:

Spoiler: Buck

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During his time wandering the Ride and adjacent lands, Buck has heard just about every tongue spoken between the Wealdmarch and the Beanntan Àrda. First, Buck should choose whether the “Dwarven” he’s learned is the language of the Kingshelm dwarves or that of the Caoineadh. After that, Buck can choose one bonus language from the following: the other dwarven tongue, Kulekhri, or Orc.

Spoiler: Falgarra

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As one of the Dhaoine Caoineadh, it is Dhaoine Cànain which Falgarra speaks natively as “Dwarven.” But she spent her early life in the shadow of the Kingshelm dwarves, and later many decades adjacent to the Ashenwood, so she can take either Cynetunge or Sylvan as a bonus language.

Spoiler: Punk

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Between her time in the Ride and her recent residence in Rachester, Punk has been exposed to a number of different cultures and tongues. She can choose one bonus language from among Cynetunge, Dhaoine Cànain, or Kulekhri.

Spoiler: Sir Winston

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Growing up in Akumos, the young Winston was exposed to all manner of languages spoken in the alleys, shanties and wharf-fronts. Winston can choose one bonus language from among Cynetunge, Dhaoine Cànain, or Akhiram.

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A note on orcs:

When the Dhaoine Seòlta first came to the Rèidhean Mòra, long and long ago, they made their way to the Beanntan Àrda and drove out the orc-tribes that had made their homes in the caves and scree-slopes throughout those mountains. Many orcs retreated into the wild lands to the east of the Beanntan Àrda, where civilized folk have never ventured in numbers; but some orcs escaped into the vastness of the Ride, learning to endure distant horizons and the emptiness of open skies above them.

Most of these orcs tried to live as they always had, by hunting and raiding; but this earned them no friends, and the raiding-orcs were hunted out or driven into the Mòinteachan Leathannan, and never heard from again. Yet some few orcs took to the ways of the Ride, learned the art of horse-riding, and took on new lives as horse-clans themselves. They remain suspicious, aggressive, and unfriendly towards most outsiders, but they now speak Kulekhri alongside their own tongue and maintain civil—if guarded—relations with other horse-clans.

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[Farmerbink]

How is this going to impact communication among the party? I'm not sure how deep into those weeds I care to go to navigate what might be considered normal interactions.


Related: given that Dwarves typically start the game with "common" and "Dwarven," is Dhaoine Cànain the in-game replacement for Dwarven (for Falgarra), and Argentais is the in-game common?

If I'm allowed to choose, she will 100% speak the "hick" version of Argentais.

[Palanan]

Good questions, and sorry if I wasn’t clear in my previous post, I was steamrolled and falling asleep by the time I finished writing it.

Argentais is the equivalent of Common here, and everyone has a choice of whether they want to speak proper, courtly Argentais or the hick version, Argentais d’Chemin. (Except perhaps Punk, who probably wouldn’t have been exposed to courtly Argentais, and likely grew up speaking Argentais d’Chemin in all its scruffy glory.) But everyone will be able to communicate normally in some version of Argentais, so no worries on that score.

As for Falgarra, since she’s Dhaoine Caoineadh, her mother tongue is Dhaoine Cànain, which is “Dwarven” for her. She can choose either the Cynetunge (the other “Dwarven”) or Sylvan as a bonus language. And yes, she can definitely speak Argentais d’Chemin, since most travelers through the Hills will speak the hick version.

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[Chromascope3D]

I think Buck would've been pragmatic about learning whatever languages would give him the widest access, so I think he would have picked up Cynetunge and Kulekhri

[Farmerbink]

Good questions, and sorry if I wasn’t clear in my previous post, I was steamrolled and falling asleep by the time I finished writing it.

Argentais is the equivalent of Common here, and everyone has a choice of whether they want to speak proper, courtly Argentais or the hick version, Argentais d’Chemin. (Except perhaps Punk, who probably wouldn’t have been exposed to courtly Argentais, and likely grew up speaking Argentais d’Chemin in all its scruffy glory.) But everyone will be able to communicate normally in some version of Argentais, so no worries on that score.

As for Falgarra, since she’s Dhaoine Caoineadh, her mother tongue is Dhaoine Cànain, which is “Dwarven” for her. She can choose either the Cynetunge (the other “Dwarven”) or Sylvan as a bonus language. And yes, she can definitely speak Argentais d’Chemin, since most travelers through the Hills will speak the hick version.

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Sorry to be pedantic, but I'm not quite following yet.

When you say Falgarra can choose one of those languages as a bonus, are you granting her a bonus language, or assuming she has sufficient intelligence for that? XD

She definitely does not have sufficient intelligence for that. lol

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Farmerbink
When you say Falgarra can choose one of those languages as a bonus, are you granting her a bonus language…?

Yes—I’m granting each character one bonus language, in addition to their regular languages, regardless of Intelligence score.

So Falgarra would have her native dwarven language (Dhaoine Cànain) plus her version of Common (Argentais d’Chemin), plus Druidic from her class.

Those are all she would ordinarily have, but I’m granting one additional bonus language based on each character’s origins and history. In Falgarra’s case, she has the choice of either the Kingshelm dwarven language (Cynetunge)—because she had contact with that language in her early life— or Sylvan, due to her proximity to the Ashenwood.

[Farmerbink]

Yes—I’m granting each character one bonus language, in addition to their regular languages, regardless of Intelligence score.

So Falgarra would have her native dwarven language (Dhaoine Cànain) plus her version of Common (Argentais d’Chemin), plus Druidic from her class.

Those are all she would ordinarily have, but I’m granting one additional bonus language based on each character’s origins and history. In Falgarra’s case, she has the choice of either the Kingshelm dwarven language (Cynetunge)—because she had contact with that language in her early life— or Sylvan, due to her proximity to the Ashenwood.

Very cool, thanks for putting up with my pedantry.

I'll go with Sylvan. That seems like more of a direct connection to her choices, when most of her life so far has been thoroughly molded by the circumstances of her birth.