Tag: loc-rvrdan
Culture, Education & Traditions of the Riverdans
Posted on July 25, 2023 in Steel-Realms
The Culture, Education & Traditions of the Riverdans is mostly a mono-culture from more ancient days. The Riverland Culture is based on ancient eastern traditions and have merged some newer ones over time. The Riverdans of Dunstrand have incorporated many elements of the culture of the duchy at large.
Defining Ideal: The Riverdans has always seen themselves as a bastion of independence & freedom within The Grand Duchy of Dunstrand. They safeguard the traditions of the Fallen East, personal freedom, the nobility of service, and bloodline purity. "Where the river Nanford once flowed, so flows the blood and honor of tradition and loyalty."
Granted Rulership: The Riverdans have their own ancient laws and each ruler has, by Ducal decree from the founding days, authority in their own fief; Each small territory has its own hereditary ruling family – a fiefdom where the ruler has absolute, near autonomous control (unlike the official ‘counties’ and smaller peer titles of the Duchy). Where the hereditary families still rule, these lords are addressed as Barons by outsiders, otherwise ‘Liege-Steward’ or ‘Lord-Steward’ with a family name; All rulers are knighted by the Duke or one of his senior heralds, and as is to be addressed as ‘Sir’ or ‘Lady’ at a minimum by other peer nobles of the duchy.
Self-Sufficiency: Given the politics arrayed against them, the river land folk try and be self sufficient locally. The river-side territories on the south are mostly lush flood plain lands. The river rarely floods any more, and all settlements are built on rises above the river levels, but when it does, it deposits silt and nutrients; orchards and grasses are plentiful and there is more than enough for all. Rare raids by descendants of the Pine Tribesmen (no longer barbarians of the north, but tame hill men) still living in isolated pockets for fruit and grain do occur.
Trade and Barter: The silver crown is accepted currency everywhere, but many transactions between those who live here are on a barter system due to the monetary poverty of the fiefs. When dealing over long distances and with other fiefs and large institutions, the rulers of the western river lands look to Silver Lining Lenders; This organization is also present for all manner of individual and small business services.
Free From House Malor: The practitioners of mystical arts are EXEMPT from the famous Malorian Prohibitions the govern the use of the mystical arts within the boundaries of the Grand Duchy of Dunstrand.
Gatesmount (Riverdan)
Posted on July 6, 2021 in Steel-Realms
Geo-Location: Duchy of Dunstrand
The capital of ___ has a population of 1,700 (though in the far past it was 3-5 times that).
Defining Ideal: The Riverdans has always seen themselves as a bastion of independence & freedom within The Grand Duchy of Dunstrand. They safeguard the traditions of the Fallen East, personal freedom, the nobility of service, and bloodline purity. "Where the river Nanford once flowed, so flows the blood and honor of tradition and loyalty."
Defining Moment: All of the Riverdans were devastated when, in CY 7950-7986, Nanford River changed course during the Storm Times and Dwindor Swamp became a living things itself and gained the appellation of “Mighty Dwindor”.
Unless a specific location offers alternatives, Steel Realms Characters coming of age in/from this locale will shape their perspective to the primary experience of Cultural Experience of the Riverdans.
- A Cultural Experience is on top of any background, archetype, or species character elements; Normally a PC may only have a single Basic Cultural/Regional Experience at the time of Character Inception. A group of characters with the same cultural experience can come together to form a shared Cultural Bond.
Known For:
Ruled By: (Pledged Directly to the Duke of Dunstrand)
Rulership: Active; [‘Lord-Steward’ is proper, ‘Baron’ outside of Dunstrand] (Titled, peerage [knightly grant] based, matriarchal lineage)
Seat of Rule: The city of
> Symbol:
Factions: The most ancient faction is based on the lineage of the old families from the Fallen East. Like all the old families, they are associated with the League of the White Lily & brought their Dryad refuge through the ancient association with the Osten-Paullus faith.
Armed Forces
Size/Composition:
[Approximate] Professional = / Volunteer = / Mercenary = / Levy =
Pacification Garrison Presence: NO
Total Population:
[Approximate] Urban = / Rural = / Remote =
Transient: Very little due to the economic depression suffered by the river lands.
Racial Division and Relations: Like all the Riverdans, the population is almost 90% human. A few Grollen, Half Elves, and Dwarves have found their way into the old lands due to the general acceptance (though they are still treated as outsiders) of any people.
Social/Cultural Norms of Note: The folk of this place share the common culture of the Riverdans. They take pride in the origins and shared culture with ancient traditions. They all share some common historical events, such as the River Nanford changing course. They are obsessive about their bloodlines and preserving the records around them.
Divine Associations/Religion: The Riverdan folk are not overly religious, though they still observe many of the ancient Rites and traditions of the vanishing Osten-Paullus faith of the Fallen East. Over time, all of the families have gravitated more towards the Green Church and mother Gaia – even welcoming in Druids of the Wyld Faith since the impoverished and somewhat abandoned Riverdans are slowly “returning to nature”.
Common Names:
Riverdan Basic Map
Commerce, Economy, and Travel
Annual $:
Roads and Transport: Most roads are in disrepair. Markers have been left to rot or become overgrown. The river-side territories on the south are mostly lush flood plain lands. The river rarely floods any more, and all settlements are built on rises above the river levels. A few dykes or small seasonal dams are ready but often fail due to their state of disrepair.
Primary Imports:
>
Primary Exports: Orchards, grains, and grasses are plentiful.
When the river floods, it deposits silt and nutrients. The silver crown is accepted everywhere, but many transactions between those who live here are on a barter system due to the monetary poverty of the fiefs.
Crime/Criminal Element(s): There is not enough trade and capital to support any kind of large scale organized crime. Most criminals are opportunistic, though in a few large cities a small gang may be organized to run some local operation. Because of the currently impoverished nature of the Riverdans, many criminals are not treated harshly for non violent crimes (and there is a lack of jail facilities), while violent crime is often responded to with a level of severity greater than the crime.The people are fiercely community-minded and disturbing that peace is sometimes even dealt with in vigilante style.
More Materials
Adventures in the Area
Adventure Ideas
General adventuring in the Riverdans has some common threads…
Institutions & Lineages of the Riverdans
Posted on July 6, 2021 in Steel-Realms
The Families/Bloodlines Lineages of the Riverdans have their own ancient laws and each ruler has, by Ducal decree from the founding days, full autonomous authority in their own fief; Each small territory has its own hereditary ruler – a fiefdom where the ruler has absolute, near king-like control (unlike the official ‘counties’ and smaller peer titles of the Duchy). Where the hereditary families still rule, these lords are addressed as Barons (considered a sleight by them), otherwise ‘Lord-Steward’ with a knighted family name.
Defining Ideal: The Riverdans has always seen themselves as a bastion of independence & freedom within The Grand Duchy of Dunstrand. They safeguard the traditions of the Fallen East, personal freedom, the nobility of service, and bloodline purity. "Where the river Nanford once flowed, so flows the blood and honor of tradition and loyalty."
Riverdan Family Affiliation Map
Original Family Names
- Belmain (Oihgnan; “oy-nan” family)
- Benfreyim (Urma; “oor-ma” family)
- Tuflim (Vongleur; “vhon-glu-er” family)
- Horpan (Quirrelmyn; “kwer-el-min” family)
- Gatesmount (Groostman; “Groostman” family)
- Bondeu (Burren family)
- Monaides (Thindle; “tin-del” family)
- Glowarin (Baramatchu; “baram-achoo” family)
- Glois (Loish family)
- Pelmon (Tuffmein; “tuff-main” family)
History and Tales of the fiefs of Riverdans
Posted on July 6, 2021 in Steel-Realms
The history of The Riverdans is rich and deep, stretching back to the fallen east. The history of the Riverdans is directly tied to the History of the Grand Duchy of Dunstrand.
Defining Ideal: The Riverdans has always seen themselves as a bastion of independence & freedom within The Grand Duchy of Dunstrand. They safeguard the traditions of the Fallen East, personal freedom, the nobility of service, and bloodline purity. "Where the river Nanford once flowed, so flows the blood and honor of tradition and loyalty."
Defining Moment: All of the Riverdans were devastated when, in CY 7950-7986, the Nanford River changed course during the Storm Times and Dwindor Swamp became a living thing itself and gained the appellation of “Mighty Dwindor”.
General Chronicle of The Riverdans
Information Sources: Mundane Reference | Associated Phenomenology Only | Specific Lore
Knowledge is broken down by ease of discovery/availability & Meticulous Record Keeping may improve usability; Any attempt to know more than what's Pervasive will require a reference, source, knowledge, check, or access to someone who can get or provide either of these. Specific Lores may increase the chance of knowing specific elements.
Pervasive Knowledge / Very Easy Difficulty
Scarce Knowledge / Hard Difficulty
Ancient Settling: CY 2364 – Several rulers of “Eastern Blood” from the Fallen East send some of their family far from the war being lost against the Orrish. Calorn Forthright was chartered by the King of Gladnor to settle the “headlands of Dunstrand Vale” initially – where the Nanford River flows west. Calorn takes these knights and families with him, they are engaged to settle some lands in the T’Yendi Hills and plains bordering it. This enclave is called the Leslean Plains (later the County of Leslea). They have control of the northern fork of the headwaters of the Nanford River of the T’Yendi Hills and the northern reach going west called the Broken Feather Hills. They are the anchor that secures the northern border along the Beyne River against Pine Tribes and expanding Merchant River Culture that would be subsumed by the Sea-Kings. Opposite them at this time in the Valewall Hills is the Forthright family securing the southern fork of the Nanford Headwaters.
Additional Information
Dans of the Riverlands
Posted on June 1, 2021 in Steel-Realms
The Riverdans (“River Lands”) of The grand Duchy of Dunstrand is mostly a homogeneous mono-culture. It is based on the values and structures of the ancient Fallen East that have evolved over time.
Defining Ideal: The Riverdans has always seen themselves as a bastion of independence & freedom within The Grand Duchy of Dunstrand. They safeguard the traditions of the Fallen East, personal freedom, the nobility of service, and bloodline purity. "Where the river Nanford once flowed, so flows the blood and honor of tradition and loyalty."
Defining Moment: All of the Riverdans were devastated when, in CY 7950-7986, Nanford River changed course during the Storm Times and Dwindor Swamp became a living things itself and gained the appellation of “Mighty Dwindor”.
Unless a specific location offers alternatives, Steel Realms Characters coming of age in/from this locale will shape their perspective to the primary experience of Cultural Experience of the Riverdans.
- A Cultural Experience is on top of any background, archetype, or species character elements; Normally a PC may only have a single Basic Cultural/Regional Experience at the time of Character Inception. A group of characters with the same cultural experience can come together to form a shared Cultural Bond.
Riverdan Culture
The Riverdans are some of the oldest settled territory of Dunstrand. It consists of small tracts, initially parceled to the family leaders and knights of the Lords of noble families from The Fallen East, who helped to settle Dunstrand Vale. These holdings have been passed down hereditarily for years, they taking great pride in preserving their bloodlines (on the female side – as the tradition of the east). Some blood lines may have died out, and have been assimilated into the larger counties but many yet continue. Many of the traditions of the east are preserved in their culture – the animism, veneration of animal spirits, generosity to strangers, the kingly tradition of service to the people (‘The Lord Should Live no Better Than the People Who Serve Under Them’).
The Nanford River changed course starting in CY 7950, devastating the Riverlands and taking from the ancient families their prominent position in Dunstrand political and economic scenes. These ‘dans (Riverdan, Danlands) are tracts are usually no more than a few dozen miles in each direction – once magnificent with road markers, rest stops, and endless fields of wheat… now though, roads are in disrepair and traveling is rough. Lavish old keeps and manors with villages or small towns are the center of each, few have more than that single large center… although some have smaller villages on remote edges.
The people of the Riverdans are bitter, singularly set in their ways and fiercely independent. Their place in politics has gradually been usurped by the larger counties – who they consider their enemies since no one came to help when the counties north of the Nanford made their play to rule all trade in Dunstrand. Since the river course changed, the lands and keeps have become destitute and dilapidated over time, but the people still cling to their traditions and ways proudly. The land is fertile enough, but control of all the trade is through routes and merchant houses owing their allegiance to the Twin River powers in the north. What happens in one territory tends to stay there, and they long ago took oaths so that no one could have power over the others and have clung to this federation loyalty over the ages. Now however, they squabble and argue over borders and rights and cannot seem to band together in any way except to defend against military incursion. Faith is one of the few bonds of the Riverdans. The Wyld Faith and Green Church is strong, especially Rastur; Remnants of the ancient faith of Osten-Paullus (vanished sect of the Fallen East). The Earldom of Bar-Innis has decent relations with the Riverdans as it shares some of the historical period and meaning.