Austrum

The Breadbasket Refugees of Kerios

One of three original human kingdoms, the nation of Austrum is one best known for its vast tracts of farmland over the southern plains. From vineyards, to golden seas of wheat, to orchards bearing fruit that would rival gemstones in vibrance, Austrum has always been considered the breadbasket of Kerios, and would often trade farmed produce like wool and crops for tools, alliances with surrounding nations, and fineries. Their vast wealth led to some of their cities becoming the largest of Kerios, containing vast centers of knowledge concerning magic, craftsmanship, and the humanities. Their knowledge of Kerios’s early history was unparalleled, and many of their scholars were known for also being great explorers, though their native dialect of Austri Common remains a barrier to those who would translate such accounts.

Austrum was the first to fall to the Lord of Skulls— not through conquest, but plague. The survivors fled south, to the plains surrounding Ardenlake— a massive man-made reservoir— west, across mountains to the West Isles, and north to the forests and fields of Lithul. The remaining generations were primarily younger folk— just reaching working age— and their parents, as the most vulnerable of those who survived the plague soon fell amidst the chaotic exodus. Only those most resilient to the beating sun remain where the heart of the great kingdom once stood, braving the scorching desert to search for answers.

Nowadays, the remaining native Austri are less forthcoming to others, trading primarily with their distant relatives in the West Isles and continuing their traditional farming practices. They also have begun to explore more innovative practices once again, seeking to create things that would not only elevate them back to their former status, but enable them to retake and reinvigorate their home. However, the trauma of the plague and their exodus weighs heavy on their minds, and some believe that they should give up on seeking retribution in the face of such insurmountable odds.

Training

Education

Austri schools remain a constant reminder of the structure and wealth the great nation once had, such that the peoples of Austrum loathe to give up their carefully crafted curriculums. Even the smallest Austri settlements have a schoolhouse dedicated to honorable education. Children are gathered and grouped based on age, with differing levels of learning each year. From age four to age sixteen, kids are taught the basics of reading, writing, practical building and farming, artistry, and even basic magic practices like artificing and alchemy. Most honored, however, is the teaching of history, politics, and philosophy, where children are encouraged to challenge their own views and learn of the legacy left for them.

Once a year’s worth of children finish their schooling, their transition into adolescence is celebrated among their entire community, often being gifted personalized sets of tools or given opportunities to continue their studies into specializations, should they wish, under journeymen and masters. The Austri only consider a person an adult once they have proven their mastery of a specific craft, or shown extensive knowledge of a valued subject, before the elders of their settlement. The extreme value placed on one’s craft and their contributions to society have led to the creation of Crafts and Trade Guilds, and entire families dedicating their legacy to their profession.

Combat

The Austri have become masters of siege weaponry in their own right, as well as fortifications that rival the fortresses of the dwarves. They also are incredibly skilled in the use of cavalry, wielding spears, halberds, and longbows with precision and deadly force. This might has protected them from rival nations’ invasion, as their military might was swiftly reinstated from Ardencaer.

Their armor tends to be leather or studded and folded cloth to reduce weight, enabling their horses to thunder across the battlefield, though higher ranking members of the military are often seen in elaborate plate armor sporting a personal crest. Tales tell of the early Austri military seizing their territories by hurling enchanted boulders, flaming barrels of oil, and even diseased bodies over the walls of a besieged fortress, while armies were decimated by raining arrow fire and subsequently trampled by well bred and trained horses.

Competitions to prove one’s skill are common, and rank is oft determined and challenged through feats of mastery and duels to prove one’s competence. Jousting, archery, and horse races are famous across Kerios, and draw enormous crowds both native and foreign to view the spectacles. Those crowned champions are honored by both their competitors and their communities. While the overall structure of Austrum’s military is still somewhat shaken, it is most comparable to the Knights of the Crown in Dulatica.

Medicine

Medicine amongst the Austri is highly specialized and often alchemically based, using what fertile soil they have available to grow medicinal herbs alongside their edible bounties. In addition, many physicians in Austrum have a deep understanding of diseases and infection, more so than much of the rest of Kerios, and thus hold sanitation— both personal and professional— to a high standard. Many efforts focus on treatment and cures to otherwise terminal or debilitating diseases, and while some physicians claim their studies hold promise, nothing of particular import has come about as of yet.

Trace knowledge of magical healing remains within scattered pieces of the Austri population, but it is not well understood and even feared in some cases, as the plague that originally wiped out the kingdom was magical in origin.

Daily Life

The economy of Austrum boils down into three main sectors; the agricultural sector, including livestock and produce farms, the innovative sector, including medicinal and inventive practices as well as the occasional magic-user, and the trade sector, including the manufacturing and transport of goods such as clothing. Each major profession has its own guild within their sector, such as the Weavers’ Guild or the Smiths’ Guild, and is comprised of master craftspeople who compete in innovative practices, but also share information to refine and keep their craft alive and well. Guilds often have trade agreements to provide for each other before outsiders.

An Austri diet often includes cheese, farmed meats like pork or mutton, breads, and wine or jams. In addition, fruits and vegetables are easily available, and included in salads, pies, or other dishes.

Government

The government of Austrum was originally a monarchy, but since the kingdom’s collapse the nation has been ruled under a combined council of military officials, Guild Masters from each economic sector, and invited academic scholars. They meet in the heart of Ardencaer, receiving petitions from across the remaining Austri lands to discuss and decide upon. Some issues fall more prominently to one group or the other, so work is split between representatives and handed down through the ranks.

Power and rank is determined by skill, so within the military, academic institution, or guild, one may be nominated to demonstrate their prowess before their peers. This can be through combat, feats of strength, craftsmanship, displays of knowledge and reasoning, or other demonstrations. If a sufficient amount of skill is shown, they rise to the next rank as determined by those above them in the chain of power. These tests are repeated regularly, oft annually, meaning that only the most skilled and qualified people remain in their position for extended periods of time.

Religion & Holidays

The Austri people are not particularly pious, but they worship the Founding Gods and their courts out of respect. Depending on their profession, some families may take to worshipping one particular god more fervently, such as smiths revering Motsognir Forgebinder. In a way, the pursuit of mastery in skill and profession, or the pursuit of quality, could be considered its own religion by the Austri, though foreign scholars often connect it to Artificis instead.

Holidays are less often specific days, and more periods of the year that hold significance, such as harvest season. Trade festivals are common ways to gather and celebrate. Craftspeople bring out their best works to be entered into contests or auctioned off. Masterwork is celebrated, and Guilds often hold meetings and seminars during these festivals to educate and be educated by others of their craft. Outsiders are welcome to observe these festivals, but are treated as rivals by many Austri, especially if they are a craftsperson. However, should one prove their mastery of a skill, guild folk are just as willing to exchange information as they would be with one of their own.

One particular holiday, however, is prominently recognized even by Austri who no longer live within its borders, and that is the Væsten Days. This is a week-long period of remembrance and intermittent fasting in honor of the Exodus and the sacrifices made during it. Austri folk will light candles, usually at least one, or one for each close family member lost, and only eat between the sundown and sunrise in the candlelight. Those who would risk their health by fasting, such as the ill or children, are allowed to abstain.

Architecture

Austri architecture is generally made from a mixture of brick and clay or cob, having wooden skeleton structures and clay and stone foundations. Their buildings begin small, and are easily expanded upon as needed, creating irregular floor plans known as “flowering houses,” for how their walls spread like the petals of a blooming flower. They can be two or even three stories high from ground level, many including balconies and herb and vegetable gardens within the house, with the occasional window made from cobbled-together pieces of glass. Austri also take pride in creating “living roofs,” where they will pack dirt and plants over clay and thatch. Many Austri homes also include extensive underground portions to serve as storage cellars, with walls being sealed and finished with cob and clay. The outsides of their houses are often painted bright colors to signify the family living there, and their trade.

The Austri also have extensive plumbing and aqueduct systems around Ardencaer, drawing from the Ardenlake Resivoir and emptying outside the city. These systems help provide and distribute fresh water to the entire surrounding population, and plumbers are held with some reverence because of this.

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