Lithul

The Faewilds’ Shadow

The nation of Lithul is made up of hardy folk, living off the land and abiding by superstitious practices and forms of worship toward the Gods, primarily Lith. Originally, the land belonged to the Elves, but after their war with the dragons and subsequent near-extinction much of the southern and eastern parts of the land has been claimed by humans, many of whom had been escaping a growing desert in the kingdom of Austrum to the south.

The Lithuli peoples are scattered, many being nomadic hunters speaking a mixture of common and elvish, trading furs and meats from Lithul’s bountiful forests with the eastern cities— which rise from the riverbanks amidst elven ruins, nearly restored to their former glory. These cities are ruled each by trade barons, often offering martial protection and shelter in exchange for a cut of whatever the city’s craftspeople, fishers, and farmers make. As refugees have flocked to these settlements in search of a new life and stability, some barons find themselves overwhelmed by the influx of people. As such, pockets of Lithul have become home to large refugee camps that are the seeds for new cities, and a fruitful black market controlled by an organization known as the Court of Thieves.

The lack of unity among the Lithuli peoples threatens to break the region into civil war. The Court of Thieves has gained economic power through alliances with multiple frustrated trade barons, and their immoral practices, whilst the Austri refugees grow restless in the face of excruciating odds. Even still, another power— thought to be bands of outcast nomads and peoples freed from the Court’s service— has grown to notoriety. Known as Dreamer’s Rebellion, they denounce the Court and trade barons alike, promising instead a united Lithuli Republic in which all peoples are welcome, and one which would provide safety and shelter from threats beyond their borders. The Rebellion remains small, however, and most consider it a fringe group to the powers at play.

Training

Education

Most Lithuli children are homeschooled; brought into their parents’ trades and taught their craft to carry on the family business, or sent off to find an apprenticeship in their early teens so they can sustain themselves and their families. This is especially common among Lithuli nomads or those who live in the most rural reaches of the region. These teachings prioritize survival tactics and how to fend for oneself, as well as how to make or maintain useful tools like scythes, hatchets, hunting bows, and arrows. Few nomads can read or write in a traditional alphabet, instead using pictorial symbols as warnings or markers of shelter.

Children in cities ruled by trade baron have more opportunities to branch out or potentially learn specialized crafts. There are schools in most cities, enabling the population to read and write in common, and the occasional scholar will know rudimentary elvish. However, this sort of training can be expensive, and many city-dwelling families fall back on their inherited trades or the apprentice-master system. There is also the option, in some cities, to work for the trade baron’s personal militia in exchange for tuition funds, but many folk think the risks are seldom worth the reward.

Combat

Lithuli nomads are masters of guerrilla warfare. Anything from traps, to sabotage, to hiding entire legions of people until the moment they strike, they know how to bring down armies with only a few handfuls of people. They use all the natural resources they have to their advantage, the greatest of which being their superior knowledge of local terrain. Hunter’s tools work just as well for deer and bear as they do for humans. In addition, there is a tacit agreement amongst nomadic families to protect their own, so entire villages have been known to keep secrets diligently— even if only for the safety of one person.

Within the cities, the Trade Barons employ personal militias to serve as their police force, and to act as a standing army should the need arise. More often than not, however, ex-militia members recall taking in a few people who seemed to be of good standing, and innocent except for disagreeing with the resident baron’s ideals. And none of them know or remember where prisoners go after capture. Still, these militias are well trained, and skilled in close combat with spears, short and longswords, shields and bucklers, and the occasional greataxe, often equipped with at least chain and leather armor, with high-ranking officers getting the rare plate set.

Medicine

The medical knowledge held by medics in Lithul is extremely relative to the region and the resources there. Most remedies are herbal based, and must be foraged for. A medic in southern Lithul would be trained to deal with heat stroke and injuries related to farming, and would be useless in the northern parts of Lithul where hypothermia, illness, and animal attacks are more common. Thus is the way of the nomadic peoples, who can only make use of what they have around them. Some medics are rumored to be able to use magic, after making deals with the fae, but most dismiss these as rumors.

In the cities, however, medics and doctors have more knowledge available to them, and are far more versatile in their skillsets. They are trained to not only treat illnesses and basic injuries and infections, but also how to perform more invasive surgeries and concoct alchemic medicines for patients. There are a few magically-inclined healers within the cities, but their services are rare and expensive, reserved for the Barons and their elite. However, doctors trained in the cities tend to be less resourceful and far more reliant on the precision tools they use daily, and without medical equipment can only do so much.

Daily Life

Lithul as a whole remains relatively fractured, despite their unifying beliefs in their ancient history and superstitions. As such, a wide variety of professions can be found across the region, depending on resources and location. Most Lithuli pride themselves on being at least somewhat self sufficient, and hold the belief that everyone should contribute to the community as a whole, rather than simply taking advantage of others. That being said, Lithuli merchants are also known to be hagglers; to not haggle a price is sometimes seen as a sign of disrespect or laziness. Their attitudes toward outsiders remain relatively neutral, so long as said outsiders abide by their rules regarding the fae. With regards to the Austri refugees, most rural Lithuli are happy to take them in and teach them their way of life, while urban Lithuli and the Trade Barons are far more apprehensive, worried largely about remnants of the plague.

Government

There is no single unifying government in Lithul, though the argument could be made that the trade alliances between the barons of different cities is a form of government. More often than not, the various trade barons hold their cities under a seemingly benign authoritarian rule, using their hired militia to enforce their laws. Many are “common sense laws”, such as outlawing thievery and murder, but different barons hold different policies concerning taxes, tariffs, and traffic in and out of the city. Some even have strict curfews and laws concerning political treason. The barons act as judge, jury, and jailor— or will hire representative secretaries to speak and act in their stead on political and economic matters while their militia works to enforce their will. Barons are seldom overthrown, and power is generally transferred through a business contract or through inheritance.

In contrast, rural settlements and nomadic caravans tend to act in a more diplomatic fashion, in large part due to the smaller numbers of people involved. Many towns will elect their leadership— ie, a mayor, a treasurer, and a head guard— and then decide as a town on issues like taxes and petty crime. This works well for smaller settlements, as they are able to make and enforce rules specific to their situation, and few voices are left unheard.

Religion & Holidays

Lithul is believed to be the place Lith touched down when she first discovered Kerios during the Great Spirit War, hence the name and the extremely lush landscape. As such, most of its denizens worship her— even if they are not of fae or elven descent— and harbor many superstitions about her and her children. There are no official houses of worship, outside of a few large fae shrines present in especially populous cities. There are also shrines dedicated to each of the Kerian Circles scattered across the western continents of Kerios, which the particularly faithful make pilgrimages to.

Most often, however, people leave small offerings and sacrifices at the edge of the forest or in the middle of Fae rings, simply maintaining the health of the forest as best they can without letting themselves go hungry. Children are given nicknames to tell when a fae asks for their name, and everyone knows of the rules the Fae must abide by, as well as how to avoid the dangers that they present. And during the Equinoxes or the Solstices, large festival gatherings are held to celebrate Lith and her children, and offer them gifts in exchange for protection each season.

Some may scoff at these practices— especially outsiders— but the Lithuli tell tales of those who did not heed the warnings, and were lost in the trees, never to be found again.

Architecture

Lithuli architecture depends heavily on the region, as most make use of the materials they have. The eastern cities, which have straw and earth in abundance, tend to have buildings made of stone, cob, and clay with tiled or thatched roofs depending on the wealth of the occupant or property owner. Their buildings imitate and integrate elven architecture’s grandiose designs by including frescos and murals wherever possible, and some buildings even reuse parts of the ruins as open air gardens or plazas for markets.

Rural Lithuli, like the hunters and trappers in the western forests, tend to build log cabins that are either built on a cobble foundation, or sunk into the earth. They utilize the boons of the forest as best they can to create structures that last during frightful storms and blizzards, and often create large, communal lodges or enclaves made up of multiple smaller homes encircling a public clearing. These settlements often include large, communal fire pits under a central pavilion that are maintained regularly to roast large game and provide warmth and light to anyone on watch for the night.

Nomadic Lithuli tend to utilize a combination of woven fabrics, furs, and wooden supports carried by pack animals in order to create large, portable tents and yurts. They tend to move with their flocks and herds, traveling to find good food and let the pastures they visited regrow. On the rare occasion they settle near a permanent settlement, they will set their camp just outside the walls, and utilize what communal resources they can, trading with the locals. When on the move, they will have goats and bulls help carry the heaviest supports while each person is responsible for their individual belongings, and their family’s animals.

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