Erenon

Erenon
Capital	Restone (former); Wymoor (de facto)
Ruler	Sircathe Wriys (de facto)
Government	Provincial governorship (former); none/autocracy (de facto)
Demonym	Erenite
Adjective	Erenite
Languages	Thadrian, Common
Religions	Chaskan pantheon, especially Aduntarri, Mithrai, Shai, and Erra

Erenon (pronounced AIR-ah-non), formerly a province in the the Dominion of Viridia, was drastically depopulated by a series of terrible plagues. A small number of inhabitants have remained in the centuries since, growing increasingly more culturally distinct. More recently local figures have sent out messengers declaring the region safe for resettlement.

Geography, flora, and fauna

The ancient woodlands of the Badushath Forest and the Balsheana Woods occupy the center of Erenon. Temperate deciduous forests of oak, maple, and ash, both are well known for having millennia old eagle leaf trees, named as such for their distinctively shaped foliage. These trees can be easily spotted as they rise above the surrounding forests, growing up to 260 ft tall. It has long been considered extremely bad luck to fell one of these trees, and even in places where the woodlands are cleared these will almost always be left in place.

As a province of Viridia, Erenon was bordered to the east by the Thura River and to the west by the Caerno River. Today, the region of Erenon is considered to extend a distance past the Caerno, based on the extent of the worst of the plagues. Both rivers originate within the foothills of the Karn Andur mountains and maintain a consistently high water level. The Caerno River feeds Lake Restone, once known as a retreat for the wealthy of Viridia. The lake was artificially created via a dam at Restone, though the few explorers who have visited lately report that the dam is in critical condition and likely to fail soon.

While much of Erenon was once farmland, centuries of neglect have allowed the forests and grasslands to return. Adventurers following old maps should be wary that a great number of smaller villages have entirely disappeared, worn away by time. The locations of many can only be spotted by the large numbers of flowers growing wild on the sites of mass graves.

The fauna of Erenon, never low in number due to the forests in which they could dwell, took advantage of the rapid decrease in population and spread back into the formerly inhabited areas. It is not uncommon to see large animals like red deer grazing in the overgrown former parks in the cities. Non-magical animals like snakes, lizards, onagers, badgers, bats, mole rats, mongooses, porcupines, wolves, hedgehogs, giant snails, and a variety of giant spiders share the forests with their magical kin, such as gryphs, bogwiggles, pseudodragons, owlbears, leucrottas, a variety of fey, and many others. A wide array of birds also dwell in and around Erenon, including crows, red-breasted geese, ruddy ducks, grouse, cranes, stilts, ruffs, cormorants, and others.

The plagues that wracked Erenon affected not only its citizens but also their animals - many farm animals met the same fates as their owners, though small pets were mostly unharmed. The wild animals of Erenon were also untouched. Today, feral cats and dogs still roam the decaying cities, and occasionally out-of-place small exotic or magical creatures can be spotted, the descendents of familiars or escaped pets. Some domesticated animals, particularly poultry, have developed resistances to the plagues, and now live in small wild herds or flocks. However, they are still capable of being carriers and some Erenite communities continue to avoid livestock.

History

Pre-Viridian Erenon

Prior to its absorption into the growing Dominion of Vidiria, Erenon was a collection of disparate fiefdoms, small independent city-states, and settled tribal communities.

Accession to the Dominion

In Y7841^* emissaries from the queen of Viridia meet with Ustal Saekoll, baron of Restone. Saekoll unilaterally negotiated a treaty with Viridia, giving them the entire region between the Caerno and Thura rivers in exchange for personal wealth and the appointment of himself as governor. Though already a powerful and influential figure, at the same Saekoll did not control anywhere near all of the territory promised in his treaty. Saekoll spent the next sixteen years until his death using the Viridian legions to bring the rest of the territory of modern Erenon into Viridian control.

Upon Ustal Saekoll's death Y7857^*, his son Zarrus Saekoll was appointed governor. Finishing his father's campaign, modern Erenon took its shape under the second Saekoll governor. Up until the collapse of Erenon, the Saekoll family remained quite powerful in the province and frequently held the governorship.

Outbreak of the plagues

The first major plague hit Erenon in Y9613^*. While this region of Thadria always had many endemic diseases, the sickness that affected the first few people in near-simultaneous outbreaks in Restone, Steel Falls, and Talgell was something entirely new. Dubbed the Restone Plague, those unfortunate enough to be exposed to the sick became infected themselves within a week. The Restone Plague quickly spread. Clerics and other healers sent to aid the province proved unable to do more than limit the extant of the disease's spread, stymied by the plague's resistance to magical healing. When the severity of the illness became clear to Viridian administrators, they quickly moved to shut down travel to and from the province. The legions were stationed on the borders, especially on the western side of Erenon, with orders to contain the plague until it could be treated. This contributed to the death toll, as refugees were forced into cramped, dirty camps as they waited for permission to cross the border. The plague continued for years, in which time it wiped out roughly half of the population of Erenon.

The still-ongoing plague was compounded by an outbreak of a new illness in Y9614^*, usually referred to as Euphoric Insanity, starting in the coastal city of Ocham. While not directly physically harmful itself, this disease is characterized by a mental state of blissful peace, denial of negative events and circumstances, and a sense of reckless abandon in the search of pleasure and leisure. Communities where both the Euphoric Insanity and Restone Plague were present were quickly annihilated, as citizens mingled and partied seemingly unaware of their imminent deaths. The legions tightened their control of the border. Some nobility were able to pull strings to escape, and some ordinary citizens fled south into Barat Rkund.

Beginning of resettlement

Centuries later, Erenon gradually began to be repopulated by settlers re-entering the once plague-stricken land. Many that arrived were descendants of those forced to flee all those years ago. This slow trickle of people grew significantly after Sircathe Wriys, ruler of Wymoor, began to send messengers out to Viridia and Pasuhalta & Kamman claiming the region to now be safe and full of riches for those bold enough to seize them. Despite attempts by the rulers of the Dominion and the United Provinces to halt these messengers, their missives still spread and the city of Wymoor began to expand greatly.

Modern Erenon

The towns and cities of Erenon have begun to rebuild as communities are reestablished. While still a frontier and home to many dangers, the plagues seem to have passed and Erenon is now much less dangerous than it was previously.

Return of Gavros Saekoll

In Y9975^*, a group of adventurers uncovered the secret of the plagues - they were not natural after all, but rather were intentionally cultivated and released by Gavros Saekoll for the purposes of collecting enough souls to restart a broken teleportation site. They further discovered that not only was Saekoll still alive, having sought refuge in a secret demiplane, but that he also intended to release the plagues once more to finish what he started. After pursuing Saekoll across Erenon, the adventurers halted his plans and permanently rid the world of the last samples of the Restone Plague.

Demographics

While Erenon’s previous population was largely human, for unknown reasons the plagues that the region has suffered from were proportionally more kind to other races. Among descendants of the plague survivors, humans and half-elves now make up roughly equal percentages of the populace, with small numbers of other races. There have been an oddly increased number of both tieflings and aasimar born since the plagues began.

Individuals of many ancestries have begun to resettle the region.

For an unknown reason, the \\ratfolk]] population of Erenon was largely untouched by the early outbreak. Though they have suffered since, being uniquely spared initially led to a high amount of distrust from the other denizens of the region, and most remaining ratfolk have since fled.

It is rumored that small, isolated communities of lycanthropes, particularly werebears, live in the forests north of Laham, hiding from the broader world that largely distrusts and fears them.

Small communities of boggards and goblins also dwell within the forests and marshes of Erenon, and some gnolls are known to live on the eastern edges of the region.

Culture

Religion

In both the present and in the more prosperous past, the inhabitants of Erenon largely worship the gods of the Chaskan pantheon. Since the plague outbreaks, deities who are connected with healing have become increasingly venerated. Worship of Aduntarri, Mithrai, and Shai are the most common, usually performed at small village shrines.

Some have renounced the gods of healing and instead turned their attention more towards Erra, viewing the diseases as a divine trial. Those that survive the more fatal diseases are thought to have passed the tests and earned the approval of the god. The Euphoric Insanity is viewed by these worshipers as a great blessing, and they often seek it out and attempt to further its spread.

Travel

The plagues have had a lasting impact on travel within Erenon. Until recently, it was typical to avoid travel as much as possible, limiting long trips to only those absolutely necessary. This helped to minimize the risks of carrying a disease to an unwary community. However, with the end of the plagues, the recent increase in settlers moving to the region, and adventurers passing through, this practice has begun to fall to the wayside. Many villages have small houses built on their outskirts, reserved for visitors to remain in for a period of time before they are allowed to enter the town and interact with anyone else. Travellers were fed and supplied with whatever they needed during this duration. Though common in earlier years, the decline of the worst of the diseases and the influx of new inhabitants moving to Erenon has caused this practice to become far less common than it used to be, and today these houses mostly sit empty.

Some merchants take their caravans through Erenon, usually using the coastal roads. Historically, these routes avoided the cities in hopes of avoiding exposure to anything dangerous. Of course, while these roads may be safe of disease carriers, they are frequently not safe from wild animals. These routes are advised against by most guides and caravan guards, but still taken occasionally by merchants who wish to move their goods without paying for maritime passage.

Traditions

Hospitality has become a central focus of Erenite culture. Families will share without question with those in their communities who are in need, and visitors are treated with respect and care, though still viewed caution to ensure the safety of everyone. Long term residents of Erenon often view those who arrived in the recent wave of immigration as being too standoffish and individualistic.

Languages

Thadrian is the most often spoken language within Erenon. While many people understand Common, among long term residents of Erenon it is likely to be archaic and differing in vocabulary compared to the Common spoken by recent arrivals. Elven is also somewhat widely spoken.

Arts

Like elsewhere in Thadria, poetry is a widely respected art within Erenon. While elsewhere in Viridia many poets receive payment from nobility to create commissioned works, in Erenon most poets are untrained and tend to focus on more mundane, everyday topics. Erenite poetry serves not only as entertainment but also as a means of recording historical events. Poems are often written to fit into a larger chronology. Recitation of these poems are a popular form of entertainment in Erenon.

Following the long tradition of Thadrian bards, one person shows are popular in Erenon. These bards are not only skilled in music or oration, but also carry with them small stages from which they act out all the characters in a play. Audience participation is a core part of this art form, either with audience members jumping in to play a character (often completely unscripted) or shouting out changes they would like to see in the performance. This impromptu nature means that the same play may take wildly different forms between each performance.

While the artistic scene has not yet had time to reestablish itself, many cities in pre-plague Erenon had thriving artistic communities. Many of these artists worked in service to the wealthy leisure estates around Lake Restone, creating beautiful paintings, statues, and other works to adorn the manors.

Food and cuisine

Most farmers in Erenon both grow crops and tend to livestock. The most common livestock are poultry, pigs, sheep, and goats. Due to the region’s low population density, livestock is frequently kept un-penned and allowed to forage in the forests. Crops can vary widely but usually include barley, grapes, legumes, fruit trees, and a variety of vegetables. Agriculture is often supplemented by hunted game and foraged plants, such as chokeberries, blackberries, strangler figs, and rugosa roses. Due to the influx of new arrivals to the area, more varieties of crops native to other regions have been introduced in recent years.

Erenite cuisine emphasizes local ingredients, with very little reliance on imported foodstuffs. Historically food preservation has been highly important in the region, and pickled, salted, and other methods of preservation remain widespread.

Architecture and urbanization

The old cities and towns of Erenon are heavily damaged by time and the elements. A large number of small towns and villages have disappeared entirely, and the standing structures in the cities are mostly in terrible disrepair and dangerous to enter. Nevertheless, some particularly risk-taking adventurers will still enter the ruins, braving the imminent threat of building collapse in hopes of finding something within.

The inhabitants of Erenon mostly live in small villages and towns - currently, few population centers have grown to the point that they might be called cities. While some communities have established themselves in the ruins of old settlements, most have instead opted to build elsewhere, out of respect for the dead, concern about the dangers of old structures, and fear that undead and ghosts might yet remain. Newer Erenite settlements tend to be built with a strong sense of the importance of sanitation, as a preventative method against future disease. While the specific techniques and methods used are not unique, it is unique to deploy them on the scale of small villages.

Erenite architecture uses the same techniques and materials, primarily stone, brick, and wood, commonplace elsewhere in Thadria. Roofs are usually thatched, and floors are either dirt, stone, or wood, and often covered in mats and fur rugs.

Magic

Most Erenite mages are self-taught, learned under a master-apprentice relationship, or studied in an institution elsewhere - as of yet, no schools for the magical arts have been reestablished in Erenon. Both magical users and adventurers have been drawn to the decaying cities of Erenon in search of magical items left behind, in particular in the old Kulesi Institute in Restone.

Medicine

Those who descend from the survivors of the plagues often have a detailed understanding of the medicinal properties of various plants that can be found in Erenon. Some are used in magical rituals, while many others are used by apothecaries to create herbal medicines to reduce symptoms or ward off sickness. While long a valued trade, experienced apothecaries have become fewer in number due to reduced need.

Recreation

Mounted sports are popular in Erenon, like they are in many other regions of Thadria. This ranges from simple races to more complex, polo-like games. While these are usually performed using domesticated horses, some particularly risk-taking individuals like to engage in sports that involve using semi-domesticated, often magical, animals instead.

Clothing

Traditional clothing of eastern Thadria includes baggy trousers, usually gathered tightly at the ankle, along with loose shirts or coats. Clothing is not gender specific, although women also wear dresses, particularly during formal occasions. Erenite clothing tends to emphasize practicality over appearance. Drab colors are common on everyday clothing, while formal wear is usually brightly dyed and ornamented. Scarves are often worn around the head and neck, not only for warmth but also to keep the sun off one’s skin. Boots made of leather are the most common footwear.

Education

Literacy in Erenon is comparable to the rest of Thadria. Basic education is provided mostly by one’s own family or through temples. Wymor has established free schools for children, the only of the new settlements to have done so. Additionally, Wymoor is currently the only settlement in Erenon that publishes a regular broadside, or any written works for that matter - aside from any rotting away in old ruins, printing presses are not yet common again in the region.

Burial practices

Erenite burial practices show lasting influence from the plagues. Deceased members of one's family or community are typically buried in cemeteries located far away from homes, animals, or areas of frequent traffic. A dense bed of flowers is then sown over the soil covering the grave, under the belief that doing so will prevent any illnesses from re-emerging through the ground. Cemeteries are somewhat taboo places in Erenon, visited only for brief periods to pay one's respects but otherwise left alone as much as possible. It is not atypical for cemeteries to become very overgrown from lack of maintenance, even those that are near large communities or those that still see new burials.

Government

Severed from Viridian leadership, the central government of Erenon quickly collapsed and never recovered. Today, governance of Erenon is de facto divided between Viridia, Pasuhalta & Kamman, Barat Rkund, and independent communities. Most inhabitants of Erenon live in the independent settlements, usually under some type of autocracy or council republic.

Laws vary within Erenon, as do their enforcement. In parts of the region controlled by the surrounding states, the laws of those states usually apply. Otherwise, common law is usually enforced by the inhabitants.

Economy

The economy of Erenon remains to a significant degree disconnected from the rest of the world. The region is primarily agrarian and largely self-sufficient. Little is exported, and imports are mostly limited to what new arrivals bring with them, though this has begun to change as settlements grow and expand.

Pre-plague Erenon was the site of vast productive farmland. Though already on the decline when the plagues arrived, the mills at Steel Falls were known for the purity of their steel and other metals, sought after across Thadria and the surrounding regions.