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=== Food and cuisine === | === Food and cuisine === | ||
Little grows in the Storm-Path, and plants and animals alike are scarce. The Trailblazers have honed their strategies for survival over the centuries, however, and manage to get by through a combination of foraging, hunting, tending to small herds, and trade. As not enough grows in the Storm-Path to naturally support grazing animals, they cultivate roughage by scattering seeds around crystals of pure positive energy that precipitate out of the Tempests. This provides sufficient foodstuffs for their small numbers of goats and camels for at least a short while before they are forced to move on again. Game is hunted, when possible, though the Tempest-warped creatures that are most often found can be highly dangerous to those inexperienced. | Little grows in the Storm-Path, and plants and animals alike are scarce. The Trailblazers have honed their strategies for survival over the centuries, however, and manage to get by through a combination of foraging, hunting, tending to small herds, and trade. As not enough grows in the Storm-Path to naturally support grazing animals, they cultivate roughage by scattering seeds around crystals of pure positive energy that precipitate out of the Tempests, which are able to supercharge plant growth even in the absence of water or nutrients. This provides sufficient foodstuffs for their small numbers of goats and camels for at least a short while before they are forced to move on again. Game is hunted, when possible, though the Tempest-warped creatures that are most often found can be highly dangerous to those inexperienced. | ||
For water, the Trailblazers rely heavily upon [[welltuber|welltubers]], hardy plants that can store vast amounts of slightly sweet liquid in their roots so that they can survive the Tempests overhead and regrow their stems and leaves after they pass. Often ten feet or more below the surface, these are typically located through the use of specially-trained dogs. In times of plenty the sap of welltubers is made into a popular form of alcohol. | For water, the Trailblazers rely heavily upon [[welltuber|welltubers]], hardy plants that can store vast amounts of slightly sweet liquid in their roots so that they can survive the Tempests overhead and regrow their stems and leaves after they pass. Often ten feet or more below the surface, these are typically located through the use of specially-trained dogs. In times of plenty the sap of welltubers is made into a popular form of alcohol. | ||
Latest revision as of 17:15, 2 February 2025
The Trailblazer Republics are the disparate communities of the Storm-Path. These hardy and adventurous people live in semi-permanent settlements that move regularly to keep up with the Great Tempests, prospecting for valuable aeon stones in their wake.
Geography
See also: Storm-Path
Aside from always remaining within the Storm-Path, the Trailblazer Republics have no fixed geography or boundaries, but rather exist wherever the prospectors may travel. As the Storms continue their roughly elliptical route counterclockwise around the Oasis, the Trailblazers pick up their settlements to stay within their wake.
Millennia of scouring by the regular passage of the Tempests over the Storm-Path has rendered it incredibly barren. Exceptionally little flora and fauna can survive in these harsh conditions; only plants with exceptionally deep roots that can sprout again after the storms pass and creatures that can burrow through earth and stone have successfully carved niches for themselves. Rain is rare, and the deep red clay soil of the region is almost always turned to dust that is picked up by the winds and deposited over everything. Remarkably flat, the only significant landmarks within the Storm-Path are small outcroppings of rocks, themselves getting ever smaller with each pass of the Great Tempests.
Though the Great Tempests are generally isolated to a specific part of the Storm-Path at any given time, slowly rotating around the Oasis, this does not mean that the rest is safe, as smaller flares are a common hazard.
While the Storm-Path varies in width, in most places it is around 200 miles across, narrowing notably near the Northern and Southern Rims.
History
The Trailblazer Republics have existed in some form ever since it was discovered that the Great Tempests are a source of valuable items. They have waxed and waned in size and prominence, sometimes becoming more ordered and lawful before returning once more to a state of chaos driven by strong wills and competing interests. While today the Trailblazers are quite organized and follow a roughly defined code of laws to keep the peace, this remains tenuous as ever.
Demographics
Any and every ancestry that lives in the Stormlands can be found in the Trailblazer Republics. Humans, hobgoblins, dwarves, goblins, and kobolds account for most of the population, but more atypical ancestries are not unknown.
The total population of the Republics is very low. It is rare for any community to have more than a few hundred inhabitants before collapsing and splitting. Outside of the major Republics, the majority of villages are home to perhaps a few dozen individuals.
Culture
Religion
Trailblazer religion is complex, varied, and highly syncretic. Ancestor monoliths are widely created and venerated, as are the two storm deities Qan and A'Qala. Many Trailblazers also hold to the Dustwalker faith and philosophy. All of these coexist, not only in communities but within individuals as well, as Trailblazers tend to cling to any sources of order and understanding they can find in the midst of their chaotic lives.
Society
Nearly all who find themselves in the Trailblazer Republics are there for one of two reasons. First and foremost is the promise of Tempest-wrought wealth. The aeon stones left behind when the storms pass are potentially very valuable, and those who brave the dangers of the wastes to comb through the dusty red soil can reap significant windfalls should they stumble upon a particularly powerful stone. But not all who live in this hazardous landscape seek their fortune this way. Others do so through trade, connecting the hardy communities with the relative stability and safety of the Oasis states, or through providing much needed services in the Trailblazer settlements. The second and less common reason why people might live in the Storm-Path, meanwhile, is that it is their only option left - those cast out from the Oasis due to crimes, persecution, or other reasons often turn to the risk-laden independence of the Trailblazers.
Trailblazers relocate regularly, picking up their entire communities with them when the pickings get slim and the Tempests have moved farther along. Even if they wished to stay they could not, for the storms take only four to five years to complete a rotation around the Storm-Path, and so after this short time the settlements would be torn to pieces if they remained. Most lag a bit behind the Tempests, but particularly risk-taking types often scavenge in the storms' immediate aftermath, only returning to the towns and villages to trade and resupply.
Languages
Effectively all languages spoken across the Stormlands can be heard in the Republics. As peoples have converged from elsewhere they have brought their tongues with them, and while Qaani, the language of the Oasis, might be the most often spoken, it is by no means alone. Aanar, Ukkarak, and others are widely understood by the prospectors and others in their settlements, as are Ri-She and others.
Architecture, migration, and urbanization
The typical Trailblazer settlement is a ramshackle collection of tents, portable structures, and hastily built dwellings designed to last long enough until their inhabitants are forced to move on in a year or so to follow the Tempests. These abodes prioritize protection against the elements above all else, and are often woefully lacking in decoration or any items not strictly necessary. Even public gathering places like taverns, which also frequently serve as the seats of local government, are spartan in furnishing, little more than large tents and collections of tables and chairs that can be torn apart to be converted into crates and carts before being reassembled once more at their next destination.
These communities are often visible at a distance through their use of signal kites, flown at heights of up to 400 ft. As the magical energies are stronger at higher altitudes, the kites serve as an early warning system of sorts of incoming storm-flares.
Firearms
Traditionally the Trailblazers used crossbows as their weapons of choice, but while some still do the expanded availability of personal firearms manufactured in the Oasis states has led to a change in their equipment. Mostly coming out of Reshan and In'khab, these firearms are extremely prized possessions in the Republics not only due to their practical nature in a land where magic can be dangerously unreliable but also as status symbols. Gunsmiths, as a result, are very well respected and sought after.
Food and cuisine
Little grows in the Storm-Path, and plants and animals alike are scarce. The Trailblazers have honed their strategies for survival over the centuries, however, and manage to get by through a combination of foraging, hunting, tending to small herds, and trade. As not enough grows in the Storm-Path to naturally support grazing animals, they cultivate roughage by scattering seeds around crystals of pure positive energy that precipitate out of the Tempests, which are able to supercharge plant growth even in the absence of water or nutrients. This provides sufficient foodstuffs for their small numbers of goats and camels for at least a short while before they are forced to move on again. Game is hunted, when possible, though the Tempest-warped creatures that are most often found can be highly dangerous to those inexperienced.
For water, the Trailblazers rely heavily upon welltubers, hardy plants that can store vast amounts of slightly sweet liquid in their roots so that they can survive the Tempests overhead and regrow their stems and leaves after they pass. Often ten feet or more below the surface, these are typically located through the use of specially-trained dogs. In times of plenty the sap of welltubers is made into a popular form of alcohol.
Trade significantly supplements the food eaten by the Trailblazers - foodstuffs are the single biggest category of trade goods exchanged with the Oasis states.
Fashion
Life in the Storm-Path can be harsh, and so Trailblazer clothing is designed to mitigate some of the worst of their environment. Loose clothes that fully cover the body are worn by most, including face and head scarves that are rarely removed so as to defend against the ever-present dust. Cloaks are popular accessories, especially amongst those who travel widely between or outside the settlements, as they can be both protection and a source of warmth at night when temperatures plummet. These cloaks are often sewn with high-strength materials as a form of armor, or sometimes have magical wards applied.
Government
Though their pervasive spirit of independence has resulted in the enduring continuity of a republican form of governance, Trailblazer communities are usually held together by strong, charismatic leaders, who, once voted into positions of authority, typically retain their status until they are overthrown or die. These figures enjoy immense latitude and power over their communities as long as they can placate those they ostensibly represent, yet a misstep, misjudged decision, or perceived betrayal can easily lead to the end of their rule through exile or death.
Despite the characterizations offered by the peoples of the Oasis, the Trailblazer Republics are not truly lawless. Rather, they rely on a complex collection of rules that are not codified yet are broadly understood across the Storm-Path. With an emphasis on personal rights at their core, the implementation of these laws are left to the individual and community to enforce as they see fit and adjust as needed.