News and some worldbuilding. (Patreon)

So the news is I survived Christmas.  Wasn't very pleasant.  Hurt my back, but it's recovering nicely.  Thanks for staying with me through it all.  I'm getting the next homelands done and hopefully my editors will chew it up properly before it goes out next friday.  I also hope to give folks a little more Rabbit by sunday too.  Cross fingers.

So a little brainwork for me.  Rabbit Worldbuilding.

The Elden region of Ambernathis lay in the north central area of the country, comprising the headwaters of the Eld River.  Unlike the region along the Kol river, the Elden are comprised of the 'old people', who arrived in Ferria five thousand years ago after the fall of Archen.  Destitute refugees, they likely travelled up the Kol, past the cataracts, and continued up stream to escape the horrors of war.  There they were taken in by the First People, who inhabited the continent of Ferria for more than twenty thousand years.  The First People helped the Old People to establish a home at the headwaters of the Eld, where the land was flat and ideal for agriculture.

Unlike other interactions were the First people were wiped out, the refugees assimilated with the First, interbreeding with them and developing the distinct almond shaped eyes and delicate bone structure that defined the First people.  Eventually the two intermingled and became known as the Elder people.

When Amber the Conquerer sailed north from Ossia, the Elder people were one of the few that submitted peacefully to her rule, and as such did not experience the purges and persecutions that the Morne people to the east did.  Their language survived and with it a great deal of their culture.  Elder lands were not siezed for nobles, and instead locals were elevated into the Ossian hierarchical system that was being seeded all over the Kol and Bol river area.  A phonetic name change shifted the language from Elder to Elden, to sound more in line with the foreigner tongue.

Elden are renown for their kindness.  Indeed, 'Elden Hospitality' is considered to be the highest standard of care that an inn can deliver, and many claim fraudlently to be from the region.  Visitors are greeted warmly, fed, and given an opportunity to wash and relax.  Elden tend to kill with kindness, making their guests feel so good that they will strike favorable deals, great exemptions, and avoid harm.  Many refugees make their way to the city of Elderbury, and are given a meal and then tasked with work on one of the many farms or city projects.  This has allowed Elderbury to be a popular stop of the Ferrian trade route, with the city in excellent repair.

The town has run afoul of the Church, unfortunately.  The city is home to the Twelve Hills, twelve small shrines to each of the Twelve gods.  Even the One god has a small shrine, since Elden are so welcoming that even the One would be welcome.  This is coupled with the First People's shamanism and druidic traditions.  Sacred groves and burial sites are still protected in the city.  While the Church has built a prominent chapel in the center of Elderbury, it is regarded as gaudy by most of the locals.

Elden do not display wealth, and it is considered poor taste to be ostenatious.  Instead, much of Elden wealth goes into their land and community.  Elden farms are frighteningly productive, and with Morethi salt, meat and perserves go down river to feed millions of people.  Elden practicality involves the use of processing manure to produce actual fertilizer.

While Eldish is similar to Nathish, it varies significantly in inflection.  Nathians generally ask that Eldish write their words down if possible, since both share a similar alphabet.  The Bornish tongue also makes its way down from the mountains to the east, and there is enough vocabulary overlap to make one understood.  Most city Elden are polylinguists, and it shows up in their language, as Ventish, Nathis, Nikian, and even Irrynish words have been modified for Eldish.  These words generally aren't shared.

Elden architexture is practical to a fault.  Most buildings are two stories tall, with a basement bathroom.  Elden toilets are actually built into the basement walls, and are periodically empied by winching a basin up through a trap door in the ceiling.  Square construction and solid beams mean a house can function for generations.  Elden barns tend to be smaller, for goats and sheep, and the occasional cow.

Elden food is heavy on meat, goat cheese, vegetables, and fruit.  The land imports wheat for a variety of breads and pies.  Elden also pickle fruit in honey and meat in Morethi salt.  They do brisk business with the coastlands, importing smoked fish, kelp, and glass.  They import lumber from Hradeth to the north, but are fortunate to have local stone in the Ambrian mountains.  Elden roads are generally of stone pavers, which greatly maintain efficiency in the wet months.  Their garments are mostly wool with some imported linen.  Cotton is rarely sold here.

Elden dress is quite distinct.  They do not associate their dress with Kolian or Ventaran fashions.  Instead, they dress according to the environment and weather at the time.  In the winter, they will wear long, fur trimmed coats.  In the summer, both men and women may wear a simple loin cloth and sandals.  Because of biting insects in the spring and fall, Elden women tend to wear trousers, like men, rather than skirts or dresses.  Both sexes wear shirts with detectable sleeves.  In colder weather, the sleeves are tied back on.  Women will often wear a shawl over their shirts, or a broad and colorful sash.  Elden tend not to wear hats unless the weather calls for it.

Elden generally believe a person has three lives: Childhood, adulthood, and the afterlife.  Children are given a name by their parents, and youthful indiscretions are generally permitted.  When a child wants to be treated by the same rules as an adult, they take on a new first name, and their childhood name becomes a second name.  When they are old, they assume a third name for when they feel they are near death.  Generally, old grudges are dropped when a new name is assumed.  It can be quite confusing for outsiders to understand who is being talked about when a person has multiple names.  In addition, Elden have a family name and a clan name.  The clans stretch back to the Old One settlers, and most outsiders marry into a clan along with a family.  Finally a name might also have a title in it as well.  Generally, the longer the name, the more respect a person should be given.  The first name and family name is usually sufficient for causal conversation though.

Elden society is hierarchical, clan organized, and geriatrical.  Adults have authority over children.  Elders have authority over adults, or give a good lecture if they don't!  Families are clustered into clans, which each family proscribing to one clan or another.  A family without a clan will be at a significant social disadvantage.  Switching clans for an individual will cause some social disruption.  A whole family swapping clans can lead to a violent feud.  Such feuds are usually short lived, however, with arguments between the clans being adjudicated by three other clans.  

Elden do not proscribe to heteronormity, but not because of Ventish influences.  Instead, it goes back to the first one belief that an individual could have a soul that could be male, female, or both, and that souls were attracted to other souls.  Thus a man who desires other men would be understood to have a woman's soul.  Or maybe they have a man's soul, and their partner has a woman's soul.  Either way, they're not that judgey.  Homosexual couples can even get married under Elden law.  The Church sees this as an abomination, but has had little headway into stopping the practice.

Elden art is subtle.  They tend to appreciate natural phenomenons like a distinct looking tree or a stream pouring over rocks.  These phenomenons are protected whenever possible.  One of the harshest actions of the Ventian invasion was the cutting down of many 'sacred' trees.  Their homes are decorated with trees and animals, whether painted on walls or cut into small figurines.  Their verbal art are stories and fables, the oldest being a first one myth about the breaking of the world.  The Sanghaga is one of their most preserved myths.  Other songs and dances can be traced back to the Old People.  Elden dances share much in common with Sumerlan dances, only clothed, and some speculate that Sumerlan explorers may have reached the region millenia ago.

Elden government is... complex.   Local governance is by clan, which meet to try to work out differences between their members.  On top of this is the aristocratic rule imposed by the crown.  Elden tend to resent this outside influence when it is disrespectful, even killing appointed aristocracy.  Local aristocrats are able to liase between the clans and the crown.  While Elden are more than happy to invest in local infrastructure, they are loathe to send taxes to the capital, and have invented many an excuse to try to get out of paying them.  This occassionally leads to crackdowns that keep the Elden from integrating completely with the rest of Ambernath.

Elden local economics is largely barter based, with goods being exchanged for other goods through clan intermediaries.  The best goods are sold by clans to merchants in the towns.  Elderbury tends to attract a wide variety of currency, and some extremely canny money lenders can exchange denominations for dozens of different coinage.  While no official banks exist, the moneychangers of Elderbury do loan and collect interest, since any trader would have to pass through Elderbury.  Elderbury does have a mint, but tends towards pure coins.  These they, in turn, offer to the crown with the excuse that its all the money in all the province.  The crown generally accepts them and adulterates them immediately.  Elden coins are popular for counterfiters, who use adulterated gold and silver with the Elden stamp.  However, the purity of Elden coins is such that some use them as standards.

Elden education is provided by the family or clan.  The cities may offer schools that teach outside languages and topics.  Country Elden focus on agricultural persuits.  City Elden tend towards professions and trades.

Elden attitudes towards magic is polite curiousity for pleasant casters, and a cup of poisoned tea for unpleasant casters.  Elden is close enough to Moreth that many magical inclined Elden go to Moreth to learn.  These Elden are generally looked down by the Coastlanders.