Skarnal

Skarnal



 History: The Skarnal are one of the few people never ruled by the Cevelt, even at the height. Lower Skarnal (ie, those on the landward sides of the mountians) felt the Imperial hand the strongest and reilgion and culture took a firm hold there. Lower Skarnal was linked into the wider world through the Imeprial network.

Upper Skarnal remianed a primaitve backward place full of the old pagan faiths, materiarchal societes and violent customs. These regions were never pacififed by the Empire and raiders were common even during the heydays.

  In the last hundred years, they various groups have broken up into open fighting, and warfare plagues the north forests.





 Economy: They are generally subsistence farmers although they produce many weapons, since wood and iron are common. Pigs, cattle, sheep are all common animals among the Skarnal , and often symbols of wealth. Villages are static and some crude trade networks have formed over long term.

 Iron working is the pirimary export, and Skarn swords and other weapons are considered some of the highest quailty. Inner Isles ships dock frequently int he various northern towns, loading wares to sell in the south.



 Mercenaries are a major part of Skarnal life. Many of the small trading ports and towns major export are strong warriors. All across the globe, Skarnal warriors are hired to fight, often each other. Although the war was siphoned off some of them, they are still quite common in various wars. Cities:

Ulsar

Affelen

Klamdorf

Religion and Magic
The Skarnal religion, while deeply fractured and divided between local faiths and petty orders, is based around several core concepts. The first of these is the origin myth: the creater god, usually nameless but sometimes called Dugo, whoes body is the earth, was hurt (myths differ as to how), and when his blood was spilt, it flowed out and became the first Skarnal woman. She tore at the flesh of the earth, and as more blood flowed the first Skarnal man was created, and together they ravaged the flesh of the god until it bled to death, bleeding out all the life in the world.

The large lake in the north of the Skarnal region is known as Godswound (as is the city on its shore, the ancient capital of the now-fallen Skarnal empire), and is supposedly the sie where the blood god was killed.

Blood in another common element in the Skarnal religious-magic system. The consumption of blood, both of men and beasts, that a warrarior has slain impart to him or her the strengths that blood carries. Striking down a great swordsman, and drinking his blood, would make one a stronger fighter. Hunting wolves and drinking their blood would make one more wolf-like, in both appearance and ability.

A darker, heretical version of this faith involved the drowning of people to return strength to the murdered god. Most Skarnal find this practice disgusting, and would not allow even the worst of their enemies to drown, if it could be prevented. Those that do ritually kill their enemies by drowning do find their prayers to the dead god are more likely to be answered.

The Skarnal are in many cases egalitarian or even matriarchal in their social organization. Women are viewed with immense respect (relative to many other cultures) as menstruation is taken as a sign that women have so much excess blood that they can use it to give life to new people. Women are often found in mercenary companies as warriors, and in positions of social and political importance, much to the disgust of more partrarchial cultures.

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