This is the second in a series on the Dead Queens of Morvena, an adventure setting forthcoming from Nevermet Press. This post gives details on two nations near Fetherruin, which is the dreadful region where the Dead Queens of Morvena will rise. The Republic of Marchland and Lathis both share a border with the Kingdom of Drimsy, which was featured in the first post in this series. Please note that in that post, Lathis was referred to as “Hallowmere”; the name has been changed, and all further information on this setting will reference Lathis, the Theocracy of Lathner. A map of Fetherruin and surrounding regions is also posted below, to make region conceptualization easier.
By Charles Dickey
Early Concept Map of The Fettheruin, by Charles Dickey.
The Republic of Marchland
Civic Republic, “The Marchlands”
The Marchlands are dry and cool. The south hills are rich with iron ore deposits, and the many iron mines are the main source of revenue for the Republic. The eastern border of the Republic is marked by the Outer Forests of Nris and, south of there, the shores of Lake Ligrai (Loch Lggrai in the Elven tongue). At the southern decline of the Hills of Marchland, the Elven States of Faira stretch out in autumnal grain fields. Trade with Faira in iron and iron products is crucial to keeping the many Hilldwellers fed. Lathis and the Kingdom of Drimsy, the latter which borders the Republic to the west, are also large consumers of the seemingly endless iron that is produced from the hills.
The people of the northern plains of the Marchlands benefit from the Social Education institutions found in the major cities except for Sob Fen, which stagnates in neglect and ruin near the marshy shores of Lake Ligrai. The Republic, influenced by Elven traditions, instills in its citizens a spirit of cooperation, egalitarianism, interdependence, and trust. The roots of folk culture lie in the southern Hills of Marchland, and the Hilldwellers are versatile folk with a rich oral tradition of folklore and history. They are also infamous for hard drinking and gambling.
Lathis
Theocracy and Seat of Lathner
Lathis is a nation in crisis and decline. The Lathnerians have become polarized: Zealots keep the fires of Light and Truth burning in the Land Between the Lakes, while Heretics, enemies of the state, hide in the ruined fringes of the nation: the dangerous Bringe Bog, or along the southern Mad River border and beyond it. Others huddle under the unwelcoming Wall of Drim, seeking, out of desperation and against hope, refuge in the Kingdom to the north. The major cities of Laplathis, Tithe, and Honor shelter Citizens and favor Zealots. Heretics will find no refuge there, and face death.
Religion
Lathis is the Theocracy and Seat of Lathner. According to the history of the nation, Lathner came to the Land between the Lakes from the Beyond to instruct His Chosen People in the ways of Truth and Light. The Holy Center of Laplathis marks the physical place of Lathner’s Instruction. The Palace of Light rises above the Pools of Truth in the Center, and it is from here that the Priest Superior receives and acts to carry out the Will of Lathner. He commands a hierarchy of High Priests, Clerics, and Prefects, with each tier being divided into further levels.
Heresy and the Rise of Drim
Within the past two centuries, the authority of the state religion has faced challenges and a gradual decay. After the fall of Morvena, a shadow of doubt crept into Lathis. A small, secretive group of Citizens in what was then northern Lathis turned a critical eye towards the faith and a curious one towards the Fetherruin. Eventually this group formalized a system of belief of their own, which was a reaction against what they viewed as the “irrational autocracy” of Lathnerianism. They called their system Occultism, and labeled it a science–a rational approach to the mysteries contained in the world. A man named Drim arose as a powerful practitioner of this science, which had uncanny applications. In a rapid coup that stunned the Priest Superior and his Clergy, Drim claimed the lands north of the Darksand Hills as his own, using his supernatural powers to pull a hundred-foot tall wall of packed mud, thorns, stones, and fossils up from the ground. The wall extends from the Mad River Rithell to the northeast along the Darksand Hills, then cuts straight across the land to the east until it meets the River of Frith Fairth. Today, the Kingdom of Drim stands unperturbed by its neighbor to the south, as the Clergy of Lathis focuses on culling the Heretics from the nation, leaving little time and energy to direct towards the Kingdom.
Aside from claiming a third of the lands of Lathis, the Kingdom of Drimsy has further damaged the nation by spreading curiosity and doubt. Presently, as much as 20% of the population has begun studying Occultism and other sciences originating from the Kingdom of Drimsy. The Clergy has lately adopted a severe policy against these crimes; any individual associated with Occultism or any other science within the cities is to be burned alive. Companies of Zealots have also begun patrolling the Wall of Drim and sections of the Mad River; the Priest Superior has ordered the cleansing of the nation, and any Heretics within the borders of the nation are to be put to death by whatever means is most expedient.
