Sniadansk

The region of **Sniadansk** (Snians Birgol: *Šnidnzkeás*) or the **Sniadansk Peninsula** is a large marshy region of southeast Birgolon. The area is generally a fairly poor region, lacking any land good for farming. The majority of the inhabitants of the region, of which there are not many, live mainly off fish and various edible plants that they either grow in small gardens of forage for in the wild. In some parts of the peninsula wild boar and rabbit among other small animals exist and are hunted by the human dwellers of the marsh.

## History

It is unknown how or why some Birgols chose to live in Sniadansk, but those who did must have been settled in the region at least by 100 SY. The "Snians" people, as they became known, eventually developed their own language - related to Birgol. It is thought that the difficulty in traversing the Sniadansk marsh allowed the Snians people to remain fairly disconnected from the rest of Birgolon, allowing them to develop a completely separate language.

In around 1050 SY the *titromo* was held, a sort of census under the provincial rule of the Empire of Exelon. The governor of Birgolon estimated the population of the entire peninsula to be around 5,000.

The Snians people mainly lived in very small communities and practiced only some trade between other towns within Sniadansk. The only towns in Sniadansk to ever receive connection by road to the main country are the towns of Preški and Sotlr. The area of Sniadansk gained a little more prominence after the nearby Port of Au-De-Jure (now Alziron) was made capital of the Kingdom of Birgolon in 1268 SY by its first king, Cadoc Ethi'um. Although Alziron is not truly a part of the peninsula, the growth of Alziron's maritime economy allowed some Snians towns to grow their own small economies. By 1400 SY the Snians peninsula was considered fully explored and the people had been assimilated into the general Birgol society - a Birgol-Snians dictionary was published and Birgol currency was distributed throughout Sniadansk.

## Snians People

The Snians people themselves look the same to most other Birgols and do not have massive cultural differences, except for their language and religion. Snians religion follows the Snians pantheon, a group of around seven or eight gods who are said to live at the edge of the sea, who are the eternal overlords of Sniadansk. Many Snians work to carve clay or wood idols to these gods and in most homes a small altar will be present where small gifts - such as small jems or coins - will be given while the family will pray.

A couple times a year the Snians people will travel to one of the larger towns and attend the "Magrikz Festival", although little festivities occur. A animal will be sacrificed and the blood is purified through a ritual performed by a trained priest, at which point the blood becomes the blood of the gods. After which those in attendance will drink the blood while the animal is flayed and its hide strung up in the town square. This festival among other things was what scared away some earlier Birgols attempting to settle in the region.

The festival also includes some normal festivities such as dancing, singing, and feasting - yet this strange blood-drinking festival is what most remember. The Birgol king Pippin the Younger famously stole one of these sacred animal hides that bad been preserved in a solution by a cell of Snians priest for over 200 years and wore it as a scarf.

### Language

The Snians language is not all that different from Birgol. For many years the language was practically unknown to those outside Sniadansk, yet since a Birgol-Snians Dictionary was published the language has become a little more acquired. A example of some common words are here.

Kuziaci - priest

Shlovidna - woman, formal

Shlod - woman, informal

Vikidnan - man, formal

Vici - man, informal

Zatlitna(z) - chief god