Windwillow

## History

Windwillow was historically associated with the First Elven Empire and/or the Western Elven Empire, but was often not a significant contributor to either. Most of the main Faerie Lords in this region are either in the pacifist or unseelie factions, so weren’t particularly interested in getting involved in fights far from their borders. However, internal conflicts were not uncommon, and continue to this day.

## Government

Windwillow has no central government. There are a few small city-states, but much of the population answers only to a village council, tribal leader, minor lord, religious figure, bandit captain, etc., and many remote homesteads are entirely independent.

The few Faerie Lords in this region tend not to get too involved in the day to day lives of ordinary folks. This has allowed two rival religions that worship gods directly to crop up in the region, and also means secular leaders can become relatively powerful without the patronage of a particular Faerie Lord.

## Economy

Like the rest of the Lands Behind the Hedge, Windwillow is sparsely settled by the standards of Azan and other wealthy human nations. Although the land is of decent quality in most areas, many of the inhabitants prefer a nomadic lifestyle to farming, mining, or urban life. Because of this, as well as the high rates of banditry, the region is generally considered the poorest in the Lands Behind the Hedge.

The region has a reputation for having a large number of pirates (known locally as sea rats or corsairs). Although not particularly skilled, organized, or numerous compared to other pirating hot spots, they do benefit from being located next to a major shipping lane, and some pirates have acquired considerable wealth.

## Foreign Relations

Windwillow is not well known beyond its borders. Most humans just see it as part of the Lands Behind the Hedge, and if they recognize the name at all, they just associated it with a rough patch of coast with lots of pirates.

Within the Lands Behind the Hedge, it is generally seen as the “poor cousin”. Trade with other nations/regions is mostly limited to a few (relatively) wealthy city-states. Some factions within Windwillow have allies elsewhere in the Lands Behind the Hedge, and they may provide political, military, or economic support to each other when needed.

## Geography

Windwillow has a mix of terrain. The coast is a mix of large beaches, salt marshes, and jagged cliffs. Further inland is a mix of meadows, forests, swamps, and some fields, all connected by a maze of small rivers, some of which are actually old canals. Even further inland, the terrain becomes more hilly, with much denser forests, plus a few large lakes and low mountains.

## Demographics

* Animalkin – The most common race, but not a large majority. Animalkin are noted for their ability to shift between animal and humanoid forms. There are over two dozen subraces, with rat, mouse, squirrel, ferret, shrew, otter, badger, and fox being the most common. The appearance of the humanoid form can also vary with some appearing almost like a human, elf, goblin, etc, while others resemble their animal form with a humanoid body structure. Each subrace has a different range of stereotypical behaviours, though there are many exceptions to every stereotype.
* Humans – Most are long time inhabitants of the region, but some are more recent arrivals. Northmen settled the northern coast millennia ago, while many pirates hail from all along the western coast of the main continent.
* Hobbits – Are reasonably common in Windwillow. Most are farmers, but some prefer a more roguish lifestyle.
* Dwarves – There are some dwarves in Windwillow.
* Goblins – Cave goblins are not uncommon in Windwillow, and often crossbreed with ratkin.
* Windwillow Mutts – Similar to mutts and mongrels in other regions, many Windwillow mutts have such mixed ancestry it is hard to determine visually their ancestry. Most of the time it is used to describe those with partial animalkin origin that lost the ability to shapeshift.
* Harpies – Are a fairly common coastal nuisance.
* Lycanthropes – Whether an individual is an animalkin or lycanthrope can be hard to determine, as many long-time lycanthropes can almost fully control their abilities, and some animalkin fully embrace their more animalistic side. There are definitely a few lycanthropes in Windwillow though, some of whom become legends in their particular area.
* Other Fey and Associated Races – Gnomes, brownies, elves, nymphs, hags, and dryads, among other races, are not uncommon in Windwillow.

## Religion

Although their creation myths aren’t that different than other parts of the Lands Behind the Hedge, Windwillow is unusual in that there is more focus on the gods themselves rather than the Faerie Lords. This may be because few Faerie Lords have shown an interest in the region, or it may because many of its inhabitants value their independence from the interference of the Faerie Lords, but either way, Windwillow has developed some distinct religious traditions.

The clergy of the “***Earthmother***” is loosely organized around a series of abbeys and small churches. The Earthmother fills the niche of creator god among many cultures in the Lands Behind the Hedge, but she is rarely worshipped directly except in Windwillow. The Earthmother’s creed emphasizes charity, harmony, respect for nature, and hard work. There is significant overlap between her followers and those of certain powerful Faerie Lords, particularly Arbul Applebloom, and to a lesser extent Fendrick Boldbodin, and Stoutheart, as well as certain local Faerie Lords like Story Weaver.

The main rival of the Earthmother is the “***Dark One***”. The creed of the Dark One emphasizes self-reliance, adaptability, and the acquisition of power for its own sake. He/she (there is disagreement on his/her gender) is therefore popular with both the rougher of the nomadic tribes, as well as many pirates and bandits. His/her “clergy” often call themselves shamans, but generally lack magical ability, so are more like tribal elders and/or conmen. Nor are his/her teachings particularly consistent between tribes, as each tribe has its own way of passing the teachings of the Dark One from one shaman to the next, and little attempt is made at consistency between tribes. Among foreign theologians and scholars, there are different theories to who the Dark One actually is; including a demon lord or powerful unseelie Faerie Lord incognito, an imposter god, or perhaps a long dead or departed entity.

Aside from the Earthmother and Dark One faiths, there are some Faerie Lords who are local to the region, or at least have a few local followers:

* Story Weaver – a giant but benevolent spider who believes in the importance of knowledge and pacifism.
* Arbul Applebloom, Stoutheart, Fendrick Boldbodin – have some followers in Windwillow, who are also often followers of the Earthmother.
* Frost Heart – this white foxkin Faerie Lord is relatively weak, but has a decent following among the human and animalkin tribes along the north coast. She sometimes rallies “hordes” to try and conquer parts of the south on behalf of the Dark One.
* The Digger and The Snatcher, Nichtmair, and Pumpkin Jack – have a few followers in the region, who sometimes see them as proxies for the Dark One.

## Military

Windwillow lacks much of the numbers, organization, magical defences, powerful fey, and powerful Faerie Lords that help protect the other regions of the Lands Behind the Hedge. Despite this, a long line of potential conquers have failed to establish themselves in the region. This is partially due to the unwillingness of the inhabitants to accept wannabe tyrants, partially due to the fact that many inhabitants are reasonable fighters, but mostly due to pluck, determination, and often a lot of luck.

It also helps that no major nation has tried to establish themselves in Windwillow (the First Elven Empire/Lands Behind the Hedge would have aided Windwillow in such an event to keep foreigners from gaining a major toehold in their region). However, due to the poorly organized nature of Windwillow’s inhabitants, plenty of pirate kings, robber barons, bandit chiefs, northern hordes, and hostile tribes have managed to establish themselves as regional lords for years, sometimes decades, before being overthrown.

The militias of Windwillow (most of whom are skilled but poorly equipped), also have to contend with small packs of raiding bandits, pirates, and slavers, as well as small hostile nomad tribes who follow the Dark One and/or an unseelie or wilder Faerie Lord. Hostile fauna is also sometimes a problem, including several large and aggressive species of bird and fish.