Inhabitants of the Ancestral Valley

### **Rulers:**

The Ancestral Valley is ruled by the burgomasters of the four Great Cities – Eavette, Dalaal, Konolwar and Mata-Mata. Smaller towns and settlements
of the Valley belong to one of the Great Cities, and the power of the burgomaster
of a particular Great City stands above the authority of the burgomaster of a
smaller city. The issue with the disputed territories is the most acute. When
laying new market places, etc. there are often clashes of interests of the
burgomasters. In the conflict situations and when making important decisions,
the Council of Four gathers, but if the four burgomasters can not reach a
unanimous decision, a Popular Assembly made of all the inhabitants of the
Valley can be convened. A huge role in the Council of the Four and in the Popular
Assembly is played by clans acting as advisers in disputable issues, but at the
same time having a huge impact on the burgomasters and the population. Clans
are separate factions defending interests in politics, trade, science, art, law
and order, etc. In fact, behind the backs of real power clans lead a covert
rivalry for dominance in the Valley. There were precedents when wars started in
the Valley because of the clan dispute. Cases when wars started because of the
conflict of the burgomasters of two cities are not fixed in history.

### **Largest city:**

In different years, the number of cities varied, but if we take the
average values, the cities were always evenly populated. Most often, Mata-Mata
emerged as the leader in terms of the number of residents, but he was
repeatedly subjected to the most terrible devastation.

### **Capital:**

Each Great City is a kind of capital - Eavette, Dalaal, Konolwar,
Mata-Mata. Spiritual, historical and sacred center of the Valley can be called
the Stone of the Ancestors.

### **Other large cities:**

are Min-Mirif, Til-Mirif (subordination to
Konolwar), Bonikum, Muo, Chail (submission to Dalaal), Kawa, Grey Moss
(subordination to Eavette), Rabutapra, Iknilaka (subordination of Mata-Mata).

### **Geography and climate:**

Mild climate. Warm winters, low summer.
Snow falls rarely. Farmers collect three harvests per year. Trees, dumping
leaves, almost immediately covered with a new one. There are no storms,
hurricanes, cyclones.

### **Borders with:**

the Great Desert in the South, the lands of the Bronze Chekatta in
the Southeast, the prairies of the Chekatta in the East, the Ito Empire in the
North, the Dockol-Mo forest in the West, the Nanol-Mo forest in the South-West,
the geographical boundary with the Celestial Plateau in the North-West, the sea
borders with the Fellow Islands in the South-East, the Reyro Kingdom in the North-East.

## **History:**

The residents of the Valley of the Ancestors are Chekatta, who at some
point abandoned the nomadic way of life and settled on the shores of the Lake
of the Ancestors. Very soon, the inhabitants of the Valley lost the cultural
heritage of Chekatta and followed the path of their own development. The first
step was to build a market economy, the second - the rejection of the cult of
ancestors. More precisely, they abandoned it gradually, but in the Valley, from
time immemorial, it was possible to have any ideology, even the one different
from the others (in the event that this ideology is not criminal. Naturally,
the cults of the Bukta were rejected and prosecuted according to the law.) The
first was laid the city of Mata-Mata, as evidenced by the early chronicles. A
few decades later, Dalaal and Konolwar began to be built, two centuries later -
Eavette.

Little is known about the history of small settlements,
probably some settlements remained, some perished for unknown reasons. Of the
modern large settlements, Kawa has the longest history.

The fate of the development of Elinor and the formation
of the eight nations was predetermined by the Great Exodus. In a period of
about a hundred years, the settlers moved North, led by Tosho, to the South,
led by Marawie, and Westward into the forest of Dockol-Mo. The history did not
preserve the name of their leader. However, the departure of this detachment is
usually considered the beginning of the Exodus.

The reasons for the Exodus can only be guessed. The
version that the Valley was overpopulated and lacked resources does not have
clear evidence. After all, the fertile soils of the Valley are able to feed its
inhabitants to this day, when their number has increased significantly. Perhaps
there was a sharp demographic explosion. But still it is unclear why people
went to live in difficult conditions, when in the Valley there was a lot of
unoccupied land. Many historians explain the Great Exodus by a series of
coincidences. A simple expedition of adventurers and explorers went to the Dockol-Mo
forest, and the exodus of Marawie and Tosho took place only at the will of
their leaders.

Formation of the Great Peoples took place throughout
thousand years. The last caravan in the Valley was led by Taurs, but it can be
argued that the formation of them as a people began earlier than one of Tuasmatus.
The first trade with the Valley began with Djunites, then Guawars. It happened
three or four centuries after the beginning of the Exodus. Five hundred years
after its’ beginning, the Common Language began to form, which was fully
established a thousand years later. Great nations did not develop as quickly.
They already communicated with each other, but it took time for the formation
of their own states.

The population of the Valley, in fact, was the ninth
great people, the people-progenitor. However, young people began to fill the
Valley with their own traditions and culture.

After discovering of the Golden Ruins, the Academy
announced the start of the Fourth Era. At the same time, the Academy sent its
advisers to the Valley for political and economic life, because most cities
developed chaotically, conflicts began to happen more often. Then the Council
of Four was established, the vassalage of small settlements from large
settlements was established, guilds and first clans were established, very
quickly becoming a real political force.

This time is considered to be the Golden Age of Elinor,
the development of art, culture, science and trade. However, everything
collapsed quickly, after a series of heavy wars. First between Vedichs and Taurs,
then in the Valley itself. Confrontation of several warring coalitions between
the clans resulted in an armed conflict. The war was suppressed by the Taurian troops, who afterwards established the Justice clan and created their
protectorate over the Valley. Very soon another war broke out between the
demons of the North and the Kingdom of Reyro.

To the former greatness and power, as well as the usual
peaceful life, the Valley of the Ancestors and other Elinor states were able to
return only after another century.

Renunciation of the rulers of the Great Desert and the Fellow
Islands from centralized power gave a new impetus to the development of the
Valley od the Ancestors.

### **Industry, agriculture and economy:**

Historical development of
agriculture. Agriculture and livestock began to develop immediately after the
establishment of the first settlements on the shore of the Lake of the Ancestors.
Fishing is also popular, and over the ages the fish population in the Lake of
the Ancestors and the Huma River has not declined. Hunting, as a more complex
and costly way to extract food, so it is not popular. The Ito Empire is
completely dependent on the Valley of the Ancestors in terms of food supplies.
The Kingdom of Reyro, leading marine trade with Guawars, needs provisions to a
lesser extent, but still has dependence. Food is also delivered to the Great
Desert, but in smaller volumes. The industry is developed in the South of the
Valley, the cities of Til-Mirif and Min-Mirif supply the ores and metals of the
city of the Valley to this day, some of the industrial resources are delivered
from Reyro. The geographical position of the Valley initially put it in a
situation that contributes to economic growth. The Valley economy could take a
dominant role in Elinor. But the Guawar Trading Company actively challenged the
championship. The preponderance leaned toward her side after the victory of the
Guawars in the war against the demons and the payment of a million gold salds
by the Mechanics of the Guawars.

### **Life and culture:**

Valley culture, in fact, is a collection of cultures of the peoples
of Elinor. All areas of art are developed. The main priority of all residents
of the Valley is to live in accordance with the moral and cultural
characteristics of their people, while not insulting their behavior by
representatives of other peoples. Although conflicts on national soil at the crossroads of cultures are still quite a frequent occurrence. The life and
culture of the Valley is also affected by a constant clan confrontation.

### **Ideology:**

The inhabitants of the Valley do not have their own established
worldview, but respectfully accept the worldviews of other peoples. Probably
the most obscure for them is the cult of Ayduen, so uplifted by the Taurs. The
inhabitants of the Valley themselves are very cautious about the Stone of the
Ancestors, the essence of which remains a mystery. Stone is a kind of symbol of
ambiguity and misunderstanding of higher forces by mere mortals.