Greenhill

## History

### Tribal Beginnings

Greenhill was one of many tribal villages dotting the Annara River, For two thousand years it stood as a small community that eventually grew into a simple fishing village that traded up and down the river, maintaining neutrality in the wars that did occasionally break out between tribes. The village was one of the smaller villages around, it was cofounded by a group of Druids who wished to be closer to the ancient tree known today as the Centertree along with a group of Oreads who wished to be closer to the Corpse of Guj-Annara, whom they consider to be their mother.

### The Collapse of the Tribes

There had always been the occasional spats between tribes of the river, but in year 1954 of the Age of Dynasties the spats began to grow longer, and more tribes got involved. Soon it seemed that every tribe save for Greenhill was involved in the bloodshed, and over the course of thirty years of war much of the populations of the tribes involved in the fighting had been massacred, most of their homes burned along with their supplies, and given how many of the living were wounded the future looked bleak to them.

### The Rise of the Earthmother

The Tribal Council of Greenhill had decided that they would not be taking in refugees from the war, decreeing that their neutrality was essential to maintain and that while it was tragic that so many would starve and succumb to their injuries it was their own fault for fighting needlessly. The Council changed their mind when the voice of a 18 year old healer by the name of Elsi Greyroot convinced enough people to rally outside the doors of the council. She asserted that standing idly by while others died needlessly was wrong, and the neutrality of Greenhill could be maintained provided they took in people who were injured or who lost their homes from all tribes, and that by bringing in so many new people a new age of growth could be brought to the town. The council voted to allow Elsi as large a budget of supplies as they could grant her, and to allow her to organize healers and doctors from Greenhill to take in and heal. The population of Greenhill, just as Elsi had said it would, exploded from under 200 people to over 2000, as many who had been displaced by the tribal warfare had nowhere to go and chose instead to stay in Greenhill, working to help the town as thanks for saving their lives and the lives of their families. As the refugee population grew, so too did tensions as refugees from tribes who had fought against each other were brought together. Elsi managed to keep the peace, and respect for her grew among the population.

Early in the year 1985 of the Age of Might, the people spoke up, and a vote was brought to the council to disband it and elect Elsi Greyroot the leader of Greenhill. The vote was in favor, and so Elsi reluctantly accepted her new position of leadership because she figured she would be best able to lead her people into the bright future she felt they deserved if she had the ability to make decisions. The Old Council continued to hold power while Elsi worked out the fine details of her position and the rules for it, she ran several drafts by the council until there was one they agreed on, and power was then smoothly transitioned to Elsi. Most members of the Old Council now sit as members of the New Council, but that was by popular vote of the people and not part of any vote the Old Council had a say in. The people began calling her Earthmother Elsi, the name stuck and so now it is the official title of the leader of Greenhill.

Only someone who has been seriously injured in service to Greenhill or someone who has spent at least 5 years in service as a healer tending to the sick, injured, and dying of Greenhill are eligible to become Earthmother. This rule is in place as a measure to ensure that only someone well-versed through firsthand experience with the weight that the consequences of decisions from a position of power can have is able to assume the mantle of leadership.

## Geography

### The Annara River

The Annara river is the river that Greenhill (and many other tribes that no longer exist) was built on. The Annara River is situated in the middle of a large, mostly flat region with occasional larger rolling hills. Greenhill is rather unique, as it is built on and around a tall, stony hill. It is believed by some that this hill is some detached piece of Guj-Annara. Light to moderate forestation surrounds the plains, making wood a plentiful enough resource in the region. Being situated on a river has been a great boon to the people of Greenhill, as felled trees can be floated along the river and the fishing is plentiful.

### The Stonemother Mountains

Miles to the north of Greenhill is a small collection of mountains known as the Stonemother Mountains. The mountains are highly rich in iron and silver, so Greenhill does hold mining operations in the foothills of the Stonemothers. It is said, however, that the Stonemother Mountains gave birth to Guj-Annara herself, and so the mountains are treated with as much respect as possible, mining operations are kept minimal and limited to the foothills when possible.

### The Green Hill

Greenhill gets its name from the large, stony hill that the Centertree grows on. It is believed by some that this hill is actually a detached piece of Guj-Annara older than her Corpse, and that the Centertree was her last gift. This is unconfirmed, however some Oread Druids who worship the Corpse of Guj-Annara have been able to commune by meditating in front of the Centertree and swear that they are not communing with the tree when they do so, leading many to believe that the Centertree is somehow linked to Guj-Annara

## Inhabitants

### Lifestyle

The people of Greenhill live simple lives of relative peace and harmony. They farm, hunt, and trade just like anyone else. Elsi is very focused on the good of her people, and under her leadership the people of Greenhill thrive and are able to lead happy lives of relative security. That said, many of the people in Greenhill are survivors of the relatively recent war, and the town is still stabilizing in the wake of such rapid expansion immediately following the wars. The tensions between former members of tribes who fought are still present though they are being healed over time through no small effort on the part of the Earthmother.

### The Oreads

There is a very dense Oread population in Greenhill and the surrounding areas. It is said that the reason for this is that many thousands of years ago, an unfathomably large Earth Elemental by the name of Guj-Annara was born of the Stonemother Mountains and descended down onto the plains to give her many great gifts to the land. She is said to have molded the hills and dells by leaving behind fragments of her soul which themselves grew to become powerful Shaitan Genies. At some point after the humans arrived to the island, long after Guj-Annara had died, the Shaitan blessed many human bloodlines with the gift of the Elemental Plane of Earth, and so it came to be that within just a few generations there were many, many Oread children born. The Shaitan are gone now, none truly know where they went (or if they do, they aren't saying).

## Religion, Magic, Military, and Technology

### Religion

There is no state-sponsored religion, and the closest things to any sort of organized religion in Greenhill would be the Druids who primarily worship the Annara River and the Centertree, and the large population of Oreads who've over the centuries built elaborate shrines at the Corpse of Guj-Annara and call themselves the Church of Guj-Annara. There is however a philosophy that Elsi has described in the Doctrine of the Earthmother, where she wrote primarily on the virtue of self-improvement to the aim of being tough enough to bear your own burdens in life, and hopefully have as much as possible to give to the community especially to help others along their own journeys. Elsi does not mandate that people obey her philosophy, however it does influence some of her policy

### Magic

Those who work with magic are highly respected in Greenhill with the exception of those who focus purely on magic that harms, those who focus on purely harmful magics are tolerated, but it is seen generally as a fulfillment of the requirement to be able to somehow defend yourself and not as a virtuous contribution to the society as a whole. The most common type of magic in Greenhill is druidic in nature, though there are also a fair number of sorcerers touched with the blood of Shaitan or pure Elemental Earth.

### Military

Greenhill has no active military, though they do have a considerable force of guards relative to the overall population. All citizens of Greenhill are required by law to learn to fight in some capacity by the time they arrive at age 15. At age 10 children are allowed to choose how they'd like to learn to fight to satisfy the requirement. There is a list of acceptable fighting styles for this purpose, but anyone who wishes to use a style not on that list may appeal to the New Council to have it added to the list if the Council agrees. While this law is in place largely due to Elsi's belief that in order to be considered virtuous one must be capable of standing up for their beliefs and for their way of life, she has made it clear that she would mandate this even if she did not hold that belief specifically because Greenhill holds no active military and this is a way to ensure that if the need ever did arise to defend from outside threats they could rather quickly band together and assemble a fighting force. The lack of an active standing military is also the reason for the per-capita number of guards, as the non-combat roles that military would in most places be used for in peacetime are given to the guards instead, and the Greenwatch represents a small but organized and highly trained fighting force with an established chain of command so that in the event of an emergency there is a number of highly qualified individuals to assign command of combat units to.

### Technology

Greenhill is fairly technologically unsophisticated. Technology is beginning to advance more quickly, but they lack steam engines, do not yet have reliable handheld firearms (though they do have cannons). Similar to doctors and those who work with the magics of healing, creation, or aid, those who work to discover new technologies in the aim better the lives of the people are highly respected. Advancements in magitech are also limited, but they are quickly accelerating the rate at which they find clever ways to meld magic and technology.

## Law and Crime

### The New Council

Crime is increasingly rare in Greenhill, particularly as the tensions between former members of rival tribes settle. There is however a justice system. There is an council known as the New Council. The New Council consists of 21 elected representatives of the people known as the Mouthpieces, the New Council is responsible for voting on all matters that come to vote (the only exception being the election of the Earthmother and the election of new Mouthpieces, in those cases everyone is allowed a vote), and answer only to the people in that elections are held annually, but their decisions are final, only the Earthmother has the right to attempt to overturn a decision of the Council (though citizens are welcome to appeal to the Earthmother, and she does always consider the voices of the people, it is up to her whether or not she would like to attempt an overturn). In the event of an attempted overturn the Earthmother must state her reasoning as to why she feels the wrong decision has been made, the Council then deliberates on the matter for one week before returning with a new decision. Should the council agree with the overturn after hearing the Earthmother's objection, then the matter is concluded and the overturn passes. In the event that the council still disagrees with the overturn, they must state their reasoning before holding a one week period wherein all citizens who wish to speak on the matter may do so and be heard by the Earthmother, by the Mouthpieces, and by their fellow citizens. Citizens who choose to speak in these hearings gain the title of Speaker and are given a mark on the backs of their hands that they must bear until the case comes to a close. At the end of this one week period, a new vote will be held. In this new vote, the Earthmother, the Mouthpieces, and all Speakers get a vote that is decided by simple majority. In the event of an exact tie, the Earthmother's decision to overturn passes. Regardless of the outcome of this final vote, the case is considered to be closed and all Speakers are thanked for their service and cleansed of their marks.

### Crime

#### Minor Offenses:

* Trespassing
* Petty theft
* Trading goods under false pretenses
* Public nudity
* Drug addiction (possession and even use are both legal, though incredibly rare aside from ritualistic ceremony)

#### Felonies:

* Assault
* Inciting violence
* Major Theft
* Selling drugs to an addict
* Attempting to bribe the Earthmother, a Mouthpiece, or any other government representative
* Touching the Corpse of Guj-Annara without permission from the Church of Guj-Annara
* Destruction of property

#### Unforgivable Crimes:

* Rape
* Murder
* Harming the Centertree in any way
* Arson
* Necromancy
* Desecration of corpses
* Impeding the work of a doctor or healer in any way

### Punishment

Greenhill's punishment system under Elsi has become one that places emphasis on penitence, and so with each conviction comes a punishment that is aimed to make amends and ideally allow the offender to be allowed back into society. For example, one who has committed the crime of assault might be made to perform all duties of the victim in their stead while they recover (the victim would still receive pay for this work), pay for all costs associated with their recovery, replace property that may have been lost or damaged by the assault, all while still performing their own duties. One who has trespassed or stolen from another's home might have to live away from the town for a week so they can reflect on the importance of feeling secure where they sleep at night. Thieves are always made to either return what they stole or, if they are unable to return the items, pay what the Council deems to be a fair value for the items. The exception to the emphasis on penitence and rehabilitation are the Unforgivable Crimes, these are punishable only by Death or permanent exile.

## People and Places of Interest

### People of Interest

***Earthmother Elsi Greyroot*** is the first (and current) Earthmother of Greenhill. She was successful in uniting the devastated tribes through her skilled negotiation and innate wisdom. She was born a healer, and continues to work as a healer for her people when the need arises and she is able. She is dedicated to leading the people of Greenhill into an era of peace and prosperity.

### Places of Interest

***The Centertree*** is an ancient Oak tree located on the very center of the top of The Green Hill. It is at least thousands of years old, and was there before the humanoid races came to the island. It is thought that the Shaitan that used to be in the area probably remembered a time before the Centertree, but they've all disappeared and nobody knows where they went so they are not available to ask. Attempts to discern the origin of the Centertree magically have thus far all failed.

***The Corpse of Guj-Annara*** is the remains of an ancient Earth Elemental who is said to have been the size of half a mountain. Nobody knows for certain why Guj-Annara died, but many believe that after a long time of wandering and spreading her gifts to the land she grew tired, and gave the last fragment of her being towards creating the Green Hill to nurture the Centertree, her final gift. Oreads and those touched by the Elemental Plane of Earth say that when they are near the Corpse, they can still hear the nurturing songs of Guj-Annara in the form of deep rumbles and gentle sighs. Those with very powerful bonds to the Plane of Earth swear that they can hear those songs when they approach the Centertree although not everyone believes them.