Adirondicka

Map of Adirondicka

## Common Knowledge

Adirondicka is a country in the North Eastern part of Orelisle. It is nearly all Redwood forest and known for its Lumber trade. The Humans and the Bear-Folk don't get along, the Bear-Folk view the Humans as invaders and are in an almost constant state of war but only those from the area or from the countries directly next to Adirondicka know that.

## Topography and Climate

Adirondicka is sprawling, mountainous woodlands. Giant redwoods cover almost all of the land, wide tall trees over 800 ft tall. Elaborate cave complexes stretch down into the Underdark. The climate is generally cold and temperatures in the redwood forest range from 40 to 60 degrees F° all year. Winters are occasionally frosty and snow is not uncommon. In warmer months, fog is naturally drawn inland from over the Sapphire Sound and drips through the dense canopy. This, along with the thickness of the forest, creates a cooler, damper atmosphere than the temperature alone suggests.The closer to the ocean you are, the cooler the temperature. In winter, fierce winds at the coast add an extra chill.

There is a small part of the forest in the southern part of Adirondicka that is completely cut off from the surrounding Redwoods by a circle of mountains. This small valley is populated by Silver Ash trees and is called, by the locals who know of it, The Sleepless Ashes. This place is even colder than the surrounding Redwoods and always has cloud cover during the day but clear skies during the night. During winter the ground is covered in a thick blanket of snow and the trees never lose their leaves, not even to the coldest of winds. This place is rumored to be a site where the Fae Wilds connect to the Mundane Plane, but this hasn't been strictly proven, but it hasn't been disproved either.

## Population

Adirondicka is populated by Bear-Folk, who are native to the land, and Humans, who have settled there. The Bear-Folk view the Human settlers as invaders and are constantly raiding settlements. The Humans just want to make a living.

There are rumors of Sirens living within the Sleepless Ashes which lure people to their death with song. They are not, in fact, Sirens but they do take people through song. These creatures are called Lidorten, they are very secretive and dangerous. But almost no one knows of their existence, and any who survive an encounter are marked for life.

## Exports and Trades

There is a very lucrative Lumber Trade out of Adirondicka as the Red woods are huge and healthy.

Humans are mostly simple farmers, fishermen, and lumberjacks and lumberjills. There are a fair amount of warriors and trackers as well. Warriors are known for being fierce and environmentally resourceful.

Bear-Folk are almost all primarily warriors in the on-going battle against the human invaders. Raiding parties are seen most often above the surface.

## Government

The Humans have a government composed of a number of ‘parties’, being small village clans. The different clans are delineated by the color of their suspenders.

The Bear-Folk government is largely unknown, but is probably loosely tribal or militaristic. Self-governing and independent.

## Social Hierarchy and Culture

Certain Human tribes have higher social statuses than others, though everyone is very close to the same social class. Humans believe Dryads are mystical and otherworldly beings. As most Adirondick men only hear of them in tales to scare them into good behavior and murmurings around the campfire at night. Sometimes they are spoken of as mediators, other times as terrible monsters which only the bravest of heroes could overcome. All that is known for sure is that the peoples of this country credit the ancient Dryads for helping to define their way of life and revere them for favoring them over the Bear-Folk.

The Bear-Folk, on the other hand, have a strange manner of speech and large personalities. They have a sophisticated social structure which is unknown, and their culture is a mystery to those not of the Bear-Folk themselves.

## Cities, Towns, and Villages

There are no real cities but there are small town and village settlements of Humans, the names of which are currently unknown.

The Bear-Folk, however, live in elaborate cave complexes which stretch deep below the land but above the Underdark. While being primarily cave-dwellers, the bear-kin frequently go above ground to range and hunt in the verdant forests of their native land. Very few Humans have wandered into these cave systems, but the ones who made it back described winding tunnels which seemed to serve as roads and villages inside of caves.

There is a small Human mining village that settled within the Sleepless Ashes and was under attack by what the villagers called Sirens. The Binturian party, in the spring of 10018, was hired to take care of the problem. Since then the attacks have all but stopped, however some people do still occasionally go missing into the forest.

## Alliances

Adirondicka has a Trade Alliance with the Arlaven Glades.

## Enemy Countries

This Country has no Enemy Countries but is in the middle of a Civil War between the Humans and the Bear-Folk. Since being pushed underground by the conquering human tribes hundreds of years ago, the Bear-Folk have been in a state of open war, occasionally raiding human settlements, burning and pillaging and occasionally kidnapping children. Most of these kids are never recovered, but are occasionally glimpsed amongst Bear-Folk raiding parties - speaking in a strange accent and covered in hair and war paint.

## Founding and History

The detailed founding of this country has been lost to time and very little is known about the time before the Human settlers arrived. The story of the Human migration to Adirondicka is largely intact and still told.

### Human Immigration

Hundreds of years ago, humans migrated to Adirondicka in pursuit of it's rich resources and sprawling, untamed lands. This tribe was formed up of a subset of a larger tribal population, kicked out for being slightly too civilized to meet the standards of the savage barbarian culture. Besides being known for their strength, these settlers excelled in hunting and gathering - something which they began in earnest as they started the process of exploring this new part of the continent. They quickly came into contact with native Bear-kin, and mistaking them for wild animals began hunting them - soon all hell broke out, and gathering efforts intensified. Forests were rapidly cleared and the bloodshed never seemed like it would stop. Over time plant monsters began to arise from the forest, but were quickly dispatched by the raw strength of the human invaders.

Three years into the conflict, victory seemed impossible. In a moment forever memorialized in Adirondack folklore, two Ents arose from the forest and laid waste to both factions, pushing them both to the brink. The Battle of the Red Banks saw over 300 humans and innumerable bear-kin fell that day, and at that moment the dryads stepped in to mediate the conflict. At first they went to the bear-kin, who refused any compromise - this was their land, and they would not stop until the humans were driven off. They then went to the humans, who, in desperation, listened to the plant creatures. The dryads taught them how to live peacefully with nature, which quelled the vine monsters - and taught them how to better utilize the land without destroying it.  With this advantage they swiftly drove the bears back into their winding cave habitats and for a short while lived in harmony with the dryads. Over time the Adirondack men and the dryads grew apart as clans formed and more closely defined cultural groups emerged. Rumor has it that one clan still lives in harmony with the dryads, but that is simply rumor and nothing more.

### Other Historical Events

More recent events have been documented by the Human settlers so there is a record of some things. The most well known being the War of the Pines in 9991 A.B., between Faidor and Adirondicka, little is know about the actual event but we know it happened!