Encyclopaedia of Aquila: The Hinterlands

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*Encyclopaedia of Aquila*

*Volume VIII: The Hinterlands*

*For Academic Pursuit, Aengis Streyso*

*Dreiton, Sidon Square Publishing House*

*Ashfall, 12th dusk, 4852*

*Flag of Clan Streyso. The Hinterlands does not have a national flag.*

*"Knowledge for Knowledge"*

*presented by the*

*South Aquilan Anthropological Society & affiliates*

*with special thanks to Ker Óras ta Gaelso*

*and the Hinterlandic-Valencian Cultural Society*

**The Hinterlands**

**Settled c. 3820 after synchronization - date of independence uncertain**

*"Sár oes Dhórasi Áthaigh" ("Land of Our Fathers")*

#### **Forward by the Author**

It's been nearly a quarter century since I boarded a Valencian trade ship bound for the Southern Continent, and left my home forever. Eventually settling in Dreiton, I learned the standard tongue of Aquila, pursued higher education and a career in academia, and adjusted to life in this foreign society. Today I count myself as one of the few proud members of the Hinterlander diaspora. As my fellow countrymen abroad would certainly attest to, I continue even now to stand in awe at the stark differences between the small world projected by the Hinterlands, and the much larger world beyond those damp and frigid islands. The common assumption that the Hinterlands is little more than a distant collection of rocky islets forever frozen both in frost and time is one of the more accurate stereotypes I've heard of my homeland. One would have to dredge through eons of Occan, Audaxian, or Sivisean histories to find a society as primitive as modern Hinterlandic society. Indeed, since the Hinterlands developed as a petty civilisation on the edge of the world a little more than a millennium ago, little has changed. It is unlikely that the next 1000 years will bring any significant change, either.

Yet I wish not to add my own voice - which, not so long ago, spoke only in the harsh dialect of southern Hinterlandic - to the universal chorus which dismisses the Hinterlands as a barbaric backwater. Every critique I may have of my homeland is countered by a word of praise.

The Hinterlanders' apparent backwardness is more so a reflection of extreme conservatism reinforced by strong cultural traditions and a patriotism the likes of which I've not witnessed anywhere else in Aquila. They are not isolationists; rather, they care about the outside world to the same degree that the outside world cares about them - that is to say, barely. They are a fierce, rugged people in a world of their own. They care not for foreign gods or redstone technologies; the sea god Mórsinr supplies them with sufficient fish and the Hinterlandic longbow is the apex of their innovation. Warriors do not cut their hair or shave their beards lest they are defeated in battle, and women are expected to birth countless strong sons for their husbands. Boys at the age of thirteen are forced to survive on their own in the mountainous Hinterlandic interior for a year - if they survive, they return to their village as a man; if they do not, their family is not permitted to mourn. There are countless other traditions of these people, some shocking and others familiar, that I could recount, but that is not the singular purpose of this volume.

Indeed, the Hinterlanders very much reflect the Hinterlands itself. Just as the archipelago is a land of fire home to some of Aquila's deadliest volcanoes, so too do the Hinterlanders burn with a fiery honour. Just as the rocky, barren, seemingly lifeless isles set amidst a cold and stormy sea secretly teem with unseen worldly wonders, so too do the Hinterlanders conceal a harsh kindness and undying loyalty beneath their rough, frigid demeanor.

The Hinterlands is unlike any nation hitherto studied in this series; indeed, even calling it a nation is not entirely accurate. Every entry in this encyclopaedia to date has shed light on a nation that possesses, to varying degrees, a distinct and centralised state government, clearly definable institutions and state apparati, and an identifiable national citizen-class built from a strong and united public sphere. The Hinterlands lacks any and all of those state-building qualities. It is not unwarranted, then, to question whether or not the Hinterlands deserves an entry alongside the likes of Aquila's greatest empires and most sophisticated civilisations. What benefit, scholarly or otherwise, could possibly be gained from shedding light on an oft-forgotten corner of the world, about which very little is known anyway? I hope to demonstrate in this volume that the Hinterlands, from an anthropological and sociological standpoint, ranks among the most intriguing scholarly ports of call in the wide academic sphere, and that, from the vastly more general standpoint as a Hinterlander, a Dreitonian, and an Aquilan, it is a part of our world certainly worthy of our attention.

#### **Introduction**

The Hinterlands is an archipelago located in the Astral Sea, itself in the Surladan Ocean. It is at the maritime crossroads of three continents: Kilran to the south, Sivistys to the east, and Khotan to the northwest. Despite its proximity to these major bases of power, the Hinterlands have, for much of their history, generally remained isolated and unvisited by outsiders, making it one of the least charted regions of Aquila. It is also one of the last parts of Aquila to be permanently settled, with the first known inhabitants arriving in the Hinterlands only around 3820 AD.

In the native language of Hinterlandic, the Hinterlands are called Móreyda Skagrí, which translates to ‘small lands of the sea’ (*mórey* meaning sea, *skagr* being a diminutive of *sar*, meaning land). This itself derives from the Thelian ‘Mhariscar’, which is the earliest name given to the archipelago.

In Aquilan Standard, the name ‘Hinterlands’ is used to refer to the archipelago. This term was coined by Argis the Navigator, the famed explorer and founder of the Aragonese School of Geography, who sailed past the islands but never stepped foot on them. He first refers to the islands in his seminal work *A Treatise on Our Waters, Near and Far*, where he identifies a ‘cluster of rocky isles and islets, guarding the hintermost fringes of the northern seas.’ It is from this passage that the archipelago received its most common and widespread name.

In Khotani, the name is rendered as ‘Ga-zar muu za’ which roughly translates to ‘Domain of the Eastern Dragon’. This is due to the traditional Khotani belief that the Hinterlands, due to their volcanic activity, is home to dragons.

#### **History**

The first colonists to arrive in the Hinterlands were Thelian settlers from Thel Olihim, once the ancient capital of the Aquilan Empire. Initial Thelian settlements, which were few in number and concentrated mostly on the southern- and westernmost islands, failed within the first decade due to the naturally inhospitable environment of the archipelago. Almost a century passed before a second attempt was made by the Thelians to establish a colonial foothold on the distant islands, which they did with slightly more success.

The nature of Thelian colonisation of the Hinterlands was military and religious rather than civilian. By the 4100s, roughly a dozen Thelian fortresses dotted the islands, garrisoned by a total of no more than two thousand soldiers. Soon the islands became a vital naval outpost, roughly halfway between Thel Olihim and the Sivistys holdings of the Aquilan Empire. Meanwhile, Thelian clerics, who still practiced the Old Ways and were thus banished from Kilran due to the religious persecutions of King Makrozoia, arrived as exiles in the Hinterlands and established several stone monasteries, many of which are still in use today. The most famous, Mera Kólm, is not only thought to be the oldest existing structure in the Hinterlands, but is also one of the largest religious complexes in all of Aquila.

Around the time of renewed Thelian interests in the Hinterlands, an ethnically unidentifiable nomadic people-group from the far northern shores of Sivistys are said to have arrived in the eastern Hinterlands. For anthropological purposes, this group is commonly referred to simply as the ‘Sea Nomads’. The Sea Nomads, who likely originated from Olexia and its surrounding islands, were, like the present-day Hinterlanders, expert fishermen and were thus able to survive in harsher maritime climates. Therefore, when they reached the Hinterlands around 4,150, they were able to do what the Thelians had not even attempted: establish permanent civilian settlements on the islands. According to legend, the first nomadic groups to settle in the Hinterlands were separately led by twelve chieftains: Strey, Tir, Sar, Gael, Thar, Rhen, Kiyr, Hval, Ghao, Vey, Gar, and Kos. These twelve chieftains lent their names to the so-called ‘Twelve Ancient Clans’, respectively: Clan Streyso, Clan Tyrso, Clan Sárso, Clan Gaelso, Clan Thírso, Clan Rhenso, Clan Kíyrso, Clan Hválso, Clan Ghaoí-so, Clan Veíso, Clan Gárso, and the now extinct Clan Kósso.

Unlike the Thelians of the Aquilan Empire, the Sea Nomads were not great conquerors; though their society possessed a petty warrior class, they lacked the military sophistication and technology of the Kilranians. Very shortly after they had managed to establish prosperous, self-sustaining settlements in the eastern, southern, and central parts of the Hinterlands, the Sea Nomads found themselves to be victims of the Thelian garrisons, who considered the nomads to be invaders in their lands. A war ensued for several decades in which the Sea Nomads defended their settlements against legions of Thelians. Though the Nomads were often successful in staving off Thelian offensives on their islands, on other occasions entire settlements and populations were wiped out by the Thelian garrisons. Many Sea Nomads opted to leave the Hinterlands and return to Sivistys, whilst others remained, determined to defend their new homes.

Ker Strey sa-Vetar, leader of the southern Nomadic settlements, emerged as the natural leader in the fight against the Thelians. Along with Ker Gar sa-Moria, Strey rallied all Nomadic peoples of the Hinterlands and organised an offensive campaign aimed at weakening the Thelian strongholds on the western isles. In 4298, the Sea Nomads scored their greatest victory of the war, when Strey and Gar routed a Thelian army under the vanguard of the notorious Northern Watch battalion, at the Battle of Gora Pith. Meanwhile in the southeastern islands, Ker Rhen sa-Nera led a campaign that saw the Thelians completely dislodged from their fortifications there. Finally, in 4302, in the northern Thelian fortress of Aeríek, peace was negotiated between the Nomadic chieftains and the Thelian commanders.

The terms of the Peace of Aeríek were as follows: a Thelian military presence would remain in the Hinterlands, and the Aquilan Empire would maintain nominal control of the islands. In return, the Sea Nomad settlements would be left to their own devices. Both sides knew that without peace, the Thelians would eventually win the war; the Sea Nomads, despite their successes in battle, faced a scarcity of resources and manpower, whilst the Thelians, on the contrary, could continue to rely on a steady supply of resources and soldiers from the Kilranian mainland, should they simply wish to wear the Sea Nomads down. Thus, this peace offering was the best the Sea Nomads would get, and they gladly accepted the terms.

The next few centuries that followed are long considered to be a golden age in the history of the Hinterlands. The Sea Nomad peoples and the Thelian garrisons lived in peaceful coexistence. The two factions even began to intermarry. When the Aquilan Empire fell in 4355, most Thelians in the Hinterlands remained.

As Sea Nomad populations grew, they became more and more influenced by Thelian culture, particularly via language and religion. Whilst the Thelians possessed a proud written literary tradition stretching back to antiquity, the Sea Nomads had not yet developed a writing system, making the preservation of their language doubtful; even today little to nothing is known about the language they originally spoke. Thus, as the two cultures assimilated, Thelian soon became widely spoken throughout the islands. As time went on, certain elements of this ancient language (particularly its grammar, syntax, and runic writing system) coalesced with the Nomadic tongue (particularly its vocabulary) to form an entirely new and unique language: Hinterlandic. Meanwhile, the Thelian monasteries in the Hinterlands continued to prosper and sent missionaries to convert the Nomads to the faith of the Old Ways. Hitherto pagans, the Nomads adhered to a primitive pantheon of gods that resonated nicely with the teachings of the Old Ways. As such, like with the language, the Nomadic and Thelian faiths eventually coalesced to form a new faith mostly based on the Old Ways yet unique to the Hinterlands. The Nomads maintained in their new faith one of their original pagan gods: Mórsínr, god of storms and the sea, who soon became a principal figure of the new faith and is a symbol of Hinterlandic culture.

Due to the literal and figurative marrying of Sea Nomadic and Thelian society, by the year 4419 writings began to mention the emergence of a new cultural and social identity: Hinterlander. Having completely abandoned their nomadic tendencies, the Sea Nomads adopted this new identity willingly and first referred to themselves as Hinterlanders, and their islands as the Hinterlands.

Still divided amongst the many islands into a patchwork of (more or less) isolated communities, it was during this era that Hinterlanders developed the clan system they maintain today. Each clan received its name from the clan’s founder, usually one of the nomadic chieftains during the arrival era; many of these individuals are known to exist, though the existence of several others is backed up by little to no evidence. Whilst as many as 300 clans were known to exist at this time (with membership numbers ranging from 10 to 10,000), the Twelve Ancient Clans soon dominated the others and rose to prominence on their respective islands.

The largest of these was Clan Streyso (‘Clan of Strey’), situated on the southernmost island of Streysar (‘Isle of Strey’), also named for the legendary founder. They soon ran into territorial conflict with another large Ancient Clan, Clan Tyrso (‘Clan of Tir’), and in 4445 the first in a long history of clan wars broke out between the two. That same century, several other clan wars, also usually of a territorial nature, erupted across the Hinterlands, particularly those between Clans Rhenso and Tórigso, Clans Hvalso and Ghaoí-so, and Clans Thírso and Sarso. Around 4500, one of the bloodiest wars in Hinterlander history (‘the War of the Four Clans’) erupted, when the Clans Rhenso, Vylísso, and Kalso formed a rare alliance against Clan Tórigso, which barely survived the onslaught and lost much of their territory on the isle of Tíelsar. A few decades later, in 4531, another notable conflict (‘the War of Centuries’) broke out between the Clans Mórjso and Fhorí-so for control of the island of Fhorí-sar. This war is distinct in Hinterlander history for being the longest on record; as of 4852, more than a three centuries later, the war is still ongoing, though fighting has been sporadic and there have been long periods of ceasefire.

Notably, around the start of this century, the first outside contact was made with the city-states of Sivistys, Kilran, and Audax. The famed Aragonese explorer Argis the Navigator first charted the Hinterlands in 4511, and through his widely-read publications, brought the islands to mainstream attention in Aquila. Soon, small cohorts of traders from Aragon, Belial, Sidon, Mount Augusta, Cydonia, Valencia, and elsewhere flocked to the Hinterlands, though the extent of their business was limited mostly to the southernmost island of Streysar, and with the clans that resided there. Because of the lack of valuable resources and worldly wealth in the Hinterlands, the islands would not grow to become a massive trading mecca on par with the continental city-states, but nevertheless did exchange Hinterlandic crafts, weapons, stone, ores, fish, whale, and foodstuffs for never before seen foreign valuables. The arrival of outside traders also marked the beginning of the mercenary exchange; as soldiers-for-hire from the continents sought new opportunities in places of conflict, several flocked to the Hinterlands, embroiled in clan feuds. A small number of Hinterlander mercenaries also made the journey to the continents to lend their fighting skills to new bidders. One of these men was Grigaar Streyso, who became famous as the first Hinterlander to lead a professional army outside of the Hinterlands, whilst in service to Cydonia.

Perhaps the most well-documented clan feud in Hinterlander history belongs to that between Clans Streyso and Tyrso who, after their initial war in the previous century, renewed hostilities in 4625. The war began when warriors of Clan Kosso (an Ancient Clan settled on Streysar, and longtime ally of Clan Tyrso) supposedly torched a number of Clan Streyso’s farmlands on the southern coast, resulting in the deaths of several Streyso farmers and a dearth in the clan’s agriculture. The Diet of Clan Kosso claimed that the fires were the result of a recent volcanic eruption, not Kosso raiders, but Clan Streyso was already bent on revenge. Streyso warriors under the infamous chieftain Sólmar the Fierce used the fires as a *casus belli* to wipe Clan Kosso off the map and come one step closer to realising the Streyso goal of uniting Streysar under one banner. Clan Kosso called on their allies to the north, and long-time Streyso rival, Clan Tyrso, to intervene. Now confronted on two sides, Clan Streyso enlisted the help of Sidonese mercenaries and focused their attention on the much larger Clan Tyrso. Clan Kosso used the opportunity to deliver a crushing and unexpected blow to Clan Streyso, driving their armies deep into Streyso territory and even threatening the capture of Hváligr, the Streyso clan-seat. Angered, embarrassed, and with a newfound hatred for Clan Kosso, the Streyso Diet resolved to focus all attention on Clan Kosso and in 4631 delivered a counterblow that would ultimately mark an end to Clan Kosso’s existence. Sólmar led his forces through Kosso territory, ravaging and destroying everything in their path in a scorched-earth campaign which, even by Hinterlander standards, was brutal. The Kosso clan-seat at Kósvek was taken and razed to the ground and the Kosso Elder was murdered in a bloodbath; according to legend, the Elder and the members of the Circle Diet were invited by Streyso emissaries to Sólmar’s encampment to discuss terms of surrender, but upon arrival were ambushed and slaughtered, with Sólmar himself supposedly killing the Elder with an arrow to the head. According to the *Annals of Island Histories*, by the Thelian-born Carsonite historian Carinus Ros, the final outcome of Clan Kosso, following the Streyso invasion, was as follows: ‘one-third [of Clan Kosso] saw it fit to remain in those lands, and over time became one with the Streyso; one-third fled to the lands of their northern allies, and over time became one with the Tyrso; one-third were immediately put to the Streyso arrow, their corpses dispersed amongst the cinder and ash of their smouldering villages.’

A second notable conflict is the war between Clans Garso and Veíso in 4680. According to legend, this war began when Veíso hunters chased a white Hinterlandic rabbit across the line dividing Veíso and Garso territories, and killed it outside a Garso village (in Clan Garso, rabbits are considered sacred). Thus, in Hinterlandic this conflict is known as *Gór Dháras Bailel*, or ‘War of the White Rabbit’. In reality, the war was due to decades of heightening tensions between the two clans, particularly around their stances toward the Thelian garrisons. Kirsksar was one of the only islands in the Hinterlands to still maintain a Thelian presence; several Thelian fortresses still dotted the island, including their largest in the archipelago, the stone citadel of Rhengal Keep. For centuries Clan Garso, generally a peaceful and theocratic clan, had allied with the Thelian garrisons, paying a small fee to the soldiers in exchange for access to their monasteries and temple complexes. The ambitious and warlike Clan Veíso, meanwhile, had long advocated for the removal of all Thelian presence from Kirsksar. The unprecedented appointment in 4679 of a Garso warrior to the post of commandant of a Thelian fortress was the final straw for the Veíso. The next year they began an invasion of Garso and Thelian territory as means to prevent a further marriage of the two factions. A number of Thelian fortresses were besieged by Veíso warriors; two were captured, whilst Rhengal Keep survived in an easy victory for Garso-Thelian defenders.

The following months saw many skirmishes along the borderlands of the Garso and Veíso clan territories. Clan Komí-so, the largest clan on the neighbouring island of Komsar, soon joined the fray on the side of Clan Veíso. The Komí-so had nearly dominated the entirety of their island, save a few Thelian holdouts on its northern shore; thus, they shared the ambitions of the Veíso to see the Thelian garrisons routed from the Hinterlands. A second offensive against the Thelian garrisons was launched. More than a dozen were captured before the end of 4683, including the historical fortress of Aeríek in western Komsar.  In early 4684, the combined forces of Clans Veíso and Komí-so, having defeated a sizable offensive force of Garso warriors, marched to the shores of western Kirsksar in an attempt to once more take Rhengal Keep, and defeat the largest of the Thelian garrisons. The Second Battle of Rhengal Keep would prove to be the decisive action of the war. In Hinterlandic historiography, it is called the ‘Battle of Four Lords’, referring to the four commanders of each faction: Ker Mórhis Gar of Clan Garso, Ker Fhídhar Kómh of Clan Komí-so, Ker Ghodín do Veí of Clan Veíso, and Captain Regent Taris Sott, the Thelian commandant of Rhengal Keep. The battle was a pyrrhic victory for the Garso-Thelian faction; though the fortress was successfully defended, both Ker Mórhis Gar and Captain Regent Syrott were killed in the fighting, as was the majority of the Thelian garrison. The Veíso and Komí-so forces retreated back to southern Kirsksar.

Shortly after the Second Battle of Rhengal Keep, in the village of Bára Sad (the Garso clan seat), Mórhis Gar’s son, Ker Elísor Gar, was elected war chieftain (and, at 54 years, would go on to hold the longest tenure in that position in Clan Garso history). Gar immediately won a string of Garso victories when he retook a number of Thelian fortresses from Veíso and Komí-so forces. With the small number of Thelian soldiers left, he planned a full invasion of Veíso’s territory. With Veíso warriors spread across the captured fortresses that remained under their control, and Clan Komí-so reeling from a rebellion within their own territory, which had erupted following their defeat at Rhengal Keep, Ker Ghodín do Veí knew he could not withhold an invasion from the north. The Veíso sued for peace in mid-4686.

By 4712, the last of the dwindling Thelian garrisons, severely weakened by centuries of war and seeing no further purpose to their occupation, finally left the Hinterlands. As they disembarked from Hvírthsar and Fhorí-sar bound for their ancestral home of Thelia, many Hinterlanders across the archipelago rejoiced in the 'liberation' of their islands.

The year 4750 marked something of a turning point in Hinterlandic history. Growing in ambition, the Khotani began to eye the small group of islands to their southeast. For centuries, Khotani pirates had been a constant thorn in the side of the northern and western clans, but when a sizable Khotani military force landed on Hvírthsar in 4750, Ker Oesin Thírr sent envoys to every other major clan of the Hinterlands, asking for support. In a rare moment in Hinterlander history, 4,000 warriors from over 30 different clans answered the call and assembled with the Thírso warriors. The three-day Battle of Várskavik was bloody and intense, but the Hinterlanders managed to fend off the much larger Khotani army. According to Valencian historian Alario Rasse, who was present at the battle and its aftermath, 'A thousand-thousand arrows littered the isle... one could not walk on the grey rocky shores of Hvírthsar for fear of stepping on one, and no one dared fish in the sea which ran red with the blood of ten thousand dead Khotani.' It would not be the last Khotani invasion of the Hinterlands, though it was the largest to date.

#### **Geography**

Though no official census has been conducted, the estimated population of the Hinterlands is 30,000, making it one of the least populated regions in Aquila. Of the roughly 200 islands that make up the Hinterlands, less than 30 are inhabited. More than half of the population lives on the largest and most southerly island, Streysar. Other islands of notable size and importance include Aalsar, Tíelsar, Kirsksar, and Mera Kólm. The largest settlement in the archipelago is the Streysar town of Thálholm, home to 6,000. Other sizable settlements include the Streyso clan seat of Hváligr (2,000), the Tyrso clan seat of Tyrrhím (1,000), and the Geris monastery-town of Reághri (1,000).

Only about 10% of the Hinterlands’ soil is arable, all of it being on the southern isle of Streysar. The remainder of the islands’ topological makeup is that of taiga and (in the far northern islands) permafrost. None of these biomes offer much opportunity for floral or arboreal growth, with the notable exception of the resilient brimwood tree, which is the only source of wood for the islands’ inhabitants.

With over a dozen volcanoes dotting the islands, the Hinterlandic interior is characterised by large rocky cliffs and crags, which offer substantial deposits of ores and other valuables. As many of the archipelago’s volcanoes are still active, and travel through the isles’ interiors can prove treacherous, the vast majority of human settlement is concentrated on the coasts. It is from here that the Hinterlanders have access to the Astral Sea’s abundant supply of fish, which forms the basis of the Hinterlandic diet.

#### **People and society**

More than a third of Hinterlanders belong to Clan Streyso or its cadet branches, making it the largest clan. Other notable clans include Clan Tyrso, Clan Rhenso, Clan Mórjso, Clan Garso, and Clan Fhorí-so.

Religiously, most Hinterlanders adhere to a unique faith based around ancient deities exported through the Old Ways and nomadic paganism. Though faith practices and theological tenets can vary from clan to clan, all faiths of the Hinterlander people are interconnected and based around one key deity, Morsínr, the god of the sea. Like the Thelians of old, the Hinterlanders are also known for constructing large, intricate temple complexes, the most famous of which is situated on Mera Kólm, long considered to be the holiest isle in the Hinterlands, and a popular pilgrimage destination for all Hinterlanders and foreign practitioners of the Old Ways alike. Also on Mera Kólm can be found the *Rorrdsí,* a series of ancient runic-inscribed stone tablets which serve as the most sacred of Hinterlander religious texts. It tells the story of how Mórsínr and Królihr, the god of the underworld, did battle for several thousands of years before the latter forever altered the sea deity’s domain by causing mountains of fire to erupt from the underworld into the oceans of the overworld. According to tradition, this event created the volcanoes that eventually formed the Hinterlands themselves.

The Hinterlanders are avid fishermen. As mentioned, fish, whales, and other seafood make up the most vital elements of the Hinterlander diet. Though some farms exist on Streysar, allowing for much more diet diversity for the southern clans, most of the Hinterlands does not have arable soil. Even still, some extreme varieties of wheat and potato, acclimated to the cold climate and capable of surviving in permafrost, is grown in small quantities along the coastal regions of most central islands. Apples, forest berries, nuts, seaweed, and mushrooms are also commonly consumed. No native fauna exist in the Hinterlands except the Hinterlandic snow rabbit, which is hunted for food by most clans, but revered and protected by some others.

Above all else, the Hinterlanders are proud warriors. From a young age, Hinterlander males are taught discipline and how to fight, particularly with the bow, which is considered the weapon of choice throughout the Hinterlands. So proud are the Hinterlanders of their archery skills, that the famed historian and anthropologist Minas of Sidon summed up the Hinterlander mindset in one quote from his writings: ‘The Hinterlanders are a proud, if not particularly sophisticated people, who concern themselves with three things: fishing, the bow, and nothing else at all.’ The crafting of a bow from a brimwood sapling is the second most important rite of passage a young Hinterlander male undergoes, the first being the custom known as Bhára-ghód, wherein, right after a boy’s thirteenth birthday, he is cast out of his clan village and made to survive in the harsh wilds for one year; only upon his return is he considered a man.

Very few Hinterlanders leave the islands, due in double part to a widespread ignorance of the foreign world, and a general satisfaction with life in the Hinterlands, where most men can only aspire to be warriors, fishermen, crafters, and/or members of their clan Diet, and women’s roles are largely reduced to the home. Beginning in the 4500s and gradually increasing in subsequent centuries, outside influences and cultures, particularly from Kilran, has permeated Hinterlander society, bringing science, foreign arts and economics, and thus providing the people with new opportunities. Though most Hinterlanders will never leave the islands in their lifetime, there are a handful of known Hinterlanders who have found fame outside of the Hinterlands, particularly as mercenaries; their prowess as fighters and archers make them popular assassins, bodyguards, and soldiers of fortune amongst the city-states of Aquila. On top of this, sizable Hinterlander communities are known to exist in Valencia, Belial, and Aragon.

#### **Government**

The Hinterlands are not a unitary state, and lack any form of sophisticated central governance. Rather, the islands are a patchwork of different independent territories administered through a clan system. All Hinterlanders belong to one of over a hundred clans. The politics of the islands are driven through interactions between these different clans, though even still these relations are mostly limited to individual islands. Though the Hinterlands are mostly peaceful today, the archipelago’s history is characterised by blood feuds and clan warfare, and some elements of territorial rivalry continue to provoke conflict amongst the clans.

Most clans are governed through patrilineal systems and have their seats of power in a regional village. The nominal head of each clan is generally the eldest male member of the clan, simply called ‘the Elder’ (Míerseigr), who is responsible for much of the clan’s ceremonial and religious duties. Beneath the Elder, but carrying out most of the general governance is the clan Circle Diet (Dhínnfhar oes Bára), named for the large circular assembly halls in which they generally meet. These are typically composed of all of the clan’s leading nobles and warriors. The Diet elects amongst them a War Chieftain (Górseigr), who leads the clan in battle. Whilst most clans limit their hierarchies to males only, some clans, such as Clan Mórjso, have a long history of female clan members in their Diet, and even as Elders or War Chieftains.

#### **Economy**

The Hinterlandic economy is primitive, and largely based on a bartering system. Each clan has their own 'currency', usually based around what is regionally valuable; Clans Streyso and Tyrso, for example, barters mostly with tin ore, whilst northern clans tend to barter using food crops, such as potatoes and barley, which are not grown in great abundance. Thálholm, the principle port of the Hinterlands, located in southern Streysar, is the only settlement in the archipelago that has introduced standardised currency units, such as emeralds, gold and iron ingots, and the ubiquitous Aquile, though these are almost exclusively used in foreign trade rather than in domestic commerce.

Trade between the clans is common, except during times of conflict; seeing as at least any two clans are constantly at war, domestic trade is usually disrupted in one way or another. Some clans, such as Clan Nír Gaelso on the distant island Rháth-na-Mór, are exceedingly isolationist, and thus have developed closed production systems of complete autarky. In general, though, most clans are in favour of, and often rely on, trade with other clans. A common bilateral trade model is the exchange of crops and lumber from the southern clans for mined ores and coal from the northern clans. Because southern Streysar is the only part of the Hinterlands temperate enough to grow wheat in great abundance, it is often called 'the Surladan breadbasket'; the Silurian economic historian Ferens Voss argues that control of the Hinterlands' only stretch of arable soil has contributed to Clan Streyso's hegemony and increased population. Most major Hinterlandic settlements possess a central marketplace, called a *rjánssa*, from which most domestic commerce takes place.

Foreign trade has increased in the Hinterlands, especially since the rise of Nova Aquila. Codania, Belial, Vicis, Augusta, and Carson are among the archipelago's top commerce destination, but the singular greatest trade partner of the Hinterlands is Valencia. Valencians were the first after the city-states of Sivistys to arrive in the Hinterlands, and have enjoyed uninterrupted trade relations with Clan Streyso and others ever since. Trade has also been initiated in recent years with ports farther abroad, such as the distant Aphelian free city of Dreiton. Almost all trade is conducted through Thálholm. The top Hinterlandic exports, in order of prevalance, include fish, whale, barley, sulphur, tin, rabbit leather, and coal. Among the most prevalent imports to the Hinterlands are foodstuffs as well as weapon materials such as iron and gunpowder, neither of which can be found in the Hinterlands.

#### **Technology**

The Hinterlands is universally infamous for its lack of modern technologies. The ultra-conservative and traditional lifestyles embedded in the clan cultures has meant a general rejection of all innovative technologies when they've been offered from outsiders. There are some key exception. The arrival of iron and diamond through trade in the last century has meant improved mining technology, thus resulting in a mining boom, especially in the northern clans. Most mined valuables, however - coal, tin, scant amounts of gold - are traded from Thálholm rather than utilised domestically. The advent of elementary redstone technologies at the turn of the century have been largely rejected except by some artisan practitioners in southern Streysar, leading some to speculate that these infant redstone factories could ultimately lead to full-scale industrialisation in the Hinterlands.

As mentioned, the acquisition of iron and gunpowder through foreign trade has increased in the last century. This has meant gradual developments in traditional clan warfare. A 4733-4740 territorial war between Clans Kalso and Vylísso is the first instance of Hinterlandic warfare in which iron weapons and armour were largely used by both sides. The primary Hinterlandic method of combat, archery, has also seen developments, as the production of iron-tipped arrows is slowly beginning to eclipse the use of traditional flint-tipped ones. Furthermore, the infamous 4799 TNT-bombing in central Thálholm by a Tyrso radical, in which three Streysos died, is the first lethal use of gunpowder in the Hinterlands. This was followed three years later by the assassination of a Hvalso war chieftain through the use of gunpowder explosives attached to the bottom of his boat.

Traditionally, the Hinterlands' main - and only - centres of learning have been the Thelian monasteries. Those Hinterlanders who pursue the pious life of a monk and enroll at any of the island chain's several hundred monasteries receive an education in archaic literature, artistry, mathematics, astronomy, and languages, making them by far the most learned members of Hinterlandic society. The holy isle of Mera Kólm, the largest monastery in the archipelago, once held the status as the largest Hinterlandic education centre, and was responsible for churning out brief but modest artistic and scientific renaissances. Mera Kólm has since been eclipsed as the premier learning institute by the more modern Králin Dóhl monastery on western Fhorí-sar, and the famous Reághri monastery on the isle of Geris.

#### **Military and security**

The Hinterlands, not being a unitary state, does not possess a standardised military. Even the clans themselves hold no standing armies, instead only calling their able-bodied men to arms during times of conflict. There are rare instances of Hinterlandic warriors from several clans unifying to fight an outside force, most notably during the early Thelian Wars, and more recently during the Battle of Várskavik.

Beginning in the 4500s, Hinterlanders have made extensive use of foreign mercenaries and sellswords to supplement their clan armies. Hiring mercenaries is cheap and always a ready option, and for the Hinterlanders, the clear benefit was the advent of new military technologies and techniques that foreign soldiers introduced that would give one clan an edge over its enemy clan. As a result of the wave of foreign mercenaries pouring into the Hinterlands, several Hinterlander warriors have also left the Hinterlands to serve as mercenaries themselves. Indeed, Hinterlander mercenaries are well-known across Aquila, and have quickly become the archipelago's most famous export, as they are sought after by many warring nations and city-states. What the Hinterlander mercenary lacks in modern technologies and styles, he makes up for with his sheer fighting skill and perceived invulnerability. Their aggressive fighting techniques, common use of blunt weaponry such as axes, and documented rage on the field of battle have led Hinterlandic mercenaries to be commonly nicknamed 'beserkers' by those who hire them. Their prowess on the battlefield has also given rise of the saying, common in several Kilranian societies, that 'one Hinterlander is worth ten continentals'. Today, the age of the beserker is largely over, as the vast majority of Hinterlandic mercenaries serve in archer companies, where, in lieu of raw power, they are well known for their deadly accuracy. The most famous Hinterlandic mercenary company in the field today is the *Mórsínra Dhaíghra* ('Brotherhood of Mórsinr'), a 100-strong archer company currently based in Valencia.

#### **Foreign and domestic issues**

None of the clans of the Hinterlands have any formal relations with foreign powers; thus, the islands have no declared allies nor enemies. As mentioned, trade with other nations has increased in recent years, though these commercial relations are largely *de facto* in nature, as no official trade agreements have been signed. On a day-to-day level, Khotan is commonly viewed as the greatest threat to the Hinterlands, due to decades of state-sanctioned raids on the Hinterlands. The upstart Nova Aquila is also viewed with some suspicion. On the other hand, most Hinterlanders would likely identify the Sivellan Republic as a close ally, due to centuries of close relations with the city of Valencia. Today, Valencia is home to the most significant portion of the Hinterlandic diaspora. In return, several Valencian merchants have established operations in Thálholm, with some even settling there permanently.

The Hinterlands' domestic situation is dire. There is almost constant clan warfare, though certainly less now than in centuries past. As of 4852, clans reported to be in open hostilities with each other include Clans Hvalso and Ghaoí-so; Clans Mórjso and Fhorí-so; and Clans Sarso, Thírso, and ta Gaelso. There is speculation that war could soon erupt between the traditional rivals of Clan Streyso and Tyrso, due to increasingly heightened tensions between the two.

#### **National Metrics**

*(Information in years since 4800)*

**Aquilan Development Index (ADI)**

**Current Value**: ~30,500

The population number is approximate; due to a lack of any census-gathering institutions, the exact number of people living in the Hinterlands is unknown, and could actually be as much as 35,000. However, it is widely agreed among statisticians, demographers, and anthropologists that population is slowly rising, with the rate of increase itself increasing minimally.

**Population Growth**

**Current Value**: 73.2

In terms of inter- and intra-connectivity, Hinterlanders suffer due to their general isolation. Furthermore, only about a third of the population is literate. Infant mortality, however, is between 0.5% and 1% and Hinterlanders are famous for having one of highest age expectancies in Aquila. In terms of political freedoms, Hinterlanders again top the charts (mostly due to the lack of any central governments). Hence, ADI itself is generally rising incrementally, and is comfortably in the medium range.

**Percent Agrarianism (PA)**

**Current Value**: 69.5%

Though farming is rare (as arable land can only be found in the extreme southern islands) almost all male Hinterlanders will at some point in their lives steadily provide their village and family with food. All other Hinterlander occupations -- warriors, chieftains, crafters/artisans -- also double as hunters and, occassionally, fishermen. There is no indication that the Hinterlander way of life will change any time soon, so the rate of agrarianism is almost perfectly steady, with some insignificant fluctuations due to seasonal changes.

**Urban/Rural Ratio (URR)**

**Current Value**: 0.27

All Hinterlanders live in villages, but only one -- Thálholm, with a population of 6,800 -- is big enough to be considered a truly non-rural and proto-cosmopolitan environment. There is evidence to suggest that more sizable towns like Thálholm may soon emerge as more Hinterlander clans consolidate and populations move closer together, so the urban population may increase in the decades to come. For the time being, there exist only small fluctuations in an otherwise perfectly steady horizontal URR line.

*Islands of the Hinterlands*

*Major clans of the Hinterlands*