Apalacheans

## Information

### Region

Burgenya, Inner Burgenya, Upper Kehrlyna, Lower Kehrlyna, Jourja, Parts of Tenuezie, Cantuqui, and Bamou

### Skills

Hunting, Warfare, Archery, Metallurgy, Mining, Stone-masonry, Music

## Appearance

### Physique

Stocky. Tough

Apalacheans are a hardy group of people who inhabit the wooded highlands, valleys, and hollows of the region of Apalachea, located in the southern portion of Tlantika. Although divided into a series of clans and tribes, the Apalacheans are united by their shared Apalachean language. The Apalacheans were infamous for their unbreakable sense of independence and fierce resistance to outside authority of any kind. They were regarded by many as some of the most fearless warriors in all of Maer'Ka, and their warlike hill clans frequently fought one another and other peoples surrounding them until being partially subjugated by the Khagoan Empire. Even under the rule of the Empire they never lost their militant spirit, and their warriors were some of the most sought after recruits for the Imperial Auxiliaries.

## History

The Apalacheans were descendants of the peoples of the mountainous part of the Southern region of the mythical and ancient Empire of Uesay, and even in the technological golden age of the Beforetimes they were known for their proud nature and strong sense of independence. Their homeland of Apalachea was largely spared from the rising seas of the Thousand Years Summer, and their ancestors managed to survive the horrors of the era with great resilience.

The peoples of the Apalachean mountains were molded by the rugged lands they inhabited, which consisted of hilly forests with little space for farming, as a result they were largely isolated from surrounding areas and developed into a series of hundreds of clans which each had strong ties reaching back many generations. These clans would occasionally form alliances or join together to form larger tribes, but never forgot their powerful ties of kinship. As civilization spread from the west, brought over the Mizzip sea by Kajun colonists who settled in nearby Tenuezie, Cantuqui, and Bamou, the Apalacheans refused to adopt their neighbors way of life and continued to live in their warlike tribes. They frequently made war on the Kajuns and later the newly formed Khagoan Republic in Laeklund, pillaging their farms and towns and bringing back their riches to their rugged homeland, which proved almost impossible to invade due to the easy ambushes they made on armies foolish enough to march through its shadowy forests. During the bloody Kajun Wars the Apalacheans served as mercenaries for both the Khagoan Republic and the Kajun League, and were extremely effective infantry known for their ferocious charges and nerve wracking battle cries.

Only with the Khagoan invasion led by the young Don Wabbash finally managed to subdue the Apalacheans after a horrific ten year war which saw massive casualties on both sides. The Khagoans went on to establish several colonies in Apalachea, mostly along the coast of the Tlantik Ocean and the more fertile lowlands, while the toughest tribes of the Highlands remained largely independent from Imperial rule, frequently rebelling and ambushing any who dared to travel through their mountain passes. Khagoan generals were eager to recruit the fearless warriors of the region into the Imperial Auxiliaries, where they served as some of the best infantry in the entire imperial army, second only to the well-equipped and disciplined Legions. The Khagoan colonies eventually developed into towns, with the civilized lowlanders creating a sort of feudal society based around the estates of the local nobility, but despite this Apalachea was known for being one of the poorest regions of the Empire, with few Laeklunders choosing to settle there outside of military postings.

During the collapse of the Eastern Empire to migrating Kanuck barbarians the Highland clans took advantage of the situation to sieze control of the provinces of Burgenya, Upper and lower Kehrlyna, and Jourja, forming their own independent Kingdom of Apalachea, with the city of Lynshbyrh being turning into its capital. Apalachea distinguished itself from the other Barbarian Kingdoms established from the ashes of the empire as it was not founded by a group of foreign tribes, but rather a group of tribes who had lived under Khagoan domination for centuries.

## Culture

Most aspects of Apalachean life revolved around the clan, with family ties being very important. These clans would frequently feud with each other, with most of these quarrels going back on centuries of tension, and these conflicts often ended in bloodshed. Each clan was led by a chieftain, but all members of the clan had a great amount of say in the chieftains decision making. Below the chieftain were the nobles who owned the largest herds of cattle or sheep, and often constructed the many hill-forts which dotted Apalachea. These men were the only members of the clan able to afford armor and sometimes horses, making them the military leaders in times of war. The majority of a clan consisted of Freemen, who often had their own homesteads or log cabins. They had complete freedom to do as they wished so long as they did not betray their clan or commit crimes against its other members. At the bottom were slaves who were often taken during the many raids and wars the clans made upon other clans and outside nations.

The Apalacheans were divided into two distinctive groups, the Lowlanders and the Highlanders. Lowlanders tended to live in the regions further east near the shores of the Tlantik Ocean where the land was less rugged and more fertile. They generally lived in small villages based around Hill-forts inhabited by the nobility of the clan, and made their living mostly from small scale farming and fishing. Unlike the Highlanders the Lowlanders were for the most part more open to outside communication and trade, and sometimes would do business with sea-going merchants, selling furs and other products in exchange for gold and luxuries unavailable in their homeland. Under Khagoan rule the Lowlanders were the only Apalacheans to fully adopt a civilized way of life, developing new cities and towns around Imperial garrisons or forts. Highlanders were much more warlike and isolationist, looking down on Lowlanders for what they saw as abandoning their culture. Highlanders lived in homesteads which were far apart from one another, and their clans would meet together in sacred hollows or groves to conduct councils. They shunned farming and stuck to their traditional ways of survival, hunting and herding. War was their main way of gaining wealth and they frequently fought each other or invaded Kajun, Laeklunder, or Yenkee territory. Under Khagoan rule the Highlanders remained largely outside of Imperial jurisdiction despite technically being part of the Empire, and they continued to live in their clan system as well as ambushing any who dared to enter their mountainous territories.

Apalacheans often wore overall type garments and were especially fond of blue denim made from the hides of their animals. Men grew large unkempt beards or mustaches, and often had wild and messy long hair. Armor and weapons signified of wealth, and clans with the most heavily armed and armored warriors were considered to be the most feared. Their society was largely patriarchal and intolerant, with most women being subject to their husbands will, but despite this women often would join their husbands on the battlefield as their assistants, carrying their supplies and caring for warriors.

Outside the clan system were the Druids known as the Snake Handlers, they were viewed as very holy men and as such were not to be targeted during raids or feuds between clans, doing so would surely lead to retribution from all other clans. The Druids mostly lived off the donations of clans, and those who were the kindest to the Druids were considered to be those who the Gods favored the most.

## Religion

Main Article: Apalachean Druidism

Apalachean religion was centered around their Druids, known as the Snake Handlers due to their propensity to carry venomous snakes and perform rituals of luck and fearlessness whilst holding them. The handlers lived independently from the clan system, living in small communities known as congregations, which were usually located near rivers or groves considered to be holy. Members of the Clans would visit the Congregations on holy days or during ceremonies such as weddings or the crowning of new Chieftains.

The Snake Druids would perform rituals where they antagonized snakes to show those in the audience that the Gods were protecting them when they were not bitten by their venomous fangs, Druids who were bitten were believed to have fallen out of favor of the heavens. Throughout the congregations, loud songs would be chanted by audiences while the Druids spoke in tongues to summon the attention of deities and spirits of the deceased.

Handlers were seen as the intermediary to the Apalachean Gods and Goddesses such as Krohkett, Juhnanry, Aplsed, Danbone, Behl-Starr, and Dolpardn. The Gods of their pantheon symbolize the rugged and individualistic spirit of Apalachea, and are shamelessly revered by the people of the region. The rituals and sacrifices of the Snake Druids were always done in the outdoors, as the Gods were believed to favor natural world over the man-made world. However, later under Khagoan rule the Lowlanders constructed several temples in the newly established towns and cities for the Druids to worship in, something viewed as heretical by their Highlander cousins, who continued their traditional outdoor rituals.

## Military

The Apalacheans fought almost exclusively as infantry, although cavalry was sometimes used for scouting or raiding. Most Apalacheans fought unarmored and even naked, with only the wealthiest of clan nobles being adorned in armor, often nothing more than a helmet and a chain-mail shirt. Most warriors carried a sword or spear, as well as one or two javelins to be thrown at enemy formations before charging. Women and younger warriors often played the role of archers, and were known for their deadly accuracy with their longbows, often beginning ambushes with a hail of arrows fired from behind trees.

The most important tactic of the Apalacheans was the charge. The charge was often in a triangular formation with the fiercest nobles and berserk at the front. The initial blow of the charge along with the blood-curdling war cries the Apalacheans were famous for would break enemy morale causing them to route or loose discipline. However, when going against more organized foes such as the Khagoan Legions, the charge would lose its momentum after the initial impact, and the disorganized Apalacheans would loose coordination and their formations would break apart into chaos.