Fûrlaniya

**Fûrlaniya** is a small region known for its fiercely independent city-states, mild and pleasant climate and characteristic Fûrlan pine tree forests. The region lies on the crossroads between various larger kingdoms, making it a melting pot of cultures. The native Fûrlans make most of the population, joined by Primorscan farmers in the south-east, Vittelians in the west and Azanese counts in the north.

Most of the region lies on a large limestone karst aquifer that quickly swallows any water deep into the earth, like the famous Timavo underground river which disappears from the surface when its course reaches the plateau. This means that the entire region is dependent on rain for its water supply, which is thankfully abundant enough. From afar the plateau appears deceptively green due to its deep-rooted pine forests, but any traveler would do good not to get lost in the vast pine forests.

Fûrlaniya is also well known for its vast limestone cave complexes, created by a multitude of underground rivers and lakes. These caves are the home to many cave bears, bats, the famous white cave wyrms, as well as many tribes of goblins. A clan of pale swamp ogres is also known to live in the caves near Manzan, terrorizing the local crofters.

## History

The region known as Furlaniya has long been inhabited by small, quarrelsome ethnic groups constantly vying for local supremacy.

### The Long Past

> *"Come, O Storm-god, dog of Nerik, from the east and west! From the Heavens [...] or if you are on the dark earth with Ereshkigal, your mother. [...] Blood-stained stone on stone"* *- Fragmentary ancient Azanese translation of a pre-Azanese Varadai poem kept in the Exarchical Library of Vesta.*
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Though all information about them is long lost, we know that the region of Furlaniya has been inhabited by humans since before the rise of the old dragon empires. Ancient ossuaries like the *Meret di Tombe* site tell us of the people scholars call the *Ossocavians* - the oldest recorded inhabitants of these lands. Scholars and antiquarians studying these ossuaries and the cave paintings and grave goods they contain claim that the Ossocavians had not yet mastered agriculture when they were already burying their dead in complex underground catacombs. These catacombs were built in repurposed dried up karstic caves, some of which can still be accessed to this day to witness the bones and cave paintings of the eldest men. Other abandoned sites like the *Birna Tombs, the Statue of the Old God at Breg* or *the Tower Ruins of Mount Fuerna* are the only remains of later strange civilizations that predate the Azanese conquest and the beginning of known history. Many rumors abound around these semi-sacred places involving curses and enchanted artifacts which seems to attract an endless stream of adventurers, looters and antiquarians.

### The Azanese Dominion

> *"Although early subjects of the Azan Empire , the Varadai were prone to constant low-level conflicts between petty nobles even before they separated from the Empire during the 10th dynasty, and as a result, were often seen as backwater barbarians by the Imperial Court."* *- Gerra the Elder, Vol 16. Historiae Civilis Universai.*
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The exact date and means of the integration of what was then known as *Varadaia* into the Azan Empire are lost to history. However most sources agree that Furlaniya was never outright conquered, but rather that its local rulers, called the *Varadai*, willingly became vassals of the empire sometime between the 1st and 3rd dynasty. Specially pious chroniclers often argue that the *Varadai* were companions to St. Aza themselves though this is disputed by contemporary sources. There are also many tales of the 1st dynasty settling Qaddashian refugees in the region and granting the surviving noble families of the Bronze City titles and lands in the region, though the exact precision and veracity of these records remains a hotly debated topic to this day, with many patrician families claiming Qadashite ancestry.

Due to its status as disparate vassal princedoms and the scarcity of resources and people in the region, *Varadaia* was never properly integrated into the Azanese administrative system. The region very quickly became considered to be one of the so-called internal frontiers of the empire. Outside major trade hubs the region remained a collection of isolated settlements ruled by insular noble families that often engaged in generational blood feuds which did nothing but foster additional brigandage in an already underdeveloped region. Many emperors sought to fix this sad state of affairs but none were ready to expend much resources on what was already considered "conquered territory" which meant that even when administrative reforms were introduced such as during the introduction of a Varadaian Exarch to replace the odd dozen of vassals during the 6th dynasty, the reforms remained nothing more than formalities, barely applying in the then exarchial capital of *Vidannos* (Vipanna) and its hinterlands.

#### The Migrations

The low population and middling economic output meant the region became a perfect dumping ground for the problems of the empire, where any rebelling peoples could be relocated and forgotten about. The first to arrive to the region in this way were the *Furlans*, a people of chariot riders from the north-east who were forcefully resettled into the region to put an end to their constant rioting. The *Furlans* would over centuries interbreed with the older *Vitellians*, the distant descendants of the *Varadai*, to such a degree their cultures are now inseparably linked. Outsiders frequently fail to differentiate the two, causing insult and confusion to the locals which insist *Furlans* and *Vitellians* are completely different cultures.

The 3rd group to settle the region, the *Primorscans* came later, as a result of the Witchelven Wars. *Primorscans* and *Daligradians* used to be part of a much larger common people the *Domorotsyi* that used to live around the Bone lakes. The *Domorotsyi* are believed to have been a southern branch of the Zapalovach Northmen as their language and culture are somewhat similar. Sometime between the 7th and 10th Azan dynasties they were driven out of their homeland by the expansion of the Witchelves and forced to migrate to the southwest. Already preoccupied with several wars and rebellions, the massive wave of refugees destabilised the Azan Empire further until one of the Southern Emperors had the bright idea to resettle them in various backwards and/or depopulated provinces of the empire. The backwood hills of Furlaniya were one such chosen location and most of the *Primorscans* were moved there with the promises of land and peace. Due to their large numbers and preference for a rural lifestyle, Primorscan culture has endured to this day and become effectively autochthonous to the region.

#### The Golden Age of the 7th Dynasty

Because of institutional neglect and the steady trickle of foreign settlers into the region, by the time of the ascension of the 7th Azanese dynasty the interior of Furlaniya was essentially lost territory ruled by petty clan chiefs which only barely held on to the most basic precepts of the Old Azan Faith. This gravely alarmed the archprelates of *Narses* who petitioned the imperial court to do something to tame the interior wildlands. The 7th dynasty, the so-called "Southern Emperors", themselves hailed from the southern provinces and not from the northerly Imperial Core like their predecessors and thus decided to take this problem more seriously and embarked to civilize Furlaniya once and for all. Under the leadership of emperor *Azannos XI*. and the archprelate *Phellon II. of Narses* a massive infrastructure and missionary mission was undertaken in the province. Roads were renovated and expanded, temples were built in every village and agricultural lands were consolidated and organised on the Azanese "well" system.

*Varadaia* never became a prosperous province, but its integration into the empire was much improved and for the first time Furlaniyans became embedded into trade routes and the larger economy of the empire, acquiring their well-known wanderlust that characterises them today. Another side effect of this are the peculiar religious practices and traditions of the region. The missionaries of the time fused together the ancient rituals of the Furlaniyans along with the highly complex rituals of the 7th dynasty, the so called "Aynur Doctrine" resulting in a particular local strain of the Azan faith that emphasizes commonality, fire worship, local saints and complex ritual. While highly ritualized, the Aynur Doctrine is notable for its radical equality in conception - everyone from the lowest serf to the Emperor himself attend the same services with the same chants and mysteries. This stands in contrast to the Old Faith of the Imperial Court also called the "Northern Conciliates" which divides the faithful into strict hierarchical tiers depending on their stations in life. While the Aynur Doctrine never came into wide acceptance and later dynasties reverted to Northern Conciliates, it proved an important intellectual stepping stone for the Azan Faith reformation a few centuries later. So while the Azan reformation did reach the province it was never as fully embraced as in the regions that followed the northern strictures and Furlaniya follows its own strand of the Azanese Faith to this day.

Despite this relative isolation from the Azanese imperial standards, the region didn’t separate until 5 centuries ago, long after the internal conflicts and religious reformations that caused many other parts of the Empire to secede. This was not from a lack of trying though, as there were many revolts during the history of the Azan/Dragon Empire, but they inevitably failed as the other ethnic groups sided against the ones revolting such as the infamous Great Primorscan Uprising during the 9th dynasty which ended in massive pogroms of the Primorscan population.

### The Furlaniyan Little Dark Ages

However, by the Tenth Dynasty Period, the Azan Empire had largely lost interest in subjecting other ethnic groups. By that time Furlaniya had become a quagmire and drain on the imperial coffers as the rising Nasr Satrapies repeatedly attempted to conquer the region, eventually succeeding and occupying most of the ports in the region under the brilliant leadership of the Calyxian Satrap *Kayrid the Lame*. In addition to the Nasr threat there were many local rebellions as the region saw its tax burden increased by the need to upkeep the many imperial legions stationed in the region.

In ecumenical matters there was also a strong feeling among followers of the New Azan Faith that empire building for the sake of empire building was contrary to Bronzar’s will that his followers focus on defeating true evil, rather than petty politics and subjugating unwilling subjects.

So when the petty Furlan king *Lanzio of Glemone* managed to unify much of the Azanese controlled region and launch a rebellion, Azan made an only half-hearted attempt to suppress it, and (eventually) recognized the area as a separate nation once things settled down.

The Nasr still controlled a large portion of southern Furlaniya around but were driven out by *Lanzio of Glemone* during dark age immediately following the abandonment of Furlaniya by the Azanese in what came to be called *The 5 Great Sieges*. This legendary king was of course assassinated by one of his rivals shortly after his victory over *Harrid of Primor*, the last Satrap of Furlaniya. This led to a few centuries of hatred and open resentment between the two peoples. Open aggression is much rare nowadays and the coastal outposts of the Nasr have long become part of the accepted status quo in the region. Their presence is even seen as a vital deniable asset by some factions that regularly employ the corsairs to raid the shipping of their rivals.

Needless to say, Lanzio's state didn’t last long after his assassination and the new nation started to break up barely 2 months after his death as the 4 claimants to the throne of Furlaniya started fighting among themselves. Without an external enemy, the situation did nothing but worsen and for the next hundred years Furlaniya was plunged into a regional dark age until most cities were burned to the ground every village contained at least half a dozen pretenders to the kingdom's throne. Very little written records exist from this time and chroniclers are forced to infer the goings-on in the region from the writings of the Azanese and Changrilese, both of which saw the region as nothing but one giant pile of barbarians, which does not facilitate comprehension. Some say the libraries of *Farok* still contain the personal letters and journals of *Harrid of Primor* which would be an invaluable source for an understanding of the period, but alas no one but the court magi of the Calyx court are allowed to peruse the library, leaving many amateur chroniclers in Furlaniya frustrated.

### The Golden Age of the Gurize Republic

The dark age of the Furlaniyan petty kings was brought to an end by the Golden Age of the Republic of Gurize, a time during which the city of Gurize managed to consolidate its power over much of the region and subject it to its peculiar form of government involving senates, consuls and city freedoms. It's because of this period that republicanism as a form of government is much more present in Furlaniya than any of its immediate neighbours. It is also during this time that dwarven clans started to come to the region from the Northern Oront mountains in larger numbers adding new blood to the old clans that immigrated millennia prior during the 7th dynasty. To this day the dwarves of Furlaniya divide themselves between "old" and "new" clans in typical dwarven fashion.

This golden age was brought to an end by a coalition of rebellious cities led by Manzan that decisively defeated the Gurizans and sacked the old city. As Furlaniya was free from any outside threats during this time, the region fragmented into increasingly smaller polities slowly developing into the geopolitical mess that is the region today. Meanwhile the traditions of Gurizian republicanism would continue to evolve. In the east it would merge with the old village council practices of the Primorscans to become the Veches - councils of elders which represent families and settlements. In the west the old petty aristocracy now assembles in what are known as the Cortes - general councils of the lands nobility the hereditary rulers must contend with when making their every move.

### The Age of Expansion or the Four Colonial Decades

The Accords of Liussul were a series of treaties in the last century that were concluded between most of the major city-states. To avoid endless petty warfare over existing lands they provided a legal mechanism by which the injured party could instead claim monetary compensation to be used in (re)colonising the north and east, which were by this time almost devoid of human settlements. The system proved exceptionally effective and in the span of 100 years, many successful settlements were established in Troll Wastes and the Golden Hills. Probably the most successful example is the Timavo Province, an area colonised by Gurizians that has been so thoroughly integrated it is now considered a core part of their territory.

### Present Century

Currently the main threats to the region are Changrila’s increasing assertiveness in the Golden Hills region, the ever expanding Gomorrah Breach, and the long present trolls.

## Government

    Furlaniya is a patchwork mess of political and ethnic alliances between larger cities and their smaller vassals, who often are located far apart from each other, separated by several holdings of other city-states. The main nations are:

**Manzan** – Ruled by hereditary nobles – Its outlying territories are mostly of the Furlan ethnic group.

**Gurize** – Ruled by an oligarchical council – Its outlying territories are also mostly of the Furlan ethnic group. Its most famous holding is Altopolyan, a frequent site of conflict in the region. Officially known as the Most Prosperous Republic of Gurize.

**Vipanna** – Ruled by a hereditary Duke – It main city is Furlan, but most of its outlying holdings are Primorscan.

**Bora** – Ruled by a hereditary noble – It main city is Primorscan, but its outlying areas are very mixed (but usually with a Primorscan plurality).

**Tergaconne** – Ruled by a hereditary Duke – Its main city and most of its holdings are Vittalian, but some outlying regions are of other ethnicities. Tergaconne is well known for its peculiar system of government. It's head of state is a hereditary duke, but the city itself is ruled by its own districts - contradas - not noble families, guilds or merchant factions. Each contrada has a favourite colour, coat of arms and complicated legal system to select its leaders. In a tradition dating back to the times of the 3rd Azanese dynasty, the contradas compete against each other each New Years Day in a chariot race in the old Tergaconne hippodrome. the winning contrada assumes the leadership of the city council for the year and becomes the council to the duke. Of course the races are anything but fair and cheating, corruption, nepotism, sabotage and fixing are all fair game.

**Ampleazzo** – Technically part of Azan still, but mostly does its own thing. Has several small allied regions deep in Furlaniya.

**Pharoth** – Created via a rare joint venture between Furlaniyan states, though most of initial work and subsequent ownership is by Manzan, Gurize, and mercenary clans of dwarves from Azan and Gautlan.

In addition, there are a number of territories held by Nasr Corsairs, Changrilan garrisons, and small independent states.

## Economy

    Furlaniya doesn’t really produce much that other neighbouring regions can’t make for themselves, but there is a lot of trade in luxury goods like rare breeds of riding spiders and bulls, and certain brands of wine and pine liquor.

The dryness of the region means it isn’t great for agricultural use, but enough wheat, grapes, dairy, and wine, among many other produces, are enough to feed the locals.

Frequent skirmishes between city-states, plus infestations of trolls and cave goblins mean most communities are well fortified, but also somewhat plain compared to the rich architecture and accumulated wealth of Azan and Changrila.

The manufacture of playing cards is quite a profitable industry and at its centre lies the small town of Bertanó. Due to its position at the mouth of the re-emerging Timavo river which roars back to the surface in a wild torrent, the Bertanese were able to harness the river's hydraulic energy with large waterwheels which are used by the towns many mills and paperworks. Most of the truldommu decks you'll find originate from this town and its local Ornate-Bertanó deck pattern has become the standard for card deck illustrations.

Mercenary companies have a significant presence here, and are a major employer.

## Foreign Relations

### Dsrvysth, Azan, Hithlone, the Triarchy

Major trading partners of Furlaniya, but otherwise don’t have much diplomatic relations, though mercenaries from Furlaniya are common in all these regions.

### Ampleazzo

Technically a province of Azan, it is mostly self ruled, and has strong ties to the Furlaniya region, and is often listed as one of the main city-states of Furlaniya (along with Altopolyan, which belongs to Gurize\_.

### Troll Lands

rolls have long been a plague on the region, though some rumors suggest they have been enhanced in some way to help combat the recent Gommorah Breach. Many regions in the Troll Lands are in fact claimed by one Furlani city-state or other, while others are independent.

### Golden Hills

Although shown as a no-man’s land on many maps between Furlaniya and Changrila, most Furlani consider the western portion of the region to be theirs, as Furlans and Primorscans have been living their for millennia.

### Azhar Nar

Once frequent enemies of Furlaniya in the past, they have recently joined a defensive pact with Furlaniya against potential expansion by Changrila.

### Nasr Satrapies

Another member of the defensive pact against Changrila, despite their long history of raiding the Furlaniya city-states, and even conquering some small coastal cities.

### Changrila

The Furlaniyan city-states have skirmished and warred with Changrila in the past over control of the Golden Hills region as often as they have worked together to protect it. However, recent signs point to another major war in the near future.

### Succubi and Witch-Elves

Despite the Troll Lands between the Gomorrah Breach and Furlaniya, succubi and witch-elves sometimes raid the Golden Hills.

## Geography

    Furlaniya has a mild, pleasant climate, and much of the region that hasn’t been cultivated is covered in characteristic Fûrlan pine tree forests or mixed broad-leaf forest.

Most of the region lies on a large limestone karst aquifer that quickly swallows any water deep within the earth, like the famous Timavo underground river which disappears from the surface when its course enters the plateau. This means that the entire region is dependent on rain for its water supply, which is thankfully abundant enough. From afar the plateau appears deceptively green due to its deep-rooted pine forests, but any traveller would do good not to get lost in the vast pine forests.

Fûrlaniya is also well known for its vast limestone cave complexes, created by a multitude of underground rivers and lakes.

### Fauna

Furlaniyan limestone caves are the home to many cave bears, bats, sporggos and the famous white cave wyrms, as well as many tribes of goblins. A clan of pale swamp ogres is also known to live within the caves near Manzan, terrorizing the local crofters. Above average burrows of crystallids are known to exist in Furlaniya but most are thankfully dormant.

Due to an old curse by the witches of Lake Tzriknitz after they were scorned by a particularly arrogant noble, pots and pans with legs, called *Lontzis* are a fairly common type of magical monster in Central Furlaniya. They aren't aggressive unless provoked which usually happens when someone mistakes them for free kitchen equipment. Wizards and mages from around the world sometimes travel to the area to capture one, either to take it as a familiar, experiment on it or as a mere curiosity.

### Places of Interest

#### Statue of the Old God at Breg

The Old God of Breg is an imposing statue of several meters that stands in an abandoned quarry below the Furlaniyan village of Breg. The statue depicts the bust of an androgynous deity adorned with a crown and other jewellery. Symbols written in a forgotten tongue line the base of the statue, but which are believed to be warding runes against the depredations of time. The statue is incredibly old, a forgotten god of the peoples that lived here tens of thousands of years ago, before the conquest of the Dragon Empires. The civilization of those peoples has been completely lost to history and any of its artefacts are simply referred to as belonging to "the old ones" by the locals.

There is a deep reverence to the old god amongst the said locals who, in spite of the many changes of official theology continue to worship the statue as the guardian of their village. Every year during the summer solstice, offerings are burned in front of the statue to assure the protection of the old god for yet another year. These rituals have taken place more or less openly depending on the mood of the upper authorities. Under the 6th dynasty it was shunned as a pagan sculpture, only spared from demolition because of persistent rumours about the curses and wards placed upon the statue, while under later ones it was reconsecrated as a holy place and a tribute to Aza, though this tradition died as well through the times of general decay of the 10th dynasty.

Nowadays the statue is officially known as a tribute to "Bronzar the Eternal", one of the aspects of the Azanese god, though the locals continue to simply call it the Old God.

## Demographics

### Humans

Fûrlans make most of the population, joined by Primorscan farmers in the south-east, Vittelians in the west and Witebz counts in the north (a subgroup of Furlans). Shangris, Azanese, and Azharis are also common in the area. Most outsiders can’t easily tell the difference between these groups visually (except the Shangris), so membership to a particular ethnicity is mostly self-identification, combined with knowledge of the language, birth in a certain region to at least one parent who identifies as said group, and the following of certain customs.

### Dwarves

Locally known as Gautlaners regardless of what their clan’s history is. They are particularly common around Pharoth, which was the site of a minor dwarven kingdom in ancient times, and is now home to both longtime dwarven residences and more recent mercenaries. Dwarves can be found in most other cities as well.

### Goblins and Trolls

Seen by locals as mindless monsters, though this is perhaps unfair in the case of the cave goblins, who coexist peacefully with humans in some other parts of the world, and even in Furlaniya mostly stick to thieving.

### Joois Clans

Joos are not uncommon in Furlaniya (as well as their holdings in the Troll Lands and the Golden Hills). They run a number of merchant caravans between Azan and Changrila which stop in various places in between as well.

### Dragon Tieflings

There are still a few of them in Furlaniya. Most of them descend from exiles, as historically Furlaniya never had any major dragon tiefling families, nor did the dragon aspect of the Old Azan Faith appeal much to them back when the Old Faith was dominant.

### Witch-Elves and Succubi

Although they were once rare in the area, they have been increasingly common just east of Fort Pharoth.

## Religion

A multicultural region at the cross roads between the east and west of the old Azan/Dragon Empire, most inhabitants follow the New Azan Faith, but some also follow the Divine Light, the dwarven gods, or one of several Azharis or local faiths. Religious conflicts are surprisingly rare though, as political and ethnic loyalties are usually seen as more important.

## Military

The city-states in the region rely heavily on mercenaries to handle the periodic regional conflicts. Many mercenary companies won’t fight against their home city though if they are from Furlaniya, and some won’t get involved in local conflicts at all unless their home city is involved, instead working abroad during times of peace.

The area has a reasonable number of mages and divine spellcasters, but they prefer to keep out of most conflicts unless it is against trolls or succubi. Most mercenary companies have a few spellcasters though, but usually in support roles.

A wide range of fighting styles are common in the area, though pike, crossbows, rapiers, and greatswords are often seen as the local specialties.

Mercenaries from Ampleazzo, Gautlan, the Nasr Satrapies, Azhar Nar, Lorient, Changrila, and the Civilized Trolls Kingdemocracy are all relatively common, each bringing their own distinct fighting styles.

## Culture

### Truldommu

Truldommu is a popular Furlaniyan trick-taking card game which forces players to try and outbid each-other with increasingly risky plays. The game is based on the old Furlan folk tale of the King, the Donkey and the Shepherd. In the tale a shepherd boy is ordered by the king to bring him cherries from the only cherry tree in the land, for he grows weary of the world and longs for something new. In exchange the shepherd is promised the hand of the king's daughter, whom the shepherd loves. Because of a series of over-cautious decisions however, the boy fails his quest, which leads to the donkey dying of hunger, the king of boredom and the boy of a broken heart.

The folk tale and the game are said to be very representative of the psyche of Furlaniyans, which are known for their risk-prone ventures and their devil-may-care attitudes that lead many of them to become merchants and mercenaries. Truldommu is quite popular amongst all social strata and age groups, with many regional variants existing and some say each village in Furlaniya has their own specific set of rules. The game has spread far beyond Furlaniyan borders as well as it travelled in the luggage of mercenaries, merchants and other travellers alike through the ages. Though one can find people playing Truldommu from the Gvilderstaaten to Dsrvyth, the game enjoys the most popularity in Furlaniya as well as its neighbouring regions like the southern Azan empire, Azhar Nar and western Changrila, an area the Furlaniyans have informally taken to calling the Truldommiya and which they consider their wider cultural homeland.

Many everyday expressions in Furlaniya are derived from Truldommu, another testament of the game's popularity. The most well-known ones are:

**being/getting the "tres du trul"**
Is said of something that is excellent or of an extremely high standard. The *tres du trul* (the king, donkey and shepherd) are the three most powerful cards in the game and if a player manages to collect all three, he is awarded bonus points fro collecting the tres du trul.

**biting the pit**
In the symbolism of the original folk tale cherries represent life while cherry pits represent death. If someone has "bitten the pit" it means they have passed.

**winning with bushels**
Is said of someone that has achieved their goals entirely legally and without risk or alternatively of someone that has achieved their goals using an unusual and rarely seen strategy. Bushels are the safest cards to collect in truldommu but yield very little points and winning with bushels is both boring and fantastically unlikely.

**princess but no trul**
Is said of someone that is of average quality and with no outstanding qualities. The princess is the highest ranking card after the trul, but if someone ends the game with the princess but no trul he usually doesn't stand a chance of winning.

### The Truldommu deck

**Tres du Trul:** King, Donkey, Shepherd

**Figures:** Princess, Cherry tree, Washerwoman, Smokehouse, Old Magpie, Pine tree, Fireplace, Three Goblins, Cherry Pit

**Suites:** 5-1 cherries, 1-5 swords, 5-1 panthers, 1-5 wheels

**Bushels:** 1-20 bushels of wheat

### Cuisine

#### Pine Bark Bread

The rocky and dry region of Furlaniya is much more dependent on the fickleness of its weather than some neighbouring regions. If rain is scarce during the spring and summer, a year's crop of barely and rye can easily fail. Because of this the inhabitants of the region are no strangers to barkbread during the lean years.

If grain is scarce the green soft inner bark of the rock pine is harvested and dried over open fire or in an oven. The dried bark is then ground to a fine powder and added to the flour. At larger mills the dried bark is often added directly to the grain during milling. The resulting grain-bark flour is then baked into bread as normal, adding yeast and salt.

Due to its bark content bark bread does not leaven as quickly or fully as normal bread. The more bark to flour, the slower the leavening. Bark bread is therefore often made as a flatbread.

Most bread in Furlaniya includes at least a little bark, as it is an effective cost saving measure. Pure rye, barley or even wheat bread can only be found on the tables of the truly wealthy. So as to not permanently cripple or kill trees the inhabitants of the region practice careful forest management, making sure to only harvest as much bark as a tree can bear in a year.

#### Capùt di Sporggo

Also known as testa di sporro in Vittelian speaking parts, capùt di sporggo is a traditional Furlaniyan delicacy made with a whole sporggo head, usually served on New Year's Day.

Sporggos are type of subterranean mammal like creatures that dwell in the vast cave networks of the Furlaniyan karst. These pallid and grotesque creatures are about the size of a donkey and feed on algae, cave mushrooms and the occasional lost goblin. Females and their young live in small groups of ten to twelve while adult males are solitary. Males are fiercely territorial and frequently fight each other for control over caves and alcoves. Sporggos are primarily nocturnal and can often be spotted at night near the entrances of underwater caves where the algae grows best.

Every New Year's Day it is traditional to eat sporggo head. The head is stuffed with herbs, garlic, and pine nuts, then slow-roasted until tender. It is typically served with goat cheese, winter chard and a side of buckwheat porridge. The dish is also sometimes served as a main course for special occasions such as weddings or births. According to tradition, eating sporggo head on new year's guarantees a bountiful harvest for the coming year.

## Calendar

### Festu dei Serso/Sersovo

**Date:** 4th Sunday after the winter solstice

Serso is an old festival originating in religious rituals of the ancient Azan dragon faith supposedly meant to pay respects to their draconic overlords at the start of the year. The festival has since been attached to a Furlan martyr, San Serso. San Serso was a pious magistrate from the county of Vanda that was executed by being tied to a burning wheel by Shangrilese troops during one of their attempted northern invasions.

During the day the young men of the village must acquire several giant wooden wheels, through a ritualised bargaining system with the local coopers involving goats and straw figures of San Serso. In the evening the wheels are soaked in blessed oil before being lit on fire and wheeled off a local hill. Augurs and wise men can interpret the behaviour of the wheels as they tumble down towards the valley to devine the fortune of the village for the coming year. There are many traditional rivalries between the men of various settlements to have the most bedazzling celebration and wealthier settlements often use enchanted or exotic burning oils, or even hire a wizard to enchant the wheels with various cantrips.

Such a rivalry famously almost destroyed the cities of Vidulis and Cidulis, who resent each other to this day. In their vain quest to outdo each other the cities sought the help of a shadowy but powerful mage who was in fact an agent of the lich priests in disguise. Tired with the senseless works of the living, the lich agreed to help both, enchanting the wheels with powerful spells that when unleashed on the day of the festival, sent the population of both cities into a complete torpor between life and death. The lich then assumed reign in the cities and with the help of dark minions transformed them into a quiet land of silence and death. It wasn't until centuries later that cities were freed by a band of anonymous heroes, after which both resumed their rivalry, each blaming the other for the calamity.

The date is also important in Gùrize as it is one of the festivals that mark the start of a new senate session, which means heated debates around the budget allocated for provinces and consular troops between the various noble houses of the city. This has led to Gùrizans nicknaming the period "assassination week".

### Marzovo

**Date:** midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox

Marzovo is a holiday heralding the start of spring and said to be the day birds marry. The holiday centers around Old Marz, an ancient spirit-being that descends from the moon each year to wake up the natural world. As the supreme lord of birds Old Marz also officiates their weddings for the year when he descends upon the earth. Because of this Marzovo is a holiday with certain romantic connotations among young couples. In Primorscan areas for example, little birds made of dough are baked and exchanged amongst lovers, while in Manzan a giant throne made of branches is built for Old Marz and lovers place little straw birds around it for Old Marz to bless their union. The pile of branches and straw is then ritually burned in the evening.

### The 5 Arriving Sundays

**Date:** 5 Sundays before the spring equinox

In Furlaniya the 5 weeks before the Spring Equinox are a period of fasting in anticipation of the spring equinox, known as Dragonfires Day. Each of the 5 Sundays has its own celebrations along with an associated patron saint. The origins of these traditions can be directly traced to the coronation ceremonies of the 7th Azan Dynasty.

In those times when the emperor died, their successor would only be crowned on the coming spring equinox which would be preceded by a several weeks long ceremony steeped in religious symbolism. In the south of the empire this tradition would eventually mix with local folk customs in such a way that the ceremonies would be celebrated "*in minor*" every year, in contrast to the much more pompous "*in major*" celebrations when a new monarch was actually being crowned. This was known even to the emperors, such as Hwenezzar II. which was known to celebrate Dragonfires day every year in the southern city of Narses.

#### 1. Fasting Sunday – Day of the Monks and Friars

> "The Crown Prince spends the week in prayer at the Bronze Chapel in the city of Revelations. Neither food nor drink is given to him in that time. The scriptures tell us that during fasting he is able to receive communion with our Lord Bronzar and the saint-emperors of old.”
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Starting on Fasting Sunday, a fast is observed for the next 5 weeks. Azan has a tradition of fasting prior to coronation to lay the foundation of divine communion between the followers of Aza and the new emperor. Fasting is strictly observed for the vassals and nobles in the holy cities, and for the eunuchs and messengers between them.

In the first week the officials of the imperial court would attend the meditation of the Crown Prince in the holy city of Aynur. The palace officials would carry out rituals such as dividing up a cushion for the emperor to kneel on, to touch and kiss as is required for the recognition of a presumptive ruler. The significance of touching the cushion is to establish a spiritual bond between the ruler and the people.

For the commoners, meat and eggs are altogether banned and most sustain themselves on milk and oats. Sour turnips and wild onions are the preferred vegetables. Some particularly devout followers refrain from eat anything but water and oats. In the temples white banners are unfurled to signal the beginning of the Arrival Sundays. People travelling on pilgrimage may go off to join the monks in their priories and bring them sacrifices from their journey.

In Furlaniya, on the first Monday of Fasting week, the faithful of Bora are taken by their clerics to celebrate a pilgrimage to an abandoned hermitage in the valley of Punevo (Podenoves). After a sermon, they attend several brief services to hear the proclamation of the Arriving Weeks by the archprelate of Vrsar. The monks of Northern Furlaniya also visit their fellow monks at the hermitage of St Odalius, in the remote mountains of Montegranaro.

#### 2. Quaternal Sunday – Day of the Travellers and Hermits

> "The crown prince leaves the city of Revelations with his retinue and makes way for Castle Essakor. As the Prince leaves the city of Aynur three spells of divination are offered to the spirit of the Maiden of the Quaternal Sun. On the road the crown prince travels under a large lighted lantern on top of a cart. This cart will be adorned with all sorts of beautiful fabrics in a show of piety and generosity. A procession of pilgrims and other faithful accompany the imperial retinue. The horsemen will be clothed in gold and the footmen in silver. All are decked out in embroidered cloaks and bright felt hats. On the last day of the pilgrimage the prince will offer a prayer to Aza and ask the saints to guide him in his journey."
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On reaching Castle Essakor, the crown prince would stay with the high priests of Essakor. The prince-pilgrim would have to sit silently at the door of the shrine while the procession of pilgrims and commoners are invited to enter. He would listen to the sounds of those inside, all without interruption or response. The prince would silently observe and listen to the simple voices of the simple souls and would fetch them whatever is asked.

During this week travelling is considered a form of spiritual pilgrimage for everyone and travellers, specially pilgrims are shown special respect. Those who commence their pilgrimage during this week are said to be blessed with luck for their entire journey. In the lands of Furlaniya pilgrims must commence their journey by travelling to the highest mountains or deepest ravines to seek the hermit monks that inhabit those desolate places. As a form of initiation the hermits would teach the pilgrims the art of healing and cleansing wounds and the fashioning of prayer-stones from wood and bronze. Those who suffer an illness are given a ritual cleansing to heal their spirit as well as their body.

#### 3. Midarrival Sunday – Day of Servants and Beggars

> "The crown prince arrives to the gates of Essakor where he must act as the servant of pilgrims and serfs for one week, washing their feet and serving their food. Those he cannot serve are given money by him and by the shrine's faithful and the shrine's appointed servants This is the order of prayers. Each day as he arrives at the gates he will cast his hand over the gate, giving his prayers to Bronzar and asking the spirits of their forefathers to direct him. He will also ask Aza and the other prophets to bless them."
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#### 4. Excellent Sunday – Day of Infants and Young Parents

> "The crown prince is taken into the temple complex of Essakor where he is prepared for the coronation and assumes a regal name."
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All babies born in the previous year are officially named and registered on this day. Also the day new converts to the faith are inducted.

#### 5. Black or Second Fasting Sunday – Day of Mourners and Scribes

> "This week is spent in mourning of the old monarch and all those before him."
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Temples are clad in black. Statues are covered in black shrouds. Ancestor spirits are invoked and graves cleaned. Only cold food is eaten.

### Dragonfires Day

**Date:** Spring Equinox

Known locally as Dracofuoco in Furlan and Zmeyevden in Primorscan.

> "The new monarch is crowned in a grand ceremony, followed by a 4 day feasting period."
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### Manchescollo / Mancescul / Rokavovanye

**Date:** 2nd Sunday after the Summer Solstice

Mancescul is a Furlaniyan traditional rowing race down the Rokav river, considered both a sporting competition and religious ceremony. On the 2nd Sunday after the summer solstice, teams of 9 set down from the central docks of Chorni Kol towards the finish line at the Exarch's Bridge in Vipanna. The race normally takes 2 to 3 days to complete depending on the weather. For the majority of the length the races takes place on, the Rokav is a slow, wide and green-ish river, with the most hazardous obstacles for the racers being the large flat bottomed trade cogs that slowly make their way upstream towards Dvorische and Lupoglav. There are however a few dangerous passages in places where the river narrows and turns and the current suddenly becomes frightfully fast.

The ancient race has very few codified rules and it's not uncommon to see various teams sabotage each other in such bends, attempting to crash or overturn each other's vessels. In the past some races have escalated to the point of coxswains firing at each other with bows and spells though such practices are nowadays (mostly) informally banned. Most types of underhanded tricks and sabotage remain perfectly legal and some argue even form an important part of the spirit of the game.

Most teams tend to stop each evening and camp on the shore until the sun rises up again and it is usually then, under the cover of darkness that most scheming is carried out. The most classic and popular feint remains stealing the opponents oars while they sleep (merely breaking them is considered bad luck and unsporting behaviour). Because of this, the teams will usually run a nightwatch to prevent any such shenanigans. Other well known tricks include paying local courtesans or wine merchants to visit the opposing team's campsite with a hefty premium paid to entertain the opposing team all night long. Some more elaborate pranks use petty spells to hinder the opponents, including enchanting the opponents boat to move backwards while rowing and hexing the boat to lose or alternatively increase its buoyancy.

The official arbiters and patrons of the game are the arch-prelates of Vipanna with the magistrates and other men of good standing of the region participating financially to the race. The teams themselves shuffle every year as a special committee in Vipanna thoroughly vets every prospective participant. There is an informal rule that every settlement with walls is allowed 3 teams, while those without are only allowed once.

When the races started, sometime during the 6th dynasty, they were conceived as a tool to spread the power and influence of the exarchical court in Vipanna and help spread the reformed Azanese cult of the scholars revolution, although that has since long fallen to the wayside. Because of that the various teams were originally organised by local prelates and priories, which gave the races a distinctly religious overtone.

While a few of these ancient teams persevere, like the Purple Robes, the rowing team of the Montenârs Priory, nowadays the vast majority teams are organised and backed by various guilds and cities. Many larger cities host fierce preliminary races every year around the summer solstice where various teams race to see which guild will recieve the honour of bearing the city livery and represent the entire settlement in this year's Mancescul. In fact some of these preliminary races like Vipanna's 9 Mile Regatta and the Bora's Saint Dimmerio Day Regatta have grown so large and well known they're arguably as famous as the Mancescul itself.

Some of the more famous teams over the years include the Vipanna Saintly Ferrymen's Brotherhood which had the distinction of representing the Vipanna colours in the race 52 years running until last year's upset victory by the Pilots of Vipanna League at the 9 Mile Regata. The Bora Brotherhood of Millers is also considered one of the stronger teams, returning home with the Rokavovanye (as they call it) laurels 6 times in the past 20 years, five times bearing the red and white colours of Bora and once even in their green and red guild livery after they were beaten by the Bora Boatswains in the Saint Dimmerio.

Then there are the more colourful minor teams, such as the previously mentioned Purple Robes of Montenârs. Additional ecclesiastical teams include the Black Lillies of the Vanda Convent and the lay Brotherhood of Phellon II. of Vipanna. The town of Kinye is notable for only having two established teams, the Blues and the Whites which according to an ancient statute rotate the rights to wear the city colours every year instead of spending time and money organising their own race. The corsairs of Al-Naissa have only been invited to participate in the Mancescul a few times. As their teams inevitably ended up mauled and with a few dead rowers, the corsair fortress now politely abstains from the competition.

A few colonies in the Golden Hills whose settlers hail from the region such as Sotochye and Dalnya Vas have regularly attempted to send teams back home to conpete, but these promising athletes end up more often than not in the stomachs of wandering trolls. This tends to happen to such an extent some speculate the trolls are being tipped off, in the grand old sleazy tradition of the Mancescul, topped up with a healthy sprinkle of frontier spirit

The race both begins and ends with a religious service performed by the arch-prelate of Vipanna, the first praying for the health of the rowers and the last for the Prophet Aza to guide their souls safely into Bronzar's realm.
As the teams pass under the St. Ghiscal bridge in Chorni Kol on their way to the starting line, the women of the city traditionally shower the teams with copper shavings and prayer-stones made of wood and bronze, tought to ward off injuries and ill health. If they happen to hit the contestants - all the better, as that is said to bring extra luck.

Additionally a young maid will be drawn by lots from amongst the city's youth to embody the Maid of the Scorching Sun, an ancient character of Furlaniyan mythology. She is clad in a dress of white and an armour of bronze. Between each garment fitted the maid must drink mistletoe brandy, a potent enchanted drink said to confer the ability to converse with the Saints and the Fates. When she is dressed her face is then covered by an elaborate enchanted mask of mistletoe, temporarily transforming her into the Maid of the Scorching Sun. Between the beginning and ending mass of the Mancescul, the Maid reigns over life and death on the river Rokav and it is said she decides if a participant lives or dies. Some may scoff at this, but many have seen the Maid rushed in a hurry along the banks to help those drowned or otherwise deceased during the competition and seen them brought back to life by the blessed touch of the Maid.

She symbolically relinquishes her powers back to Aza at the end of the race where she returns a twig of her mistletoe to the grand reliquary of the arch-prelacy in Vipanna, after which the spirit of the Maid leaves the body of the youth. This usually knocks them out, after which most will recover after a few days of fever with little or no recollection of the past days. Some however find the shock to hard to handle and die on the spot while some, rarer still, dissappear entirely, leaving behind only their armour and their gown.

Although this practice had been in the past decried numerous times as heresy and witchcraft by the more orthodox Azanese clercs, as well as a perversion of the original ceremony (indeed the Maid was a local myth incorporated into Mancescul sometime in the 7th dynasty) it has endured, partly because of its sheer spectacle and partly because local clerics deem it a good counterweight to the otherwise rambunctious proceedings of the race, which would be much more likely to escalate from the borderline riot it already is into a full on ranged battle between guilds and cities, were it not for the dampening influence of the religious miracles. Amongst the great scholars and chroniclers of the West, this is usually dismissed as nothing but yet another parochial Furlaniyan tradition, one amongst many others.

In Furlaniya itself, this ritual has but one enemy, the arch-prelate of Vrsar. Vrsar was elevated into an arch-prelacy rather late into the Azanese reign and has never been able to match the arch-prelacy of Vipanna in grandeur, splendor and influence. Vrsar has often lobbied Bora and Sveti Petar to recognise their primacy. Even though they have managed to acquire certain rights and privileges with the Veche of Bora, the influence of Vipanna remains too strong to by-pass and the Mancescul remains a yearly slap in the face of Vrsar.

Because of its symbolism, the arch-prelacy of Vrsar has sent delegations to the arch-prelacy of Narses, which retains the primacy over much of Furlaniya to publish an edict banning the heretical celebration. Fearful of losing their their ecclesiastical dominion over Furlaniya, which has been sometimes difficult to uphold in the 5 centuries since the Azanese empire retreated from the region, the arch-prelates of Narses remain mute on the issue.

### Santa Oderica/Odericinna

**Date:** Last Sunday before the Autumn equinox

*see also:* Oderica Pines

In Furlaniya Oderica pines are of great cultural, economic and religious importance as they are one of the only shade-giving trees that can thrive on the large karstic plateau that makes up most of the region. In Furlaniyan tradition, the pine was brought to the region by Santa Oderica (hence the name) after a mythical cataclysm killed off all other trees in the region.

Every year in early fall, the Furlaniyans celebrate the feast day of Santa Oderica, a day dedicated to the saint and the tree she brought with her. During the festivities it is customary to plant as many Oderica pines as the village had newborns in the previous year while young boys and girls dress in all white and escort the "Odericinna", a young girl covered from head to toe with pine branches around every household in the village. Every family must gift something to the procession, most usually pastry rolls or pine liqueur, and in exchange the Odericinna blesses the family with good health and fertility for the coming year.

### Umlaitta

**Date:** First Sunday after the autumn equinox

Umlaitta is a holiday that has been introduced to Furlaniya from the north relatively recently, which can be seen by the fact it doesn't directly relate to setting things on fire. It was brought to the region a few centuries ago by dwarves migrating south from the Oront mountains into Troll country and Furlaniya proper.

On Umlaitta delegations from every village and town congregate to their regional capitals where they engage in a dance and song contest recounting the glories and success of their locale in the previous year with special attention paid to any successful raids or other humiliations inflicted upon neighbouring towns. This is in contrast to the traditional dwarf celebration which sees bards from various clans forging new sagas of dwarf heroes.

Though dwarves have been slightly disturbed by how quickly the Furlaniyans adopted and corrupted the holiday, everyone in the region knows the Furlaniyans would never turn down an opportunity to celebrate and bash on their neighbours.

Though some Umlaitta celebrations attempt to assemble an impartial panel of judges to choose a winning delegation, most cities don't bother as the festival inevitably ends in drunken brawls between teams and their supporters. Because of this city watchmen are known to be particularly itchy around the holidays.