Forlark

**Forlark**, officially the **The Forlark** **Confederation**, is a loose confederation in Barasud. Most settlements are on the coast, but there are some settlements inland. Forlark is a confederation consisting of nine xitsches/tribes. The confederation does not officially have a capital but the national council meets in Tarklar. In the lands of Forlark each winter unnatural horrors invade the land from the south pole. Their inhuman strength and speed has forced the Xiteri to build and live in fortress cities along the coast.

Xiteri are half-orcs. They are muscular and have great physical strength. Xiteri childhood often includes learning to fight and work in a team, and Xiteri usually mature around the age 14-16. Their skin is usually white to gray and anything in between. They also have tusks sticking out of their mouth, and this similarity to mammoths have made mammoths an important part of Xiteri culture and myths. The Xiteri are not that proficient with magic, and only use it in specific circumstances.

The Flag of Forlark confederation is a trapezoid banner vertically split down the middle with white on the left and dark cyan on the right. The white stands for the snowy tundra and the dark cyan stands for the ocean. Top left on the banner is a dark cyan circle that symbolizes the everlasting sun in the summer months and the unity of the confederation as a whole. On the right side there are ten white stars vertically following the centre lane. The stars symbolize both the dark nights of winter and the xitsches of the confederation. Nine stars for the nine original xitsches and one star for all the other xitsches lost in The Rovdahov and The Dark Century.

## History

### Pre-Rovdahov (Before 1 LR)

Little is known about the Xiteri before the Rovdahov. The old Dwarven Empire settled the land and built their cities, paying little interest in the Orc looking Xiteri. What we do know is that there was much more clan vs clan rivalry and competition with people mostly identifying with their xitsch rather than the race as a whole. It also seems that most tribes lived near the mountains, instead of today's consolidation on the coast. Most sources from the time were either left behind when the Rovdahov happened or lost while fleeing from the Rovdahov.

### The Rovdahov and The Dark Century (1 LR - 127 KR)

Although most of the old Dwarven Empire was crumbling because of the energy from the death of an old god, the dwarves in Forlark were doing surprisingly well and survived longer than most. This was probably because of the already self-reliance of being so far from the empirical core of the empire, but self-reliance was no match to the empire's yearly supply convoys. Infrastructure and rule of law started to decay, and the dwarfs were not ready for the longest winter in their lifetime.

That fateful year the winter came early putting the dwarven settlements in even a worse of a situation, but food would be their least of their worries. In the long winter days monsters now stalked the tundra, killing everyone they met. Mimicking the voices of the dwarves to lure them to open the gates, once inside the monsters did not discriminate in who they slaughtered. With the speed and strength of a dozen men combined many dwarves died just so they could kill one monster. In the end all of the most of the dwarven population died.

The Xiteri were even arguably worse prepared. Although they had no reliance on a far away empire, their villages were nothing compared to the dwarven holds. Many historians consider it a miracle that the Xiteri race survived at all. The Xiteri villages were utterly destroyed. Those that did not flee died. Modern studies have estimated that around 50%-80% of the population died that winter, now named the Rovdahov meaning the slaughter. Most Xiteri fleed to the now nearly empty dwarven keeps on the coast. To be the farthest away from the monsters coming from the south. Although some Xiteri also hunkered down in the dwarven keeps more inland. The next summer would also be brutal, aside from the destruction of the adult work population, the first brave people that came out of their keeps would quickly find out that not all monsters migrate back south in the summer.

Anyhow, just after experiencing their worst nightmare come true, many Xiteri started counting the years since the slaughter or the Rovdahov. Starting the Xiteri calendar, with the Rovdahov happening in the winter of 1 LR (LR = before Rovdahov ) and then new years eve happening in the spring when the long winter becomes the long summer. (KR = after Rovadahov)

The following century would be one of confusion and turmoil. Old leaders were gone and a new generation of leaders would take the charge. Although there was still clan rivalries and conflict. After the Rovdahov most of the old xitsches were gone, new xitsches were being formed in the ex-dwarven keeps mixed from different old clans. After having a collective societal nightmare a new Xiteri unified identity was formed. You maybe hated a neighbour, but it was better cooperating than getting mauled to death by a monster. Also everybody had lost family in the Rovdahov, so it was hard antagonizing others for just trying to survive.

Around the year 103 Kaghed Sogo Vratha Gham came to the conclusion that the Xiteri would eventually die out if they continued with inter-clan squabbling. Resources that were used to fight the monsters were often used to fight fellow Xitheri. In an spectacular 24 year long crusade of diplomacy and war Kaghed unified all nine of the surviving xitsches. In the year 127 Kaghed could easily have crowned himself king or been proclaimed a dictatorial president, but following the ethos of the Jornnil faith he decided that he had done enough. He also believed that each xitsch tackled problems differently and that diversity would help the Xiteri survive, as long everyone worked with the same goal instead of against each other. In the end a loose confederation was set up, with much power in local xitsch councils and a relatively weak national council. With no clear single leader in any of them.

### Confederation Period (127 KR - 1448 KR)

Following in Kaghed`s vision the confederation was mostly a platform for trade negotiations and conflict solving. Although there was debate about common trade and criminal laws, there was no discussion about a centralized army or national judges. In the early years the local democratic practice held strong. Everyone over the age of 20 could vote on who would get on the Ikviterian, and then the members of the Ikviterian voted in among themselves on which three would get sent to the Holviterian. With nine xitsches sending three members the Holviterian would always be twenty one. The local Ikviterians on the other hand never had a set number, with each xitsch having their own tradition.

Over time with increasing trade, travel, and communication within the confederation a new elite of merchants emerged. These merchants became extremely wealthy and politically organized. Together with many of the influential families that exist in Forlark, they informally hijacked the democratic system establishing a semi oligarchy. Everyone could vote and everyone could be a candidate, but the merchants and the influential families would get together before the election and choose one of themselves. This approved candidate would get the full support and funding of all the merchants and the families. The funding would be a magnitude bigger than anything any opponent could get together. The merchants and the influential families were also the only ones that had something similar to an education. This coup was still unofficial, but the coming crisis would cement their power in Xiteri society.

#### The Expansion Period (ca 604 KR - 835 KR)

After around 300 years of squabbling and arguing inside the Forlark Confederation. The national council finally decides to send dignitaries to other tribes to try to get them to join. In the first fifty years only five new tribes joined, but all of them joined peacefully. Something that can not be said of the later expansions. Another hindrance in the expansions was actually finding other tribes. The ones on the coast were easy, but the inland Vratha tribe were not found before 43 years after finding the coastal tribes. New faces and trade opportunities had left something forgotten though, but the tribes of the confederation would not see this before the problem had grown far too big.

The second expansion would introduce three times as many xitsches into the confederation than the first expansion. This difference would also be shown in how new xitsches joined the confederation. In the south the cities along the coast were more than willing to join the confederation. They were in desperate need of help against the monsters in the winter. More inland the Hazrook Xitsch wanted nothing to do with the confederation, but after a months long siege and a brutal winter the xitsch had no choice than to join.

In the east the expansion was more complicated. The inland xitsch Kharzoth joined on the condition to get the support to conquer their neighbour Zharsck. The Kharzoth-Zharsck War turned out horrible for all sides. Even though Xiteri life was based on surviving sieges for monsters each winter, the confederation side severely underestimated how good a small city could defend against a bigger opponent. Nonetheless both Kharzoth and Zharsck joined the confederation because of the losses in the war.

On the coast with more cities and people, the expansion would be even more bloodier and complicated. In the end the Forlark confederation had nearly doubled in size, but left many grudges and expectations under the surface. The conflict between Kharzoth and Zharsck, and the need for help on the southern coast are prime examples.

After around one hundred and fifty years nearly all of the independent Xiteri city states that scattered Forlark had joined the confederation, peacefully or by more forceful methods. Of the two last regions, the first was a costly but quick war. While in second region local rivalries was exploited to coerce cities to join until those left was in no position to make resistance to expansion. Some tried anyways and as expected they lost.

Generals and military officials also said that the confederation was in no position to conquer the last remaining independent city states, that lay far inland in the mountains. As expected the confederation lost badly and the problems that had been overshadowed by the expansions suddenly burst on to the main stage.

Many southern and inland xitsches felt that they did not get enough support during the winter and often times they felt like a second class xitsches. The Holviterian originally had twenty-one members, but now had ballooned up to one hundred and twenty-three. Over four times as big. Even if the one hundred and twenty-three councilors could agree on something through all the arguing and squabbling, so had the Holviterian no real power. It was up to each Xitsch to enforce and interpret the laws made by the Holviterian. Sometimes some Xitsches decided to just entirely disobey laws. This obviously severely hampered trade and commerce inside the confederation. A constitutional conference was desperately needed, before one hundred and fifty years of work and Kaghed Sogo Vratha Gham legacy gets turned to dust.

##### The Constitutional Conference of 833

A constitutional conference was finally assembled around the year 833, with delegates from the forty-three different xitsches and many advisory patrons from the influential families and merchants. The conference was held in the Holviterian building in Tarklar. There were no official political parties at the time, but there were four unofficial factions at the conference.

The smallest faction was those who favored the status quo. These were mostly councilors from the eight original coastal xitsches that had no problem with them being on top. There were also some other councilors from a few different coastal xitsches that hoped that their home xitsch could become a part of this elite group. This faction had no real sway over the conference and was mostly just people that either did not understand the political reality of the time or chose not to understand it.

The two major factions were the Holviterianists and the Ikviterianists. The Holviterianist generally wanted a federation where power in the state was centralized in the national council and the local councils were placed under it. While the Ikviterianists generally wanted a confederation where power was in the local councils and the national council was placed on the same level as the local councils. Both these factions agreed that some xitsches should not get special treatment or favoritism.

The last faction was the Secessionists. Those did not believe in reforms and wanted to leave the whole united Forlark project. The Secessionists were the least united faction, but also the most influential faction. The whole constitutional conference was caused by southern xitsches wanting to secede. During the conference different parts of the nation threatened to secede because at the time they felt their needs were not covered in the new constitution.

At the end of the conference the status quo faction, realizing they had not affected the new constitution at all, disintegrated. Three of the most richest and influential xitsches in the confederation, and the biggest supporters of the status quo faction, suddenly all threatened with secession. Unfortunately for them it was too late. The confederation would move forward without them if needed. The three secessionists decided that they would rather be inside the confederation than compete with it. But in their temper tantrum they successfully included a veto for the local councils against the national council in the new constitution and killed a proposal for a national army in the confederation.

The new constitution was a compromise between the Holviterianists and the Ikviterianists. Forlark stayed a confederation, but the national council got a lot more power, especially over trade and foreign correspondence. On the other side a lot of centralizing proposals got stopped and in the future more can be stopped with the veto. For now a more equal playing field was established between the xitsches, but the real winners of the conference were the merchants and the influential families. Although they had their own advisors in the conference. The majority of delegates was also from these guilds or families. The informal process for election was now made official. Everyone over the age of twenty could vote, but candidates that stood for election had to have a certain quantity of wealth and education. There could be a handful of people running in the election, but every one of them was from the wealthy elite.

In modern times the Constitutional Conference of 833 is often misrepresented as saving the nation from a civil war, but there are two key differences between this conflict and later ones. The first one is that all sides in this conflict did not in any way have enough political force, popular support, logistics, or military capabilities to make war. This feeds into point number two that those who said they would secede actually wanted to be in the confederation. They just wanted the rules changed. So there was actually no real chance of armed conflict. Xitsches would just have been allowed to secede.

Although at the time the new constitution was seen as a compromise. People would later realize that while the Ikviterianists got nearly everything they wanted, the Holviterianists barely got anything at all. Also the eight original coastal xitsches utterly failed to keep their dominance and now needed to find new alliances and other ways to control the confederation. But the biggest consequences of the conference would be the threat of secession. Threatening to secede had given the winning side nearly everything they wanted and the opposing side had so utterly failed that they too tried to do the same strategy. Some would say that this fact would influence politics in Forlark all the way up to the modern day.

#### The Second Constitution Period (835 KR - 1448 KR)

Over seventy years after the constitutional conference saved the confederation from dissolving, the cracks and shortcomings of the new constitution were starting to be felt. Although on paper the national council had got the right to control the country's trade, in practice the new constitution had not given the national council any actual way to do this.

At best people would just follow the law and at worst xitsches would openly go against the national councils laws, but what usually would happen was that each trader would cherry pick laws and regulations from both the national and local laws and even sometimes mixing different xitsches laws. Merchants would do this to exploit the system, but also because the system was just baseline confusing. This left a lot of room for bribes, threats and under the table deals.

But as trade grew inside the confederation it became the foundation to other industries. And these new industries did not like the uncertainties this status quo made. The price of a specific ware could change drastically week by week depending how much the transporter had to bribe officials.

Although an amendment to the constitution had been proposed as early as 901, a full proposal had not come before 903, and a slightly changed version of the amendment would not be passed until 907. The fear of veto from the local councils had changed the amendment to something less drastic, but it was still a big win for the national council and its supporters. The amendment implemented a group of national judges or high judges to standardize trade laws across the confederation. The judges are chosen by the nation council and quite obviously the national council will only swear in sympathetic judges.

##### The War of Grignir`s Shield (932, 966, 1122, 1125-1140)

###### A grudge is made and seeds of conflict are sowed (932)

Grignir Khunrghmir Urgram Vegul Nirkar'er was a powerful dwarf merchant, with deep connections to the dwarven smithing guilds. Although his family had lived in Urgram Vegul for nearly five hundred years, they still had many family artifacts and heirlooms stored in their previous home Hazrook, an inland city.

Transporting anything over land is at least ten times more difficult than transporting it over the sea, but Nirkar'er decided that he would take the risk and finally reunite his family with their prized heirlooms. Although Nirkar'er was not dumb he knew quite well the potential dangers. Some monsters did not migrate south again in the summer and stalked the tundra alone preying on trade caravans, but the biggest threat for Nirkar'er would be bandit gangs looking to sell the heirlooms on the black market.

In the early spring of 932 the arrival date of the caravan came and went with no caravan. Nirkar'er had ordered the caravan to travel as soon as winter was over when the monsters mostly had migrated south again. He had gambled that the threat of monsters still migrating would scare off bandits, but it seemed like he had lost the bet. Nirkar'er was still optimistic. If the caravan had fallen to monsters the heirlooms and artifacts may be damaged but still recoverable, since the monsters see no value in things they can not eat.

Before Nirkar'er could send out a search and recovery team, in late spring a different trade caravan came with news. They had come across the wreckage of the caravan, but it had not been attacked by a monster. There were clear signs of normal combat, but there were some peculiarities. Quite unusual for bandits raiding, they had not taken everything. The dead guards still had their equipment and several expensive but unimpressive artifacts and furniture had not been taken. Maybe the bandits did not know their value, but since these items were surrounded by other expensive items the bandits could have easily guessed at their worth. They could just not have had enough space to store them, but the caravan was supposed to be a secret. They apparently had the immense resources to find out about the caravan and to raid it, but not to take everything.

The most peculiar detail was the lack of bandits' bodies at the wreckage. The bandits had cleaned up anything that could have hinted at their identity. This is quite unusual since bandits would regularly mark their raids or crimes to brag and boast about how powerful they are. They want people to fear them and raiding a powerful merchant like Nirkar'er would be quite a feat.

Nirkar'er believed fully that this was the work of a rival merchant. No bandits or criminals had the network to find out about the caravan or the resources to raid it. If they did have something like that Nirkar'er believed they would not keep their mouth shut. Still there were no clues to who could have done it. Nirkar'er used every contact and network he had to find anything on who could have done it. The only thing he found was that orc mercenaries had carried out the raid, but that is the  usual method powerful people use when they want to do something legally questionable. In the end Nirkar'er wrote the incident in his family`s grudge book and hoped the sands of time would unravel this mystery.

###### A failed merchant son dies with regret and leaves the family with a curse (966)

Jorbun Farrosch Virgnagnirth Hursch'er was lying in bed and about to die. His coughing was hurting, his body was aching, and even the best shamans his family`s immense wealth could afford had nothing good to say. For now he had been left alone, to rest and to reflect on the important decision in front of him.

Was he going to step into the Ornuk and be this version of himself forever, or is he going to reincarnate and stay in Hovx. It was a question he had not thought much about. His life had been a hectic one, and his father had foolishly trusted him to do the family's dirty business without much oversight.

There had been warning signs and incidents before “accident”, but Hursch'er had been lucky. He often wondered if his dad hoped that he would get himself killed on one of these operations, it was not unlikely. His dad always liked to set people up for failure. As the fifth living son, Hursch'er needed to show why he should be kept around and not relegated to administration of the estate. So he always tried bigger and more daring operations, but luck had to run out at sometime.

The lead was solid, but the details were vague. A rich dwarf merchant was moving their belongings to another city early in the spring. The mission had cracks even before it began. Sending a caravan in early spring is done either by an idiot or someone that would rather take the risk of monsters than bandits. The latter is usually people who one would not like to be enemies with.

Since there was not much time the operation was planned, organized, and carried out quickly and hastily. The caravan was more heavily defended than we expected, and even without the hurried planning the fight would still be difficult. The next sign that something was wrong was the loot. Nearly everything was furniture, instead of the valuable trade goods they had expected. Because of this they could not take everything.

This lucky success of an operation would turn out to be a curse. The “loot” would turn out to be prized family heirlooms to a powerful dwarven family. Easily recognisable to anyone with a basic knowledge of dwarven clans. The dwarf family will hunt after them, and make the loot a ticking time bomb to anyone holding it. Even on the black market nobody will buy themself the target of dwarven rage, and anyone dumb enough will not understand the true monetary value of the items.

Hursch'er`s father's rage was immense, and he was banned from all family business. He would spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to the family. When his father died, his older siblings were all for limiting Hursch'er inheritance and influence. Which leads back to the present. Hursch'er was on his dying breath. His children would be elite blood, but would have no real power or influence.

He had not seen the dwarven heirlooms since the day he had arrived home. They had been stored deep in the Farrosch family warehouse. Hopefully never see the light of day again, and speaking about what happened or why they had dwarven heirlooms had been strictly forbidden. Other rich families had wondered why Hursch'er had stopped showing up to gatherings or events, but they learned quickly not to dig. They understood. All the rich families had failed children they did not want to talk about.

Hursch'er was looking forward to seeing what he did in previous lifetimes, but he has made his choice. He will try again and maybe not try to live his whole life in the shadows of others. He should have done the same as Furg, the second in command of the operation. He feared Hursch'er`s fathers anger and ran away at the first opportunity.

###### A trader makes a quick buck and causes a civil war on the side (1122)

I am currently skulking around in the Farrosch family's warehouse. It is not exactly legal, but it also is not technically illegal. I am here to try to make a business deal with the family. I had come early too, but when I showed up I was met with a servant.

Apparently something “important” had come up, so the Farrosch family member I am going to meet is late. Those damn elite families. They will kill you for coming late, but never respect your time. The servant said to have a seat and then walked away. Probably to deal with something more “important”.

Now there was tons of seating in the main hall, but why sit there and waste more time walking to the warehouse. When I could just walk to the warehouse and wait there. And when I am already at the warehouse I could just have a quick look around. Maybe I will see something interesting and then we could make some business. It is called looking ahead to the future. Something it looks like the people in charge of this warehouse lacked.

The warehouse was massive and stupidly packed. The whole place was a labyrinth, but the walls are made of expensive goods. Everything from weapons to furniture was just stacked on top of each other without rhyme or reason. They probably told themself “yeah, put it there we will organize it later” over and over again until they could not lie to themself any longer and embraced the chaos.

I would call myself an experienced merchant, but some of these things are so old or unique that I have no idea of their value. I wonder how many people actually know what's in here. I have probably already walked past several things that are Farrosch eyes only, but I am not really worried about the punishment I am going to get. Since I already found the jackpot.

A Farrosch trader seal. Given to traders and transporters to show others that they are doing work for the family. Gives you the mark of official and money backed business. It was just laying on a drawer, apparently forgotten by the person doing the work. It was old and lacked a bit of the modern details and safety precautions, but it was so much better than the replicas. Who knows what else one could find in this maze of mess. Wait, is that dwarven furniture?

“Have you found something interesting while trespassing?”

I turned around to see Varysk Farrosch Obveryk'er, the third son to the head of the Farrosch family, standing behind me. Although I was taken by surprise, I quickly remembered my manners and gave him a formal hug.

“Glad you had time to meet me, Varysk Farrosch Obveryk'er. Especially with you and your family's busy schedule. While I was waiting I took the opportunity to look a bit around. Maybe finding some more business opportunities between us. I will admit that I got a bit carried away, but can you really blame me? Just look around this is a treasure trove of goods. How did you even find me in this labyrinth and then sneak up on me so quietly?”

“It is nice to meet you again, Yürg Narmth'il Dyrkin Polsch Urgin'ir. Me and my siblings used to play hide and seek in here all the time when we were younger. So I know the lay of the land quite well, but finding you was surprisingly easy. Considering where you are from. I thought I would search for days.”

That prick. He put on a big smug smile, after insulting my home xitsch by using my full name. And now I look bad, because I did not show enough respect by not using his full name. I need to not lose control over the conversation and distract him before he can bring up trespassing again.

“I did not know your family had dwarven goods. They must have cost a fortune.”

For a moment Obveryk let the formal mask off and gave a confused look, but a second later he cracked a smile and gave a small laugh.

“oh, Urgin'ir. I forgot that you are never up to anything good. I am not falling for or helping you with one of your schemes again. We Farrosch are rich, but not so rich to have dwarven made goods just hidden away in a warehouse.”

I did not respond and only gestured my hand to the direction of the dwarven items in front of me.

Obveryk moved closer and gave the small dwarven table a good look. Behind the small table several items were covered with a large blanket. After a few seconds he grabbed and threw off the blanket revealing nearly a full living room of dwarven furniture and some dwarven weapons.

I picked up a shield and immediately was surprised at the lack of any signs of combat. Besides the dust the shield could have been made yesterday for all I knew. Holy shit, this is one of a kind ceremonial family shield. I pulled the shield a bit away to see the whole picture. The shield depicted many important deeds done by members of Clan Khunrghmir through the ages.

“Khunrghmir, Khunrghmir, everything is from Khunrghmir. Why have I never been told about this”

I looked away from the shield. Obveryk was checking each item and mumbling to himself. Then he turned to me and waved his hand to a drawer.

“That drawer has a battle that happened in the old empire carved into it. Just the carving is priceless, and the drawer itself is probably worth more than your whole family or what my family earns in a year.”

I do not react and barely realize that in his amazement, he still had time to offend my family. My brain is on overtime, thinking. Connecting the dots, evaluating consequences and probabilities, and my position in all of this. And then it dawns on me.

“The dwarves want this back.”

I end my gaze into the abyss and turn to look Obveryk directly in the eyes. Now it is his time to gaze into the abyss and realize the trap we both have stepped on. This much dwarven goods can not have been gotten above the board and the dwarves treat theft just as serious and sometimes more serious as murder.

“I hav-”

“I can kill you and get away with it. Why should I keep you alive if this knowledge threatens the existence of my family?”

I nearly drew my dagger in self defense. Obveryk had snapped out of this focus and now gave me a stare of a killer. For once I was grateful that he had come from an elite background, because if this had been the streets of Dyrkin Polsch he would have strangled me already.

“As I was supposed to say. I have a plan to get these unsafe items away from you and your family.”

“I am not joining one of your crooked schemes, Urgin”

“Ok, let us run with that idea. You kill me and cover it up. Probably easy with your family's money. Then what? You still have the furniture. Somebody else will probably find them. You can not keep them a secret forever.”

For probably the first time in his life, Obveryk was speechless. He had finally found a problem money could not fix. He could not run to his family for help, as the more people that knew the bigger the chance the secret would be split. Even if he got his family involved, their network and allies would mean nothing. Nobody would want to touch these dwarven furniture with a ten-foot pole. Reluctantly Obveryk also realized this.

“What is your plan?”

“Well on the negative side, nobody smarter than a goat will get close to these items, and that is not considering that one would  also need to convince them to buy it. On the positive side there exists a big supply of merchants that are dumber than a goat. Of course these people will not realize the value of these items dn pay way less what is worth, but that is the point. Dwarven rage could destroy your whole family's business. Going negative on a few trade deals is worth it in the long run.”

Obveryk looks uncomfortable. Making a deal with me was probably the last on his list of things he wanted to do this year.

“You get no seal. Everything has to be secret”

“Of course, and if I betray you. You could easily murder me”

“Of course”

There was some truth to the insults Obveryk gave me and my home. The only place I could sell these goods without getting caught would be my home xitsch. Dyrkin Polsch, the black market capital of confederation.

Grignir Khunrghmir Urgram Vegul Nirkar'er was at the first arrival of traders after the winter. It was a practical tradition. The merchants and traders get to see the first wares, while the caravans get the praise they deserve for surviving the dangerous journey, and, of course, everyone including the common folk get to celebrate the survival of the confederation.

It was a good way to make new contacts and trade partners. And also to get people grounded. It is easy to just see numbers when in an office. Being out and on the ground, reminds one of the people that travel the cold tundra. Nirkar wondered about doing the journey again. It was a long time since he last - Wait, is that his grandfather's uncle's ornate shelf. Made by the uncle's cousin depicting the many successes of the uncle's guild and a gift to him to congratulate him on his first governorship.

Nirkar's father had received the shelf as a gift, when he got his first child. And when he died it went to Nirkar's brother, but it had not moved from its place in their old home from the day it was given to their father, until Nirkar wanted to move it and the rest of the family heirlooms to their new home. And then the caravan got raided and the family heirlooms went missing without a trace.

It had been 190 years of nothing, and then one of the damn things shows up on the first caravan of the year. On the back of a subpar merchant. Nirkar did not want to make a scene, and used all his might to control his rage. Later that night the merchant's wagon and house was raided by Clan Khunrghmir's personal mercenaries. The merchant was tortured, of course, and revealed that he had bought the shelf from someone working for the Farrosch family.

Then after 190 years of nothing, suddenly Nirkar got contacted left and right from all over the confederation about sightings of his missing family furniture. Every last one was tracked down and retrieved. Every trader and merchant was interrogated and told the same story of a merchant working for the Farrosch family wanting to sell them some furniture super quick. Giving a ridiculous low price for these dwarven masterwork. Personally insulting Clan Khunrghmir honour and legacy. There will be justice for such acts of immorality. Nirkar decided to contact the dwarven guilds.

###### The War of Grignir`s Shield (1125-1140)

In early spring of 1124 Grignir Khunrghmir Urgram Vegul Nirkar'er, the head of dwarven Khunrghmir Clan, called a meeting of the dwarven guilds in Forlark. Guilds were the backbone of the Forlarki economy, having the job of teaching new generations their professions and setting prices of services and products. There were usually a few different guilds competing for one product or service, but a few dwarven controlled guilds had monopolized a few key services and products. Knowledge and experience handed down from the old empire had given them an advantage in the field, and in the end all competitors had died out.

Therefore the dwarven elite had immense political power, while being a minority in the nation and they were actually overrepresented in both the national and local councils. The Khunrghmir Clan had many connections to the guilds, but especially had deep connections with Khnask, the dwarven smithing guild. Although the guild did not have monopoly in the trade, they trained better smiths and made better products.

At the meeting Nirkar brought forward his grudge against the Farrosch and accused them of stealing and selling his family heirlooms. Nirkar called for the guilds to honor his grudge and punish the family by banning them from doing business with dwarven guilds. The decision then goes to a vote, where every guild has one vote. The final count is 41 voted to honor, 3 voted not to honor, and 12 abstained. The Farrosch family, one of the most powerful families in the confederation, had just lost its right to trade with all the dwarven guilds, indirectly destroying both their whole business and their immense influence in the nation.

For the guilds this could not have come at a better time. The guilds were predominantly controlled by artisans and traders. They had better livelihoods than the peasants, but were still quite below the rich merchant families. A kind of middle class between the two. This group has for some time wanted more say and representation in how the confederation is run, and now they saw this grudge as an opportunity. The three clans that voted not to honor the grudge feared total war, but unfortunately for them the plan was total war.

The verdict was announced the day after the meeting and immediately all the political forces of Forlark started to move at an unstoppable speed. The Farrosch, of course, denied everything and blamed it on a merchant impersonating them, and, of course, no one believed them. To impersonate a major family one would need their family seal, and those are heavily guarded and hard to fake. No merchant without major backing could make a fake seal.

In late spring The Farrosch took the issue to the Holviterian, the national council of Forlark. Although the national council is often used to find a compromise in conflicts between families and xitsches, the Holviterian`s authority is in a gray area in such conflicts. Section five paragraph two of the constitution, or more commonly known as the “The Family Business Law”, states that family or clan conflicts have no place on the national scene and should be solved locally. Legality and ambiguity aside, no one was willing or wanted a compromise. The Farrosch only wanted to buy time to gather allies and troops.

The Farrosch convinced people to join their side by claiming the conflict was not over stolen furniture, but actually over control over the confederation. They were defending the confederation against the guilds and the dwarfs, who were doing a power grab to take over the confederation. This recruitment strategy worked a bit too well. It created a big Farrosch faction in the north of the country, but effectively antagonized every single guild in the confederation, even the non-dwarven ones.

The inland xitsches called this conflict a coastal problem and declared a neutral bloc, while the Khunrghmir faction was split. Being most of the western coastal xitsches and an exclave of north-eastern xitsches. The North east saw some small skirmishes in late summer, but the gamble Farrosch had taken had succeeded. Their case at the Holviterian had been thrown out, but now it was early autumn and too late for anyone to march armies.

In 1125 armies marched out of both sides` cities and civil war was upon the confederation. The Khunrghmir side made a gamble to send most of their forces to cross the neutral inland xitsches and strike the enemy at their core, potentially splitting them into two.

Although it is hard to hide a marching army in the endless tundra, the Farrosch side realized the play too late and had already committed its forces elsewhere. A haphazardly put together reserve army was sent out to fight this flanking force. Quite obviously, the reserve army got utterly destroyed, having no real chance to win against the bigger and more experienced army.

At this moment, the war could possibly have been ended. The north coast of Forlark lay open for the taking, with no one able to contest the flanking army just going and besieging Virgnagnirth, where the leaders of the Farrosch side were located.

Unfortunately for the people of Forlark, the flanking army had one key flaw to their plan. Before the army could capture a city, it was dependent on resupply caravans all the way from the eastern coast. This long logistical lifeline was extremely vulnerable to attacks. An abysmal inexperienced cavalry was formed with decades old equipment.

Although the state of the unit was a disgrace to military honor, it was just successful enough that by late summer the flanking army had to retreat before winter without any gains. And with that all dreams of a swift war was lost. Now the stereotypical Xiteri attrition warfare would commence. In the summer months one side would siege and the other would defend, and in the winter the army would leave and both sides would need to defend against the monsters. Then the next year the cycle repeats itself until one side breaks and surrenders.

The north-west would hold for four years total before surrendering, when the news hit the Khunrghmir side in the west they knew they had to do something before reinforcements came from the east. In 1129 the Khunrghmir side gathered together their army and faced their enemy on the open battlefield.

The battle was a hard won victory for the Khunrghmir faction, and showed that the lack of support from the guilds was ruining the Farrosch side's chances of victory. The Farrosch faction had the bigger population and soldiers, but not the equipment to deploy them. Many regiments were sitting at home not doing anything and the ones in the field wielded old and broken equipment.

The battle turned the tide of the war and now the Khunrghmir side was on the offensive. Ghorm Oav Braomrasch was only besieged for two years before surrendering and joining the other side, realizing that they did not want to die in a war over furniture. After that Yrmin was held for 3 years and Myrtanik was held for 2. And finally it was Virgnagnirth, the home of the Farrosch family, time to be besieged.

After twelve years of war Virgnagnirth did not hold on much longer than the others. So after fifteen years of civil war the Farrosch faction surrendered. By now the Farrosch family had lost all allies and support, and was given to the dwarfs to do with them as they pleased. Although the national council did not want to set an example for the peasants to follow, it advised the dwarfs not to execute every last one of them. Instead, exile most of them to the tundra. Where they can fend for themselves and die “natural” deaths. In the end, because of popular support, most of the core Farrosch family was executed, while the less important outer family was sent into exile.

But in more long term importance, the guild now demanded a seat at the national table. After two years of discussion between the victors, an upper house was created in the confederation. It would examine only economical related legislation and could force the national council to rewrite laws it did not like. Each guild in the confederation would send one representative to be on this council.

### The Late Confederation Period (1449-XXXX)

##### A ship came to Borvin in 1449

Although the sailors were neither Xiteri, Dwarf, or Orc it was clear that the sailors were sick.The local Jasmark tried to help them, but then they became sick, and then the others in the household they were staying became sick, and then the rest of the village became sick, and then people started dying.

The mysterious sailors were the first to die, but before they did some communication was made. They were looking for Casrea, a Great spirit of fire, to cure their sickness. Some dwarven scholars have noted the similarity to Khazhai, but unfortunately no dwarves got to speak to the sailors before they died.

Via the merchant caravans and boats the plague spread after a short time to every corner of the confederation. The population was decimated, with corpses littering roads and public areas in every city. Trying to counteract the ever growing pile of corpses, funeral rituals were discarded. Corpses were burned without ceremony and Jasmarks, but still this could not keep up with all the death. Cities started just throwing corpses in big piles outside the city walls.

The winters were harsh. With less people manning the walls, there came breaches. Monsters roaming the roads of the cities killing everyone they found. The only salvation was that the monsters also could get the disease, but this was a curse in disguise. The monsters experience extreme mutations and evolution and by the next winter most were already immune to the disease. With less people fishing and farming that summer, the confederation was also experiencing extreme famine. A lot of cities did not even try to man the walls. Surrendering part of the city to the monsters. Some even hunkered down in the ancient dwarven keeps that had once saved their ancestors from the Rovdahov.

The plague would be known as The Vharnzt (The Freezing), because of its symptoms of great fatigue, dehydration, and white pox on the skin. It would set the stage for the decline of the late confederation period with its conflict and the questioning of the continued existence of the confederation. The mysterious sailors would be called Vharndistrak (Freeze-bearers), and would mostly be forgotten besides some dwarven studies, until one adventurous gentleman did the unthinkable.

## Xitsches of Forlark

Full overview and in-depth description of all xitsches of the confederation: The Xitsches of Forlark

### Coastal Xitsches

Western Xitsches

The Founding Nine

South-Western Xitsches

North-Eastern Xitsches

### Inland Xitsches

The Western Cluster

The Eastern Cluster

## Government

Although the confederation period was a unprecedented time cooperation and unity, the democratic nature and structure of the confederation is often argued by scholars. Each xitsch has its own local council called the Ikviterian, and then the Ikviterian sends three council members to national council, called the Holviterian. The Holviterian makes

Each xitsch votes members in to the Ikviterian or the local council, and then the Ikviterian sends three council members to Holviterian or the national council.

## Ideals, Philosophies, and Religion

### The Jornnil Faith

The Xiteri believe in the Jornnil faith. Followers of the religion (Jornuns) believe that there exists two planes of existence. Ornuk the plane of harmony, acceptance, and peacefulness, and Hovx the plane of discord, change, and nervousness. Every living being begins life in Hovx and needs to overcome the cycle of rebirth to come to Ornuk, although Ornuk is the goal it also means a stop to change and improvement. In life one needs to both try to become better and realize when to stop and accept both the good and the bad in one self. The faith values courage and teamwork and discourages cowardice and selfishness. The faith has no figure heads or leaders. It does have Jasmarks, a person that has decided that instead of moving on they will be on this plane and help guide others. They are regarded as highly knowledgeable and it is they that keep the religion teachings alive for the next generations.

#### Jasmarks

Jasmarks are the spiritual leaders of the Jornnil Faith. Their main job is to remember religious texts and stories and to pass them on to the next generation. They are viewed as quite knowledgeable and wise and both common folk and leaders often came to them to ask for guidance both practical and spiritual. They also served as teachers of magic and medicine for the elite, and poor families would often send their children to their temples to learn to read, write, and basic mathematics.

They have a flat hierarchical structure, meaning no structure. Unofficially older Jasmarks often serve as leaders and organizers, because it is believed that wisdom and experience came with age. Officially every Jasmark is equal and has equal authority, and the only socially acceptable way to override a Jasmark`s decision is to find two Jasmarks that disagree with the first Jasmark.

A core philosophy is that Jasmarks are guides and not leaders or rulers. They try to guide people instead of enforcing doctrines and laws, and are known for giving vague advice and omens. They will always try to help if seeked out, but rarely go out of their way to challenge someone or dissuade people. Not wanting to go against the natural order of the realms. The living realm is the plane of change, and change will happen whether they intervene or not.

There are two exceptions to this core tenet. Although, following this philosophy, the Jasmarks refrain from political life, positions, and careers, the Jasmarks do work as judges on the local level. Traditionally the Jasmarks have been judges in disputes, but in these people's courts the people vote to accept the Jasmark`s decision or if to continue the case. When the confederation formed and organized the national and local councils the Jasmarks was naturally given the role as local judge without much discussion. The people's courts still exist and their rulings are accepted, but nobody has thought to include them in any official documents or the constitution.

The other exception is the Hjorktvarbirg. It is the first holiday after the long winter months and is for celebrating both surviving the winter and all the heroic deeds done, but also for mourning the fallen and the sacrifices made to survive this cursed land. Over the centuries the festival became a day for families, guilds, and organizations to plan the new year.

The Jasmarks also do this. The congregation is mostly to celebrate and mourn like the common folk. They share stories, myths, fables and visions, and plan and discuss the economics of the temples, but the most important happening is calling for a resolution. When a resolution is called, the one that called brings forth a practice that is unclear in the faith and then the congregation discusses and comes up with a resolution to clear up the practice. They then vote and if the resolution gets a ¾ majority it passes and becomes the closest thing to a canon that the Jornnil Faith has. Only Jasmarks that are stupid enough to want to anger ¾ of the faith`s leaders will go against these resolutions and most Jasmarks will intervene in situations to enforce resolutions.

The resolutions also are known for having long names, and are often quoted by Jasmarks in many different situations, but they are mainly meant for other Jasmarks. Therefore they are written from a quite hardline and orthodox perspective that believes Jasmarks have the final authority on issues of the spiritual. In practice people of power get much more leeway with what is acceptable behavior than normal peasants.

#### The Kvy'tasch Order

Most people learn some basic magic. Earth magic is vital to tending the fields and a little fire magic is good for both self defense and when cooking. Any more advanced magic is only practiced by three, but really only two, groups. Merchants, and especially richer merchants, learn some advanced magic, but only really for self-defense and to be viewed as knowledgeable and learned.

The two groups that could be called mages or sorcerers are the Jasmarks and the Kvy'tasch. Jasmarks are the religious leaders of the Jornnil Faith and run all education facilities in Forlark, including magic training. Even the richest merchants have to come to them for advanced magic. The Kvy'tasch, meaning protectors of The Duality, are the lookouts, scouts, and rangers of the many Xitsch militias. While the Jasmarks have the most theoretical knowledge of magic, the Kvy'tasch have far more practical experience with magic.

Having been trained in surface dwarven tradition and military tactics, the Kvy'tasch are masters of stealth and ambushes. In groups of three to five they travel ahead of the main force and use magic to enhance their senses to look out for both enemy armies and monsters.

At first they were just normal soldiers trained with a bit more magic than the average soldiers. They were usually the sixth or seventh child of a rich merchant, too rich to be a normal footsoldier, but born too late to be in line to take over the family business.

Slowly over time they grew into an independent national institution, with no local xitsch ties. They are technically under the leadership of the Jasmarks community, but practically they are independent and organize themselves, in what is officially called The Order of The Protectors of The Duality of The Realms, or The Kvy'tasch Order for short. This order functions as a cult-like mercenary company and paladin order. Xitsches, guilds, and local merchants rent groups of Kvy'tasch for their militias and caravans, and the Kvy'tasch generally do not fight in internal conflicts. They are meant to scout for monsters, who they have trained most of their lives to kill.

As the name implies, they see themselves as protectors of The Duality, Fivir and Yversch, the two gods of the Jornnil Faith. Their creepy and cult-like behavior comes from their complete commitment and devotion to The Duality. Just like Yversch they are clothed in white from head to toe, with only their eyes showing, and they stalk the tundra just like she has done since the beginning of time.

On the other side they do not change clothes each day like Yversch does. Instead they mimic Fivir, who has not changed his clothes since Yvesrch made them for him. They only add on or patch them when they grow older or if they get damaged. They also try to talk as little as possible just like Fivir who is deadly precise with his words and only talks when he needs to.

They all live together communally in something similar to a monastery in its daily functions, treating women and men completely equal. One can not leave the order. One either dies in service or takes the “First Job”. A term referencing the first scout missions of the late winter/early spring. Where the monsters are still in the process of migrating south again, and are therefore quite deadly.

The Kvy'tasch also believe in some unorthodox interpretations of the Jornnil Faith. Although they do not deny any of the canon interpretations, many Jasmarks still have problems with their views and some even call them heretical. The first biggest disparity is that the Kvy'tasch believe that their souls after death still travel the tundra protecting the next generations of Kvy'tasch and caravans. This goes against one of the core philosophies of the Jornnil Faith, that one should strive to get their soul to the plane of Ornuk.

The second biggest disparity is that the Kvy'tasch believes only in the power of The Duality and believe that Great and lesser spirits are heretical. The Jasmarks are more supportive of this position, but do stress a less extremist viewpoint. Lesser spirits are quite popular with the unlearned (although a bit too popular for the Jasmarks tastes), and Great spirits are vital to understanding other people's histories, like the dwarves' ancestor gods and the orcs pantheon. But the Jasmarks due still stress that The Duality is something more than normal gods and therefore the most important.

#### Important Hjorktvarbirg Resolutions

**The Resolution about the Importance of Learning the Faults of the Past and Guidance on Guidance**

To change for the better one needs the tools to understand the position one is in and its consequences. Probably the most important tool to improve is to look to the past and see if people before us have been in the same or similar position. Alas The Duality has decreed that lesser beings do not get to keep their memory between cycles on Hovx.

It is here we, the Jasmarks, come in. Our main duty is to remember and pass on the tales of our ancestors, so that newer generations can learn the faults of the past and not make the same mistakes. But not all tales and versions of a tale are equal. Some offer better guidance than others.

To better help us guide others to Ornuk, the council of Hjorktvarbirg have discussed the quality of many tales, fables, and stories. And now lays forth guidance on what kind of tales are the most helpful and the least helpful in doing our most important duty.

* People can learn much from the old empire and its collapse
* The life of Kaghed Sogo Vratha Gham'er holds great knowledge
* Both the mammoths and the glurks can teach us much about the value of collaboration
* The Flight to the Coast is essential to understanding visions and the ways to interpret them.
* The Nine Deeds of Fylk is good guidance to leaders.
* Both the stories about The Three Lost Souls and The Unfriendly Whispers in The Dark are quite useful for soldiers, but for the latter one should wait until an appropriate age. As they are not for the faint of heart and young children.
* The tales of Ybrunlark and the Xitaglurks Himbra are important to understand the world, but the stories of Kanarkhart encourage stagnation and therefore should not be used as guidance.
* The stories about The Old Men, The Mountain Speak, and The Monster Eater all encourage stagnation and therefore should not be used as guidance.
* Orc stories generally encourage unnecessary change, but the ones about The Last Alliance and the ones about The Earth Weavers are exceptions. The stories about The Tyrrek Raid can be used as an example of how to spot a tale encouraging unnecessary change, but these lessons should be used cautiously and should only be taught to older apprentices.
* The stories about The Endless Stars, The Sun That Waits, The Merchant with Three Ears, The Glurk That Believed, and The Mother Who Was Alone are all great stories that show when a lack of change is needed and where unnecessary change would be detrimental to oneself.
* For Merchants the council recommends The Tales of the Sailor with Three Captains, the stories about The Boy with Three Coins, and The Great Tale of Digrinn.

**The Resolution about The Duality of the Realms, The Great Spirits of Foreign Lands, and the Practice of Lesser Spirit Worship**

In the world there exist two kinds of creatures, mortals; who experience the cycle of rebirth, and immortals, who exist outside the cycle of rebirth. The immortals are split into three groups in hierarchy; The Duality of the Realms on top, Great spirits in the middle, and the lesser spirits at the bottom.

The Duality of the Realms, or just shortened to The Duality, are the forces of change and the lack of change, the two forces that everything relies upon to exist. Yversch is the physical and living manifestation of change. She is in charge of Hovx, the plane of change, and both she and the plane are in constant movement. She is supernaturally tall and has deep blue eyes like the color of the ocean, and she changes into new clothes each day and never wears the same clothes twice. She births new life and creatures into the world. Although she values shaking the boat and exploring new places and ideas, she wants improvement and not change for change's sake, and therefore she condemns unnecessary change.

Fivir is the physical and living manifestation of the lack of change. He is in charge of Ornuk, the plane of lack of change, and both he and the plane are in stasis and harmony. Although people live there and new things happen, people do not need to eat or sleep and no one ever changes. Plants, people, and animals never grow, die, or learn. It's serene and calm and perpetually in summer.

Fivir is big and round, and has been sitting in the lake at the center of Ornuk since time began. He still wears the clothes Yversch made to him on the third day after time began before their relationship soured and the realms split. Fivir values the good old traditions and being wary of the new and the unknown, but condemns people who refuse to ever change and stagnate.

Although this information is common knowledge. Over the last few years the council has felt an increase in misinterpretations of and deviations from the faith. A lot of these misinterpretations come from unlearned peasants not understanding the teachings. The council has therefore decided to make this resolution to make the spiritual hierarchy more clear to the people, but not everything were unfortunate misinterpretations from the unlearned. Some of these deviations come from so-called “independent” Jasmarks.

These Jasmarks have apparently got “visions” from lesser spirits, and even sometimes from a Great Spirit, and then start worshiping them over The Duality. Such opportunists usually have already faced opposition at the council before these visions come to them and then they take advantage of the unlearned, with a lack of knowledge, to stray them away from improvement and valuable stagnation.

The council denounces such fools. They go against the will of the people by leaving the council and they disgrace both the titles of Jasmark and learned. By tricking the people for their own pride, they are condemning innocent people to unnecessary change and stagnation.

The Great spirits although immensely powerful are still of the world and not part of it like The Duality. The Duality`s power and nature are beyond mortal comprehension, while the Great spirits are still mostly understandable and their power is limited to certain domains. A Great spirit can not ascend to become a part of the world. That's how one gets something like The Broken Wastes. A prideful god in the northern lands tried to ascend and failed. They are now infused to the wastes, both alive and dead, both a part of the world and of the world. Corrupting everything it touches, birthing abominations more horrible than what one can imagine, and warping the land and its laws.

Lesser spirits can only do small blessings and miracles. Only the more powerful lesser spirits have domains and these are usually small and weak. The Great spirits have powerful domains like war, hearth, or trade, while lesser spirits have specific and small domains like places like specific rivers or a type of weapon like axes. Most lesser spirits have no domain and a minority of them are nefarious and tricksters, but most are just looking after themselves. Forlark is a damned land and the monsters feast both on the material and the spiritual.

**The Resolution about Seeking out a Soul after Reincarnation**

Many Jasmarks have recently brought forward a dangerous new trend in the unlearned to the council. The act of seeking out a family member, a friend, or anybody else after they have reincarnated is a breach of the natural order and causes both stagnation in oneself and the individual one tries to seek out.

The Duality blocks memories of our previous lives while we are alive. Gifting us the chance to try again without being chained down by our past choices. Going against natural order by ruining this gift not only hampers the individual being seeked out, but also the seeker.

The individual seeked out is now faced with all the actions and decisions of their previous life and social and family relations and burdens they now have to uphold. The victim can either deny or accept this previous life. It is easy to deny a stranger's wild tales of a previous life, but these tales get into their head and will haunt every decision they make for the rest of their current life. This eventually leads them to either make unnecessary change or not change and stagnate, because they do not want to be or become the person they were in their previous life.

To accept the stranger tales and their previous life is to shackle oneself to nostalgia. One can never live up to the expectations of their previous life, but one is still forced to act like them. One succumbs to stagnation and wastes a life, while disgracing the Duality by throwing away their gift.

All of this is caused by someone seeking them out. The seeker has already fallen to stagnation. They are stuck in the past and can not move on. Tricking themselves to think that looking for something already lost is change, but it is just meaningless change or by other words stagnation.

Jasmarks need to help people grieve and move forward so that the unlearned do not fall into this trap. They should also warn people of strangers telling tales about previous lives. When confronted by such an individual, people should try to stop listening or stop them from speaking at the first opportunity. It is vitally important to learn as little as possible about oneself's previous lives. Once learned you can't unlearn it and are shackled to the past.

The council is also suspicious of these claims of relations in previous lives as many have also noticed that those seeked out are usually in powerful positions, in well standing, or at least are in a better situation than the seeker. using devious methods to get personal gain shows that one does not deserve what one is trying to get. You get short lasting gains instead of actually meaningful improvement.

**The Resolution about the Dwarven Fallacy, their Relationship to Magic, and the Old Empire's Collapse**

The dwarven case is an interesting one. They once ruled all the southern lands. Masters of both the cold and the underground, but nothing can last forever. The empire fell to stagnation even before it officially collapsed. Although the dwarves are good recordkeepers, they could never have prepared for something like the Rovdahov and a lot of records and information were lost in the chaos.

The true story can often be hard to find and misconceptions, misrepresentations, and outright lies are everywhere. The council therefore decided to bring together all the different sources on the old empire and disprove some of the most prevailing falsehoods, so that people today can learn from them and not repeat their mistakes.

A common tale, that even some Jasmarks tell, is that the dwarves once had magic, but lost it and then the old empire collapsed because of this. Even if this had been true, it would be a gross oversimplification of the fall of the old empire. By disguising the real faults of the old empire only makes it certain that you will fall in the same traps they did.

This tale is usually built upon The Dwarven Fallacy. Although there are many variants of this fallacy, it usually states that the dwarves can no longer do magic and therefore they are lesser in some way. Some are more direct and state that the dwarves are not a part of the natural order because of their lack of magic, while others are more indirect and just question dwarven knowledge and skill because if they have not figured out magic how smart can they really be.

What both these groups have in common is an extreme lack of knowledge of everything dwarven. If we look away from that, most of these so-called “scholars” have never even talked to a dwarf or let alone read a dwarven book, they also show an utter disregard for the properties of magic and its core laws.

Just like existence, magic has two properties: change and the lack of change. Just like it's common to forget that a lack of change can be good, people also forget that type of magic. People pray and ask for magical help when they are in bad waters, but forget to be grateful for and try to keep the times the water is calm. Forgetting the laws of magic is not uncommon in the unlearned, but if a learned espouses such idiocy then their education and tutors should be investigated.

The dwarves do not lack magic, but do lack the power to actively call upon it. By living lives of extreme stagnation the dwarves call upon the power of the plane of Ornuk. They experience all the positives of the lack of change, but also all the negatives with stagnation. When something works they do not change, and when something stops working they also do not change. Their golden ages last for thousands of years, but their dark ages last just as long.

This lifestyle imbues them with magic from Ornuk the plane of lack of change, and is why they live such long lives. This also gives them resistance to most magic, since most magic is magic of change. One would think that this resistance to change is why they can go against death when angered by a grudge. This is false. Holding a grudge beyond death is the dwarf using all its power to will change into existence. They are so consumed by wanting to change something that has wronged them, that they avert death for some time.

**The Resolution about Orcs and their ever changing nature, Dwarves and their non-changing nature, and Our place in the Middle**

(One should read The Resolution about the Dwarven Fallacy, their Relationship to Magic, and the Old Empire's Collapse as it explains concepts that are assumed knowledge in this text)

Why can the orcs survive in the horror that is the Broken Wastes while we cower in our cities? While the dwarves have a lifestyle inspired by Fivir and Ornuk, the orcs have embraced Yversch and Hovx. They live a life of change even when it hampers them. Being imbued with the magic of change is what makes it possible for them to survive in the Broken Wastes and is the reason why they live such short lives.

We Xiteri can learn much from our compatriots. Both what one should do and what one should not do. By following the principles of The Duality we can take the positives of both lifestyles without the negatives. Although our life does not get shortened or extended and we do not get resistance to magic or extreme survival instincts, we do get to choose our fate and improve ourselves instead of our behavior being destined by our blood.

## Culture

### Art and Architecture

The most common trinkets are protection charms and dreamcatchers. The rinkets are mostly made from wood, and are supposed to provide protection or good luck against monster attacks. Dreamcatchers are used to fight nightmares from encounters with the monsters. Mammoths, polar bears and the ocean are all important in Xiteri culture and often are depicted in wooden carvings, sculptures, and paintings.

The Xiteri mostly live in big fortified cities. The poor lives in seasonal villages outside the cities in summer. While in the winter the poor lives in communal or makeshift dwellings in the city. The cities are closed in the winter and all travel happens over the water. Because of this most cities are on the coast, but there are some cities longer inland. These have little to no contact with the outside for most of the winter. This environment has forced space management to be the top priority in architecture. Xiteri buildings are tall and space efficient, and people live in big family units. People often treat total strangers as family and take in house guests in the winter months. Xiteri architecture also takes a lot of influence from the dwarven architecture, since fleeing to them to escape The Rovdahov.

### Important Cultural Symbols

#### Animals

**Mammoths** and **Polar bears** are seen as guardians of nature. Since they are some of the few animals that can stand up to the monsters prowling in the winter months. They have an especially kinship with Mammoths, because both of them have tusks. Mammoths often get depicted as a physical metaphor for the nation or culture in myths and stories.

Whales

#### Nature

**The ocean** plays an important role in Xiteri life and society. The monsters can not or at least do not want to swim. The water is a safe tradeway and lifeline between Xiteri cities and fishing is a key part of the diet. In art the ocean and coast are depicted as safe havens and the backbone of Xiteri life where heroes and legends in myths can come to reflect and relax before confronting an obstacle.

Summer

Winter

### Important Cultural Norms, Mannerisms, and Etiquette

Also Xiteri culture and religion heavily values teamwork and discourages selfishness, because to survive the cold, the dark winters, and the monsters one needs others to rely on. This has also forced a more democratic society, since one needs all hands on deck to survive and no one wants to work extra just that others do not need to work at all.

### Holidays

**Start of Winter**

**Middle of Winter**

**New Years/Start of Summer**

## Minorities in Forlark

### The Dwarven Minority

During the Rovdahov both the Dwarven and Xiteri population were devastated. The surviving dwarves welcomed the Xiteri with open arms into their keeps. Some places had Xiteri settle one part of the keep while the surviving dwarfs were hunkered down in another part of the city, and contact was not made before for some time.

The Dwarven population in Forlark is mostly deep dwarves. They are usually stubborn, proud, and brave, and they are known for their prowess in engineering, mining, smithing, and crafting. Many deep dwarves have a form of agoraphobia and dislike going above ground or leaving the cities. This, and their mistrust of the ocean, has led to them being stereotyped as asocial and cowardly, but few would try to say this to a dwarf`s face without the fear of being punched. Although Forlark dwarves still have a mistrust of the ocean, they are unique among dwarves for being the most willing to use boats and a small minority of Forlark dwarves become sailors each year.

The dwarves have melted into the Xiteri society, while also continuing some of their old traditions. They have mostly adopted the Xiteri child naming structure, but still lets the child change its first name when it becomes old enough. Additionally they also have adopted the Xiteri family structure, with its openness to strangers and communal childcare. On the other side a lot of dwarves have kept their faith, a lot of social norms and rules, and they usually keep to their preferred professions.

In the decades after the Rovdahov the dwarves taught the Xiteri about fighting tactics, construction, and trade. Deep dwarven tactics about battlefield selection and space control have been used against the monsters of the winter. Xiteri architecture has often been mocked as “if dwarven architecture went up to the sky instead of down to the underground”. Lastly the dwarven guild has been fervently adopted by Xiteri society, and has become a major part of daily life.

The dwarves and the Xiteri heavily value teamwork and cooperation. Both also look down upon greed, but dwarves, and some Xiteri, see wealth as a sign of success. While most Xiteri discourage selfishness and wealth hoarding, most are fine with it if the wealth goes back into the community. The dwarves harshly look down upon cowardice in battle. The Xiteri popular perception is that they live in a war-like state with attacks from the monsters each winter. This issue is quite controversial and hotly debated by dwarves. Does the rules of battle and the slayer oath count in metaphorical combat or only in physical combat. Each dwarven family usually has their own opinion.

### The Orc Minority

The orc minority in Forlark can be split into two groups. The smaller first group consists of orcs that lived in the area before the Rovdahov and those that fled to the area right before or right after the Rovdahov. The bigger second group are new arrivals that are fleeing orc heartland after increasing monster attacks in the area.

The first and older group is completely integrated into Xiteri society. They have discarded nearly all of their old traditions and beliefs, and would consider themselves fully Xiteri. Although they face minimal prejudices, they are often viewed as dumber and more brutish than a half-orc Xiteri. They are therefore overrepresented in manual and hard labor and underrepresented in more social and academic work.

Paradoxically the new group of orcs are depicted as uncivilized and backwards in comparison to the more integrated orcs. The new orcs find it much harder to get work, and they usually settle in more southern and inland cities. They strongly hold on to their own culture and faith.

Their natural strength and lack of stable work have forced many into crime or bodyguard work. Most mercenary groups or private militias are either orc owned or majority orc staffed. This has made a unique situation where these orcs are often viewed as outsiders of the political establishment and then can be trusted to be neutral or at least not ask questions. Most influential families have a group of orc mercenaries on the payroll to do legally and ethically questionable work.

## The Monsters of the Rovdahov

**Kyvotirvn**

South from the city of Hazrook one can find the only frozen lake in Forlark. It is called the Ovarxurn, meaning “Traitorous Friend”. The ocean and water is seen as a safe and protected place in Xiteri culture, because of the monsters' unwillingness to get close to them. Both children and foreigners at first wonder about the possibilities a frozen lake could open up. Both as a big playground and as a resource to extract, but eventually they ask how the lake got its name. Although the story is more myth than reality at this point. With story beats getting added, removed, and changed over time, but the core elements are usually the same.

Once upon a time there was a trade caravan going northward to Hazrook. Sometimes it is a big caravan from a rich merchant and other times it is just a single carriage. The journey is mostly uneventful depending a bit on the telling, but after walking beside the frozen lake for some time the sorcerer lookout senses a monster coming from the lake. The caravan gets in a defensive formation, but what they see is not a monster tumbling towards them. Instead they see a polar bear sized monster with most of its body covered in tentacles. Each tentacle ends in a sharp meat blade. Using a handful of tentacles in each step the monster glides on the ice towards the caravan. The whole situation would be quite laughable and amusing, if not for the polar bear sized monster with blade tentacles coming right for you with unnatural speed and an intention to kill. The story usually ends with one person surviving to tell the tale. Sometimes the survivor gets laughed at and called a liar, and the rest of the city gets a nasty surprise the coming winter when these monsters attack the city in force.

Because of this story a person, animal or thing that was believed to be a friend or bring good luck, but turns out to be lying or false hope is often called a Ovarxurn in Xiteri culture and day to day life. This ice gliding monster was given the name Kyvotirvn. Later when people started ice skating, in what some would say to be a cruel joke on their ancestors, “Kyvotirvn” would become the Xiteri world for “ice skating” and “Kyvotirvnalk” would become the word for “ice skater”.