Merrigor

Merrigor is a land of aristocrats and master artisans. Though the forests and fields are worked, they are sparsely inhabited, at least by the living. The vast majority of the farmers, woodsmen, guards patrolling the roads, indeed most of the labor force, are revenants. Luxuries abound in Merrigor; fine artisanal goods are readily available and the cities are filled with ornate architecture. The people live lives of comfort with their needs attended by the dead. Most of those who do any kind of work are master craftsmen and artists.

This lifestyle works because Merrigor accepts death as an inevitable part of life and embraces their final duty to the nation. The elderly, the ill and the infirm make their way to the Necropolis, the city built around an ancient keep discovered deep in the forest. There they participate in a mysterious ritual that converts them into a revenant.

### Geography, History, and Climate

Merrigor is a land of forests. The southern coastal region tends towards marsh and bayou, the northern and western regions contain foothills of the massive mountains of Eltiel, but nearly all of the region is dense with vegetation. Most of Merrigor is dominated by the Ilfraic trees. The tall, straight trees have dark bark and dense foliage that is deep green in the spring and summer and blood red in the autumn. The Ilfraic woods are beautiful, but Merrigoreans know to fear them. They release pollen that, when inhaled, causes confusion, disorientation and eventually death. Though most active at night and in the spring months, they are never truly safe.

The great cities of Merrigor are surrounded by extensive farmland and pastureland.  The residents forget that that land was cleared over centuries and without tireless work, the dangerous forests would quickly reclaim it. Fortunately tireless work is something Merrigor has in plentiful supply.

The climate of Merrigor is humid and widely varying by the seasons. Oppressively hot in the summer and snowy in the winter. On the other hand the misty, brilliantly colored Merrigorean autumns are legendary.  Despite all their sophistication and finery, the typical Merrigorean follows the seasons much as their Marag ancestors did. In the winter and spring Merrigoreans tend to congregate in the cities. Trade, social gatherings and politics proceed at a feverish pace, taking advantage of the proximity of homes and businesses and revenant-cleared streets. As the heat of summer rises, and the Ilfraic pollen dies down, some stay in the cities, but more retreat to villages, country estates and wilderness lodges. Life slows down as people focus on more personal pursuits and outdoor activities. Of course the revenants care nothing for the seasons. They - and the brave souls that directly supervise them - work through rain, snow and scorching heat to bring prosperity to Merrigor.

After the collapse of the Lattice, people inevitably traveled seeking out safer homes and greener pastures. For the Marags, forest dwelling clans from the southern part of the continent, this meant journeying deeper into the forests. The Ilfraic trees were less common in those days and the Marags quickly learned to avoid the groves of tall, dark trees. Beneath the shadows of the lesser trees they founded various hamlets and villages. But life was not easy in a land of poison trees and fierce seasons. Seeking better terrain, they continued exploring the forest, until they came upon something surprising: a massive structure, ancient even in those early days. Perched on a bluff overlooking a river, it resembled a fortress, though it protected nothing of note. Others thought it looked more like a cathedral though it was dedicated to no Genesori or cause or order that anyone could recognize. The brave souls who explored this Necropolis discovered something that changed Marag society forever, the secrets of the Rites of Unbinding. To protect and explore the potential of their discovery, these explorers built the Necropolis around this keep. The residents of this city were the first people to call their home Merrigor.

The Seven Cities

Merrigorean economic, political and social life is dominated by the seven cities, by far the land's largest population centers.

Alletas is the oldest city in Merrigor, built across the Laghemi river from the ancient keep. Formally, the city is called “Alletas” and the keep is simply “the keep” but the entire region is commonly referred to as “the Necropolis.” It’s the last stop on a Merrigorean’s journey.

Szicas is located far to the west, in the shadows of Eltiel. Outsiders often consider it a dark and forbidding place since night comes early beneath the mountains, but it's also home to caches of gemstones and extensive mines.

Chentva is currently the most populous city in Merrigor. It’s located on the southern coast and has both a seaport and a large threshold, making it a travel hub.

Lasaldi is located in central Merrigor and perched in a small clearing in the deepest woods. The lodges in the surrounding regions are favorites of hunters and lovers of the outdoors. Lasaldi is smaller than most other cities and only recently elevated to the status of 7th city. It is a replacement for Valaq, which was lost to the Ilfraic trees.

Veyus is the hub of lumber and logging in Merrigor though such efforts can be found nearly everywhere. Timber and other goods collected from the forests can be easily floated downriver to Chentva.

Monezoch is located in far eastern Merrigor. It has a sizable population of living Merrigoreans, but it is best known as the staging ground for the Revenant Legion and training facility for their officers. Squads of guards can be found patrolling any city or road in the land, but except in times of crisis, the bulk of the Legion will be found in Monezoch.

Baseste is home to the famed Sanar academy, one of the great institutions of learning. While studies take place in many subjects, its historians and collection of works from before the lattice-breaking are without peer.

Draise is not considered one of the seven cities, even though it is their equal in size, because it is not even a Merrigorean city. Over a hundred years ago, a faction in Ophrailles decided they wanted some territory on the mainland, for easier access to roads, lattice nodes and the like. Directly across the straits from them was some empty marshland that was formally Merrigorean, but largely uninhabited, so the Ophraillians decided to settle it. Even though this did no real harm, Merigor dispatched the Revenant Legion to address the insult to Merrigorean sovereignty. This almost immediately produced a stalemate, with the revenants unable to besiege the fortified port and the Ophrallians unable to advance through the horde of the dead. Before long both sides signed a treaty formalizing the situation. Merrigor conceded the one walled port city on the mainland to Ophrailles and Ophrailles agreed not to try to expand any further into the mainland. A few rural Merrigoreans in the Draise region still hold a grudge for the invasion, but most of Merrigor has long since moved on to more pressing issues.

### Politics, Government, and Economy

The government of Merrigor is ultimately democratic, but in a notably complex way. Each of the seven major cities elects ten councilors to represent them in the outer council. One of the councilors from each city is selected by lots to have a seat on the inner council as well. The inner council is the face of the government. They sign treaties, appoint magistrates, and meet with visiting dignitaries. It is the duty of the outer council to draft various decrees and call an assembly. Any living adult in Merrigor has the right to attend an assembly, which discusses and votes on a decree. Magistrates are selected from a pool of volunteers by the inner council and set to travel about Merrigor resolving disputes and interpreting assembly decrees. Magistrates typically serve for life but can be removed by decree of the assembly. Frequent elections and term limits ensure that no one person wields too much power in the councils, but the assemblies are open to all, and skilled negotiators or orators can become fixtures.

Another powerful group in Merrigor is the Keepers of the Curtain. This order is the caretakers of the Necropolis and the Rites of Unbinding. They welcome those who have reached the ends of their lives and help them perform the Rites. Most Merrigoreans come to the Necropolis surrounded by friends and loved ones with an atmosphere that is surprisingly cheerful to outsiders. That one lives and then dies is inevitable; that one lives well and continues serving Merrigor even through death is to be celebrated.

Whether one arrives amidst celebration or limps in alone, the supplicant is welcomed with open arms by the Keepers. The supplicant is brought into the heart of the Necropolis by Keepers; though their loved ones are not permitted inside, no one is expected to face the transition alone. The Rites are considered a solemn duty and widely regarded as the right and responsible thing to do, but ultimately the Keepers question supplicants to ensure that everyone makes their own choice. Then the Keepers introduce the supplicant to the Rites of Unbinding, which when performed, sever them into their component parts. Their Purpose returns to the Tallow Man’s pot, but their body rises again as a revenant. Cured of whatever infirmities plagued them in life, not needing food, or water, or sleep and durable beyond normal human capabilities, the revenants are impressive workers. But no spirit or will or sense of self remains. They can perceive their surroundings and follow simple orders, but they do so without initiative or creativity. They unfailingly obey the Keepers of the Curtain and may be instructed to obey others.

The Keepers are also responsible for placing revenants where they are needed. They strive to honor the wishes of the departed but their first goal is the good of Merrigor. Most are assigned to forests. Keeping the woods, and the dreaded Ilfraic trees, clear of the cities is the top priority. And logging is hazardous work; though the revenants are unaffected by the pollen and unconcerned about small injuries, they can be destroyed by a large enough mishap. And losses need to be replaced quickly, lest the trees gain ground. Other revenants are sent to fields or mines as workers or to maintain cities and roads, or to join the Legions. A handful are tasked as servants of a particular family or household as thanks for services rendered to the nation.

Though the revenants represent a huge military and economic power, the Keepers generally consider themselves above the factions and politicking of the council and the assembly. However the Keepers are quite fanatical about a few specific points and will go to great lengths for three things: To keep secret the internal workings of the Keepers and the Rites, to ensure that those who command revenants use them for the good of Merrigor, and to ensure that no one is ever coerced or compelled into completing the Rites.

With no shortage of arable land or manual labor, no one in Merrigor wants for the basics. A roof overhead, food to eat and clothes on one’s back are ubiquitous. But hardly anyone in Merrigor is content with the basics. Ornate gothic architecture, elegant fashion, original art and masterwork goods of all kinds are the norm. Merrigoreans’ freedom from the basic trials of life gives them time to develop expertise, focusing on becoming the best painter, musician, tailor, jeweler, scholar, or orator that they can be.

Paradoxically, being a nation of highly specialized experts makes Merrigor generalists when it comes to trade. Few people there can compete with the smiths of Melluria or the alchemists of Myos, or the tinkers of Eltiel. But in any field you choose, there ARE a few people who can compete with those great nations, and they’ll happily create the perfect bespoke piece just for you, for the right price.

The most notable bulk export of Merrigor is timber. The efforts of the revenants to keep the forests at bay produces large amounts of wood as a byproduct. And the tall straight Ilfraic trees, terrifying when they are alive, are, once felled,  highly prized by the shipbuilders of the world. They also export gemstones. Though Merrigor is poor in metal resources, the region around Szicas is known for its emerald and ruby mines.

While Merrigor lacks the military tradition of some of its neighbors, it does have a quite formidable fighting force in the Revenant Legion. The revenants are not normally aggressive or violent, but when ordered into action by their living officers, they are a force terrifying to behold - one that doesn’t know fear, pain, hunger, or remorse.

### Everyday Life

Merrigorean cities are filled with small shrines and many people even have them in their homes. Some of them are dedicated to various Genesori, who are held in high regard in Merrigor, but more are dedicated to ancestors, or to local heroes. Though they aren’t exactly worshiped, the dead are honored in Merrigor. Everyone knows that their cities, traditions and way of life were created by founders who are no longer living. And that the final sacrifices of their predecessors provided the labor force that built Merrigor. Folk belief in Merrigor claims that spirits of the dead return from time to time to watch over their various descendants and proteges and many superstitions and traditions surround making these spirits feel welcome. When families or friends gather for meals, an extra place is typically set for any visiting spirits. Many Merrigorean homes have gardens or planters by their front doors. Chrysanthemums are said to welcome spirits of friends and family, while Hydrangeas ward off spirits of enemies and rivals. Many citizens know their lineages in great detail, and though Merrigor has no hereditary nobility, being able to trace one's ancestry back to a city founder, local hero or other individual of note is a point of pride.

Merrigorean values are heavily based on the notion of cycles. Merrigoreans know that while the world is constantly changing, things ultimately stay the same. Winter follows summer, death follows life, falls come after great successes. But summer comes again, scions pick up where their ancestors left off,  and the disappointed rebuild their endeavors. A common platitude is “the wheel turns” which can variously be commiseration for a disappointment, a warning against overconfidence, grim fatalism or hopeful optimism depending on the context.

Many Merrigoreans are content to simply enjoy the luxury that their world allows. Others throw themselves into making things for its own merit. But for the idle aristocracy of Merrigor, by far the most popular pastime is the Great Game.

Not only in Merrigor, but throughout the world, stories tell of a place known as the Bridge. The Bridge is a part of the Void where living beings can walk in relative safety and the living and the dead can coexist. Rarely, the Bridge intersects with the living world, allowing those with no ability to walk between worlds to converse with the dead. Usually these intersections are rare, fleeting and difficult to predict, but not so in Merrigor. The Bridge appears in the lands surrounding the Necropolis every three years on the longest night of the year, like clockwork. No one knows if the necropolis was built where this connection to the Void occurs, or whether concentrating all the land’s death in one place somehow draws the Bridge. Nor does anyone know why it appears not every year, but every three. And most Merrigoreans don’t care.

The opportunity to talk to the dead is a valuable chance to meet heroes and learn of the past for anyone, but for the ancestor-obsessed Merrigoreans, it’s priceless. By law the honor of presiding over the Bridging, and the first chance to speak to the dead, is awarded to the group who has made “the most contribution to Merrigorean society and culture.” By tradition this is interpreted as advancing arts, culture and  knowledge rather than political, military or economic gain. And so Merrigoreans form groups - families, guilds, civic organizations, social clubs, wherever they can find skilled and like-minded collaborators - and vie in the Great Game. Those with a talent for arts, crafts, architecture or scholarship work furiously to create masterworks that would bring prestige to their faction. Those without the skill to contribute directly position themselves as patrons. Homes are adorned with new paintings and sculptures. Concerts are held. Events are attended in the heights of fashion. Players of the Great Game place nearly as much pride in recognizing and supporting talent as actually having it.

Of course a concert with broken instruments brings no pride, nor does a party infested with vermin, so sabotage of opposing factions can be appealing. If any faction crosses the line into endangering public safety, letting the Ilfraic trees spread or weakening Merrigor's military or economic situation, the councils, and if necessary the Legion, puts a stop to it quite emphatically. Even without the practical consequences, “taking things too far” is seen as quite tacky. Even for lesser transgressions, “cheating” invites retaliation in kind, so until the final weeks of the years-long Game, players keep any transgressions subtle and secret.

In the last few cycles of the Game there is a new phenomenon. Several different persuasions of players have arisen. These groups don’t align themselves as factions in the Great Game. In fact often the fiercest competition is between people of the same persuasion. Rather these groups align based on what they believe “contributions to Merrigorean culture and society” should look like.

The praxists support traditional Merrigorean culture. They are known for dressing in unrelieved black. Patterns and styles may be ornate but are very monochrome. A praxist at an even slightly formal occasion tends to look like a funeral attendee from most nations. When it comes to the arts the praxists favor realism. Their works are frequently beautiful and dramatic but they tend to favor depictions of real people and places and retellings of traditional stories. They tend to be overtly staid but are known for loving stories of courtly romance.

The cultivators tend to push more boundaries. They augment their blacks with rich colors and tend to wear ornate jewelry. When it comes to art and crafting they believe in “letting the spirits guide you,”  resulting in works that are often more evocative than realistic.

The atavists scorn the Game even as they play it. They certainly appreciate all the trappings of modern Merrigorean life, but they remember that Merrigor began when the Marags settled beneath the trees, and believe that no artistry or craftwork or celebration could do as much for Merrigor as simply pushing back the Ilfraics. They tend to incorporate earth tones and natural materials and themes into their garb and work. Most conspicuously, they favor elaborate leather masks. Long masks are frequently worn by those who supervise logging crews or who brave the forests to hunt or explore. This is a practical matter as they offer some protection against the Ilfraic pollen. But they are usually considered working gear; only an atavist would wear one to a formal occasion.

### Current Events

One cycle of the Great Game recently ended, with the Bridging presided over by the Albescu family. They are a prominent historical family in the Chentva region and one of the most notable cultivator factions. In the last few months of the cycle they produced a variety of disturbing surreal statuary and a famously well attended concert full of sounds clearly made by instruments but almost mistakable for voices. These contributions cemented their already strong lead, but detractors are suggesting that their recent works are not merely haunting, but actively haunted. Thus far such suggestions have been dismissed as slander by sore losers. The next cycle of the Game is just beginning, but seems to be dominated by an alliance of several praxist factions. Much will be determined by how long that alliance manages to hold together.

In the region around Lasaldi in central Merrigor rumors are spreading of people beneath the Ilfraics, where no people should be able to survive. The most common belief is that some poor travelers succumbed to madness but not death from the pollen. On one hand this would mean that the Ilfraics are somehow becoming less lethal, but the end result is still fear. Revenant patrols in the area have increased and people who never before barred their doors at night are now.

### Cultural Plot and Themes

Death and undeath are backdrops in Merrigor that likely feature in most plots. However the Great Game and exploring the woods and the threat they represent are a lot more immediately interactive. People in Merrigor compartmentalize well. Personal friends and enemies and allies and rivals in the Great Game aren’t necessarily the same thing. And even enemies and rivals are collaborators when it comes to economic, military, political and other practical matters. The Great Game may produce some small opportunities for competitive plots, but it is by no means an excuse for PvP play in broader matters.

### Costume and RP Themes

Most Merrigoreans enjoy fine clothes and other fine things and dress accordingly. Styles tend to the Victorian and Gothic. Coats, cloaks, vests and corsets are commonplace. Of course black is always in style, but recently jewel tones have also been popular. And people of all genders also wear actual jewels, especially the famed local rubies. Consider what you wear; any Merrigorean would make assumptions about your persuasion and likely faction memberships in the Great Game based on superficial appearance.

Neither members of the Keepers of the Curtain nor revenants are suitable for player characters. Much like kings and high nobles in other lands, the Keepers have too much power and responsibility to be seen adventuring. Occasionally an acolyte chooses to leave the order before completing their training for whatever reason, so one could play a former acolyte, but such a person has neither the responsibilities nor the secret knowledge of a full Keeper. Revenants simply lack the spirit, will, or personality to make an interesting character.