Tribes of the River

**The Tribes of The River**, also known as the **League of Tribes,** is a collection of human tribes residing mostly in the basin of *The River* in northern Vellum.

The individual polities that make up the league have been characterized as small tribal city-states (or statelets). Although the historical record prior to the arrival of Alpha settlers is spotty, the league has likely existed for at least 2 centuries before Year 0. The tribes attribute the origins of the league to the mythical navigator Betsagon the Great.

### Member Statelets

* Gondal
* Ryuhan
* Zhivan
* Other minor tribes.

## Geography

### *The River*

As evident from the name of the league, ***The River*** plays a significant role in the culture of the region. Its slow moving current makes it perfect for canoeing up- and down-stream, which remains the preferred form of transportation between tribal settlements.

Although the tribes in and around the valley consider it sacred, it is simply referred to as *The River*, and the tribes insist on this generic name. Somewhat famously, when an explorer from Alpha world came to Gondal and asked the name of the body of water, to his confusion the Gondalians reversed the question and instead asked the explorer what such a body of water would be called in his tongue. They were looking to make sure that the explorer understood it in generic terms.

The tribes instead place an *emphasis* on the name to differentiate it from the other rivers in the region. There is some debate as to the origins of this generic name. While some evidence suggests that this is partly due to the tribes being unable to come to an agreement as to its name, more likely it is in honor of a shared legend of Betsagon the Great's proclamation: "This is *The* River. The River unlike any other."

### *The Isle of Gondal*

The largest island on the River, the Isle of Gondal forms the heartland of Tribe Gondal (and recently, the entire League). Most of the island is heavily wooded, with *Choso-Shan* mountain in the middle. There are some plains to the east as well. Most Gondalians have settled on the fall-line where the forest and plains meet, due to it having some of the only fertile soil on the island. Gondalians living in the wooded parts of the island traditionally subsisted off of fishing.

### *Zhivan-Yeon*

Zhivan-yeon (pronounced "*jhir-VAHN-yuhn*") translates to "Land of Tribe Zhivan" and is sometimes colloquially spelled Zhivanion. Ancestral homeland of the Zhivanese people, Zhivan-yeon consists of the central island, surrounded by floating wheat farms (called the "Broken Farms"). The copious amount of rain and the abundance of pollinators make the island the perfect environment for flower agriculture, which is central to Zhivanese culture.

## Remnants of an Ancient Elven Civilization

The river valley is sprinkled with traces of an ancient civilization that has mysteriously disappeared. The league has traditionally practiced cultural taboos around interaction with these ruins, and maintained isolationist policies. Because of this, very little was known about this ancient civilization both inside and outside the league.

The first Alpha explorers to the region were surprised when they first saw the massive Bridge of the Ancients spanning the river, in a region that at the time was quite primitive. The explorers determined that based on the architecture the civilization was likely elven.

With the help of Councilor Remahan of the Tribe Gondal, the league slowly opened its door to the world, and several teams of researchers and scholars have been dispatched to the region to better understand this ancient civilization. How and why the elves disappeared is also being investigated.

In order to facilitate research and discovery in an orderly fashion without causing a diplomatic incident, the researchers are in talks of forming an adventurer's guild, which would also serve the purpose of discouraging griefers and tomb raiders. The guild would be dedicated to the research of the ancient elves of northern Primus, but may expand the scope of research to other cultures and regions of the world if proven successful.