Low-Water

'**Names are a curious thing. In the case of Low-Water it seems to be more aspirational than anything else. Seemingly a hopeful affirmation that the spring floods will spare their small coastal town.' -Jean Bernard voq Obermotte, from his Almanac of Nations**

Low-Water is a moderate sized town located on the north coast of the Firth of Caeld. Isolated from the rest of the Free Coast by dense woods and marshlands the people of Low-Water have been independent for generations. Because of this independence Low-Water is often in conflict with Densport over fishing rights, access to the weald, and even for harboring escaped elven slaves. Despite these chilly relations the Legions of Densport have never made it through the dense marshland surrounding Low-Water.

The people of Low-Water are known as 'The Wealdic' and are native to the marshy lowlands of the eponymous 'Weald.' Extending from the Caeld River in the west to the 'Gift' forest to the East the Weald is a small but ancient region. The Wealdic are one of the most unique peoples on the Free Coast as they are the \*only\* matrilineal human culture surviving today. Based in Low-Water the Wealdic Council is drawn from the seven most powerful matriarchs of the Wealdic Kingroups. Nominally democratic, the Wealdic Council is elected by each individual kin group by different means. Some by simple cast votes, others by ceremonial combat, others by mystical divination. By function The Weald is more of a confederation than any real nation, but their unique culture has kept them deeply united for centuries.

Some academics suspect that the unique Wealdic culture is actually borrowing from the nearby Caeldish Elves, and their similarly Matrilineal society. Though the Caeldish have drawn deep into the forest avoiding contact with outsiders there is great evidence to suggest a close relationship between the Weald and the Cealdish Elves. Place names in the Weald are often drawn from original Elven words. Similarly the esoteric Wealdic language has a number of elven loan words nearing a kind of proto-elven pidgin. Speakers of contemporary Elven dialects can often understand occasional words, but often remark that their usage is antiquated or strangely formal.

## Religion in the Weald

Much like everything else in Low-Water Religion is similarly unique among the Wealdic. Though they recognize the divinity of the greater pantheon the Wealdic ascribe to the 'Cult of the Three Mothers.' Illia, Jurra and Ara are worshipped as the three mothers of the Weald. The role of the three mothers in Wealdic culture is somewhat different than the wider world.

Illia, the goddess of waters, is seen as the nuturing patron of the Weald. When thanks is given before a meal Illia is always the goddess they pray to. Jurra is seen as the giver and taker of life. As the Weald is dependent on the ocean for their livelihood storms are often the great fear of Wealdic families. Jurra being the goddess of storms makes her greatly respected but terrible force for the weald. For the weald Ara holds dominion over living beings, animals and the sentient races included. Healing and sickness are typically credited to Ara's favor or disfavor. Evangelists for other gods are often met with a chilly response in the Weald save for Pan'ier, who they respect for sharing their hatred of slavery. The Weald has even allowed a small Pan'ieran temple to be built in Low-Water where they use it to smuggle escaped slaves out of Densport.

## Elven Diaspora in Low-Water

Over the past century Densport has prosecuted a campaign of subjugation over their Elven neighbors. In recent years the final Elven communities within The Gift have been torched and their residents enslaved. This turmoil on the doorstep of The Weald had led to an influx of Elven refugees either seeking asylum, or on their way to the Caeldish Elves in the west. This influx of Elves was met with remarkable enthusiasm by Low-Water, due in part to the long-standing Elven diaspora in the Weald. For centuries the villages of the Weald have hosted several Elven clans, many of which have intermarried into the Wealdic kinlines. This close relationship has made the Weald home to the greatest number of Half-Elves anywhere outside of Densport. This longstanding intermingling has introduced significant Elven blood into Wealdic peoples. As a result the Wealdic tend to be somewhat taller than most humans with a more graceful physique. Pointed ears are uncommon, but occasionally children are born to human parents with the characteristic Elven points. The Wealdic refer to these children as being 'dunked in the Caeld,' implying the mystical river had transformed the child into an elf.