Varstad

Varstad is a large country known for its trecharous mountain terrain, deadly predators, and hardy natives. It is a tribal culture ruled by a single High Chieftan. Its people are tall, black haired, and blue eyed, with the women just as capable in warfare as many of the men. They ride large war yaks into battle, goring their enemies as they shatter their lines. Wyverns constantly patrol the highest peaks, swooping down to feed on livestock and unfortunate foreign travelers.

Varstad
Country Information
Motto	"Greatness by glory, glory by strength."
Capital	Nuskhal
Language(s)	Varstakh
Ethnic Groups	Human
Religion	Unnamed polytheistic
Government	Tribal meritocracy
Current Ruler	High Chieftan Makhar Amilakh
Population	Approx. 100,000
Currency	Rukh

Geography and Wildlife

Varstad is composed almost entirely of mountain ranges. Its borders contain some of the highest peaks known on Veth, especially the colossi of The Zarloc Mountains to the south. Most of the population make their homes in the foothills of the various mountains, leaving the higher altitudes to the livestock during certain parts of the year. Almost the entire western border is coastal desert, with some of the larger city centers nearest to the country's coast.

The mountain peaks get taller as one travels deeper into the country, with its largest continually frozen and routinely hammered by heavy wind and snowfall. This is where the wyverns make their home, routinely swooping down to the lower ranges and foothills to prey on the national wildlife, which often includes the Varstadi livestock. A maze of mountains, ravines, and foothills make overland navigation practically impossible for those unfamiliar with the countryside.

The mountains' brutal weather patterns and dangerous terrain breeds some of the most dangerous mammals in the country, including dire wolves, smilodons, wyverns, and even rocs. Less intimidating fauna include mundane wolves (more interested in avoiding people unless starved), coyote, mountain lions, yaks, and a large breed of mountain goat.

The mountains gradually flatten as one travels west, from mountains to foothills and finally to the coastal deserts. This is where many of the Varstadi make their homes, thriving on the trade that comes and goes, both naval and otherwise. The usual selection of wildlife can be found near the foothills, as well as wild horses, buffalo, yaks, and wolves as the terrain grows steeper.

Government and Politics

Families are organized into tribes, with villages containing one or more tribes and cities containing dozens. In Varstadi government, a man is regarded as the chieftan of his house and property and is given the freedom to govern it as he pleases, provided he falls in line with the laws set by the High Chieftan. Yearly summits are held in Nuskhal or during times of war, with villages and cities selecting a single representative based on merit.

When one leader dies or is considered no longer fit to rule, a new one is chosen by the men of each house. Such selections take place in the city's long house and can take several days as the merits are debated. Decisions come quickly, as men are judged based on set criteria that all agree upon.

Military

Varstad has no official standing military or equivalent organization. All men and women are taught how to fight and defend their homes and homeland, regardless of social standing. A man is not considered worthy of having a family, home, or property unless he is able to defend it. Because of this, almost every male citizen lives in a perpetual state of combat readiness, should the need arise.

Varstadi weapons include spears (both short and long), short swords, hatchets, battleaxes, and even shields, which are used as much for smashing into foes as they are used to defend. Short recurve bows are also used from the mounted position to soften an enemy from range before closing the distance to engage in melee combat. The Varstadi consider ranged combat to be cowardly and will close the distance to an enemy with remarkable swiftness, using the weight of their large war yaks to their advantage, breaking through enemy lines and splitting their companies with the speed of their advance. The divided units are then encircled and swiftly cut down.

Varstadi military history is heavily laden with victory, particularly on the home front, as unfamiliarity with the terrain caused many problems for an invading force. The Varstadi use the terrain to their advantage, appearing to vanish and reappear with near magical swiftness, cutting off an enemy's supply line and subsequent retreat with remarkable efficiency.

Religion

Little is known of the Varstadi religion. It has no name and appears to predate much of their written history. Their oral history is not widely shared, so the origins of their religion are currently unknown. What little is known speaks of their chief deity, the Stonefather, who is portrayed as a large, frowning face carved into various altars high up on the mountains, with a thick brow, long hair, and a large beard. House deities are worshipped by families and family groups, and the only proof that the Varstadi even worship at all is in the talismans they wear about their necks, which always contain at least one representation of the Stonefather, and generally have at least two or three others, be they patrons of war, fertility, or protection from the elements and wildlife.

Stonefather is a distant god, only helping those who have the strength to help themselves. Praying to the Stonefather is considered an act of weakness and is said to bring about further misfortune.

What little is known of the Varstadi religion comes from what is told by the pilgrims, a kind of priest class and race unique to the Stonefather's following. Before one is permitted to speak with the Stonefather's voice in matters of soothsaying and advice, prospective priests are required to undertake a pilgrimage to one of the most sacred holy sites of the Varstadi. The exact location of this site is forbidden to be known by outsiders, but sightings of the pilgrims from Varstad all way to the southern coastal city of Drache indicate that getting to the site would take many months by land. It can be assumed that the priests and pilgrims of the Varstadi are of an entirely different breed and caste, as their builds, voices, accents, and mannerisms are all entirely different from their brethren.

The pilgrims dress in distinctive dark orange hooded ponchos. The square-topped hoods are drawn tight about the ritual mask, a blank white carving of bone with two almond shaped holes cut out for the eyes. The eyes beneath are usually impossible to see, and the mask sits far enough from the face to allow for food and drink. Pilgrims are required to forfeit their former identities, renouncing all ties to family, clan, land, and livestock, as well as their own names. New names are selected for them by their brothers, translating to terms like 'Makes Many Foodsteps' and 'Climbs Hills Swiftly'. All aspects of the pilgrims' identities are hidden and forbidden to be known by outsiders, right down to the gender. How the voices become agendered has been a subject of consternation to many a confused traveler, leading to stories of castration, questionable magic, and strange enchantments.

Society and Peoples

Laws are few in Varstad, with theft and murder earning a criminal the harshest punishments. Murder in Varstad is defined as stabbing someone in the back, during the night, or at any time that they are unaware. A direct challenge to another is considered a 'slaying' and is not punishable under law. Challenges can be issued to right various social wrongs, including insults and broken oaths.

Oathbreaking is the most severe social crime a man can commit. A man's word is his value as an individual. Oathbreakers are forbidden from participating in leader selection or leadership positions in their society, and are generally outcast and stripped of their house name, family and village gods. All men are left with a talisman of the Stonefather, however, as his cold, frowning gaze responds to no prayer.

A man's wealth is his livestock, as raising livestock and growing crops are two of the most common professions in Varstad. Every farmer is a warrior, as are those who hold other professions. Classes are determined by profession, but none are placed above others save the village and city chieftans. The more common professions in Varstad are those with martial applications, such as blacksmiths and leatherworkers, and those who expand their villages and cities, such as stoneworkers and carpenters.

A particularly unique profession in Varstad is that of the wyvern hunter. Wyverns are a constant threat to livestock, which are guarded by the large war yaks that serve the Varstadi as mounts and pack animals. Wyverns will not bother trying to attack a field guarded by the war yaks, which are too large to carry off and too dangerous to attack. Many an unfortunate wyvern has met its end at the point of a war yak's horn. Live bait is often strung up in the middle of a large ravine, with the hunters on either side. Large crossbows fire heavy nets as the wyvern approaches, tangling the creature's wings and, more importantly, its stinging tail. The creature is then pulled up and quickly dispatched, the remains finding a variety of uses, from poisons to weapons and armor, as well as simple decoration.

Many in Varstad make their living guiding trade caravans through their country to Kahlahra, Najjir, and The United Tszamoorian Empire, as well as to their coastal port cities beyond the desert. Trade leaving Varstad by boat may end up anywhere in the world. By land, trade with Kahlahra (via The United Tszamoorian Empire's roads) consists mostly of the exchange of horse breeding stock, the Khalars preferring the hardier breeds of the Varstadi, and the Varstadi making use of the Khalar breeds' speed and temperament. The Varstadi economy is fueled by the hardiness of their various export livestock, and their chief imports are the rare gems and minerals from The United Tszamoorian Empire's mining operations.

Language

Many languages are spoken in Varstad, as Varstadi children are taught many tongues from a very young age. As trade with other nations brings a continuous stream of wealth into the country, a familiarity with the languages of other countries is extremely important to the Varstadi. The national language of Varstad is Varstakh, a harsh sounding language with a runic alphabet.