Capitol Name: Holw Coven
Territory description: Wet, dark, and often deadly, few would wish to live in the swamp of Rehil. The nation is entirely within the Great bog. Villages are dotted through the land. Most of the houses lay on the water's edge. Rounded earth mounds, covered with plants they often have their entrances under water, with only a couple of chimneys providing air to those dwelling within.
There are only two major cities. To the west, close to the shore (it once WAS on the shore till the sea level suddenly receded), lays Holw Coven. The largest city, the capital appears to mostly be a larger village. At the center is the Holw, the meeting place of the Panant.
The other major city is Flimin Gate. Gate is the only place outsiders are ever allowed, and on strict timings and limitations on who can and cannot come and go in. Flimin's Gate has more design elements borrowed from the outside world, with two story buildings, some of which aren't round. There is even a basic wooden wall around the city.
The unforested marshlands have mostly been converted into "farm" land, for several fruit baring trees, mainly the native fruits, the Kuinichy (a sour berry, edible to the other races), the Bungoan (a blue orange like fruit, edible to the other races), and the Othalanga (a mango like fruit, poisonous to all species but the Ambyds. The keen eye will note that the tree lines and water ways are straighter in these "farmlands."
Nation Perks:
Defensive land: To most other species, the swamp is a hellish place. A dark confusing mess of forest, waterways, and trees, the muddy land will slow down any advancing army, and part of any army will die just marching through it. For the aquatic Ambyds, it is a natural hunting ground
Nation Flaws:
Stone age: The swamp air corrodes most metals and their isolation has prevented large scale technological growth. What technology they do have, their boat designs, houses, and even weapons, are designed to work best within the swamp itself.
Short History: Ambyds early history is as murky as the waters they live in. The Ambyds didn't adopt a written language until relatively recently, the only clue are long held oral traditions. Ambyds claim they were born in the swamp, led by the first Mother, Holw. Nations of the north believe the Ambyds came from across the sea, from some far off land called "Howlous." Nations to the South believe they were cursed men, forced to live in the godforsaken place.
In any case, Ambyds have been slow to advance in all recorded history. They essentially remained apart from the world, both in the age of Gods and after the fall. Some have tried to conquer the swamp, but the bog has swallowed entire armies, and the world decided to keep away. Slowly they have advanced. A century ago, a village on the Eastern edge of the swamp interpreted the order "to allow the world to come and speak to the Mother" very creatively, allowing these "ambassadors" to bring in materials of their own land. The family accepted the "gifts" and in return gave "gifts" of the swamps fruits in return. They quickly became very rich, growing in size and power, being a powerful influence in the Panant.
Even the first wave of new Gods went unnoticed. No gods came before them, nothing immediately changed. The rumors of new Gods were laughed at or ignored. However, the sea levels fell, throwing the Panant into chaos.
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Race Name: Ambyds
Race Description: An amphibious species, the Ambyds only vaguely resemble humans. They are a salamander like race. There tails are relatively short, about half as long as the rest of their body, but is heavy and wide to help with balance. They have large heads, with round eyes that stick out, and wide mouth. The ear is a circle on the side of the head.
Ambyds have two arms and two legs. Both are a little shorter than an average human. Their webbed hands have three fingers and a thumb, and Ambyds are just as comfortable walking around on all fours as they are standing straight up.
The females are up to eight feet long, not counting the tail, the males go up to seven, but due to their stance, only are able to stand five feet.
Eyes come in dark shades of green, brown, and rarely blue. Ambyds have several different colorization, those from the East have a brown back, greyish striped sides, and a white belly. Those from the west have a greener back and browner sides.
Ambyds lay eggs, normally only a pair per every birth. Ambyds are born with gills, but lose them within two years. Barring clothing worn for work or battle, the only clothing Ambyds normally wear is a sack on their back for items, and a cloth over their reproductive organs.
Outsiders have a hard time telling Ambyds apart from each other, although Ambyds often have the same trouble with the outsiders.
Race perks/flaws:
Perks
1. Aquatic Species: The Ambyds are at home in water. While they need air to breath, the Flossics are able to stay under water for 12 minutes without needing to surface for air, and are natural swimmers. Ambyds can easily run on four legs as they can on two, allowing helping them set up ambushes in marshes and the long grasses.
Flaws
1. Aquatic Species: As an amphibian, their bodies need to be kept moist. This makes colonization of areas without a nearby source of water, such as lakes and rivers, difficult. In deserts, Ambyds can dry and die in a matter of minutes. The long bodies of the Ambyds make horse back, or any other kind of riding, nearly impossible.
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Social Values: Family is the core of the Ambyds. The villages are almost always the same family, even the two cities are mostly seperated into communes of family members, connected together.
Females are actually the dominate gender in Rehil, not the males. They receive the most education, make up the entire military, and take up all leadership positions. When a female has reached maturity, she's expected to work. After some time, they go out to find another village to select a mate.
The female stays till she lays the eggs, and then goes back to her village/work. The males raise the young, and they are considered part of his family.
Government: The villages send one of their females to Holw's Coven, to be part of the Panant. The Panant is a collection of a selected member of each village, known as Sena (Holw's Coven and Flimir's Gate get multiple Sena). Sena elect and enact the will of the Mother.
The Mother is the ruler of Rehil, both of the government and of the religion. Her will, however, isn't entirely absolute. Villages enact the Mother's word based on what they feel is ultimately the best for their village, which has resulted in some "creative" interpretations over the years. A single Mother can only serve for five years, so unpopular decisions are normally reversed by the next Mother. The Panant can also take down the Mother from her position if they feel the Mother "has lost the blessing of the swamp", with force if need be.
If the Panant does not choose a new mother within a weeks of the last ones retirement/passing, the entire Panant will lose their positions, and the villages will be asked to send someone else instead.
Economy: A free, but very basic one. Ambyds have only have recently adopted a tax system that uses currency over the Bungos fruit (currently their money is measured in Cils, long strings, with tiny knots indicating the value, made with needles of a very rare plant). Villages tend to be fairly communal and share resources. Most trade within the nation is between villages, trying to sell food and craftswork goods too each other.
Flimir's Gate is the only place that currently allows outside trade (although smuggling goods elsewhere isn't unheard of), and it has sever restrictions on such trade. Yet, it has become the richest place in Rihil.
Religion: When the old gods reigned, they prayed to Flimir, the Goddess of the bog. To them, she was the swamp. In return for their worship, she grew fruit bearing trees and kept outsiders out. After she left, the Ambyds transitioned to just worshiping the land itself, believing the swamp was the Goddess. The head of the state religion is The Mother.
Military: The Ambyds military is based around ambush and defense. They currently only have an infantry force, no calvary or navy to speak of.
Without much metal work to speak of, Ambyds still use mostly wooden weapons with obsidian blades. Spears are the main weapon of the majority of the forces. The basic infantry man will carry five spears, four of which are smaller than the main one. These four are meant for throwing, with leverage provided by a spear thrower. Some carry a small shield on their non throwing arm. There are two kinds of heavy infantry. Cachipra wield heavy wood rods (four feed long, six inches wide) embedded with rounded stones. The Maciahits wield stone swords, with obsidian running along the sides as blades, and a wood, and hide shields. Armor is normally crocodile hides.
The majority of their fighting has taken place within the marshes themselves. Lie in wait under the water, wait till the enemy is in the perfect spot, attack when least expected. Ambyds do not seek honor to fight on the open field, they believe defending their home is the highest honor, and will do anything for that goal.
The rare offensive actions outside of the swamp (mostly against raiding bands who have set up camp too close to the marshes) still have defensive play, ambush, and deception as part of the major tactics. Fake retreats, and drawing the enemy to favorable ground are the Ambyds favored tactics. Siege tactics against fortified cities are alien to the reclusive Ambyds.
Ideology:
Isolationism: For generations, the Flaccid have lived in content in the swamp, paying not attention to what else happened in the world. The Flaccid are of the swamp, and the swamp is their world. Nothing can change that, nothing will change that. Outsiders are not be let in. Merchants
Exploration and integration: Yet, a new generation of thinkers has arrived. Whispers have managed to even reach through the water ways and trees. Gods have returned, the other nations are growing stronger.
