Enverres and the Fudorians:
Enverres is the largest country on the Western Continent, and stretches from west to east coast, separating Ter'ays in the south from the other three countries in the north. For the most part, Enverres is covered in thick deciduous forest and has a temperate climate. Its winters see heavy to light snowfall depending on where in the country you are, spring brings heavy rains, summer is warm and dry, followed by a blustery and stormy autumn. Towards the west of the land, the thick forests thin out and give way to rolling valleys rich with silt from the river Ohlon. It is here that the majority of the food for the entire country is grown, and is home to farmers and herdsmen. The Trading Road runs through this part of the world as well, connecting merchants from the deserts of Ter'ays to the craftswomen of Teridi Koholo.
Originally, the land of Enverres was six separate fiefs, each ruled by a Lord Baron. These Lord Barons fought amongst themselves over land and herds and daughters and eventually the Lord Baron of the largest of the six fiefs proposed a solution. "Sirs, recognize me as your king, over your subjects and your lands, and I will continue to recognize you as Barons, and you may keep your lands and subjugated rule of them. In addition, I will give you all spots on the Royal Conucil to help oversee the decisions and direction of the entire country." Knowing they had been offered a very generous deal, and knowing they could not stand against the king's armies, they consented, and the country fell into peace as it took the name of the largest fief, Enverres. It is for this reason that the people of the land are called Fudorians, for they were a common people between the separate fiefs, and spoke and wrote a common language, which is merely called Common.
The Fudorians look for all intents and purposes like caucasian humans. They are not, however descended from apes as humans are, but a cross breed of Speritanian, Lisdanese, a little Suoro, and then a healthy helping of Tirivahni. The result is that the Fudorians do not excell in any area of expertise, but can become rather good at absolutely anything they set their hearts to. The women stand about 5'8" and the men about 6'2" with about 2 to 4 inches lee-way in either direction. They are stocky, hearty and strong. They are a practical, simple, generally happy people who enjoy a town festival as much as a pint of ale. Their eyes can be blue, grey or brown, and their hair anywhere from blond to black, including orange and browns. Some have freckles, some have birthmarks, just as humans do. They tend to be suspicious of anyone who is out of the ordinary, such as one who has an odd eye colour or speaks overly eloquently - Lords and Ladies excluded. Their children have the option of attending school from the ages 7 to 17, and boys of 17 are then expected to pick a career. They give 4 years to this deliberation, and by the boy's 21st birthday he makes his selection, and is taken as an apprentice to learn the skills of a shoemaker, or baker, or blacksmith or tailor, watever his choice was. Usually the businesses are passed from father to son, but it is not uncommon for a boy to choose to learn a trade not in his village and to come back home once he has mastered the art in order to offer his skills to his home village.
Women learn the arts of sewing, embroidery, weaving, milking, cooking, cleaning and child rearing, and stay home once they are married. They are free to go out into the village to meet with their friends or to buy supplies, but must always keep the tops of their heads covered by a scooped hairpiece called a Kalan. In addition to the kalan, the women also follow constantly the whims of fashion that come east from the capitol of Lieh'neh, usually along the trend of fuller skirts, tighter waistbands, brightly contrasted sleeves and the like.
Their food is as hearty and healthy as the people. Popular dishes include farbread cake, which is dense and sweet, made with honey and nuts and eaten with caramel gravey, stuffed fowl and vegetable round breads and thick legume soups. Ale is the drink of the night, and Fedrin is the drink of the mronings. Fedrin is this bitter and putrid 'drink' consisting of nettle, raw eggs, warm water and barley flour, and is meant to wake you up and give you strength. While it may be horrendously good for your health, it tastes absolutely vile, and 'you need to be a MAN to drink Fedrin' as they say in the Valley of Taralok, where most of the farmers live.
While they are not overly religious, they still have the habit of using the Gods' names in conversation, and many of their coloquial slangs and explicatives still include the names of the gods. For example, 'Cerato's lap dog' refers to one who travels around a lot, and never seems able to stay in one town very long, as Cerato is God of Luck and Travel. 'By the Eye of Chene...' is usually the way a tall tale starts, trying to give the story credibility, as Chene is God of Oracles and Prophecy. 'In the name of Larix' is commonly heard from mothers trying to tame unruly children, in the hopes of bringing them to justice, as Larix is God King of Law. 'Aspen's displeasure' refers to a poor crop year, as Aspen is Goddess of the Seasons. Even so, actual prayer to the Gods is rare, and usually only practised by the infirm, or the devout clerics and priestesses.
They take pleasure in traveling minstrels and fortune tellers, and regard the other races with some intrigue, especially the delicate and beautiful Briandynians. Many Fudorian men have been charmed and beguiled by their supernatural beauty and grace, and quite as many more have been seduced by what they thought was a exquisitely beautiful woman, only to find out it was in fact an exquisitely beautiful man. However, it is the Fudorians that keep peace between the woman-hating Ter'ays and the matriarchal Koholeans, and bring the trade goods of the underground Val Nyes to the world. From trade and tarifs and blessed peace, the country has grown rich and comfortable, decadent in the east even. A medieval life: simple, somewhat dirty and happy.
