Prata Clan
The Beating Heart of Orri
Prata Clan is one of the five Great Orrian Clans that populated and controlled the country-continent of Orri. Situated centrally in southern Orri, its capital Åbenhamn is one of the most accessible settlements by both wagon and boat, and has become the primary centre of trade and commerce in the continent.
Though the country of Orri itself has no capital and all of the Orrian clans co-exist in tense equality, outsiders often mistakenly assume Åbenhamn is the continent's ruling city because of its great size, population and relative wealth. Though none of the Orrians leads an easy life, the temperate climate and farmable lands of Orri's southernmost regions allow the Prata and their neighbours Dyrke Clan to live more comfortably than the northern clans.
Structure
Like every Great Clan, the Prata are ruled by a jarl. From the regional capitol, the jarl holds jurisdiction over all of the clan's land. A jarl is typically attended by a thane, or advisor, who offers council and acts as interim ruler if the jarl needs to leave the capitol.
Smaller settlements and hamlets are usually overseen by a lendmann appointed by the jarl, but villages have occasionally been known to choose their own leaders with the jarl's permission.
Orri has never been ruled by a High King. Instead, each of the Great Clans lives semi-autonomously, each governing themselves but united with the other clans by the Orrian Accord. In times of crisis, any of the jarls can call a moot, to which every jarl is obliged to attend. The issue can than be discussed, debated or argued by the combined leadership of the entire nation.
Assets
It could be argued that location is Prata Clan's biggest asset. Being situated between Dyrke and Hurrikaani Clan makes them a crucial middle-man in the exchange of grains, leathers, wool and fish. Most of their neighbours are fine with Prata selling their goods at a mark-up if it means shaving days or weeks off of their travel time.
Additionally, Prata Clan's capitol Åbenhamn is superbly located on the edge of the Gulf of Mjor, allowing foreign merchants to easily reach it by boat. As a result, Prata Clan quickly became adapt in trade and commerce, and even though their lands are healthy enough for farming, they rely primarily on market profits for survival.
Demography and Population
By a significant margin, Prata Clan boasts the highest population of all the Orrian clans. It's capital Äbenhamn alone houses 18,000, and each of the surrounding settlements can have anywhere from 100 to 600 residents. The milder climate of Prata territory leads to longer average lifespans, and mingling with foreigners has bolstered their numbers with fresh blood.
All of Prata's villages are connected with well-travelled roads, allowing Orrians to move through their land with relative ease. In general, settlements become less populated and less wealthy the further away they are from Åbenhamn.
Military
All of the Orrian Clans are well-equipped and capable of fending off aggressive wildlife, but aside from that and the jarl's militia in Åbenhamn, Prata Clan is not particularly militarized. It is often more profitable for a Pratan to take up a trade and sell wares than live a life of adventure and battle.
That being said, there are still many Prata that feel duty-bound to protect their homeland, and Prata settlements are no less well-defended than any other clan's.
Technological Level
Prata Clan does not have any notable technological advantages over the other clans, but their relations with foreigners has certainly given them an economic edge. Additionally, many Prata have picked up on common foreign languages, and are more readily able to communicate with non-Orrians.
Religion
The Orrian Clans hold a belief system descended from Ashraism. Rather than worshipping Ashra as a chief deity, the Orri revere Ashra's five Solars as gods in their own right. These five "gods" make up the Orrian Pantheon, and are named as follows:
Veja, Goddess of Fertility and Agriculture (Vita, Angel of Life)
Låch, God of Fire and Light (Lux, Angel of Light)
Fornak, God of Creation and Invention (Fornax, Angel of the Forge)
Proceyya, Goddess of Wind, Rain and Sea (Procella, Angel of the Tempest)
Bellor, God of War and Conquest (Bellum, Angel of War)
The sixth and final god in the Orrian Pantheon is Lura, the trickster god. It is said that Lura can take any shape or form and exists only to toy with the lives of mortals and meddle with the work of the other gods. When misfortune occurs, many Orrians are quick to blame Lura for their ill luck.
Prata Clan tends not to favour any one god over the others. Prayers are performed as a situation calls for it; asking for Veja's blessing over a newborn child, or Proceyya's for good sailing conditions.
Foreign Relations
At a surface level, there are no Orrian clans who don't get along with Prata Clan. Even since before the arrival of foreign merchants, the Prata have always served as an integral middle-man between all of the other clans, receiving and distributing goods where needed.
Dig a little deeper, though, and one might find that some Orrians harbour a resentment towards Prata Clan for the "cushy" life they live. The northern Fånga and Skapa clans in particular tend to believe that the Prata have abandoned much of their own culture by welcoming the influence of foreigners.
On the contrary, the nearby foreign nations generally think very highly of Prata Clan, who in their opinion have evolved beyond the "barbaric" customs of old Orri i and adopted a more civilized way of life.
Agriculture & Industry
Prata Clan's territory is more fertile and farmable than the more northern clans. Many Pratan villages grow their own crops, brew their own mead and raise their own livestock. Their success in this field is overshadowed by Dyrke Clan's, though, and Prata is content to let Dyrke dominate that market, buying from them and selling to foreigners and the northern clans.
Trade & Transport
The roads in Pratan territory are numerous and well-travelled. The relatively flat landscape makes for easy riding, and plenty of merchants choose to transport their goods by wagon. The Prata are just as accessible by water, though, and Åbenhamn's docks are constantly busy with traffic, coming and going with all manner of product.
Traditionally, the Orrian clans never produced or used any kind of currency, relying instead on a barter system based on each other's needs. However, once Prata Clan began trading frequently with foreigners, the usage of foreign coins became an inevitability. Reluctantly, Prata, Dyrke and Hurrikaani Clan began accepting Intarian drakes among other coins in exchange for their wares. There is still no official Orrian currency, but visitors can buy from most merchants near the Gulf of Mjor with whatever coins they have.
Education
There are no official educational institutions anywhere in Orri. Everything, from language to trades to history, is passed on orally from each generation to the next. Some jarls keep libraries or historical archives, but they are typically small, mostly containing logs and records written in Orrian runes. Journal-keeping is not unheard-of, but certainly not commonplace for the average Orrian.
Orrian expertise in the trades and in warfare is recognized by most of the civilized world, and have been known to travel to Orri seeking an apprenticeships from locals in various fields.
Infrastructure
Åbenhamn boasts an expansive dock system, able to receive dozens of boats at any given time. The city is the most impressive in all of Orri, featuring stone roadways, large merchant bazaars and plenty of inns in which visitors can stay.
Surrounding settlements lack the grandeur of Åbenhamn, but most are still in good shape. Pratan buildings are well-built and sturdy, made mostly of wood with thatch or hide roofing. Wayside inns and roadhouses are common along the central highways.
Stærkere sammen
(Stronger together)
Type
Geopolitical, Clan
Capital
Alternative Names
The Prats
Demonym
Prata
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Semi-autonomous area
Economic System
Mixed economy
Major Exports
- Alcohol
- Foreign silks and fabrics
Major Imports
- Lumber
- Steel and metal equipment
- Wool [li[Leather
Location
Official Languages
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
South Orri, before The Impact.
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