Durtalbachland
Durtalbachland is a small nation in the southern mountains of Fennengath. It is west of Dunwichia, east of Erinia, and south of Hasbachland and Yangjuguk.
The two cities that serve as trade centers and pseudo-capitals are Forelstad where the Geelstroom River meets the Aardeg Sea, and Zoutstad, where the Saffierbeek River meets Dolkenrif Bay. Forelstad has a population of 9,000, and Zoutstad has a population of 7,000. In the two cities, most residents speak Common, but outside of them, many Talskindren only speak the Taltal language and other various racial languages.
Demographics
Durtalbachland has no central government, and what small governing bodies exist do not take a census. The population estimates found in the notes of foreign travelers who survived long enough to bring their written records back to their homelands do not match, and should thus be taken with a grain of salt. There is a strong chance that many of these authors purposefully exaggerated the numbers of certain uncommon races, though it is also possible that they simply traveled through villages that were more heavily inhabited by members of those rarer races. For this reason, no percentage estimates have been listed here.
Instead, a list of races reportedly seen in Durtalbachland follows: Aarakocra, Dragonborn, Dwarf, Elf, Firbolg, Genasi, Gnome, Human, Leonin, Loxodon, Mixed-Race, Tabaxi, Tiefling, Tortle, Triton, and Yuan-Ti.
The Elves and Tieflings of Durtalbachland mostly live in Forelstad and Zoutstad. Tritons mostly live along the coasts or on the island of Liefdeil. Dwarves and Aarakocra live mostly in the Haren and Skoldpadden mountains in the east and west of the country. All other populations are spread throughout the vale and jungle. The Tandielen in Dolkenrif Bay, which no longer belong to Durtalbachland, have a significant Yuan-ti population though some have fled to the Durtalbach coast.
Government
Durtalbachland is an anarcho-communist nation, with no true state government. They are isolated and protected from the other countries on the continent by the luck of their geography. The majority of Fennengathians who are descended from the peoples who populated the continent before The Tempest live in the Durtalbach Vale.
Each community within the Vale is mostly self-sufficient. Some communities rely on each other for the goods they cannot make or forage on their own, and trade with each other. Few communities outside of the two small cities even use any form of currency.
If a community has a need that they or their neighboring communities cannot meet, the community votes on a representative, or a group of representatives, to go to one of the two cities for aid. In each of the two cities, each operating in some form as a sort of capital, there is a Hall of Guidance, where community representatives can go to request what it is their community is lacking. Those in the cities will find some way to satisfy those needs, because the remote communities bring valuable resources like food and materials to those in the city.
Industry & Trade
Durtalbachland tries to remain as independent from the other nations as possible, though they do trade, to some degree, with Yangjuguk, Hasbachland, and Dunwichia. They mostly import grain, though they sometimes import specialty or luxury items.
Most of what they export is excess exotic food that only grows in the hot, humid Durtalbach Vale, though they also export certain minerals and metals mined from the mountains. Mining is minimal, and done almost exclusively to meet the demands of those who have what the country needs most. Those Talskindren in a position to trade internationally refuse to trade with Erinian merchants.
History
Before the First Age, legends say that Durtalbachland was ruled by the Gods, Demigods, or the mortal children of the Gods. The story varies from author to author. However, each version of the story tells a tale in which outsiders from many different lands colonized much of the continent's coast after The Tempest and began to push farther and farther inland. Many of the continents' original peoples fled to Durtalbachland thinking the Gods would protect them. Whether it was the work of the Gods or simply the steep mountains to the east and west and the seas to the north and south, the Vale remains safely isolated outside of the visitors they allow to enter their borders.
Geography
Durtalbachland also claims the Haren Mountains, Skoldpadden Mountains, and Aardeg Sea. Liefdeil, the island in the Aardeg, is also part of Durtalbachland's protected territory. There is only one town there, Grotstad, a small resort village. While non-Talskindred who visit the island do pay in coin, that coin is then sent on to Forelstad and Zoutstad, and the island is supplied from the rest of the nation.
Most of the Vale between the two mountain ranges is a semi-tropical jungle. Durtalbachland is not quite as hot as Dunwichia, but is much more humid. The forests are dense, and those not accustomed to the jungle who don't know where they're going end up dead more often than not. The Talskindren, a diverse population, know their homeland well and are usually great navigators and survivalists.
Founding Date
The Surge
Alternative Name(s)
The Cradle, The Cradle of the Gods
Type
National Territory
Population
Approximately 300,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Talskind / Talskindren (endonym), Durtalbach (exonym)
Location under
Included Locations
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