The Most Serene City of Surlinn

Description

Surlinn, also known as the Most Serene City of Surlinn, is a city-state settled by the Odavan people on the Pagulan Island located in the Odaav Ocean above the Eastern Steppes. The vast majority of the population (>90%) is still Odavan, but there are also Khalag Orcs who they often trade with, a few Tangaroa sailors and even the occasional Middenlander human.
It is a port town that has been built outwards starting from the harbor. As most of their land is not arable, they are heavily reliant on fish, whaling and seal hunting for their sustenance and economy. The whaling industry has become particularly profitable as the whale blubber that they harvest from them can be turned into a type of oil that has increased in demand on the mainland due to the industrial revolution taking place there.

Culture

Surlinn is a small city state with a limited population, but its inhabitants are proud and dislike being strong-armed by larger nations. Most of their traditions derive from either their bustling fishing industry, or their history as survivors of the Great Catastrophe. Each month they offer up a piece of a whale's corpse to Hrimrur to appease the God of Death, beseeching him for protection from those who would disturb their rest and turn them to undeath. They pray for a simple, painless life and a death most serene.

Similarly, they also have many myths or stories centered around whales or whale-like creatures due to how important whaling is for their city and their trade. For example, they tell tales of the Khürnaine, a creature that is half humpback whale and half woman that protects the oceans and guides the lost back home. It is said her song can be heard by those lost at sea, no matter the language they speak. If someone is lost or panicked, singing the Laul Khürnaine (Laul meaning song) is said to clear their mind and calm them, and in some cases even summon the Khürnaine to guide them back home.
Their culture is very much built around their families, which they rely on for support and social contacts. As the amount of people who initially came over from the Broken Plains were few, most of these families have intermingled and they tend to know each other. This makes it easy for an Odavan to be brought into contact with someone who has the skills or something else they are looking for, but it also means that someone who has been cast out of their family will quickly find themselves isolated from a large portion of the city's population.

Politics

In theory, Surlinn is ruled by a Hertsog, the senior-most elected official and chief magistrate of the city-state. In practice, their term is short and their power is limited. Instead, most of the power rests with the Peredan Assembly, formed from the heads of the different Odavan families that can trace their lineage back to the original refugees.
The Surlinnian Odavan are a proud people and they do not deal with anyone who tries to play games with them, or tries to lord their power over them. They dislike the Magvar Empire for their ruthlessness, but also the Sulvari for their flamboyance. They trade most often with the Khalag who have settled along the coast of the Eastern Steppes. In particular, the New Khalag Empire has become their mainstay trading partner. They trade the whale blubber that the Empire needs to facilitate their industrialization as well as fish and whale bones for hides, pelts and clothing.

Religion

Because of how hard the Catastrophe struck them, and its origins as a curse of necromancy, the Odavan absolutely detest necromancy and strongly align themselves with Hrimrur. They share his belief that transgressions against the natural cycle are an abomination, and they long for peace in death. His worship is effectively a state religion within the city-state, and most of their religious ceremonies and traditions are built around His dogma and are offered up to Him. Their depictions of him are different however. Instead of a wolf they depict Him as a whale, or the World Whale rather, a whale of gigantic proportions with three eyes and mouth full of razor-sharp teeth instead of baleen. In their mythos He simply swims through the sea, calm and at peace, waiting for the world to end. As he is the World Whale, they also consider whale products (meat, blubber, baleen, bones) to be the most valuable offerings they can bring to Him.

A Long Life, A Longer Rest

Alternative Names

Odavanst Surlinn

Demonym

Surlinnian

Oh princess of whales, please hear this song
I'm troubled for I'm lost and the road is long
Please guide me and let my mind be clear
So I can return to those I hold dear

— Verse 1 of the Laul Khürnaine