Emshol
the homeland of the Emsh, the clay-infused lands of Emshol sits at the eastern extent of Reld, currently under the control of the Pangol Empire and bordered to the south by the Nidari Reach.
Questions:
- What is the river called?
Geography
Roughly divided into an eastern upland region, more sparsely inhabited and often beset by massive water-drops from the neighbouring sky-sea; a considerable forested wetland in the north; then cascading down to silty plains and a large estuary in the west. the molomet borderlands are a larger expanse of the savannah that is seen nearer the river in under-watered areas.
the climate of the region is dry, with little rain; despite this, there are many stable springs scattered across the lowlands. almost all water arrives from the deluges of the uplands, which is stable but irregular; the river typically floods by several metres every few months, though weeks or years have been known to separate the highwaters in exceptional circumstances. summers are hot and winters mild.
the wetlands are heavily forested and act to even out the rapid floods of the highlands into a more gradual rise and fall.
the land is used for agricultural purposes wherever possible, including managed/planted conifer forests in parts of the uplands. Fields of oil-yielding crops; rushes growing in wetter areas.
For most of its history, Emshol has been politically divided into lots of small territories that, while rarely at war with each other, are not friendly. In fact, they look more kindly to foreigners than their neighbourly rivals. these communities are formed around common ownership of water or food supplies - river stretches, irrigations systems, hilltops, wells.
types of plains settlements:
- river/tributary-based
- estuary-based
- wetland (forest) based
- frequent-flooding region (the land nearest the current river course)
- lake/lakeside - typically some distance from the river course
- spring/stepwell/reservoir-based - common further from the river, especially in the western regions
- river-irrigation - set a bit further back from the river, in regions that flood only occasionally, fed by irrigation systems. perhaps the most common setup.
- upland farming - typically on the higher land near the river, sometimes becoming islands during floods. meadows, wheat etc common. irrigation used to supplement water supply.
- dry-land nomads - savannah-grazers
- non-estuary coastal - the only type of settlement reliant on rain, found along the coast and in Etneshka's Spur.
- Fort Candent: a border fortress in the Molomet borderlands, manned by Emsh recruits and Pangol legionnaires.
- Caziyel and Tellechor's home village, off the main course of the river in the estuary.
- Spur of Etneshka: a large peninsula that extends out into the Nidari Reach. dominated by the coastal lifestyle, with a wild, dry, hilly interior.
Fauna & Flora
- Emsh
- clay-hyenas (apex predators, cow-sized)
- bullrushes
- imported Kerridan water-buffalo with flammable milk.
- Silt-Hawk: smallish hawks that nest in quicksand-like flats along the estuary. Relatively easy to tame when raised from eggs, which themselves are easy to retrieve from nests.
- massive hill-beasts that burrow across the plains underground, raising new hills.
History
United Emshol and Queen Etneshka:
Queen Etneshka rose rapidly and spectacularly, going from the young ruler of one of the larger chiefdoms within Emshol to Queen of the entire area, which she achieved using marriage, warfare, assassination and arranged marriages. For the length of her reign, and some time afterwards, Emshol was a single, united state, under a monarchy. Its political clout led to it dominating eastern Reld. She oversaw the building of systems to control the river, including - according to legend - the vast central swampland of Emshol, as well as the dykes and earthworks whose remnants can still be seen in the lowlands (and are occasionally still in use). However, without her charisma and lacking a true sense of unity, Emshol fractured once again following the death of her son. In her lifetime, she was famed for her fair and even-handed decision-making. This reputation only grew after her death. It is said that rulers and lords of neighbouring lands turned to her for counsel. Related to this reputation is the grand codices of law compiled in her lifetime by a vast team of lawyers and magistrates, rationalising and collecting pre-existing customary laws. The Etneshkan law code, as it came to be known, is used throughout Reld, the Reach, and the Isthmus, albeit heavily modified for the local circumstances. It also heavily influenced the Trader's League Accords that are used as a legal basis in Elritund and in many other places around the northern shore of the Bindkelp Sea. It has the following contents and features:- Will-based succession, with all rights for division of estate falling to the eldest child in case of intestate deaths.
- ethical principles for lawyers, judges, and lawmakers.
- support for trial-by combat, as well as trial by judge, with outlines for how to conduct either process.
- a large body of precedent regarding civil and criminal legal cases, the judgments made, and the punishments given.
- guidelines for the proper construction of contracts - this section is considered to be particularly lucid and brilliant.
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