Verdigris Plains

A large and populous region in southeast Caracar. No metal is used here, for it corrodes very rapidly here - a matter of days to weeks. despite this, the region has developed into a powerful and stable region ruled by leagues of clans. gold, immune to the corrosive effects, is traded on from the Burnished Isles. this has made the clans wealthy.
questions:

• to make their tech more impressive, they probably need to be more sedentary - ranches or house-networks?
• how does agriculture/food-supply work?
• differences between northern and southern regions?
• how is money organised? trade routes? not just another free-market area - how is it centralised and how is it not?
• How do they interact with the trader's League?
• Relations between verdigris plains and bp coast - the biggest remaining buyers of gunpowder, possibly advanced during their acme as trade partners?
• "You go into this supposed shit hole with no metal, Over the roads better then any you have ever walked in, And as you're cresting the hill You see these massive white walls, As mighty and as magnificent as any back home, All the while knowing no metal ever entered this cursed land."
• Think about attitude to empire and how this affects Temfep. are the roads literally sacred, or only culturally?
• Population control in VP - marriage/ restricted to certain sets - does this keep population low?
• better name for the age-sets?
• semaphore? Associated with the Knights at all?

age-sets (Aruha):

every Tarnished is born into an age-set, or Aruha, within a clan. as they age, the sets move up the social hierarchy, with a new child set being named and the high elder set being retired every 8 years. these sets define social role and are extremely important. every 8 years, there is a large ceremony at which everyone moves on to the next set. This involves rites of passage for many of the transitions, as well as the deciding of new clan chiefs.
Set names are drawn from a limited pool of existing names not in use, and the process of finding a set name is seen as mystical and prophetic. these names vary between tribes.
the conventional sets, as well as possible ages, are listed below:

Age-set	description	age of youngest	age of eldest
pre-child	not a true/full set; similar to child-set	n/a	0-7
child	the first "full" set, at which it is named	0-7	8-15
student	learning trades and warfare, as well as carrying out chores such as watching the herd, fetching water etc	8-15	16-23
junior warrior/ Labourer		16-23	24-31
Warrior/crafter	can "vote" for chieftains	24-31	32-39
veteran/Artisan	can "vote" for chieftains; are allowed to design Stars	32-39	40-47
leader	can stand and "vote" for chieftains	40-47	48-55
advisor	can "vote" for chieftains	48-55	55-63
low elder		55-63	64-71
high elder		64-71	72-79
retired		72+	80+

social/political structure

Tarnished society is organised into clans, ranging in size from the high tens to the low thousands. these tribes are banded together into leagues led by league-chiefs. these typically number in the dozens of tribes, numbering in the tens or hundreds of thousands. Leagues make war together and help mediate internal conflicts, as well as maintaining the roads and extracting tolls.
only members of the Leader age-set can be a Chief. every set-rotation - or when the old leader dies or is forced out - a new chief is selected. this is done via mock-combat - each eligible candidate who wishes to stand gathers an army of warriors, fellow leaders, and advisors to their side, and the respective sides then face up. typically only 2 or 3 contenders remain at the end of the process, and these sides square up as if to fight. at this point, combat rarely breaks out, though some ritual maneuvers take place before the smaller side/s concede.
the same process happens at the League level, though with clans and their armies acting as the forces to be levied.
combat between the leagues is more violent, but still highly ritualised and limited. this has broken down at a few points during history, but the common understanding that trade is their source of wealth - and that the roads are reliant on that - means that such infractions tend to be punished by a union of other Leagues.
Nonetheless, the Tarnished maintain a highly militarised culture, with all Junior Warriors, Warriors and Veterans expected to own and maintain arms and armour, and to attend annual drills. Sparring is a common pastime among the Tarnished. in addition, the "campaign season" consists of work given over to large group projects, such as road construction and maintenance. the threat of this warrior reputation - combined with the difficulty of using metal arms, armour and equipment within the Plains - leaves the Tarnished largely safe from external attacks.

technology

in spite of the absence of metal, the Tarnished have a varied and sophisticated technological culture. some examples:

• well-organised and maintained stone roads. the secret of the region's wealth and success, and understood to be powerful and important, verging on sacred.
• massive contruction - up to ten stories. built in tiers, with stone cracked by fire and water, chiselled using harder stone, or blasted using blackpowder; then with shaped bricks, and finally with daubed wood. these exteriors are often painted white and then decorated with colourful Stars, patterns, and images. their buildings are cool in the summer and warm in winter, with clever ventilation and underfloor heating. they also have integrated public water and waste services.
• sophisticated medical and surgical techniques, involving herbalism and a robust theory of disease transmission and sterilisation (albeit based on incorrect theories).
• movable-print typing, albeit with larger clay or wood characters rather than lead ones, and so therefore not hugely advanced - a traditional art
• sophisticated weaving and cloth techniques, including complex looms.
• water-driven machinery such as mills and powered mangles, all the way up to paternosters, powered looms, and other complex pieces (as long as they aren't too intricate and are well-serviced).
• storage basements kept cool and dry through careful use of evaporation.
• Smithy-towns stand in the border regions of the Plains, where various metal objects can be found and used.
• optics - lenses, spyglasses (traded along to the BP coast) and the like are relatively common.
• flag-based semaphore - used to signal outwards from towns - sometimes to/from/via radial relay-towers - rather than in long chains.

Military technology:

• stone-tipped clubs and spears, and obsidian-edged sword-clubs
• slings, bows, javelins
• Crossbows - imported from neighbouring regions. status items.
• armour of hide, scarab-plate and bone, and shields of hide, scarab-plate and wood.
• cavalry
• large artillery such as Mangonels and trebuchets, moved by Scarabs
• among the most expensive weapons are those that use Blackpowder - blasting-charges, one-shot fire-lances, earthwork-cannons for sieges, and so on.

Culture

• Stars: Tarnished use strong dyes, with strings and pegged frames, to create geometric star-like patterns onto cloth, stone, buildings. this is their heraldry. a Veteran is allowed to create a personal Star, or adopt an older one that is unclaimed. this then becomes their personal symbol and is used to represent them in any leadership positions they adopt. founder's Stars - sometimes modified over the years - serve as enduring symbols of Clans and Leagues, independent of and current ruler, and they may not be adopted. tied into the Temfep faith.
• gold used for ornamentation on persons (jewellery and personal effects), animals, and buildings/structures. this is a display of wealth and status
• hair is elaborately prepared with dyes, waxes, braids, pins etc- both genders use neck-rests when sleeping for this reason.
• town exteriors are often painted white and then decorated with colourful Stars, patterns, and images.

Military

Military uniform - nude except for large necklace/scarf/bib with bright colours and symbols. The idea is to impress upon the rivals that you are in good health, strong, and well fed, as well as numerous. they paint their bodies, partly to accentuate Physical form and partly as sun protection? And their weaponry is designed to be loud, symbolic, and to allow complex displays of skill, rather than to be effective.

History

• dominated by clans and age-sets, then conquered by Caracar, then controlled by a centralised and tyrannical legacy state, now returned to the "clans and age-sets" model but with the cities and roads that developed under centralisation.
• Has a bamboo Dowo enclave - They were the first to abandon the "no expulsion" principles, and settled early in the diaspora.
• "tarnished" was a slur-like name for these people, which is why it was only used in front of Borathon after Caracar's downfall. it is now simply the name of the people, carrying no negative connotation.

Leagues:

there are 3 major leagues, and several smaller ones:

• The Maegua League: represented by the 10-pointed star.
• The Togeal League: represented by the 8-pointed box-star.
• The Baotas League: represented by the 6-toothed maw.

Scarabs:

In the Verdigris Plains, where the omnipresent Tarnish infusion withers metal like flowers in the midday sun, there live a race of intelligent scarab beetles larger than a man. Lacking hands or any other form of manipulatory appendage, they rely on human allies to provide them with tools, goods, and other made products. In exchange, they offer their services as transporters of heavy goods - beasts of burden, though you would never use such a term to their faces.
Scarabs use two different stances when pushing loads - true-walk and human-walk.

Human-walk is used for shorter distances, crowded/uneven areas, and lighter loads; it lets them see where they're going better, removing the need for a spotter and specifically designed cart.

true-walk, going backwards and head-down, is used for longer distances and heavier loads. It requires special carts, as well as a companion (human or scarab) to help steer.

Scarabs form the backbone of the transport networks of the Verdigris Plains, traveling along the roads that are expertly constructed and well-maintained. Despite this, they stay somewhat apart from the human culture, with their own language, fashion, religion, and etiquette.

Fauna & Flora

• giant tarnish-scarabs - used as beasts of burden, including moving gold, by pushing specially-designed carts. 
• aggressive Mandrills

Type

Plain

Location under

Caracar