Colo (ko-lo)
Colo is a large region to the north of the High Kingdom of Imesse. It is a largely undefined country, stretching from the northern borders of Imesse as far as 200 miles north,and from the coast of the Eastern Sea to the edges of the great Junn Steppe. It is a rugged and rough country, with few population centers of more than 10,000 people. Most of the population live in smaller communities of less than 3,000 souls. It is primarily an agrarian country, with large swaths of the land dominated by hills, mountains and deep forests broken only by farms and pastures near the low-lying rivers.
Colo is comprised mainly of a loose confederation of tribes and clans, each with a defined and established seat of authority known as a "Hold". The largest of these holds are Nyallshold, Rotrishold and Koricshold, each with a population of more than 10,000 people. Each clan is lead by a Ryuri or clan king that is the ultimate authority both within the clan itself and the land that clan controls. The country lacks infrastructure in that there are almost no functioning national roads. River traffic is the primary means of moving people and goods inland, as most roads are little more than tracks through the woods and hills of the interior.
The Colian people share a common tongue (Colian) and a common faith (Maranonic Faith) but do not otherwise have a sense of nationhood outside of their clan associations. The only time Colians seem to be able to unite into one cohesive body is when faced with a threat from invasion or attack by an outside force.
Structure
Colo as a state is made up of a large variety of tribes or clans, each with its own chief, called a Ryuri and each with its own political ties and alliances. As one tribe’s power wanes, another will fill the void. Ryuri of these tribes hold absolute authority over the tribal members and come into their authority through a variety of means. Some might be chosen by martial prowess or tests of strength or courage, while others might gain their position through marriage, birth, or outright combat. Clans of this culture are made up of many separate families, often separated by considerable differences geographically. No defined border or geographic feature defines a clan’s territory, but instead it is the families that comprise the clan and the lands these families work that determine the make-up and composition of a tribe.
Culture
Colo has a culture that places much emphasis on hospitality and communal good will. Each community has a responsibility to its members, and to strangers asking the community for help. Only when the community is threatened by attack or warfare does the expectation of charity and hospitality get put aside.
Demography and Population
By far the largest segment of the population of Colo is Human. There are less than 5,000 Halflings living along the coastal rivers, and (as far as anyone knows) no Dwarves or Elves anywhere in the country. There is a very small (less than 1,500 souls) protected community of Gnomes that live within the city of Koricshold, focused exclusively on the production of jewelry and ornamentation for the wealthiest of Colian society. Populations are centered on coastal areas or along any stretch of navigable rivers since water-born transportation is the fastest and surest way to move goods and people.
Territories
Colo is a vast territory. It stretches from the Imesse border north for more than 200 miles, and from the Eastern Sea to the fringes of the Morloth Plains in the west. The entire expanse of the territory is more than 75,000 square miles, much of it rugged, rough and unimproved. Population centers around coastal harbors and navigable rivers and the most productive farming areas tend to be located on aluvial plains or prairie lands. Significant portions of the region are wild and rugged hills, mountains and forests and in many areas of Colo one can walk for many days and not see a sign of habitation or civilization.
Military
Colo maintains no standing armies, and depends on local and regional authority figures to manage defense in the event of an attack or an invasion. Given enough time and available resources, Colo has in the past managed to field an impressive number of fighting men, but the process is long and often rather confused. Local defense is well established, howevere, and every clan maintains a number of cavalry and infantry units as combat ready at all times.
Colo does have an established naval tradition, however. All the major ports on the coast have a significant number of longships that are primarily used for trade and transport, but can be used for naval defense or attacks with only a few hours' notice. In any given port, these longships can number in the hundreds and are both sail and oar powered and are very fast and maneuverable.
Religion
The vast majority of Colians worship Maranonic Faith , a creator god seen as the "only god" rather than one among many. His worship is dictated by a book of scriptures known as the Song of Life, and his images are found in every city, town and village in the country. In Colo, that image is of a bearded man with his arms crossed over his chest, sometimes holding a sword, and always made from a single piece of hardwood. This wooden idol is placed in a prominent area with a single stone altar at its base where offerings of food are left for the god.
Foreign Relations
Individual Ryuri will make deals, agreements and treaties with other nations and states, but only an accepted Ard Ri can make binding agreements with other nations in the name of the entirety of Colo, and then only in times of national crisis.
Laws
Should a member of a clan be killed outside of a clan-sanctioned action, a “blood price” is required for the death. This price is called wayte in the Colian tongue (it is from this term that many in other lands have come to refer to owing a “man’s weight in gold” which is not a measure of mass but a measure of justice, as the term is referring to wayte). The value of this wayte varies according to status, circumstances, and location, but just about any free man in Colo can command a wayte of 3 marks as a minimum (roughly one year’s income, or 2- and one-half punt per month). The higher the status, the higher the wayte price. Should a killing occur, and the wayte not be paid, then the Clan has the duty to step in and demand justice for the deceased family. If those responsible are from another clan, or (worse yet) clan-less, then the Clan can respond with a level of force determined by the Chief. If the clan member dies because of actions required of him (or her) by the Clan itself, then the Clan will compensate the family according to the Chief’s instructions.
Agriculture & Industry
Colo is primarily an agricultural economy, with the vast majority of all production happening on a seasonal basis and limited by weather and climate restraints by region. The tribes of Colo are a hardy, family-centered people that do not have a lot of common interest with the peoples and countries further south. They are largely agrarian in nature, with farms and pastures making up the bulk of industry in the nation. The majority of the population live in fortified communities known as brochs, containing 5 to 25 families inside a gated earthen rampart large enough to accommodate all residents and their livestock in case of attack or danger.
One industry that does exist and is considered world-class is the design, production and operation of longships. These veratile vessels are found all along the Colian coast and on every navigable waterway in the country. Fast, stable, capable of cargo transportation and naval combat, they are a common sight anywhere a boat or ship can operate in Colo.
Trade & Transport
One notable aspect of Colian trade and industry is the open practice of slavery. Slaves are bought, sold, traded and transported from population centers all over the country. This is not seen as a good thing, but it is an accepted evil and is typically used as a form of national punishment for violence against other Colians. If a clan or tribe were to attack another and steal cattle and grain supplies, and those same clansmen were later caught and captured, they would be tried by the capturing clans and (if convicted) sold into slavery for their crimes. What little justice can be found in this sort of system is offset by the simple fact that coastal pirates are commonly known to raid trade and merchant vessels from foreign ports and sell the captured crewmen into slavery.
Type
Geopolitical, Country
Currency
1 Mark (1g) = 10 Punts (1s) = 100 pfenigs (1p)
A pfenig is worth $1 and a Mark is worth $100
Official State Religion
Subsidiary Organizations
Controlled Territories
