Northwall Ruins, Cumbria
Species: Human (dominant), Goblin, Drake, Faerie
Era: Feudal
Paths: Lataine (Southwall), Hansa (Northwall), Byth (Eastern Plains), Saka (canyon)
Contacts: Byth (Trade), Hansa (Trade, Occasional allies), Saka (raiders)
Enemies: Lataine (cold war), Byth (territorial disputes, currently under treaty)
Government: Electoral Monarchy, King Beornwulf II
Capital: Maeduselde
Origin Languages: Eorlingas
Typical Encounters: Attendant, Bowman, Craftsman, Farmer, Hunter, Man-at-Arms, Mercenary, Outrider, Town Crier, Sage; Barghest, Bears, Bugbear, Bullete, Dire Wolf, Elk, Giant Eagle, Ghoul, Gnoll, Hag, Troll, Unicorn, Wight
Keyword Qualities: Unbent, Unbowed, and Unbroken ** No man, nor woman, is above the law ** Ride into battle, fight on foot ** Southern rangers, eastern spearmen, western swordsmen, northern mercenaries ** Bread and meat to live on, mead and bier to live for**
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Eomer has ever been a contested land. Originally settled by the Eochaid, displaced by the songs and blades of the Nemedians, the kingdom stood fast against many invaders - even repulsing the advance of Milius himself during the first Sallustrian conquests.
But the later Emperors renewed their assault, finally subduing the land during the reign of Drusus the Stammerer. It was Drusus that commanded the construction of the Northwall to protect against the incursions of the Mornii and Nemedi from the north. As in Lataine to the south, the Sallustrians brought the rule of law to these lands as well as the decadent luxuries of their civilization; luxuries that the ruling classes among the Eochaid found that they could soon not do without.
But this was before the cold came- before the Era of Ice and Fire. Across the land came a bitter chill, burning into the armor and sandaled feet of the Sallustrian legions, and to the far north the seas froze forming the Bifrost - a massive bridge of ice by which the Nornishmen crossed, fleeing their now frozen fields and fjords. At first the Empire stood strong against the new invaders behind the mighty northern wall. But over time the Empire, weakened by internal and external strife, abandoned their prize and left the Eochaid to decide their own fate.
Lacking the necessary soldiers to defend his realm, Governor Vortigis made the fateful decision to hire Nornishmen as his personal guard against the incursions of their brothers. They served this purpose well- until the Governor failed to pay them and they took his lands as their own.
Six hundred years have passed since these events, and now Eomer is a land of blending cultures- all of the stubbornness and resourcefulness of the original inhabitants, some of the sophistication of the ancient Sallustrains, and adopting the language and traditions of the invading Nornishmen. Here is a land where no man lives above tradition and law- even the King- and the King himself is elected by the Great Moot, not by blood and might alone. Proud of their unique heritage, Eomer still stands independent and free; and ready to defend that freedom with iron and blood when and where they must.
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Eomer is defended to the south by the mighty southwall- an impossibly long fortified stretch of high walls and watchtowers- and by the impenetrably dense Feywoods, defended by the arrows and wolfhounds of the Eowan rangers.
The midlands are the heart of Eomer: here is found the farms and valleys of her yeoman farmers and shepherds, here is the realm of her mighty lords (called Yrls), here is the capital of Maeduselde where sits the throne of the King. It is the for protection of these lands that the fyrd and rangers fight and risk death to the south, north, east and west.
To the west are the spearmen of Etheldreda, who defend against raiders from Saka. And to the east are found the keeps of Aescwine, who long defended against their ancestral enemies the Nemedians. But time has not been kind to their Nemedian foes, and now these lands are protected under treaty and the decline of this dying race. The mighty keeps of the easterlands now stand like museums of past glory, grown over by ivy and filled with the rusting and rotting armor of lords and heroes past.
The northlands border the Federation of Hansa; once bitter enemies, now the kingdoms have become trade partners and allies. But good fences make for good neighbors, and so the Eomer have taken to hiring Hansan mercenaries to man the ruins of northwall. Wary of replicating the folly of Vortigis, these warriors for hire are always paid on time and sent back home after an allotted tour of duty, lest they be tempted to settle there like their Nornish cousins in earlier times.
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If Lataine is an engine that runs on wine, then Eomer is an engine that runs on mead and bier. These fermented beverages are the center of life in Eomer, every town and village featuring a central 'mead hall' that serves as the gathering place of civic and political life in the area. Even the capital city of Maeduselde is named after it's great mead hall, where the King holds court in nightly feasts of food and drink.
Although mead brewed from honey is more traditional, it is the grain based bier that has become the preferred drink of Eomer. Whether made sweet and weak for children, or strong and bitter with wort for the older and more sophisticated, bier is a central daily ration for every man, woman and child in Eomer. Legend tells that Ptol the Clever himself brought bier to the region from far off Amenthes, but this story is likely apocryphal at best.
Regardless of it's origin, if one wants to make a friend or contact in Eomer it is best done over a cup of this hearty and filling brew.