Because of their cultural belief that the goddess is further from them than the Hunter, as she is fighting the Void in a cosmic war (see below), Franconians came to farming and its associated rituals of praying for rain and rebirth, very late. This has resulted in a society that was very aware and respectful of its nomadic roots.

Consequently, pre-invasion, each settlement still got a surprisingly high amount of its food sources from old hunting traditions. In each city, there was a well-respected class of hunters who lived a semi-nomadic life, following herds and fish migrations across the land and staying at each migration point for months at a time, to bring a great load of foodstuffs to cities to trade. As such, salted meats and fish are very popular in Franconia. These people were, and still are, treated with great honour, as they were seen to be living a life which the Hunter most valued and was tied to their ancient roots. Over time, the hunters realised that it would be better if traders came to them and took their wares to towns and cities. Even though these traders would be given a cut, the time saved meant the Hunters could move straight to the next migration, making the arrangement profitable.

This relationship soon caught on with artisans whose work meant they had to live a sedentary life, such as blacksmiths. These trade-walkers, as they would come to be known, arose a class in themselves, taking other people’s wares and items to towns and cities to sell and barter. As time went on, this began to see a significant change: major cities began to specialise, meaning that each town and city started to rely increasingly on this new class in order to acquire items they no longer produced. This coupled with the nomadic way of living this class were immersed in, meant they were also greatly respected in Franconia.

The magocracy also continued to live a semi-nomadic existence, although this was more ritualistic. As they were nobility, continuing ancient traditions never harmed claims to legitimacy. They travelled 3 times a year to live in other cities, staying in the great library each city had (see below). As such, libraries took on a special role in Franconia: not just bastions of learning, but as meeting places, politics and diplomacy. Continuing this tradition helped seed strong relationships between the magocracy but was also seen as an excellent way to spread and share learning. These three classes that retained strong ties to Franconia’s nomadic past, meant that Franconia’s road network was the envy of the world. This led to the emergence of another well-respected class of people: roadwardens.

Because of this semi-nomadic practice in Franconia, when the Imperials turned up and ordered every city into sedentary living, a culture was essentially crushed. Hunters became outlaws and resistance fighters, trade-walkers became bandits, roadwardens became jaded and most ironically ended up as simple robbers, and the magocracy either bent the knee or fought in open rebellion and were destroyed. Whilst remnants of this class structure still remain, and for some is a source of wounded pride, Franconia is now a broken mess. The roads are overrun not just with rebels and bandits, but savage orcs and bands of Imperials who were exiled or shamed for some dishonour. Slavery and indenture are common commerce. Migratory paths are disrupted, leaving the herds roaming wild and dangerous. Shadows have extended across the land, where those who practice darker arts find shelter and secrecy. Refugees struggle to escape. Mage-nobles who managed to hold out or live under Imperial yoke land-grab and try to regain their former power. Farms lie fallow. The people have begun to make pacts with shamans who speak for the Hunter: pacts of protection, provision or murder. It is a bitter irony that the chaos Franconia now finds itself in has made travel a dance with death, a dance which most lose.