|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Arends are the people of Chaldan. Arendia began as three roughly equal duchys, which quickly went to war. The Arendish civil war resulted in the destruction of two of the capitol cities (Vo Astur and Vo Wacune), but that hasn't ended it. After the Battle of Vo Mimbre, Polgara united Mimbre and Asturia by convincing Duke Korodullin of Mimbre and Duchess Mayaserana of Asturia to marry. After they were wed, they ruled Arendia jointly from Vo Mimbre. Every king since then has been a Mimbrate noble, and every queen an Asturian noble. They take the names Korodullin and Mayaserana when they take the throne. It's the only joint monarchy in the world.
Arends in general are noted for their honesty and bravery. Their intelligence, common sense and foresight, however, are worldwide jokes.
Arendish nobles roll 4d6 for WI and drop the highest die. They roll 3d6 for IN.
(The Arendish problem isn't so much intelligence as enthusiasm. They rarely take
the time to think through anything, and most are scrupulously honest to boot.)
Despite these limitations, Arends are quite good at court intrigue and plots. It
may be their love of high drama and their tendency to view their lives from that
perspective.
Asturia
The destruction of Vo Astur did not eliminate the patriotic concept of Asturia. Instead, many Asturians who lost their holdings took up residence in the Arendish forest as longbow-using bandits. Asturian archers are known the world over for their skill.
The remaining Asturians are mostly feudal lords. They live in large stone houses that are easily defended and difficult to besiege.
Asturians tend to dress in greens and browns, even those who aren't fully given over to a life of harassing Mimbrates. They have the same affinity for music, poetry and epics that Mimbrates do, though their women are somewhat less ornamental. As a rule Asturian women do not study combat as a rule. They usually perform support functions instead, such as medical care and food.
Asturians start with four skill levels, distributed among the following skills:
Mimbrate nobles live in huge, fortress-like castles. The men spend their lives learning and using combat arts. They tend to prefer melee and sieges. They are often dressed in full plate armor (the only people in the world who prefer it), except at some social functions. At those times, they favor bright, even gaudy colors. The women all favor high, conical headdresses.
Both sexes indulge in bad poetry and songs, and romantic epics famous the world over for being boring. Their fascination with things romantic does give them a keen eye for such situations outside fiction. For example, a Mimbrate noblewoman can spot a developing crush in just a few minutes, and a nobly repressed love almost instantly.
Mimbrate horses, while not as swift as Algar horses, are the largest and strongest in the world. They have to be, for they routinely carry fully armored knights, while wearing chain or plate barding themselves. These horses and constant tournaments make Mimbrate heavy cavalry the best in the world.
Mimbrate nobles start with four skill levels, distributed among the following skills:
Mimbrate men may also choose to use some or all of these levels on any hand-to-hand combat skill, Armorer or Mounted Lance. Mimbrate women may choose to use some or all of these skill levels on Embroidery.
Mimbrate men may choose to switch their ST for their highest other
characteristic, if ST is lower. Wearing heavy plate armor for life makes them
quite strong.
Wacune
Of all the Arends, the Wacites had the most beautiful architecture. Wacites were also the least militant, though they were a very active part of the endless Arendish civil war. Like Asturians, Wacites are skilled archers.
Like Mimbrates, Wacite nobles use the formal speech patterns that are so readily identified. The common folk speak a peculiar brogue.
Wacites start with four skill levels spread among the following skills:
Erat was once a duchy of Wacune. For the first fifty years
of its existence, Erat may be treated as Wacune. After that, it came to closely
resemble modern Sendaria.
Serfs
Serfs roll a flat 3d6 for all characteristics. They do not have any skills beyond those all characters have. They also start with only 500 experience points, which are normally spent on labor skills. Serfs are not trained in any combat skills, and may not buy them at creation.
Original material © Patrick Clark
1999/2001
Everything else is either © Tai-Gear Simulations or © David & Leigh
Eddings
Last updated 21 November 2001