Ourworld:Laideann

Laideann Northern City States

The Northern City States are a loose collection of states covering a geographically small but politically and economically powerful area. As the name suggests, they are a group of city states. They are clustered around the banks of the White River, so named for its dramatically swift currents at the eastern estuaries. The states manoeuvre and fight amongst themselves constantly and always vie for the upperhand in their endless trade wars and political dealings. They are an old people and some would say past their time on this realm for they are decadant in their ways and somewhat cynical in their outlook.

History

The remnants of the Laideanns who were displaced by the Keltoi almost a thousand year ago fled north and settled on the banks of the White River where they built a series of villages that over time developed into small cities surrounded by farmlands. They each lie between 50 and 100 miles from each other and between them lies relatively untamed wilderness that is largely uninhabited and often quite dangerous. The river is primarily used for trade and travel between cities since they all lie next to the great river. While culturally similar (a culture which was essentially wiped out in the Keltoi invasion and only now begins to flourish again), the city states enjoy total autonomy and possess different laws and traditions, though their roots are the same.

The Laideann People

General Maximus minutes before the battle at Deer Creek turned against him.

An older, and according to themselves more noble and worthy people, the Laideann are the remnants of the once great Laideann Empire which was destroyed by the Keltoi when they invaded centuries ago. They enjoy a refined sense of the aesthetic and are great hedonists. They promote art and music and philosophy but there is always a faint sense of the decadent surrounding everything they do. They have been called lazily callous and immoral but the Laideann folk see this merely as the hallmarks of a more advanced civilisation. Physically, they tend towards slender, almost noble features; high brow and cheekbones, fine features and sharp profiles. They tend towards dark hair, usually curly and dark eyes with slender fingers and lithe frames. They have a great love for wine and narcotics and for the pleasures of life. Their religion is that of Talus, but outside the theocracy, few follow it with much ardour.

Laideann Names

http://www.babynamenetwork.com/baby_names/origin.cfm?origin=Latin&gender=Male

Yes, I'm lazy.

Laideann Religion

Laideanns follow a monotheistic and enigmatic god named Talus. He (though actually the god is seen as possessing both male and female traits) is a distant and non-interventionist deity who speaks solely through intermediaries, i.e., the clergy. His dicta and laws are not overly strict, though they have been construed as such, most notably by the Knights of the Gallows. Their holy writ, a code called The Dictates is a weighty tome barely understood by anyone outside the Laideann lands, and not all within as it is written in Old Laideann and has never been translated. This of course is where the vast majority of misunderstandings and misapplications stem from. Still, most Laideanns follow the rituals and pay them the required lip service for tradition's sake more than anything else.

Principal Cities

Talic Theocracy

Led by the High Priest Lucius, the Theocracy dominates the Law and culture. There is significant prejudice against people who are not of the church and priests are given fair leeway in their activities, e.g., they don’t pay taxes. Lucius is a relatively conservative, academic, reasonable man with no head for politics and intrigue, preferring to delve into complex issues of doctrine, which is precisely why the Council of Priests elected him. He does not rock the boat and generally agrees on whatever the Priests put forth. Father Talis is the head of the investigation into church corruption and is a dour, soft-spoken and introverted fellow. He is quietly ruthlessly efficient and has enough ‘information’ on various priests and lay officials to keep them in line, whether it’s true or not. He of course justifies this for the ‘continued stability of the church’. He is capable of quite monstrous acts in the name of his faith and continues his crusade against corruption and evil with a kind of calm and calculating fanaticism. Even when directly ordered not to do something, he will twist the intent and do it anyway, completely convinced that he knows better. He never loses sleep over his deeds because of his utter conviction of his beliefs. He has never been implicated in his deeds because of his scrupulous and almost anally retentive planning, though many people have a vaguely uneasy feeling about him.

Alignment

Laideann have often been called unprincipled or amoral. However, they are a varied people and don't really dominate one alignment, though they tend ever so slightly towards neutrality.

How the Laideann see the other races:

Ailokim: Odd little creatures that are useful for trade of knowledge and obscure unguents and spices. The Laideann feel the Ailokim are freaks and find them aesthetically displeasing but don't actively persecute them unless.

Dwarves: Purely a financial agreement, the Laideann don't have strong opinions about the Dwarves; they find them dull.

Goliaths: Very few Laideann have seen one, but they find them brutish and ugly things, barely considered sentient in the true sense.

Lizardmen: Horrid beasts that are only good for extermination, though some of their glands make excellently aromatic perfumes.

Summer Islanders: For peoples who share a love of pleasure, the Summer Islanders and the Laideann couldn't be more different culturally, though they at least treat them like second class citizens instead of persona no grata. There is lively trade of exotic luxuries between the cultures, though.

Teleri: The Laideann have a history of trade with the Laideann and find certains aspects of their culture fascinating, though they don't really take them seriously and refer to them disparagingly as 'Sea Elves'.

Umberkim: The Laideann have almost no contact with the Umberkim and since they don't fight the Ailokim, have no general opinion of them.

See Also

Ourworld
Societies	Keltoi, Laideann, Ailokim, Teleri, Goliaths, Goblinoids_and_surrounds, Dwarves, Orcs, Ashlands