Duskwood
National Symbol: Wolf Head
National Colors: No national colors or livery
80% Therianthrope
12% Dark Elf
8% Goblin
70% Shamanistic
30% Ancestor Worship
(Consociationalism System of Government) The Wolven Marches are governed by strictly segregated but equally represented Therianthrope council at the capital. Grievances between species are resolved first through discussion and then through a fight if necessary. More local governance is essentially based on the type of animal that a citizen can shape change into, or has the qualities of. The animal type determines where they fall in the society, what rules they follow and who they can associate with. Werewolves are the dominant species type in the country, followed closely by Werecats and Werebears. However, there is representation for just about every type of Therianthrope in existence at the capital. The lands in each of the provinces called Watches, tend to be mostly wilderness hunting grounds, or ranchland for the more predatory species, and are fiercely guarded from outsiders.
Badlands: Friendly
Cenovia: Hostile
Commonwealth of Dail: Hostile
Eldarian Union: Hostile
Elven Triumvirate: Hostile
Empire of Grundar: Hostile
Golden Dwarves: Hostile
Grand Duchy of Montia: Hostile
Granelian Protectorate: Hostile
Hassarian Oligarchy: Hostile
Highlands: Hostile
Ichi Shogunate: Hostile
Idelan Republic: Hostile
Iron Dwarves: Hostile
Kingdom of Aldania: Hostile
Naga’s Landing: Friendly
Orc Horde: Friendly
Sahalan Sultanate: Hostile
Shaneier Elves: Hostile
Steel Dwarves: Hostile
Taisan Khanate: Hostile
The Dark Covenant: Friendly
Theocracy of Vespa: Hostile
Undying Lands: Friendly
Currency is minted with a Wolf Head icon on it
Gold (gp) is used to buy luxury goods and high-end services
Silver (sp) is used to buy common quality goods and skilled labor
Copper (cp) is used to buy basic supplies goods and food
Average costs
Basic Food items: 1-3 copper
Luxury Food items: 10-15 copper
Basic Drinks: 1-3 copper
Luxury Drinks: 5-10 copper
Basic clothing: 25-50 copper
Average clothing: 25-50 silver
Luxury/High End clothing: 10-15 gold
Basic Lodging (Common Inn): 5-10 silver per night
Comfortable Lodging (High End Inn): 20-25 silver per night
Luxury Lodging (Private room with bath): 50-100 silver per night
Opulent/Noble Lodging (Private suite with multiple rooms): 10-15 gold per night
Transportation (Rented wagon/carriage): 10-15 silver per km
Weapons and Armor: Use Item costs
The Wolven Marches architecture can best be described as medieval European. Most of the structural design is more about function than aesthetics, and is designed for the more humanoid features a particular Therianthrope may require when building it. Most towns and villages use stone, wood, and thatch roofs for materials.
Because of the shape changing nature of the population much of the clothing doesn’t last long and ends up in tatters quite often. However flexible leathers and hide materials are widely popular, as is simple clothing that is easy to take off quickly. Clothing in the Wolven Marches is solely designed for function, and does not have a distinct style.
Typical Wolven Marches cuisine includes things that match their hunter/gatherer society. Game meats, livestock meats, nuts and mushrooms are the main ingredients. A lot of the food is often eaten raw or uncooked due to the animalistic nature of the population.
Music: Therianthrope music favors drums and lutes. It is mostly only created when citizens are in their more human forms and is aggressive sounding to outsiders. Powerful chords and steady drum beats punctuate a lot of their music. And any song that incorporates howling or growling is incredibly popular.
Literature: There is some literature in the region but not much. Most of it is written onto hide vellums and is centered around crafting schematics or instructions for something. The capital does have an archive for written books and tomes but it is heavily guarded and is the largest collection of information on curses in the entire world. Their curse archive contains everything from how to use one to how to cure them of it.
Entertainment/Theater: Brawling and gladiatorial arena fighting are the favored form of entertainment amongst therianthropes and because of the societal segregations and tensions many of the arena fights pit the different species against each other. Hunting for sport is also widely accepted, as is gambling. There is also quite a bit of prostitution however inter-species solicitation is strictly forbidden to maintain the segregations.
Technology has very little use when the majority of the population prefers to change their shape to solve their problems. It is not expressly forbidden however most therianthropes will just few technology as toys that serve little purpose. Magic is widely in use and some of the more powerful magic users become very influential shamans in their respective species’ social hierarchies.
The Wolven Marches history is a tale of woe. In ancient times it was a thriving part of the continent where dwarves and elves lived together in harmony and built a breadbasket of farms and ranches that the entire continent benefited from. But then the great war between dwarves and elves broke out and everything changed. Neighbors who had once plowed fields together now found themselves on opposite sides of battlefields. Many of the farmers and craftsmen fled, taking refuge in other kingdoms never to return. What was left behind was a wasteland, ruined by countless battles. In the aftermath of the war, several tribes of humans and wood elves eventually resettled the area. Working together they had partially restored the lands back to fertility, and had even begun to make great strides towards research into animal based magics. This would in turn be their downfall. Unbeknownst to the humans and elves that lived there at the time, the Dark Elves had taken up residence in the dark forests to the west and had begun experimenting with curses. In an effort to create a defensive buffer between them and the other races, the Dark Elves released a series of lycanthropy based curses on the fledgling civilization. The end result was a wild untamed chaos. Wood elves and humans alike started becoming more animal like, and their own animal magics started to turn more aggressive and dark. Over time the entire country had become Therianthropes of some kind. Kept secret at first, as the curses spread and got worse eventually these bestial people simply stopped hiding it and embraced their shape changing afflictions. This led to open conflict with the Iron Dwarves and the Kingdom of Aldania who viewed them as beastly abominations. Several large wars broke out as both the dwarves and humans tried to purge the Wolven Marches of cursed people. In return the Wolven marches, particularly the werewolves, werebears, and weretigers waged a campaign against the dwarves and humans and actually fought their way deep into Aldania before the Iron Dwarves cut them off from behind and the Therianthrope army was scatted. Taking advantage of the situation, and in a devious bit of irony, at the end of that war, the Dark Elves reached out to the Therianthropes, and offered them an alliance. Claiming that in exchange for help against the goodly races they would never be judged for their bestial state. This resonated well with the Wolven Marches who honor that pact to this day. To equally mutual benefit for their plight, several emissaries from the Wolven Marches traveled down into the Orc territories. Telling their sad tale of persecution by the good races, they immediately found kindred spirits in the orcs and goblins, who had also been hunted in their past. Both nations consider each other allies and both want to see the dwarves, elves, and humans driven completely out of the west forever. Continuing their trend of organizing mutual protection pacts, the same emissaries ventured into the swamps to the north, and befriended the Lizard Folk and Naga that had taken up residence there. Securing everything behind them, the Wolven Marches can now singularly focus on their main target, the Iron Dwarves who are their direct neighbor, and who they feel were the cause for their loss in the first war. In recent years these two nations are locked in a constant border war and neither are willing to give up any ground. The Wolven Marches as it stands right now, is a nation of powerful shape changers, fighting to survive in a dark and twisted world, and follow their more animalistic instincts.