| Fræzeid | |
|---|---|
| Region Number | 75 |
| Realm | Fera |
| Population | 150 000 |
| Resources | Tangleweave Spiders 3/3 |
| Imports | - |
| Religion | Unorganised Cog Paganism - Majority |
Fræzeid is a temperate region of mainly grassy plains and forests where a large portion of Haljans of many kinds have made their home. It was formerly known as 'Thuika Zag Speid Üverk-Weuz' (or 'the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz' in the common tongue) after a famous saying of the area (Speid Üverk-Weuz) with a meaning which does not translate easily to the common tongue. It roughly translates to 'the end of monotony; the beginning of freedom'. Due to its rather lengthy name, most native Haljans resorted to calling it 'The LLC' which is the short form of its common tongue translation until the official renaming of the province in the year 471 of the Common Calendar to Fræzeid (or Fræzeid, the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz in full).
Geography[]
Gary is a tree roughly the size of a small mountain.[1] Its bark is a rich deep brown, its leaves a deep green with a slender shape. Beneath Gary's widespread branches lies a temperate forest; the largest in the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz. In the famous Ghostfire Grove lies the place where Ghostfire may be found jutting out of one of Gary's roots once every thirty years.
Artem Bay, a quiet natural bay on the coast of the Stralias Sea, near a large forest full of ingredients used in Lothra Dragk Absinthe near the foothills along the Land of the Clockwork Waltz's northernmost borders. A short distance west lies Steam Spring. Not only is it important for its ingrediants but for its natural beauty. Artem Bay is a very popular spot for Kvista to relax when they are not very busy.
Britath, the large grassy plains a short distance north of the various Vefnauba Forests is the most popular hunting grounds of Haljans for good reason. It never seems to lack in various delicious plains dwelling beasts. The Visyknin of Halja are always eager to visit and care for ever increasing herds of creatures.
People[]
137 000 Haljans | 6 000 Griuhna Haljans | 3 000 Kopar Haljans | 2 000 Muruzaik Haljans | 2 000 Blaus Haljans
Haljan translates literally to 'Those who Came Home', derived from Halja which means 'Home'. Intellectuals find it interesting but not surprising that the small group of Haljans who fled underground during the Cataclysm (which occurred over four hundred years ago) named themselves the same as the Haljans of the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz. Unfortunately, not all Haljans were able to escape the horrific events of the Cataclysm of which nobody is willing to speak. The Cataclysm affected the Haljans far more than any other local race, killing most of them and leaving the small pockets of survivors vulnerable. Though the Haljans recovered well, they did not recover swiftly enough to prevent the humans who proceded to enslave them primarily for their exotic appearance.
The only resemblance a Haljan bears to a human is their upper half, which is generally muscular and sturdily built. At the waist, the Haljan's body transitions to resemble a large black scorpion, complete with six legs, a set of pincers and tail. Their long fingers are tipped with sharp black claws, which contrast with their fine white scales. Haljan's mouths are filled with sharp pointed teeth similar to a feline's. Their eyes are entirely a dark colour beneath a pair of long antennae where a human's eyebrows would be. Typically held back with a simple black cloth, a Haljan's hair resembles many bug legs which behaves similarly to human dreadlocks. Due to being much larger, Haljan females were always useful to the slavers for hard labour. The much rarer Haljan males however, were prized due to superior artistic expression, innovation, exploration as well as having much larger stingers and pincers. Haljan males are also far more poisonous, able to kill a beast much larger than themselves within a short time.
Roughly two hundred years ago (the natural lifetime of a typical Haljan) of the common calendar, the Haljans successfully rebelled against their slavers and left en masse to the East. During the time before coming to the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz, the Haljans became highly successful pirates and continued to be a thorn in their former slavers' side for many years before moving on to return to the nomadic life they had prior to the Cataclysm. After a time, the Haljans claimed the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz for themselves to roam and clad themselves in the silks found in the region. Every Haljan carries weapons (typically an axe or khopesh sometimes accompanied by a buckler) and proudly wears clothes (a right which they were denied during enslavement). A Haljan's clothes typically consists of a white shirt, coloured cloth referred to as a 'cravat' or 'ascot', black, brown or grey waistcoat, short black coat typically worn unbuttoned and various styles of hat or bandanna. A more well off Haljan typically wears a waistcoat made of a patterned material and a tall black hat called a 'top hat'. Most of these clothes are made of silk or wool.
Haljans are currently most famous for being excellent explorers, artisans and merchants though they prefer to handle trades themselves and as such are unable to efficiently trade with far off lands. Despite being wary of those who are not denizens of Fera, Haljans are well known for their relative harmlessness. Though largely nomadic, there are many small towns dotted throughout the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz. This is theorised to be a remnant of life during enslavement, however most Haljans themselves will try their best to dispute such theories. Such towns are usually relatively small square buildings featuring many rooms, arches and triangular shapes. In most cities, a larger building is in the centre of the town for important events to be held and travellers to stay. Many Haljan towns now feature facilities for airships and Luftus Nochenwaurm. Throughout Fera, similar facilities can also been found seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
See Neo Scandza for a description of the Griuhna Haljans
See Vythau for a description of the Blews Haljans
Resources[]
Vefnaub Spinne They say a silk as soft and durable as the silk from a Vefnaub Spinne is extremely difficult to come by. The Vefnaub Spinne themselves are easily three times as large as a Haljan and are most commonly found in the few forests of the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz, though there are plains-dwelling Vefnaub Spinne throughout the southeastern plains of the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz. Their name comes from the intricate tangle of the forest-dwelling variety's web, which ranges anywhere in colour between black and various shades of brown. The plains-dwelling Vefnaub Spinne's web is white or cream and often placed over holes dug in the ground by the Vefnaub Spinne then covered to become a fatal trap. Though a Vefnaub Spinne is rather poisonous, there is plenty of meat to be found which is not only safe to eat but rather delicious. That said, felling a Vefnaub Spinne is no easy feat and is most commonly achieved with a composite longbow, many arrows and a healthy amount of wit and speed. It is far too dangerous to come close to a Vefnaub Spinne and fell it with a melee weapon. Even with a ranged weapon, hunters cannot waste any time as Vefnaub Spinnei are incredibly fast.
Select Plants For the first time in known history, large groups of Haljans have stayed in one place for more than a few Moon Cycles and for a purpose which even most Ferans do not quite understand. Unlike the rest of Fera, the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz has small clusters of fancy buildings dotted throughout the land. Unlike the towns of settled humans, they consist of a large open plan building, space for bazaars and a couple of Kvista-owned inns and/or taverns for travelers to stay. Of late, these small clusters of buildings have become surrounded by large swathes of farmland and simple temporary structures. Despite being carnivorous Haljans enjoy the flavours of various plants and quite often sprinkle small portion onto meat while still fresh to add variety to their meals. More commonly Haljans have been brewing hot drinks with the plants. The results of Leikjos studies have proven that those who drink hot water with the plants are overall healthier than those who drink straight from rivers and lakes. Some argue it is the act of heating the water which purifies it of course, as this fact has been proven before. Others hold the opinion that the plants themselves have minor restorative properties. All agree, however, that improperly processed the plants will make anyone rather sick if not kill them outright.
The most notable of these dangerous plants is wormwood which is also known as Artemisia Absinthium. It alongside Fennel and Anise are the main ingredients for Fera's famous absinthe and Halja's Lothra Dragk Absinthe variant. As everyone knows, absinthe is quite easily the most consumed drink in Fera. Relatively few know of the second most consumed drink in Fera which is brewed from dried leaves of the Camellia Sinensis plant. Unlike the five plants offered for export, Camellia Sinensis grows only in the hotter western parts of the Land of the Last Clockwork Waltz. As a result, there is simply none left for Fera to export and still supply Fera. A similar plant is said to be found in nearby Kyaralath, though Ferans almost universally far prefer their native one (even if there really is no difference). The general opinion is that it is a good thing that the Ashenite Kingdom is able to provide the world with such a marvelous drink.