JesseLowe/CalrushanWood
Geography
A figure of 21% arable land (i.e., 4,784 square km) is actually cultivated. Quite a bit more is arable, but not cultivated due to either recent depopulation, natural hazards, or (most likely) unnatural hazards. If 'twere more heavily settle, up to 57% of the land could be cultivated, though this might involve deforestation (a bad idea with all those wood elementals running around).
People
The Calrushan Wood area has a population of ~332,500. Of these:
- ~6,650 are itinerant -- peddlers, outcasts, criminals, hermits, etc.
- ~296,000 in 658 villages (This includes most of the nomadic tribes in the area). Random Village Generation
- ~20,000 in 4 towns (each has about 5,000 people, natch.)
- Nakhichevan (North)
- Tower Kos (East)
- Jhuku (West)
- Tambat's Landing (South, on the River)
- ~10,000 in White Pines itself
- ~ 1,000 in Coramar
The people of Calrushan Wood are descended from three main strains: The nomads of the plains, the original people of the forest, and a people that migrated from the East in the wake of the Great Contagion.
Physically, the Calrushan people bear a resemblance to the people of the Himalayas.
Clothing is usually in earth tones, accented by bright colors; choice of color is usually dictated by clan and town affiliations. The usual pattern for men is a tunic and trousers, with boots and a wide belt; women wear similar clothing but often wear a long skirt instead of trousers. In the heat of summer, both sexes often wear kilts and short-sleeved tunics, or simply knee-length tunics. The most common material is a cotton-like cloth called jirik, which is harvested from an air plant native to Calrushan Wood. Wool, leather, and silk are also widely used.
The culinary habits of the Calrushan people are thus: Arising from bed at a decent hour, a person will partake of a light breakfast of yogurt, the last of yesterday's bread, and preserved fruit. Around midday, he will eat the largest meal of the day, dinner. This meal is usually centered around braised or stewed meat (pork, venison, or poultry), vegetables, and bread. It is accompanied by tea or wine (depending on the status of the diner). The evening meal is light, and traditionally contains no animal products (to aid in sleep). The most common dish is a warm salad of sorts. Naturally, the amount of meat and other delicacies one eats is directly connected to the amount of wealth one controls.
All the people of Calrushan Wood are great tea drinkers, and each household has its own unique blend of the varieties of tea, herbs, and other plants that flourish in the wood and the surrounding plains. Several of these plants are psychoactive when infused, and drinks made from these are often served at festivals. Effects range from full-blown hallucinations to mild emotional states. Not coincidentally, Calrushan Wood has a higher percentage of alchemists than most areas. Tea-houses are the favored gathering places in Calrushan Wood's towns and villages, and any settlement with more than a few hundred people will have a public house that serves tea and small meals (baked buns stuffed with meat or vegetables are common).
Cities & Towns =
- White Pines
- Jhuku
- Nakhichevan
- Tambat's Landing. The best landing on the river and rival to Jhuku.
- Tower Kos. Where the Shanidar nomads come to trade.
- Coramar Refugee village
Natural Features
What are Calrushan Wood's resources?
- Clay –- good clay is available from near Coramar and from Tambat's Landing. It can be used for ceramics and for brick, and many buildings have brick foundations or walls.
- Stone –- Stone is imported by the Guild from the south; it is also available (though of lesser quality) from near Redbridge and Haku's manse, but is not currently quarried there. (What kinds of stone?)
- Metal -– Very little metal of any quality is available in Calrushan Wood. Steel and iron are imported by the Guild. (What prices and quantities?)
- Wood –- Plenty of good-quality timber is available, and pretty cheaply.
- Drugs -- Drugs are grown in the Wood and on a couple of non-Guild plantations. (What kinds?)
- Leather -- Leather is available, mostly pigskin and deerskin. Cowskin is purchased from the nomads, often in large quantities.
- Draft animals -- Calrushan Wood is rather light on draft animals.
- Cloth -- See leather; also, there is the cotton-substitute.
- Food -- Calrushan Wood has a surplus in good years, and only a slight deficit in bad years. Most years, it feeds itself with a bit left over, which is typically stored.
