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Alternative Herath

by Átila Pires dos Santos

I'm posting here something I began doing about 3 years and a half and never finished. I guess I might never finish, so I think it'll be better to post it the way it is now (and was 3 years and a half ago). It's basically the idea of fleshing out Herath, based on my previous idea of a "alternative" Savage Coast, reinterpreting the canon in a way that all the SC would be more like a XVI century setting (like describing Nimmur to your players as a Aztec-like nation, emphasizing it's ziggurats as "step pyramids", etc). It's also based on the idea that since Araneas hide their true nature, they might also hide their true culture, or, at least, disguise it in a way that would be more familiar to its neighbours. It's also based on the idea that Herath was based on RW hebrew people, and, besides the elven cultural traits based on RW jewish people, Herath would be the M-Israel. The result is very Glantri-like (while Slagovich is the "Glantri City of the West", Herath would be the "Glantri nation of the West", then), and more simmilar to the jewish people during the middle ages, living in different nations, surrounded by different cultures.

Well, it's not much I've done. Just a map (based on Adamantyr's map of Herath) and a few notes.

Becaus of the "glantri-like" result, I also used RW Switzerland as inspiration, including for the political divisions (the fake ones, used in front of non-araneas). "Latin" (or traditional Thyatian) is the language used of the names, since they actually have many variants on the many languages spoken at Herath.

The original arenan culture would be simmilar to RW ancient Israel, but settlers from other places came and the araneas did not tried to expel them. Instead, they infiltrated their settlement, using these infiltrated araneas later as spies at neighbour nations. Probably there were many immigrants to Herath in ancient times, but the first to get there in (sort of) modern times were the members of the LB, founding the Peaceful Outpost, and exploring a gold mine close to it. Soon after, when the traladarans came to the SC, they brought some to here, just like they did to modern Bellayne. When their colony (modern Malburn Castle, probably) was destroyed (some believe it was the Red Curse, it could actually be the Araneas... pehaps both, the araneas using the Red Curse to destroy the colony, ehaps because their secret was exposed?), some of the survivors got here. The rakastas then entered Bellayne and, eventually, colonized a small part of Bellayne as well.

When the Ispans came to the SC, it did not took too long to them learn about the late of the rich gold camp Herath had, and a conquistador expedition left Narvaez in 903 AC. They made a stop at the Lupin Kingdom (modern Renardy), conquering a not heavily defended town at there and prepared to continue the voyage, resupplying their ships.

When they finally arrived at Herath, they did not have much problem conquering the Valdorado (golden valley) region. Verdans did not take long to get here, bringing goods from the somewhat more "civilized" baronial region and taking the gold back. Eventually, Peaceful Outpost would only have verdan being spoken at its streets, and it became Porto Pacífico (Peaceful Port).

The lupin village of Puerto del Lobo (Port of the Wolf) was retaken by Clébard's army, it was renamed Mons-en-Plécy, and he became the new baron (the barony being renamed Marmandie). Eventually, he became king of Renardie, and some of his wizard lupins followers from Glantri became involved in a plot to depose him. They were forced to leave Renardy, fleeing to Herath seeking for arcane knowledge that they believed that an ancient, lost (but actually, just hidden in plain sight) civilization that existed at that region once had. So, they founded their own Port of the Wolf, Port-au-Loup.

Modern Herath is known as a land of mages, not just the native mystics, but also aranjuez wizards of Saragón living in Valdorado and a few mages from Glantri, like belcadizian elves in Valdorado and lupin mages at Nouvelle Ylourgne.