Eseri (Free Prairies of)
Location: Northern coast of Davania, far west of Kastelios and south of the Arm of the Immortals. DV
Area: 15,000 sq. mi. (32,700 sq. km.).
Population: Unknown, probably around 250,000.
Languages: Eseri, Centaur.
Coinage: Sen (gold coin), rin (silver coin).
Taxes: 10% income tax collected once a year by tribal kings.
Government Type: Monarchy of ten kings or queens who elect one of them as speaker.
Industries: Fishing and hunting, mining, agriculture, herding.
Important Figures: Tek'eseri (King Speaker of the Prairies), Sis'ari (High Priestess of the Prairies), Daliree (General of the Army).
Flora and Fauna: Prairies, with many kinds of antelopes, snakes, lizards, and birds. Horse, zebras, prairies lions, panthers. Rarer elephants and hyenas. Some wyverns and blue dragons.
Further Reading: None.
Last Year's Events: See below.
Description and map by Shira.
The Land
Eseri is a prairie, so vast you could think it will never end. Yet it is not monotonous at all, but full of strange flowers, trees, animals, and people. The animals are the most astounding encounters in the prairies, because antelopes (of which there are many kinds), zebras, horse and bison move in the prairies in herds so huge that you could not tell how many they are.
The birds too move in the sky in flocks, with so many species and colours. There is also an abundance of flowers, like in the prairie of Schweidnitz. The prairie is not dry at all, as it is crossed by an endless number of streams, oases and little lakes, mostly in the north. In the east the land is hotter and, sometimes, barren, so the grass is less tall, and there are a lot less animals, even if I heard that during some seasons even the east is as packed with life as the north. The west of Eseri is neither dry nor barren, but rather hilly and rocky. The west indeed is the only place in Eseri where the land is not flat.
Some inhabitants of Eseri told me that the fauna of their nation is very different in the three regions. According to them zebras live mostly in the north, elephants and prairie lions in the west, snakes, lizards and hyenas in the east. And wyverns and dragons are much more commons in the east. About the dragons, anyway, those people told me that they are in good terms with them, and that in their memory dragons never killed a human or a centaur.
The central region of Eseri is the great valley of the River Sateri, where lives most of the human population of the nation and where the twin capitals of the nation rise. The valley is the most fertile and rich land I have ever seen, dotted with streams and farms.
The People
Eseri has two races of inhabitants, humans and centaurs. Both usually have bronze skin (but lighter than the natives of Schweidnitz') and dark or brown hair and eyes.
The centaurs are divided in seven tribes, who roam the great prairie of Eseri. Each tribe has its customs, laws, dressing code, and colours. Shen Miri Tribe lives in the north, next to the border with the elven nation of Kwythellar and the human city of Mirase. The Shen Miri are a peaceful and cultured people, sometimes fighting and something trading with the elves, and often roaming near Mirase. They are known to have a stern code of honour, but are generally regarded as fair and kind people. Their tribal colour is green. Shen Teri Tribe lives in the north too, straight south of the Shen Miri. They are considered the most light-hearted and cheerful among the centaurs, although they defeated the army of Kwythellar in the past. Their tribal colour is yellow. South of the Shen Teri lives the Shen Sadi Tribe, between Sateri Valley and the dry east. The Shen Sadi are regarded as a proud people, quick to take offence for the slightest abuse. Nevertheless, they are righteous and honest, too. They have fought against Mogluur many times in the past. Their tribal colour is brown. Shen Tuae Tribe lives in the valley of the Sateri River, and is the most sedentary tribe. The Shen Tuae are sometimes regarded as weak by the other tribes, but actually they are the true fathers of the nation of Eseri, and they sustain the union between humans and centaurs. Their tribal colour is orange. The Shen Eri are the westernmost tribe. They are a warlike and hard people, who in the past have contained many invasions from the southern Empire of Izonda. Sometimes they are regarded as brutes by humans and other centaurs, but actually they are just impetuous and impulsive. Their tribal colour is red. Shen Esei Tribe lives in the south. They are a mysterious people interested in magic, and many in Eseri recount that they know many secrets about the ancient history of Davania. Their tribal colour is purple. Shen Mori Tribe lives in the dry southeastern lands. They have fought Mogluur many times in the past, and are regarded as a dark and cold people. Their tribal colour is black.
The humans are divided in four clans, living on the northern coast, in the valley of the Sateri River, in the west, and in the dry east. The major city of the northern humans is Mirase, a center of trading and diplomacy. They are a warm and welcoming people, and Mirase is a wonderful city, a garden in the prairie, full of flowers and trees. The city has no walls, but maintains a strong army. The humans of the valley live mostly in the capital city of Tekeri, the seat of the king (traditionally a human) and of the political power of the nation. It is mostly centaurs instead who inhabit the twin city of Shensae, which is the seat of the high priest (traditionally a centaur) and of the religious and magical power of the nation. The high priest is usually a cleric of Ordana, but I heard that the Eserians also worship Ixion, Chiron and Valerias. The inhabitants of Tekeri told me that usually, when the king is male the high priest is female, and vice versa. The humans of the valley anyway consider themselves the most civilised inhabitants of the nation, and the real keepers of the unity between humans and centaurs. Actually I think that in Eseri the power is quite equally divided between the two races. The western humans live mostly in the hills around the city of Tilvae. Many of them are miners, and they are considered a grave but kind people. The eastern humans lives mostly in three little towns in the dry land: Sadiri, Lediri and Yviri. The last two towns have been sacked several times by Mogluur raiders, and are inhabited by rough and brave people.
History
During my short stay in the nation I didn't have the time to study properly the history of the land, but I heard that in the course of its history Eseri had several wars with some of its neighbours, particularly the Empire of Izonda, the lizard nation of Shi'ar, the elves of Kwythellar and the half-orcs of Mogluur, while the nation always had good relations with the copper-skinned humans of Schweidnitz and the rakasta of Raka. The last war Eseri fought was against the lizard men of Shi'ar a few years ago. Mogluur made several raids too, and Eseri reacted with its own raids into the land of the half-orcs. Relations have been cool but peaceful with both Izonda and Kwythellar in the last years. Eseri has not reacted yet to the arrival of the Heldannic Knights in Schweidnitz, but many in the nation think that would be a good idea to establish an alliance against Mogluur.
Don't Miss
About the wonderful wildlife of Eseri I have already spoken, so here I'll recommend you to visit the twin capitals of the nation. They are wonderful cities, without walls, full of gardens and wondrous buildings. The people of this nation do not build tall structures, but they engrave and paint every inch of them, with histories about the ancient legends of the nation or about the story of the single clan or family. You could spend an entire day just reading a single house! (Providing you know the strange pictographic Eserian alphabet).
Do Miss
The dry east is a harsh land to live in,
particularly due to the proximity of the border with Mogluur, where half-orcish
raids are frequent. The same is true
regarding the southeast, except that the raiders there are lizard men. Besides, the whole eastern part of the
nation is dotted with ancient ruins, mostly unexplored. While those ruins could provide great
temptations to adventurers, they are a great danger too, because of the many
kinds of monsters that inhabit them.