Layor (nation)

National Overview

A regional grouping of peoples neighbouring Kythus, residing on the north-western cape of Annexea. The Layor do not have a unified government or singular national identity.

Dominant Culture

Layor:The Layor practice a similar cultural pattern despite not being unified as a larger nation.

Geographic Area

The Layor occupy a large region of Northwestern Annexea.

Population

The great majority of the population occupying the Layor territories are of Layor) stock, with additional Krolayoran (people)|Krolayoran]] or Kythan persons existing mostly as thralls. More exotic foreigners are rare, but do exist.

Castes

Nobles

The great clans of Layor rule over the rest of their society based on merit through martial strength and a complex web of fealty. Such status is inheritable, but can be taken by force and often is.

Sworn Vassals

A declaration of fealty sworn before the would be liege. Doing so is a public act showing ones loyalty and desire to serve the chosen liege. Sometimes refered to as Axe Sworn, such chosen loyalty is a matter of honour and pride amongst the Layor.

Blood Vassal

A term for inherited feudal relationship. The child of a sworn or blood vassal becomes a vassal to the same liege by default. While one could swear fealty to another liege, the term indicates the vassalage of their birth, which holds strong legal implications.

Thralls

Unfree Layorans or captured foreign persons are treated as chattel slaves. They have no rights amongst the Layor and are expected to serve until death or formally released from bondage.

Government

The Layor follow a loose feudal clan system. The have no central government ruling over the entire nation, but exist as a collection of clan held territories which fight and trade with each other in equal measure. The clan heads and their families are mostly warriors, whom rule over the rest much like other feudal nations. The majority of the Layor are simple farmers, hunters, or fishers, making their living off the land.

Fief

Strong warlords hold control over one or more settlements, and may have subjugated others through conquest or oaths of fealty. The largest holdings rarely number more than five fiefs collected together.

Town

There are only a few holds that support populations large enough to be considered proper towns. These settlements are run as any other fief, but have become important trade hubs and often are long held by some of the more powerful clans in the region.

Law Making

The laws of the Layor are a matter of local customs, and rulings by the head of the clan who holds the fief. There is no higher court of appeal, and the word of the local lord is final.

Enforcement

Laws are enforced by the community at large, supported by the local lords axesworn, who act as the nearest thing to a police force.

Taxation

The local liege can impose taxes to generate funds for personal or public projects as they see fit. Duties on trade goods and head taxes are the primary means of such measures.

Public Works

Any public works are funded by the local liege, they may utilize forced labour or paid workers depending on the type of project and the specialist skills required.

Roads

There are few roads in the region, mostly just common cart and wagon tracks linking nearby settlements. For long established fiefs under a single clans rule, these roads may be upgraded with permanent bridges, or regular repair and maintenance.

Canals

In some river or wetland areas, canals providing both fresh water to crops, and water borne transportation are dug.

Commerce

Agriculture

Fiefs of the Layor farm a selection of fruits, grains and vegetables suited to the northern climate and latitudes.

Crops

Fruit

A few hardy varieties of Apples grow in the region, and the remaining fruits include berries.

Grains

Moisture tolerant mudgrains, and potgrains are grown in lowland regions during summer months.

Legumes

A wide variety of beans, peas, and other legumes are common throughout the region.

Root Vegetables

Pot roots, and other tubers are farmed throughout the region with local regional preferences to certain varietals.

Leaf Vegetables

Cabbages, and other leaf vegetables are common in the region.

Squashes

A few varieties of vine growing squash are grown regionally.

Herbs

Herbs are typically grown in private gardens, and are not a major crop..

Herds

The Layor keep livestock for meat, leather or wool, and milk production primarily. Fowl farmed in large numbers for meat, eggs, and feathers as well.

Tëka

Primarily woolly tëka kept in village pastures as a textile fibre producer.

Cebbuc

Some Layor keep herds of domesticated cebuc for meat, milk, and leather.

Rabbuk

Rabbuc are a source of milk and meat throughout the region.

Rabbox

Rabbox are kept as plow transport animals.

Horses

Primarily raised as beasts of burden.

Fowl

Geese, ducks, Chickens and the like are usually free range in villages.

Secondary Agricultural Resources

Wysps

Fruit growers will maintain hives of honey wysps for pollination of fruit trees, and the production of honey and wysp wax.

Tree Sap

Some Layor tap and extract birch maple, or sugar pine saps for making sweet syrups, although the practice is limited to areas where such trees are prolific.

Nettles

Nettles are grown as a fibre crop. The cloth they produce is rough and ill suited for garments, but finds use in bags and many types of cordage.

Lüaj

Cedar bark is a source of Lüaj, a rough textile fibre used in the more southern part of the region where such trees may be found..

Hunting

Hunting of seasonal waterfowl, and local wildlife is a common source of meat for the Layor. Wild populations of Rabbuk exist throughout the region, and Cebuk are found in more mountainous areas.

Organized hunts of large marine animals is also undertaken by the Layor during season when such creatures return to the northern waters.

Fishing

The many rivers and coastal waters of of the region teem with fish, and seasonal spawning runs of some ocean fish are a welcome bounty.

Gathering

Gathering of wild herbs, berries, roots, fungi, and tree nuts is common in the region where such are found in the wilds and woodlands.

Industry

Resource Extraction

Mining

There are few mines in the territory of the Layor, excepting the foothills of the mountainous regions. Tin, iron, copper, silver, coal, amber, and some gems are found in the region.

Quaries:The quality of stone in the region does not support stone quarries on a large economic scale, however peat and clay are commonly cut from the ground in quantity.

Pitch:Some bogs of the region produce tarry oil that is collected as a fuel source, and for other applications.

Forestry

The parts of the region that grow enough trees support small local timber mills, which provide boat and ship builders with the wood they need.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is done at the village level. No settlement has the resources or available workforce to produce in excess of their needs on a large scale.

Smiths and other tradespeople are in high demand and find plenty of work under their local lieges protection.

Trade

The Layor do engage in trade amongst themselves and with foreign ports.

Imports / Exports

The Layor will trade for a wide variety of materials and items they cannot acquire locally, notably: cloth, wine, spices, and fruits.

Pottery

The Layor make some reasonable quality clay vessels in quantities sufficient for export.

Furs/Hides

The Layor produce exceptional tanned hides and furs and will use such as trade items when inclined to trade.

Transportation

The lack of quality roads in the region means most goods are transported by foot, on pack animals, or by water.

Trade Routes

Most international trade routes to and from the Layor territories only go as far as Kythus by sea. Their ships are ill suited for longer journeys.

Currency

Barter is the largest means of goods exchange amongst the Layor.

The Layor will use copper and silver coins in their trade, generally foreign ones, measured by weight.

Some consistent use of amber beads has been practiced as an alternative to metal coins.

Banks / Money Lenders

There are no official banks or moneylenders amongst the Layor.

Role of Guilds

The system of guilds has not reached the Layor, and the lack of a unified government makes it difficult for such practices to take hold.

Military

As the Layor are not unified there is no national military. Such is left to individual fief holders to maintain a personal armed force.

Controlling Body

Individual lieges will have a number of sworn soldiers under their command, and can demand levies from their population.

Size

Typically a village can support 10-15% of it's population at professional warriors, the remainder are hunters, fishermen and farmers, who have some training or skill at arms.

Organization / Ranks

These bands of warriors have no proper rank structure, although deference to veterans and older more experienced fighters is common.

Roles / Equipment

The typical Layoran warrior is outfitted as a heavy foot soldier, with scale or chain mail hauberk, a round shield, spear, sword, axe, and dagger. Some will carry short bows, and wear lighter leather or kurbul armour.

Levied troops will generally have leather or hide armour, a round shield and spear, either an axe or sword, and a dagger or long knife.

Conflicts

The majority of conflicts amongst the Layor are interclan rivalries and some extensive blood feuds.

Integration with Civil

Other than the chosen few whom form a Liege's personal guard most soldiers, are also farmers, hunters or fishermen when not geared for fighting.

Religion

Dominant Religion

The Layor practice a form of ancestor worship, where the spirits of one’s predecessors are believed to watch and guide the living. They also believe in a handful of hero-ancestors, held up as exemplars regarding various aspects of the Layor way of life.

Minor Religions

Some Layor have adopted the Twinned Goddess religion, but still hold to their belief in the ancestors.

Integration with Civil

The religious beliefs of the Layor permeate their lives. while settlements may have a spiritual leader who guides them in greater matters or group ceremonies, ones relationship to their ancestors is a personal matter.

Education

Levels

Schools

There are no formal schools. Children learn by shadowing their elders at their family trades.

Tutors / Teachers

Wealthy clans might hire teachers to specifically educate their young in topics beyond mere trades craft, but such is not a common practice.

Sages / Scholars

A few Layorans have studied enough to become learned wise men. Such individuals are valued for their wisdom, but their is no formal system of support.

Literacy

There are few written works amongst the layor, and as such few are literate. The wealthier amongst the ruling clans may have some education in reading and writing.

Languages

Layorans speak a variety of dialects of the Layor language, which is closely related to Kythusave.

Scripts

The layor do not have their own written script, but share the Nolidic script with their neighbouring Kythans.

Numeracy

Most Layorans can count to a reasonable number, and do some basic mathematics.

Philosophy

Life amongst the Layor is fairly simple, and at times harsh. This doesn't leave much time for philosophising about the nature of Treahni kind, or the world in general. such matters are left to the guidance of the ancestors.

Architecture

Materials

Most buildings of the Layor use stone foundations, and thatch or sod roofs over a timber frame. In some cases higher walls are built using timber and boards, or sod brick walls.

Designs

Houses

Layoran houses are long structures half dug into the ground, with stone walls, and a timber frame structure leaving an open central room with bays along the side walls. A firepit in the center under a smoke-hole chimney. Roofs are typically thatch or sod. A single entrance at one end of the structure is typical.

Workshops

Layoran workshops are built similarly to their homes, with the central fire pit being the replaced by the working floor of the shop. These tend to have a wide entrance at the mid point on one side.

Warehouses / Barns

Storehouses and barns will look like workshops from the outside, although stone floors, and deeper cellars for food storage are common.

Fortifications

Palisades of timber atop a earthen berm typically surround larger villages. some may have wooden watchtowers and a gate house of sorts.

Temples / Churchs

The Layor do not require a house of worship for their religion.

Where worship of the twinned goddess is present a simple structure with a circular base is common. Housing the local priest and providing space for worship by the few converts amongst he population.

Palaces / Castles

The Layor have no grand structures of this nature, Although some longhouses have been embellished and built up over generations, they do not qualify.

Geography

Landmarks

Constructed

• Äsüzÿsk - Troll Stones - Scattered throughout the region, these obelisks are found along known roads and trails, as well as in seemingly untraveled regions.

Natural

• Hÿlafükwö Dwëna Ügrö - Ice Whale Mountain - Located at the Northern terminus of the Darlom Mountains, this an important landmark for orienteering in the otherwise flat and feature poor landscape of northern tundra.
• Kwëbü Prus - Ring Island - Located in the archipelago off the northwestern tip of Layor.
• Vubebüdr Zutna Ügrö - Talking Man Mountain - A large strato volcano located in South-Eastern corner of the region in the Darlom Mountains near the border with Kythus.
• Ysÿrÿ Prus - Summer Island - A volcano forms an island located amongst the smaller islands off the northwest tip of Layor.

See Also

Layor Culture

Layor People