Thera'dor
The Country of Thera’Dor is a vast, mountainous country rich in ores and metals. While much of this large domain is unpopulated, many of the high valleys contain minor villages and other cities can be found along the great river Negila. The river is the lifeblood of Thera’Dor’s capitol city of Hilrock, where the country’s government lies. Negila is a wonder, flowing fast and deep enough to carry the largest barges and galleons out to sea, while the almost constant west bound wind is strong enough to bring them upriver to the city. Thera’Dor’s government, seated in the capitol city of Hilrock is made up of Seven Noble houses. Each with their own holdings elsewhere in the vast, northern landscape. The king is chosen from any one of these houses upon the death of the old king. The head of each noble house has one nomination and one vote, and may elect anyone except for themselves. This form of selection seems strange and confusing to outsiders, but the game of houses is quite commonplace in Hilrock. The throne has been held by the Underhill clan for the past six generations. Hilrock’s seven houses are:
Snowmark: A family of Mountain Lions who have been explorers and seafaring merchants since time out of mind. Some of their detractors say they come from pirate stock, but that has never bothered the adventurous, easygoing Snowmarks. The family name comes from a trait that manifests once or twice in every generation. Some Snowmark children are born with a fractal snowflake pattern in their fur. These children are considered very lucky and great things are expected of them. Most of their holdings are coastal, with some lands stretching inland along the Negila river
Schlaufuchs (SHLAW-fooks): A line of snowy foxes, distantly related to the Solacious family of Firmament. They, like their Solacious cousins, are a military bunch, known for their work in maintaining the peace in Thera’Doran cities. Though in Hilrock itself, they are better known as cloth merchants and fashion moguls. They like to look good in uniform
Aldermann: The Aldermann family are the great priests of the north. These regal caribou are, almost without exception, dedicates of the Church of the Creators. No Aldermann has ever sat upon the throne of Thera’Dor, and they are quite proud of that. They seek instead to keep their people strict in the ways of the first writings. The moon’s destruction was seen as a terrible omen and they have since redoubled their efforts to keep the people of Hilrock on the strait and narrow way. They have no holdings of their own, but no noble house may turn a member of the Aldermann clan away without suffering the consequences. Aldermann clan members, male and female, take great pride in their antlers, never polluting what the creators gave them with anything so base as decoration, but maintaining them very carefully. An Aldermann who has shamed the clan is often condemned to go “bareheaded” or antler-less for a season before they can seek reinstatement as active priests.
Underhill: This family of moles keeps the coffers of the kingdom overflowing with fine ores and metals. Hence their long stay on the throne. These industrious nobles own and manage most of the lucrative mining operations in Thera’Dor. They are known for their expensive tastes, shrewd business sense, and love of court intrigue.
Caldera: A tribe of warm-blooded saurians that have many of their holdings in the volcanic regions of the country. Not for the heat, of course, but for the fertile lands that surround the volcanoes that mark the western border of the vast Thera’Dor. The Caldera tribe provides the majority of the produce and plant products that support the infrastructure of the country. They are a people of pacifists and homebodies. It is rare to see them away from their holdings without specific orders. Calderas believe that it is dishonorable to subject another beneath themselves and despite their great wealth, every adult Caldera is expected to work their time each day in the fields alongside their subjects and hired workers unless they are on specific assignment elsewhere. They follow the Church of the creators, but are known to have an additional religion of their own, worshiping the fires of the earth that sustain their crops and lands. All Caldera marriages are very carefully arranged, as any crossbreeding into the family is nearly impossible and they strive to keep their family lines as varied as they can.
Dacha: The Dacha are a clan of semi-nomadic maned wolves. Their holdings are a loosely defined territory of grazing lands for the enormous herds they maintain. The clan is divided into many branches, each branch tending to a chosen herd of animals ranging from cows to horses to reindeer. The Dacha are very proud of their animals. It is said that a Dacha warhorse is the only horse a king may ride to battle if he wishes to be victorious.
The Conglomerate: Not a house so much as a collection of like minded individuals. This noble house welcomes all into their ranks who possess the qualities they value. Which mainly includes Strength, Willpower, a certain amount of Bloody-Mindedness and the ability to crush rocks with your skull. They maintain a strange society of outsiders on the southern borders of Thera’Dor. This is the only reason that they have a seat on the Council of Houses, allowing the council SOME control over trade routes to the south. Anyone may join the ranks of their elite, if they are willing to crack a few skulls to get there.
