Grel ma Loban

Large Town: Population 3,770 (68% ettinor, 29% lynoxi, 3% other)

History

The largest settlement in the Evedimor'ian Cocaluwen, Grel ma Loban was where many of the Ettinor refugees fleeing the Spellscar event settled. The majority of housing structures in the town are traditional Ettinor houses, using the bones of creatures they have killed to form the frame; though other materials have had to be used to protect against the harsh winds, as even the Ettinor have their limits in the cold. The town sits just to the southeast of the Dathunor Malir, the second largest lake in northern Arak, which is used for ice fishing to feed many of the town's residents. The town existed prior to the Ettinor's arrival, populated by around 1,000 Lynoxi, but even then the town was new, having been established early in the Age of Extermination. The Lynoxi were struggling to expand due to attacks from dangerous giant serpentine creatures in the Dathunor lake known as Ebon Salamaki; but within only 30 years after the Ettinor's arrival, the Ebon Salamaki had been nearly driven to extinction. The Ebon Salamaki are a rarity now, but are enough of a threat that the Ettinor still hunt them on the lake, using their bones for new houses.

During the month of Quenten in the year 322 AE, a necromancer by the name of Aubron had caused a continent-wide incident in which he had animated the remains of the dead all over Arak, using them to attack towns and cities in an attempt at mass extermination. Though Aubron was stopped, this impacted Grel ma Loban and other Ettinor settlements more than anywhere else, given that most of their homes are made of bone. Many buildings in the town came alive, and half of the Sovu ma Karodan were killed in the attack, leaving the town vulnerable. The town is still discussing the dangers of using bones as building material and potential defenses against this happening again.

Government

As with all other Ettinor settlements in the Evedimor'ian Cocaluwen region, Grel ma Loban is self-governing; however, unlike many other Ettinor settlements, Grel ma Loban has a central governing council, known as the Sovu ma Karodan ("Council of Six"). This council determines the local laws, and punishment for breaking them. Perhaps the most unique fact about the Sovu ma Karodan is that all six of them are Soulbinders. The Sovu ma Karodan are considered the wisest among the community, and are highly respected. The Sovu ma Karodan have a mentoring program in which they select the most talented hunters in the town to succeed them, training them in the art of Soulbinding; a great honor among their people.

The Lynoxi of Grel ma Loban, however, are not beholden to many of the laws the Ettinor have put in place, unlike some other settlements such as Taroga Malir. The Sovu ma Karodan recognizes that they are guests in Arak. For this reason, the Lynoxi are left to govern themselves and make their own laws. The only exception is the rare case when there is theft or murder involved between the two peoples, in which case the governing body of the victim determines the punishment.

Economy

Grel ma Loban is largely self-sufficient, as they do not have a way to produce money to trade with the outside world. Merchants very rarely visit the town, and when they do they must barter with the locals for goods rather than money for the most part. However, the town does have a few niche interests it caters to; mostly relating to the monsters that the Ettinor hunt and harvest. Many of the harvested parts the Bone Collectors gather are valuable as reagents for magical research and application. These byproducts are used for everything from the creation of magical items and casting of spells, to alchemy and medicine.

Soulbinders are extremely rare, so having at least six of them in residence draws attention from many across the world seeking their unique services; whether that be to contact a lost loved one, solve a murder, or perform an exorcism. Petitioners give donations to the Sovu ma Karodan for these services, which are used to purchase goods from merchants or send envoys to Odracanath to purchase goods to serve the town.

Notable Locations

• Sovu ma Inoden - A large temple at the center of the Ettinor district. It has a conical shape, and the tip is decorated with the skeleton of a giant Remorhaz that is draped and coiled around the top. The town's faithful will bring the skulls of their proudest kills to the temple to add it to the walls. Inside the temple live the Sovu ma Karodan, the town's council of Soulbinders, who advise in matters of faith, provide Sifting services to investigate murders, train future Soulbinders, and defend the town. The interior has a circular platform with the members of the Sovu ma Karodan sitting on cushions facing outwards, where they lead prayers with the Ettinor prostrating themselves before them, and may approach afterwards to seek council.
• Dathunor Malir - This large lake to the northwest of the town is about 250 miles wide, and is frozen over for most of the year, except for the months of Quenten and Asten. The lake's fish serve as a major food supply for the town's residents, and you can see hundreds of people out over the ice fishing on a clear day; though the region is frequently buffeted by snow storms. Though the cold can reach dangerous levels for the local Lynoxi, the largest threat facing those traversing the lake are the Ebon Salamaki; black serpents that inhabit the waters with powerful venom that burst out from underneath to ambush their prey. Within 30 years of the arrival of the Ettinor, the Ebon Salamaki's number had been culled to such a degree that they were nearly extinct, but attacks are still a factor. Out in the furthest reaches of the lake, far from town, it can become eerily quiet, which when broken by strange sounds on the wind can cause anxiety. There are numerous superstitions about the center of the lake, with the most prevalent being a belief that some sort of creature slumbers beneath the center of the lake, and if awakened, will wipe out the town.

Culture

The Ettinor of Grel ma Loban are a spiritual people, and the Sovu ma Karodan are not just the governing council of the town, but the Ettinor's spiritual leaders as well, advising in matters of faith and death. The Sovu ma Karodan are practitioners of the Soulbinding tradition known as Sifting, which allows the Soulbinder to contact spirits of the dead without their remains, and to peer into the plane of Matroka in order to witness how spirits have died. The council consults with the spirits of their ancestors, as well as former members of the council for guidance. Those who are chosen to succeed the Sovu ma Karodan must undergo trials in order to be accepted in training to become a Soulbinder, with the trials varying from person to person, in order to ensure they can be trusted with the responsibility of the power they are being trained to wield.

Grel ma Loban, like most Ettinor settlements, is built with thousands and thousands of bones taken from the monsters the Ettinor have hunted and killed; mostly the Ebon Salamaki. This sturdy material is used in everything from the framing of houses, to tools, weapons, and even art. Many of the Lynoxi in town find this unsettling, and have their housing built in a separate district. Perhaps more unsettling to the Lynoxi are some of the Ettinor's traditions and rituals; in particular, Sari'teokano ("soul marking") and Nadir'geodino ("poison adaptation"). Sari'teokano is a tradition in which an Ettinor which has come of age must hunt a creature considered worthy of the tradition and harvest all of its bones and useful parts; after which, they must have some of the creature's bones embedded under their skin, creating unique patterns, but being very painful. The Ettinor believe that this will impart some of the creature's strength onto the fledgling warrior, and that creature then becomes the warrior's "mark", after which they must learn everything there is to know about this creature and specialize in hunting it, with the pattern under their skin being referred to as the mark of that creature, or X ma Teokan, where 'X' is the name of the creature.

Nadir'geodino is an Ettinor ritual unique to Grel ma Loban in which after an Ettinor child is born, they are exposed to the poisons and venoms of creatures in the area as they grow in order to innoculate them so that they can more effectively hunt. This practice has been criticized by the Lynoxi due to the number of Ettinor children who have died from accidental overdoses of these poisons and from not being strong enough to fight them off.

Defenses

Very few living in Grel ma Loban are not trained with a weapon or two. There is no dedicated "guard" force or Enforcers, as each and every resident is responsible for protecting themselves and their neighbors. The town has no walls, instead using a series of eight watchtowers on the outer edges of town to keep watch for anything that may try to sneak into town. The Ettinor do not have good night vision, and as such rely on the Lynoxi to keep watch while the Ettinor patrol below in shifts. Given how dark it can become in this area at night, the town has employed the services of wizards to establish permanent lighting around the town's borders.

Crime

The town's split legal system has made punishment of crime slightly more complicated, but it basically boils down to whether the victim of the crime was an Ettinor or not. When the victim is an Ettinor, whether the crime is theft, murder, or otherwise; the punishment is handed out by the Sovu ma Karodan, who have very harsh punishments. Theft can be punished with imprisonment, but repeat offenders can face varying types of punishment according to the whims of the council, and depending on the details of the crime; they might be exiled, or they could even have their hand removed. Murder, however, is clear and swiftly acted upon, with the Sovu ma Karodan calling upon the spirit of the victim to attest to the identity of their killer. Those who commit murder are executed publicly, usually by beheading. Despite the Ettinor practicing cannibalism, these criminals are not consumed, with the Ettinor believing them to be tainted; instead, they are thrown into the fields outside town for animals to eat. The worst murders are punished with a brutal ceremony called Sari'negol, in which the offender is executed, and their soul quickly bound by the Sovu ma Karodan, after which their soul is bound to their corpse. This leaves the offender under the Soulbinder's control, after which they are buried in a deep hole or remote location where they cannot escape or be rescued, and left to rot for as long as their body lasts.

The Lynoxi of the town are more traditional with their punishments, adhering to the laws of Am Massirin Farunalis. Thieves are imprisoned for a period fitting the crime. Murderers may be imprisoned for life, but the Lynoxi prefer to simply execute them if they can establish their guilt so that they do not waste resources on simply keeping someone locked up. The Lynoxi often turn to the Sovu ma Karodan to contact the spirits of victims to investigate who committed crimes such as these.