Denaidn Swamp

In the northeastern extreme of Thovan, the Ularn mountains give way to swampy lowlands. This area remains temperate yearlong due to the thermal vents that keep it warm despite the high latitude. Much like the flora of the underworld, the plants of the Denaidn Swamp have adapted to feed off of the thermal energy seeping up from the depths. This has given the region unusual fecundity, and the natives, a loose collection of human clans called the Eithain, spend comparatively little time on agriculture. Their society has developed based around the rapid growing seasons (seven a year). In between planting and harvesting, the clans go to war. Due to their isolation, they war primarily with each other and have developed a highly ritualized system of conflict.   Each clan lives in a small, fortified village on one of the swamp's many small islands. They build up planting beds in the shallows near the village where they raise crops in planting beds raised out of the nutrient rich water.   Their year is divided up into different seasons. During the Time of Sowing and the Time of Harvesting, the Eithain are devoted to agriculture and do not raid each other. In between these seasons is the Time of Blood, which is when the clans go to war with each other. At the end of each year is the Time of Congregation when all the clans meet at Rianta, an island in the center of the swamp where an ancient stone megalith stands. There, the clan druids lead the Eithain in rituals to bring in the new year. Also during this meeting, clans boast about their accomplishments during that year's Times of Blood, and a consensus is reached as to how much prestige has been won and lost by each clan. This is followed by much drinking and merrymaking. Ritualized warfare with mutually agreed upon rules is a core part of their culture. During the Time of Blood, Eithain society is devoted almost exclusively to fighting. On the first day of this season, all adults (except pregnant and nursing women) divide into two groups by drawing colored tokens out of a basket. If a red token is drawn, that individual will spend the Time of Blood raiding. If a white token is drawn, that individual will spend the Time of Blood defending the village. The tokens are often painted shells or pebbles, but some clans use glass or clay beads (usually acquired from a raid to a more civilized area). The tokens are considered sacred artifacts, and the clan druid guards them carefully.   There are strict rules as to what is and is not allowed during the Time of Blood. Destruction or theft of crops or any other act that would threaten a clan's ability to feed itself (other than killing the farmers, of course), is strictly forbidden, and any clan found guilty of such an offense is quickly wiped out by the other clans. Killing or capturing children and pregnant or nursing women is also taboo, as is allowing them to participate in the Time of Blood. Sexual activity of any kind is forbidden during this season.   The goal of the Time of Blood is to gain prestige. This is achieved by stealing luxuries, capturing enemy warriors, stealing a clan's tokens from its druid, destroying enemy fortifications, thwarting enemy attacks that should have succeeded, and executing clever stratagems successfully. While people are regularly killed in these battles, this is often unintentional. No prestige is gained from killing except indirectly if it leads to some other accomplishment. As such, warriors generally try to capture each other, but in the chaos of battle, it is often necessary to kill an adversary. Since a clan loses prestige when one of its warriors is captured, it is often preferable to be killed (an attitude that makes capturing an enemy all the more challenging). In fact, warriors who kill themselves to avoid being captured often earn prestige for their clans. Eithain go into battle prepared to die, and prior to drawing tokens at the start of the season, all warriors perform a symbolic funeral to prepare themselves for death in battle (and a symbolic rite of rebirth at the end of the Time of Blood if they survive). Warriors who survive to old age usually find it difficult to compete physically against their enemies and often take up leadership roles instead (although they still enter the field of battle, with all the dangers this entails).   During the Time of Blood, the children and pregnant women are left in charge of the day to day minutia of running the village (cooking, cleaning, weeding, etc.). The pregnant women are in charge (or the oldest children if there are no pregnant women), and it is their responsibility to make sure everything gets done. Non pregnant adults are only focused on war during this time and do not generally assist the non-combatants (occasionally they must if something very serious goes wrong, but this causes the clan to lose a great deal of prestige).