Erleting

The Erleting are the least conventionally civilized culture of southern Telgren. Their lack of development has left them behind the rest of Telgren in military, magical, and nautical matters, leading to their territory slowly shrinking over the years. Now, they face a host of foes, from the Blazennian Empire to the Alcediner city states and even the Rodłowi.

The Erleting got their start during the fall of Oleandron, where they made up a significant part of the The Northsfall. Alongside the unrelated Westmen (proto-Blazennian) peoples, the Erleting caused major damage to the Empire of Oleandron and were able to secure most of Dennonia, Urzomarthia, and Alcedina. However, the Erleting were largely riding on the coattails of the Westmen, and were left with the less fertile highlands and northern parts of modern Blazennia, while the Westmen secured the more prosperous south, able to support far more people. Still, the proto-Erleting had one major boon over the proto-Blazennians in that they pushed through the Feytouched woods of the plateau and into Western Oleandron, widening their land area significantly. Through pacts with the Fey, Erleting tribal leaders and shamans gained powerful boons which they could use to rain destruction upon the West. Nonetheless, despite these pacts, the Erleting would ultimately fail to completely destroy West Oleandron, and were largely relegated to the highlands, with a much lesser presence in the lowlands.

The Erleting would begin to diverge and diversify extensively as tribes settled down and claimed lands as theirs. Early divides between Erleting to the east, west, and those in the center, controlling the Fey forest, would soon develop, but early differences between tribal groups would soon become muddled as yet more waves of Erleting arrived from the north. These Erleting were being pushed south by the growing Nazchal Empire, which caused pressure on the populations that remained to the north of the mountains and led to increasing diversification amongst the tribes, especially those of northeastern Dennonia. Unfortunately, a threat was rapidly emerging from the Feytouched woods, and that threat took the form of the Ljubidar Domina. The Domina, a magocratic state ruled over by a powerful and evil fey, sought to warp the culture of the Erleting and use it to conquer the mortal plane. Through dominating the minds of the nine most powerful tribes of the woods, he managed to forge a powerful Empire and unite their tribes under his command. First formed in 844 SC, the Domina threatened primarily the northern Erleting, but made many forays into the south as well. By 819, his empire ruled over all of Dennonia excluding the fens, and had so warped the culture of his subjects that he was worshipped as a god by well over half his subjects, with dissenters harshly eliminated. However, efforts by the Blazennian tribes, who viewed him as the embodiment of Njolfrost rather than a god-king, would lead to the formation of a coalition against Ljubidar. Though the coalition succeeded in banishing the fey lord, their efforts were not enough to prevent the overrunning of much of Blazennia and the Ljubidar Domina remained powerful well into the 11th century.

This mighty Empire would be the last such state ruled by an Erleting for nearly 1000 years, as the people were left in poor shape. Disjoined, weakened by their reliance on dark magic and trolls as grunt workers, the 11th and 12th centuries saw turmoil and the loss of major lands to outsiders for almost all Erleting. Already, from as early as the 9th century (concurrent with the rise of the Ljubidar Domina), had the Kingdom of Sunþiruda ruled in a loose manner over various tribes not subject to that state, and their influence had expanded such that by the early 900s all Erleting were either part of Sunþiruda, Ljubidar, or were residing in the Alcedina Plateau or fenlands and largely irrelevant. The fall of this state in 1040 should have meant the rise of the Erleting, who emerged as the major winners in terms of land control, but they, like the tribes of the north, were all fighting against one another for dominance.

The Erleting tribes would soon be pushed north by Blazennians, who were eager to reclaim their holy lands from the invaders. Blazennian migrations to the north would continue as their people came under pressure from the growing Kingdom of Fraspika in the 12th century. By 1130, these migrations would push not just north but also west, with fleeing tribes crossed over the Impir Mountains into what is now known as the Greatsfen. They would immediately come into conflict with the Erleting population of the region, and bloody battles would continue over the next century and a half, while the fens were divided between petty Blazennian counts and dukes set against both each other and the slowly shrinking Erleting tribes. The region (which soon became known first as Albubite's Fen, then Great's Fen, and finally Greatsfen) only became less bloody when the Blazennian Emperor Albulite the Great conquered the region from 1294-1302- partly by diplomacy, partly by force. The remaining Erleting population of the region either assimilated into the victorious Blazennian populace or fled west, where their fate was little better.

Such migrants fared poorly as the main body of Erleting settlement now came under threat from both the east and west, and from a new direction- the north. In the east, the Alcediner would emerge as a major threat. Between population pressures and hatred for those they blamed for the long centuries of Erleting raids, the Alcediner states had increasingly found themselves with a militant young population, many of whom strove for glory. The Alcediner were, of course, heavily fortified against the occasional raids of the Erleting, but now they went on the offensive. The old fortifications were left behind, and the Alcediner states pushed into the fertile inland valleys. From the north, the Rodłowi also attacked, with the Vedolían duchies in particular expanding greatly during this period. The Erleting, who once had been the raiders, were now the victims. As the northern tribes pushed south, the eastern tribes pushed west, and the western tribes pushed east, those caught in the center would come under assault from all sides, and themselves fled south. A bloody, prolonged struggle would erupt in the mountains, with the easterners being decimated and the northern and western cultures coming to control most of the Erleting lands. This saw a huge shift in Erleting culture, and would break the dominance of the tribes of the fey forest, leading to a decline in fey pacts and shamanism in general. Internal cultural borders remained fluid as waves of westerners continued to flee east, tribe by tribe.

The Erleting would catch a lucky break in the 1700s. Having pushed out of their northern, western, and eastern lands, the past years had seen fighting from all angles, exacerbated by tribes taking advantage of the chaos to raid with impunity. Though the Alcediner stood poised to keep expanding, the colonial rush in Ifyrial somewhat stalled this trend, as the Alcediner heavily invested in the newly profitable continent. Fighting the more populated Erleting regions was not as attractive as the chance of becoming a rich man mining in Ifyrial, and so the Erleting were left in (relative) peace for several centuries. The Rodłowi, under heavy assault by Relvetsian invasions and by the Voðeren raiders who were beginning to dominate the northern seas, were also far less of an issue than previously, leaving just the Blazennians as a threat... or so it seemed. Instead, the Second Centaur Khanate would tear across the High Plains after 1775, enslaving and pillaging many of the northern Erleting and occupying the northern passes of Dennonia. In 1784, the Blazennian Empire would respond to this new threat by launching a major campaign north, shattering the centaurs. Although better masters than the slaving centaurs, the Blazennians were not a benign force. Handing out land grants to loyal knights, the northern passes were given to Blazennian settlers rather than the local population, resulting in demographic pressure.

Still, this was a time of peace for most Erleting, including those of the north after 1790, and so the Erleting finally started growing in population again and were beginning to develop feudal societies too. While the more civilized nations of Telgren were suffering from dark days and darker treasuries, the Erleting were only growing in number, forcing the Alcediner to increasingly divert colonial resources to their northern borders. After some two centuries of the "Erleting Rise", in 1950 the southern Erleting united under a warlord by the name of Dragan Ivar', who led a great host west. The unprepared Alcediner were forced to fall back, and the Erleting were once again on the move. Town after town was sacked, army after army crushed, before Dragan's host reached the coast. But even Dragan was unable to penetrate the (admittedly hastily rebuilt) walls of the Alcediner capitals. His army bounced around for a few years before eventually he caught tuberculosis in 1956 and died, and with him, his army. Having left no heir, his generals each claimed leadership, tearing the fearsome host apart. Many of their number stayed in the west and were slaughtered en masse by the vindictive Alcediner, but several more intelligent generals led the men into other directions. These generals have since become the rulers of several Voidodes, such as the Voivode of Rutgren, whose first leader seized most of the elven state of United Communes of Aulienall. Many of these warlords have established dynasties, but their states have remained undeveloped and arguably less civilized than the pre-Dragar Erleting. Only Sarbarve, an ambitious and wily leader, managed to consolidate some portions of the army into a proper kingdom, right in the middle of the chaos.

Despite mild success, time was up for the Erleting. With no more colonies to fund, and in dire economic straits thanks to the Erleting raids, the Alcediner people marched east, angry and determined to wipe out the Erleting once and for all. Fueled by hate, the various countries all sent forces east between 1960 and 1962. Then, in 1965, tired of the raids on his borders (which, coincidentally started the year he was crowned) Alezar VIII formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Spólństawo, and the two armies marched to meet each other. Though violently resisting, the Erleting, disunited as they were, had no chance against the Blazennian knights, and were swiftly pushed back. After joining their armies and deciding on a border in 1970, the Blazennians and Spólństawans finished off the remaining Erleting tribes in the Dennonian region. All Erleting lands west of Sarbarve's kingdom were once again retaken, and though Sarbarve managed to hold out, his kingdom was devastated. By and large, the remaining Erleting nations are trying desperately to reform their governments, technology, and military tactics, but the amount of refugees and infighting has prevented significant progress thus far.

Ever since the early 800s, the Erleting have been an extremely diverse cultural grouping, with some going so far as to say that nearly every single tribe has their own unique culture. Still, for classification purposes, the modern peoples are divided into a handful of different subcultures, with many former groups having been lost or assimilated in their entirety. The largest remaining Erleting subgroup are the Volvodya, a collection of tribes in northern Dennonia who generally live in a large band from the edge of the Feytouched woods to the edge of the higher plateau. In recent years, most of the Volvodya have formed into the Volvodya Confederation, though the confederation does also contain some members which are not Volvodyan, with the confederation leveraging their strength to expand. Excluding Volvodya itself, there remain Volvodyans within the Blazennian Empire as well as a few tribes in Vedolía and the Kingdom of Spólństawo. Volvodyans are mostly followers of the Pozrolohy faith, with few among their number worshipping the fey. Some Volvodyans have also embraced the religions of their conquerors, and Volvodyans make up the largest people group following the heretical Blazelukhó faith.

To the east of the Volvodyans, the Rudtmen straddle the border between the Plaires Centralis and Dennonia. Once covering most of the (western) High Plains as well as the lower, eastern plateau of Dennonia, the Rudtmen had the misfortune of being caught between the Second Centaur Khanate and Blazennian Empire, and have been reduced in numbers. Although their population remains in the eastern plateau, the High Plains have been stripped of a major human population long ago. The Rudtmen, with only a few tribes remaining independent and the rest being under Spólństawan or Blazennian control, have little hope for an independent revival of their fortunes, and would likely be reliant on a Volvodyan rise to see themselves prosper once more. As they do not have any contact with few, the Rudtmen were primarily followers Pozrolohy, but the majority of the remaining population follows Blazelukhó instead.

Moving south into Blazennia, the Luisaleti are a relatively distinct (even by Erleting standards) culture. During the Westsfall, many Erleting tribes would enter the lowlands alongside the future Blazennians, and for many years these tribes did well for themselves, adapting to the drier climate and utilizing small horses to raid while spreading out farms and utilizing fortified cities as power centers. During this period, they were probably more advanced than the Blazennians themselves. However, these tribes suffered under the Ljubidar Domina due to their resistance against its expansion, and were treated with little respect by the Blazennian tribes fleeing north after that state's fall, despite being former allies. Their fortified towns, while effective, failed to defend their farmlands and could led to an inability to feed their cavalry. Over time, most of these Erleting were assimilated or otherwise fell out of history, but a few tribes, known as the Luisaleti, managed to survive. Numbering around 100,000 individuals, they remain present mostly in the province of Ald Oaest, most prominently in both Eussum-Ordun and Eussum-Durein, where they actually make up the majority of the population (though not of the nobility). The Luisaleti are almost entirely followers of standard Blazeology, and their women are a significant force in the Frewaldic order; a Blazennian holy order.

The final Erleting population making up the northwesten grouping are the Bracznie. The Bracznie are mainly composed of a few small tribes within lowland Vedolía as well as some of the foothills of the Dennonian Highlands, including parts of Spólństawo. Their dialects and languages are generally very close to those of the locally, dominant Rodłowi, and they form what amounts to a bridge between the Rodłowi and their southern Erleting cousins. In general, they are considered Erleting due to their more tribal ways and are generally assumed to be the last vestige of Erleting settlement north of Dennonia. In most ways, they are mere subjects of the Rodłowi, with no independent tribes known to exist. The Bracznie are generally given religious autonomy, so they have retained the Pozrolohy faith.

Moving south into the Feytouched woods, the Volvodyan population gradually fades out into tribes of Amanod under the nation of Gaugwuan and its subjects. The Amanod are a mixing of ancient fey-worshipping tribes as well as newer migrants from the south, west, and even north who fled into the forests during the 14th-18th centuries. Although they have historical roots in fey-worshipping, many of the modern tribes follow Pozrolohy, or even syncretize both, and there is no easy way to tell which is which. Nonetheless, the rise of the fey-worshipping clan of Gaugwuan to prominence has solidified fey-worship as the religion of choice once again- not since the Ljubidar Domina has the region been so united.

To the south (and west) of the Amanod, the dominant population is that of the Valienen. Inhabiting a band of settlement from the nation of Cavrasta in the north to the nation of Rutgren in the south, the Valienen are a powerful culture group which emerged from the chaos of the 14th century and became dominant. With a high population as well as historical figures such as Dragan Ivar', the Valienen have dominated the last few centuries of Erleting culture, at least in terms of outwards notability. Their dominance may be declining, but the sheer variety of states mean that unless things were to go terribly wrong the Valienen would probably survive.

Besides the Valienen, there are several minor cultures west or south of the Feytouched woods. The Fenkar, who have inhabited the Greatsfen for over a thousand years, seem doomed to be assimilated by the Blazennians, with only a few scattered towns in the outermost reaches of the fen still speaking the Fenkic language. The Fenkar are also extremely isolated from other Erleting due to their fellows being pushed southwards over the years. Similar to the Fenkar, the Jujizuni seem to be declining rapidly. As the westernmost settlers, they bore the brunt of the Alcediner counteroffensives, and now live on in small pockets within Alcediner lands. This area seems poised to receive large amounts of settlers, overwhelming the Jujizuni. Finally, the Untarar, who dwell in the swamps of Fjalla, are a very distinct group. Used to dealing with a completely different set of foes than the rest of the Erleting, and borrowing different things from them than the others, they have remained in the swamps for many years, though their home is threatened. Their unique culture will most likely last, however, as they still retain large regions of land which can be used as a base for resistance.

The Erleting people may also have another prominent culture emerge soon, with the Sarbarvic. Riding on the coattails of Dragan came Sarbarve, but his policies have proven most effective. Unlike many, Sarbarve has welcomed the half-Alcediner half-Erleting common after the wars of the 1900s. Combined with his governance and adoption of certain Alcediner cultural practices and technology, the "Sarbarvic" have emerged as a transitory group between the Alcediner and Erleting. Perhaps they can finally bring peace to the region.