Riverlant

Not an actual nation, but a collective alliance of the hundreds of different tribes and cultures that live throughout the southern half of Yorn that all collaborate and share enough common ground to function as a unit. The more social and diverse territory of Yorn situated in it's waterlooged marshlands.

Riverlant the sprawling southern half of Yorn's lands, enigmatic wetland stretching as far as the eye can see, dotted with interwoven waterways, peat-filled glades, and dense patches of reed forests. The region is home to a vibrant community of tribes and villages, bound together by the marsh yet fiercely distinct in their traditions. With hundreds of tribes forming the collective, Riverlant is a kaleidoscope of cultures, languages, and ways of life. This lack of borders and such a massive co-habitatted amalgam of different peoples that somehow live in relative harmony is too foreign for most surrounding people to grasp. Outsiders, daunted by the complexity and lack of central governance, tend to refer to the inhabitants as "Riverfolk," a moniker the tribes rarely contest since it spares them from correcting foreign misconceptions.

The Riverfolk are renowned for their Runecraft, a form of magic that they uniquely tied to the marsh's clay. They inscribe intricate, ancient runes on clay tablets, vessels, and even their homes, infusing them with protective or restorative magic. For the Riverfolk, clay is sacred—the "bone of the marsh"—and its connection to the spiritual world runs deep. These runes are often passed down through generations, and some tribes even claim to possess rune-secrets dating back to the marsh's creation. Riverlant is believed to be the home of runic magic, and despite it being a widespread form of mystic power amongst the riverfolk, certain tribes specialize in unique applications—warding against storms, invoking fertility for crops, or communing with spirits through clay effigies.

Though united in their reverence for the marsh, each tribe maintains distinct traditions, customs, and dialects. Some tribes are sedentary, their villages forming stable hubs of trade and craft. Others are nomadic, floating across the marsh on great raft-villages tethered to the currents. Others are full on civilizations of their own, like Srohaxl and it's lizardfolk denizens. Others are tucked away sanctuaryies like the hidden city of Detoya, where the defleo have staked claim as a home for their misplaced kind. These tribes barter their goods—fish, woven mats, medicinal plants—for clay artifacts, tools, or luxuries. The people of Riverlant see themselves as stewards of the marsh. They speak of the land as a living entity with a soul, referring to it as "The Great River" or "The Sleeping Clay." Runes of protection are etched into trees, carved into boats, and scattered as offerings in the water. Stories passed down through generations tell of times when the marsh retaliated against greed or neglect, swallowing entire villages into its depths. In Riverlant, the line between the mundane and the magical is blurred. Every step through its waterways is a journey into an ancient world where nature and spirit intertwine, watched over by the countless tribes who call it home.