Frog Society (Raitharan Myth)
They say the Vice Chancellor of the Universal School of the High Arcane, when he was a much younger man, once disappeared for a year and one hundred days. In his age, he finally admitted that he had fallen through a certain pond and woke up in the royal gardens of Lord Crrok'ngor, an ancient and benevolent frog spirit. Initially taken captive by the Frog Lord's retainers, he won their favor with gifts of a fine pen, a recipe for bread pudding (in which he had substituted flies for raisins), and his riding stole.
Once accepted, he became friendly with many among the frog court and spent much of the time studying with the scholars there, whom he says rivaled in every faculty even the most learned scholars of Raithar. Only when one of his new peers began to press him too insistently to find a fine frog wife did the Vice Chancellor-to-be decide that it was time to return home, and begged his leave of the Frog Lord.
This finally explained, of course, why he preferred flies to raisins in his porridge, to his very last day.
Legends and tales from the Raitharan Era portray frogs as having a society very much like other people, complete with frog markets, schools, and of course, royal courts. If one believes the stories, all frogs are part, however small, of this secret world, otherwise unseen by all but the most fortunate and sensitive to the spirit world.
Structure
There are several feuding Frog Lords; tales disagree on how many and the numbers likely change over time. Each Frog Lord has numerous retainers, scholars, warriors, and all the other expected members of a court, from great to small. Though the frogs one is likely to meet day-to-day in the mortal world are insignificant peasants, they surely owe allegiance to some distant Frog Lord.
Assets
The Frog Lords are powerful and long-lived, and their courts are organized and well-funded. Scholars are particularly valued in frog culture, and at the courts, Frog Scholars have ample time and an ideal environment in which to pursue poetry, song, magic, and knowledge.
History
Frog Society has existed for as long as anyone knows, but came into contact with the mortal world much more often during the Raitharan Era than any other time, due to the Raithar Empire's spirit worship. Any courts that regularly interacted with mortals during that time would undoubtedly be influenced by Raitharan culture. Supposedly, there are even some Spirit Gardens that provide passage to a friendly Frog Court (though surely, this is all just another story).
Demography and Population
Though more powerful frogs are part of the spirit world and regularly interact with other spirits, only frogs are welcomed as part of Frog Society.
Foreign Relations
Relations with various spirits, humans, and other mortals vary from court to court, but Frog Society in general has a bitter enmity for serpents--specifically snake spirits, though they are certainly not fond of the mortal creatures, either.
If a mortal finds themselves dealing with a Frog Court, they are well advised to proceed with caution, offer gifts, and be respectful. Depending on the mood of the Frog Lord, that may be enough for them to be welcomed as a guest and shown the lavish hospitality a Frog Court is capable of...or it may not.
The Face of Wisdom?
Raitharans considered frogs wise, and a symbol of both wealth and good fortune.
Every Pond Wants a Frog
Even in Spirit Gardens devoted to a different spirit, the presence of frogs was welcome and encouraged, from planting ponds in a way that would appeal to putting out fruit to attract insect buffets for them. The exception, of course, were gardens dedicated to a Serpent; it would be unwise to risk the ire of a Frog Court by serving up too many of their kind.
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