Ottovar (Red Sails)

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The world-spanning, underground trade roads of the Duerenhaims are renown, though few have ever seen them.

The Ottovar Empire

The Ottovar Empire was founded by the Ottovar clan of dwarves, and continues to be principally governed by the Ottovar family. However, they embrace all races, and encourage immigrants to join them, as long as they are willing to work and contribute to the success of the Empire. The Ottovar Empire is based in the Brun'holfen Mountains, which bisect a thousand-mile stretch of land, beginning in the east, where they merge with the Cea Dorsal mountain range, and stretching west into the Silath Tyr. A massive network of underground caves link the Ottovar clan with several other dwarven clans. Numerous keeps, towers, and castles have been built in the Silath Tyr, in order to establish a foothold here.

The Ottovar Empire is quite new to travel by sail, and their ships are slow, clunky affairs, though they are quite durable, and highly resistant to sinking. They have yet to establish much of a presence in the islands of the Northern Sea, and are eager to do so.

The empire is renown for its trade and bargaining, and merchants are granted the highest respect in their society, with caravan guards being a close second.

Populace

The dominant race of the Ottovar Empire was once dwarves, obviously, but that has long-since changed. The clans have gratefully accepted the contributions and cultural influences of all of the civilized races for over a century, integrating these diverse peoples into their cities and towns without any significant prejudice. Nearly any race can be found among the Kulag (cities). However, most of these non-dwarf races spend most of their time in the villages and cities where the tunnels of the Duerenhaims emerge into the End of Stone (above ground).

The majority of the Ottovar Empire, and indeed all of the dwarven nations, exists in the massive, sprawling underground complexes of the Duerenhaims. These vast, underground Kulag are connected by one or more major roads (also underground). They are lit by carefully cultivated crystalline structures which channel light from the surface. At night, braziers and bioluminescent plants are used to prevent complete darkness, though it is quite dark, nonetheless.

Due to their great love of industry and hard work, these tunnels can become quite smoky, even on bright days when the crystals are shining near-full daylight into the Haims. Such an environment isn't usually well-loved by non-dwarves.

Culture

Ottovar people celebrate hard work, good deals, the art of haggling, and loyalty. These principles are the foundation of the Ottovar culture, and all facets of their civilization reflect this. Their holidays and rituals nearly always include the building of something useful to the community as the basis of the ritual or holiday. For example, the laying of new flagstones for a new town's central marketplace is considered a holiday, and each member of the fledgling town takes their turn quarrying, laying, and leveling their stone in the courtyard. When the community finishes the work, they break out the ale and celebrate their achievement, and toast to the future prosperity of their town.

Such rituals can create deep ties between neighbors, and bonds of friendship and community that are very rare in other civilizations. Outsiders are not immediately scorned or feared in Ottovar like they often are in Alden or Fontaigne, but everyone knows everyone in an Ottovar town, so those outsiders are always marked for what they are by anyone observing them.

It is customary to offer to buy something from your host when you visit, and then haggle with them over the price. This can be anything at all in the household, even things the host is unlikely to part with (although offering to buy someone's family members is probably rude). The important part of this custom is the selection of a thing you would genuinely have interest in procuring, and then haggling for it. Even if you cannot come to an agreement on the price with your host, the honest attempt is the only element required of this custom. Of course, a wise guest should also be prepared to pay any agreed-upon price, so it is also customary to bring a fair bit of cash with you when visiting with a native of Ottovar.

Magic and Technology

The Blooded nobles of Ottovar are similar to those of Alden and Fontaigne, in the sense that they hold exclusive power over arcane magicks in their society, but they are unusual in the sense that few of them are members of the founding race of their empires, which is to say, most of them are not dwarves. Despite this, they hold tremendous power within the political councils of the empire, nearly equals to the Ottovar clan counselors themselves.

Ottovar's advances in technology are as diverse as their people, ranging from alchemical inventions to superior land-based vehicles. Their ocean-going vehicles are, by far, their greatest weakness, compared to the other great empires, but they are rapidly adapting to even this new conveyance, if only to maintain their stranglehold on the 'greatest tradesmen' accolade.

Notable Figures

  • Brannet Ottovar: a middle-aged member of the Ottovar ruler's council who is largely responsible for Ottovar taking part in the race for the Empyrean Vault's secrets.
  • Lena Brokki: a merchant who is looking to expand her trade routes into Alden territory.