Difference between revisions of "Rowen"

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One of the original signatory nations of the [[Alliance]], Rowen is an ancient land with a history dateing far back into the [[Mage Wars]] and before,. It's people are believed to be decendants of one of the old [[clans]].
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One of the original signatory nations of the [[Alliance]], Rowen is an ancient land with a history into the [[Mage Wars]] and before. Its people are believed descendants of one of the old [[clans]].
  
Rowen is somewhat infamous throughout the verse for being stuck in a sort of perpetual dark age, having seen little to know technological or social advancement in the 6,000 years since the Mage Wars ended. Religion, economics, and zero population growth play a key role in this, however Rowen is held up as a key example of the dangers of magic: for it is the use of magic that stalls their development.
+
Rowen is somewhat infamous throughout the verse for a perpetual dark age, having seen little to know technological or social advancement in the 6,000 years since the Mage Wars ended. Religion, economics, and zero population growth play a key role in this; however Rowen is held up as a key example of the dangers of magic: for the use of magic stalls their development.
  
 
==Geography==
 
==Geography==
Rowen controls a large valley and the surrounding mountains north of the Lowland Hills region. In the early centuries of the [[Mage Wars]] while Rowen was still it's own nation and the conflict had not yet reached the region, the Rowens were known to be friends of the [[Lowland Hills Flight]], with the term "dragonfriend" still commanding deep reverence within the modern civilization.
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Rowen controls a large valley and the surrounding mountains north of the Lowland Hills region. In the early centuries of the [[Mage Wars]] while Rowen was still its own nation and the conflict had not yet reached the region, the Rowens were friends of the [[Lowland Hills Flight]], with the term "dragonfriend" still commanding deep reverence within the modern civilization.
  
Rowen's exact northern and eastern boarders are indistinct, as the [[Ebeta|Ebetan]] and [[Oncar Empire]]s no longer esixt, and the extremly mountainous regions are very difficult to traverse. By the [[Ages#The Sixth Age|Sixth Age]] Rowens have likely settled deep inside the Oncar Highlands.
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Rowen's exact northern and eastern borders are indistinct, as the [[Ebeta|Ebetan]] and [[Oncar Empire]]s no longer exist, and the extremly mountainous regions are very difficult to traverse. By the [[Ages#The Sixth Age|Sixth Age]] Rowens have likely settled deep inside the Oncar Highlands.
  
 
The Lowland Hills Region and the Lowland Plains Region are sparsely populated and considered autonomous by the [[Alliance]], and many Rowens also live in that area.
 
The Lowland Hills Region and the Lowland Plains Region are sparsely populated and considered autonomous by the [[Alliance]], and many Rowens also live in that area.
  
Rowen's western boarder is the Yenisei River, it's souther-western border with Sindal is indistinct, however the region has never been disputed. Official Alliance maps have held various points over the years, but the locals generally reguard themselves as Sindalies or Rowen according to their own lineage. Neither country collects taxes on the region.
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Rowen's western boarder is the Yenisei River, Its southern-western border with Sindal is indistinct, but the region has never been disputed. Official Alliance maps have held various points over the years, but the locals generally reguard themselves as Sindalies or Rowen according to their own lineage. Neither country collects taxes on the region.
  
 
==Religion==
 
==Religion==
The Rowens are polytheists, with a pantheon of seven gods, with a variety of minor deities and demigods. The pantheon, in its present form, solidified sometime around the end of the [[Mage Wars]].
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The Rowens are polytheists, with a pantheon of seven gods and a variety of minor deities and demigods. The pantheon, in its present form, solidified sometime around the end of the [[Mage Wars]].
  
Most Rowens also practice various forms of ancestor-worship, believing that their ancestors are all-seeing and can help them in times of need. The "Archer's Prayer"(Eeh seh nea) a few words in the ancient tongue, is essentially an appeal to one's ancestors to help one know when to release the arrow.
+
Most Rowens also practice various forms of ancestor-worship, believing that their ancestors are all-seeing and can help them in times of need. The "Archer's Prayer" (Eeh seh nea) a few words in the ancient tongue, is essentially an appeal to one's ancestors to help one know when to release the arrow.
  
 
===Afterlife===
 
===Afterlife===
Like many cultures throughout the verse, Rowens do not believe in a separate heaven or hell, but rather hold to the notion of an [[Underworld]] divided into various sections according to deeds. By living a right and honest life, a Rowen would go to a sort of rowenized-version of [[Elision]]. The songs told of the various iterations of hell you would be sent to according to what sorts of bad-deeds you preformed and the severity of them.
+
Like many cultures throughout the verse, Rowens do not believe in a separate heaven or hell, but rather hold to the notion of an [[Underworld]] divided into various sections according to deeds. By living a right and honest life, a Rowen would go to a sort of rowenized-version of [[Elision]]. The songs told of the various iterations of hell you would be sent to according to the bad-deeds performed and the severity of them.
  
 
===Practice===
 
===Practice===

Revision as of 22:31, 22 July 2013

One of the original signatory nations of the Alliance, Rowen is an ancient land with a history into the Mage Wars and before. Its people are believed descendants of one of the old clans.

Rowen is somewhat infamous throughout the verse for a perpetual dark age, having seen little to know technological or social advancement in the 6,000 years since the Mage Wars ended. Religion, economics, and zero population growth play a key role in this; however Rowen is held up as a key example of the dangers of magic: for the use of magic stalls their development.

Geography

Rowen controls a large valley and the surrounding mountains north of the Lowland Hills region. In the early centuries of the Mage Wars while Rowen was still its own nation and the conflict had not yet reached the region, the Rowens were friends of the Lowland Hills Flight, with the term "dragonfriend" still commanding deep reverence within the modern civilization.

Rowen's exact northern and eastern borders are indistinct, as the Ebetan and Oncar Empires no longer exist, and the extremly mountainous regions are very difficult to traverse. By the Sixth Age Rowens have likely settled deep inside the Oncar Highlands.

The Lowland Hills Region and the Lowland Plains Region are sparsely populated and considered autonomous by the Alliance, and many Rowens also live in that area.

Rowen's western boarder is the Yenisei River, Its southern-western border with Sindal is indistinct, but the region has never been disputed. Official Alliance maps have held various points over the years, but the locals generally reguard themselves as Sindalies or Rowen according to their own lineage. Neither country collects taxes on the region.

Religion

The Rowens are polytheists, with a pantheon of seven gods and a variety of minor deities and demigods. The pantheon, in its present form, solidified sometime around the end of the Mage Wars.

Most Rowens also practice various forms of ancestor-worship, believing that their ancestors are all-seeing and can help them in times of need. The "Archer's Prayer" (Eeh seh nea) a few words in the ancient tongue, is essentially an appeal to one's ancestors to help one know when to release the arrow.

Afterlife

Like many cultures throughout the verse, Rowens do not believe in a separate heaven or hell, but rather hold to the notion of an Underworld divided into various sections according to deeds. By living a right and honest life, a Rowen would go to a sort of rowenized-version of Elision. The songs told of the various iterations of hell you would be sent to according to the bad-deeds performed and the severity of them.

Practice

Most Rowens are not particularly observant, and few dedicated temples exist. There are several festivals celebrated throughout the year, but these are organized by the local town governance and carried more out of tradition and religious reverence.

The printing press was very slow to reach Rowen, so even by the Fifth Age the bulk of Rowen religious beliefs were still handed down orally. Every child had a version of "the songs" taught to them by their parents, a series of songs and stories that told of the gods and their great works.

History

Exactly which clan the Rowens descend from is a matter of very heated discussion. Even noted historian Herbet Patric Galactis refused to offer a difinitive viewpoint, stating only that "the amount of vitriol generated by this subject is sufficient that, were I to take a side, I would alienate far too many colleagues in far to profound a way as to be healthy for the study of history." Essentially, the argument was so strong that Galactis felt he could fracture the world of historians simply by rendering an opinion.

Despite this, the Accepted Histories holds that the Rowens descend from an offshoot of the Wolf Clan; the book abruptly changes subject at that point.

Rowen culture has always had a tendency to stagnate, with the average Rowen favoring sustainability and long-term yields over short-term gains. For that reasion, perhaps, they were able to remain a cohesive people-group and carry out a program of organized guerrilla warfare for over three millenia.

Throughout the Mage Wars, Rowen would fall in and out of control by both the Oncar Empire and the [[Ebeta|Ebetan Empire, eventually outlasting both of them. Rowen finally gained its permanent independence in around 500 B.G.A.. Rowen also helped Sindall and Blieef gain their independence(though Blieef would again be briefly concured by the Marcon Alliance and then have to be put down quite badly by Uther and his troops).