Dalnor/Dalnor
The Provinces of Dalnor are a series of free holds, city states and fortresses that make up the low lands east of Provinces of Elafta and west of the Black River. Each city state has been independent for 40 years give or take. Some residents can still remember if Dalin rode through their town during his uprising.
Each city, free hold and fortress is independent with little cooperation amoungst them. Each city controls a territory ranging from 20 to 50 miles in any direction.
Noted Settlements:
The land:
Dalnor has relatively fertile lands and is fairly self sufficiency for food and wood. Dalnor imports metals and gems from the northern regions and mines throughout the Division Mountains.
Population:
The majority of the population is human with some elves floating in and out of the Province of Elafta. Dwarves live in small tight communities in towns just south of the Division Mountains. Halflings are more seen in the southern regions of Dalnor. Tieflings are rare, and stay unobtrusive. Dragonkind travel in the eastern sections of Dalnor with little problem but stay clear of the sections that have heavy elven influence.
Demographics:
The majority of the population is illiterate and does not have the time for formal instruction. Children are put to work by their parents as soon as the children are mobile. Travel outside of their home town is not even contemplated. Farmers and herd masters work to ensure that they have enough food to last for the winter above all else. Peasants and farmers normally get paid in grain, salt and copper pieces.
Artisans working in cities have a smattering of reading knowledge but no formal education outside of their trade. Children are trained in their parent's trade as soon as possible. Artisans may travel to another city if their is exceeding need, but it will tax their resources and other people will attempt to muscle in on their business.
Merchants and traders will have enough training in reading to keep their own financial books. Children are brought along on journeys. Merchants travel from city to city in order to make the best deals possible.
Members of the ruling classes have a greater chance of being literate, but it is not a requirement for leadership. The leaders and rulers of each town decide on the best way to keep order in their town.
Common laws and customs:
Each town in Dalnor is ruled by a group of leaders ranging in size from 5 to 50. One of these people is nominally in charge. The person in charge makes the decisions for the town, with the advice of the council.
There are no formal property laws in Dalnor. If the city decides that someones shack or shanty needs to be pulled down, it gets pulled down. If the peasant is lucky, he will be able to harvest wood from the Lord's land in order to built a new shanty.
Order is kept with a brute squad that is run by a town sheriff. Law breakers are dealt with in the following punishment system: Fines, Disfigurement (branding, scarring, limb removal), Forced Labor (indentured servitude or being sent to the mines), Exile and Death. Cities in Dalnor do not keep prisons. Prisons are to expensive to operate. People who can afford to pay fines in place of other punishments pay the fine.
Most cities in Dalnor do not keep standing armies. The labor force is in the fields growing food. If the people were busy training and arming themselves, there would be no one to grow the food. Towns keep a small group of outriders that patrol the outer roads looking for bandits and wild animals.
Most towns hire mercenaries, bounty hunters and swords-for-hire to deal with problems that are outside the run of the mill issues the towns have to deal with.
The concept of "freedom of the press" is nonexistent because people can't read.
Foreign Relations:
Currently, the elves have little interest in coming east with their interests tied up with the Two Realms. The Remnants of the Empire Of Dracnos are unwilling to come west of the Black rivers.
Arn is generally more amenable to dealing with the elves.
The populace of Norn will almost never deal with dragonborn unless the town leaders say otherwise.
