Revenant's End Farmlands
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The 7 Provinces
Once upon a time, the hinterlands of the Federated Territories of Arcadia were covered with deep, dark forests inhabited by all manner of creatures, and small scattered villages linked by narrow trails. Each village had its own gods, faith, witchcraft, and rituals. When Arc grew beyond its borders and approached these hinterlands with their desire for wood, food, and minerals, these resources were traded by the people of these lands to Arc in exchange for protection, particularly during the war known now as The Schism. The land has changed much in that time, becoming high-yield farming districts with crops of every kind shipped to Arc across roads and railways, now essential to modern living. Thus, the provinces – La Premera, Tirias, Lachesism, Sunderland, Westerfolds, Valle Verde and Provincial District 7 – kept their cultural autonomy, and their unique religious and witching practices persist to this very day.
The great mesa Ballagàrraidh stands at the centre point of these beliefs, towering above the gently rolling hills of Tirias Province. A place of power tended by the oldest bloodlines, with many stories about its origins and purpose varying across faiths, sects, academic circles. All agree on one thing: it was created by the Gods. Its sacred nature draws pilgrims from across the continent. Recently, University engineers from Arc have identified rare minerals embedded deep within it, but none dare mine it. The Gods do not forgive those who wrong them.
But… agreements can change. Since the end of the Schism, rumours have grown around Arc’s seeming interest in forming some kind of unified orthodoxy, to unite all people under the banner of “enlightened” science and codification of all things divine. Elders in the furthest provinces scoff at this as merely an attempt to undermine historic agreements for others’ gain. But troubling news emerges from the provinces closer to the capital: whispers that holidays for local gods are now celebrated only as “saints;” that old farming families have been pushed out by higher taxes and moved west, to be replaced quickly by new landholders from Arc, and new beliefs.
But the new frontier towns depend on this supply as much as Arc does. Even those who notice the change in landowners can hardly turn away the food on their tables in protest when their survival depends on it… as the newest town, Revenant, must learn to do the same.