Deepwood Veil

Government

Theocratic-Guided Republic.  Imperial Client State.  Grand Duchy.  As per the terms of their induction into the Empire, the Deepwood Veil may send a representative to sit upon the Emperor’s council.

The Deepwood is managed by priests and elected mayoral officials.  It has elective officials who represent their regions in the House of Citizens.  Priests are held accountable for the wellbeing of the nation, and are sacrificed and replaced if they fail.

Capital

Uxmal: “The City of Storms” can be found in the upper jungle of the Capital Basin.  It is at the far east side of the basin, where the Lake of Many Feathers empties into the Red River.  In the year 5067, it was taken from Nassirah, the Mighty by the wrath Tlaloc.  Uxmal is not well known to outsiders, and does not provide many trade goods for the deepwood.  Within Uxmal’s walls, the House of Citizens and High Temple of Tlaloc give it enough power to remain the Capital

Demographics

The demographics of the Deepwood Vale are complex enough to warrant an entire document, but at a glance, Tabaxi are the most common.  Humans are common in the eastern and southern reaches, various anthropomorphic creatures and genasi in the central regions, and strange humanoids not seen for centuries lurk in the Capital Highland and the Drowned Country of the western regions.  Only 25% of the current Deepwood population is descended from natives of the Western Marches as its massive population was grown mostly from immigrants from innumerable lands across the Ring and beyond.

Culture

The Deepwood has a patchwork of cultures across its breath, often tied to the religion and origin of its citizens.  Overall, most subcultures of the Deepwood value extended family ties, forming clans which tend to stick to a particular location or move all at the same time.  Agriculture, martial, and religious professions are considered to be more prestigious than craftsmen, laborers, and administrators who are in turn more prestigious than merchants.

War is a constant in the mind of a Deepwood citizen.   Life is a struggle against death, the gods themselves fight ceaselessly against threats to the universe, and nations rise against each other in arms.  Raiding is a noble endeavor, and in times of peace many warriors of the Deepwood depart the realm to find mercenary work in distant lands.

The Deepwood practices an unusual form of slavery in which most unfree people are considered “temporarly” enslaved.  Slaves are captured in raids or by selling themselves to repay debt.  Most slaves cannot be beaten or killed without legal reason, cannot be forced to or barred from marriage, may own property (including subcontracted slaves), can buy out their own enslavement “contract”, and cannot be resold without their consent.   The child of a slave is automatically free.

Religion

While many gods are worshiped in the Deepwood, the Nahuatl pantheon is the most dominant followed by the Ilkaden.  Outside of the Deepwood, the Nahuatl gods are not particularly common.  The state itself is tied to the Nahuatl divines since their priests often double as administrative government officials.  Few temples on the Marches rival the sheer mass of the Nahuatl pyramid complexes.  As a general rule, the residents of Deepwood are devoted albeit somewhat less religiously tolerant than some other regions.  The Nahuatl gods demand sacrifices to retain their strength, and without the gods, the fabric of reality is in danger of being overrun by entropy and monsters from beyond.

Locations of Interest

Caracol is the economic capital of Deepwood.  It is larger than Uxmal and holds the high temple of Huitzilopochtli, the sun god.  It was the first of the Yuan-Ti cities to fall as the Markless Banner, a mercenary company, stormed the city with an army of Tabaxi behind them slaying Akoshu the Devourer.  It became the de facto capital until Uxmal was taken and consecrated in the name of Tlaloc.

Nahuiciya is a city of portals.  It is linked to many other planes and is the immigration center for the Deepwood.  Be careful, as the traffic is often terrible there.

Kashi is a great city in the heart of the Deepwood.  Its surroundings have long been cleared of trees and it is surrounded by vast fields of every crop imaginable.  Kashi is the center of Deepwood’s railroads and communications.

Kabah was seized by Tlaloc from Thaxos, Favored of Dendar in ages past.  It is now a great metropolis rivaling Caracol with its reaches stretching from Serpent Lake to the Dead  King’s Lake.  It is the most productive region of the Deepwood and houses the high tempol of Xipe Totec.  Remember, just buy a new gun and don’t eat the mystery meat.

Sayil was devoured taken by Tlaloc when he fought Phyra of Sayil during the formation of the Deepwood.  It stands as an important economic hub on the Silent Mirror and houses the high temple of Toci.  It is often said that the inhabitants of Sayil are much like their patron goddess: kind and doting on all they meet but utterly ruthless if their families are threatened.  If you go there, know that it is a deadly insult to reject a gift of food.

Deepgate was originally a human fortress known as “Deepwood Vale” as it was built at the crux between the easten mountains and southern hills of the Deepwood.  The humans of Deepgate have long inhabited the region, and sheltered here against the terrible Yuan-Ti who once dwelt deep in the jungles.  Now Deepgate is a trade hub and fortress on the border of Lealand and Zabar-Ubilla.

Wrath of Ilxen R’Ixe is the regional capital of the Drowned Country.  It is well fortified and none may enter its inner city without permission of the priests who rule it.  Wrath of Ilxen R’lxe’s interior is as mysterious as Uxmal’s countryside, and rumors say that terrible rituals are held within.