Our tour through the Halystrian Empire has taken us through six provinces so far, and now we are approaching the final province. Thank you for sticking with me through this exploration of my world; I hope you’ve enjoyed it. Next week, we’ll move onto a new topic.
Bythnia lies at the far western end of the Empire, where it is bounded by the snowy peaks of the Eyrie Mountains. To the south, the Suthran Sea crashes along Bythnia’s rocky shore, while the she shares a border to the east with Rhegia and Abydia. The Eyrie Mountains are far more rugged than the Gray Mountains at the Empire’s eastern end, making Bythnia the most mountainous and harsh of the provinces.
Long before mankind came to the River’s Cradle, the dwarves arose in the Eyrie Mountains and those mountains have remained at the center of dwarven culture. When the early Bythnians settled on the eastern slopes of the mountains, they very quickly came in contact with the dwarves. Initially there were some hostilities, but the Bythnians eventually became close friends and allies of the Eyrie dwarves. As the dwarves shared their culture with the newly arrived men, the Bythnians took up metalwork and mining. It was disputes over mining rights that led again to armed conflict between the dwarves and the Bythnians, though their fighting was generally small scale. In generally, the Bythnians fought far more often among themselves than against the dwarves. The mountainous nature of Bythnia created a high degree of geographic isolation between neighboring people, which led to the fractured and tribal society of Bythnia’s people. The region was never unified under one banner until it was finally conquered by the Halystrian Empire.
Bythnia vies with Tythia for the dubious honor of the Empire’s poorest province, though a select few of the Bythnian aristocracy are extremely wealthy. The poor soil in the mountains makes shepherding one of the few viable livelihoods for the common man. The mines are exclusively owned by Halystrians who won their lands in the conquest, and generally have appalling working conditions. Though the Bythnians once built sophisticated mines, the age of engineering has long since passed. The Halystrian task masters force their Bythnian serfs to delve dangerous passages into the earth in search of more wealth. Further from the mountains, life improves for the Bythnians. There are healthy farming communities in the northeast and southeast corners of the province, where a series of rich rivers support a more comfortable life.
Bythnian metalwork, like their skill in mining, considerably waned after the conquest, though a few of the old secrets have survived into the current age. A few preeminent smiths are reviving the ancient craft and making Bythnian metalwork desirable again. The nobility initially feared that increased smithing would lead to another insurrection, but the money they’ve made off the renaissance has led them to tentatively allow its continuance.
The lack of ethnically Bythnian nobility combined with the heavy rule of the Halystrians has made insurrections in Bythnia not infrequent. Aside from general insurrection, Bythnia has more outlaws than any other province, most of which are the remnants of failed rebellions. The outlaws use Bythnia’s mountainous terrain to avoid the superior forces of the Empire, while periodically striking at the province’s hated nobility. Among the law abiding Bythnians, the outlaws have a mixed reputation. Some people hail the rebels as champions of freedom, while others call them ruffians and trouble makers. The nobility have a habit of punishing their servants for the sins of the rebels, which tends to cement the diametric opinions. In reality, there is a large variance between outlaw bands; some are principled while others are more predatory.
The Sensiahd word of the day is “sleibona”, meaning “mountains”. Example sentence: Eth sleibona ys mach a naleth ar. The mountains are large and dark.