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Introduction:

This document provides an overview of the land of Gerilong. Gerilong is a Morakki land, which means it translates roughly into an Oriental setting suitable for use with Oriental Adventures. While not a strict analogue for any real world Oriental culture, Gerilong does borrow some things from Thai, Cambodian, Siamese, and Nepalese cultures, and a DM cannot go too far wrong to envision these when contemplating the Gerilongi.

Gerilong is often the first place Western adventurers will encounter a Morakki society, for it is directly across the Oto Sea from the Far Coast, a land itself suitable for adventurous types. As such, this document can provide a DM with the foundation to run scenarios or even a campaign set in this Morakki land, and DMs who do not run in Therra can still use many of the items herein to flesh out their own Oriental Adventures settings.

Contents:

· Overview
· History
· Organization
· Customs and Mores
· Religion
· Economics and Trade
· Conclusion

Overview:

Gerilong is a Morakki land, ruled over by a Pasha who is enthroned for life after winning a great contest called "The Way of the World". The nation itself is a colourful land, for its inhabitants are simultaneously sophisticated in many regards, being great farmers, builders and engineers of great wonders and irrigation systems, and practitioners of the arts, and superstitious, for the lives of the Gerilongi are ruled by the fear of bad omens, evil spirits, and the twists and turns of luck and fate.

The nation itself is comprised primarily of rolling grasslands that sweep down from the foothills of the Vayshan Mountains to the east and end at the shore of the Oto Sea in the west.

Gerilong's northern border officially ends at the rivers Otelume and Siir. Its northern neighbour are the Nygotians, a confederation of Morakki clans, and those that border Gerilong are the more civilized and settled of the Nygotians and claim an ancient friendship and kindred with the Gerilongi, such that peace has always reigned between the two nations.

Gerilong's southern border abuts two regions. The first, directly to the south, is the nation of Amabong. The Gerilongi conduct much trade into and out of Amabong, but occasional hostility flairs up from time to time between the two nations as a result of border disputes. The people of Gerilong claim no direct kinship with the people of Amabong, except for their common Morakki roots, and many of the more conservative Gerilongi consider the claims of divinity by the Amabongi of their ruler to be on the verges of heresy.

The nation's southwestern border abuts the mysterious land of Pilong. Long regarded by Westerners to be warded by the first Emperor of the Morakki peoples to shut off communications between the Morakki people and the Westerners, it is also true that occasionally strange and foul creatures emerge from that mist shrouded land and harry the peoples of Gerilong, such that even if the curse over Pilong was once a Morakki spell of some sort, it occasionally turns upon those it was meant to protect.

Gerilong is approximately 800 miles long from south to north and varies between 250 miles in width at its central waist to 650 miles in width in the far north. This makes Gerilong somewhat larger than the state of California. Gerilong is a fertile land, good for farming and domestication of animals, and the land supports a population of approximately two million persons. The overwhelming majority of the population is human, with a mixture of other races including hengeyokai and other civilized races that were native to Eastern Jerranq before the Morakki migrated there.

You may wish to refer to a map of Gerilong while reading this document.

History:

The history of Gerilong is intricately entwined with the overall history of the Morakki peoples, especially in ancient times. Originally, the Clan Geril dwelt on the tip of the Arrasthik Peninsula, an outcropping of land about halfway up what is now referred to as the Dead Coast. The Gerili were fisherfolk, peaceful for the most part, relying for protection on the fierce but kindly warriors of the Nygo clan for protection from neighbouring clans and from the beasts of the Grashtilim Mountains.

When the Deceiver launched his first attack in 1023 A.D., the first hammer blow fell upon the northern coastal clans of the Morakki people. These clans, caught by surprise, were literally wiped out of existence. As the Nygo rode north to fight the Deceiver's hordes, an ancient Geril prophetess named Waerikol foresaw that the Deceiver's armies would flank the Nygo forces and come through hidden ways amidst and beneath the Grashtilim and plunge into the heart of the Arrasthik. The prophetess also received visions of a peaceful land far from the Deceiver and his minions to the east, and she stated that the Gods, taking pity on the Morakki, had fashioned this land as a refuge for them.

Thus the Geril clan was the first of any Morakki clan to flee the Dead Coast. However, in the intervening centuries this fact has been forgotten, and the perceived cowardice that fueled the enmity between Westerners and Morakki for the ensuing centuries has instead been applied equally to all Morakki, to the ultimate benefit and relief of the Gerilongi.

The Geril sent word to the Nygo, informing their allies of the divine vision and urging them to withdraw with them. The Nygo reluctantly agreed to do so, though not before a portion of the Deceiver's noose closed around them, and the Nygo clan suffered a great deal of hardship fleeing the Deceiver's armies.

Eventually, word of the prophetess' vision spread to all of the remaining Morakki clans, and most of these joined in the move eastward. The Geril and other Morakki arrived in Hagrog and began to rebuild their lives, thinking that they had found the place of refuge prophesized by Waerikol.

For over 100 years the Geril and other Morakki lived in Hagrog, facing growing raids and harassment from the forces of the Deceiver. Eventually it became clear to the Morakki that they had not found the place of refuge, and so they began what is called the Great Migration.

The history of the Great Migration is detailed elsewhere. Suffice to say that the Geril, like the other migrating Morakki clans, suffered terribly, both from the rigours of travel, and from attacks and harassment by the Southerners (who are know termed Westerners), who accused the Morakki of cowardice for ceding such a large swath of land to the Deceiver, and for allowing their own original lands to fall so quickly and to be abandoned so readily.

The Geril were the first clan to reach Pilong, but the priests and oracles amongst them believed that the windswept land that greeted them was not formally a part of the Place of Refuge, and so they passed through Pilong, which at that time was uncursed, and turned north to begin to settle the first lands they encountered that their vision told them was part of their land of refuge. Other Morakki clans, following them, took up other lands further to the east and south. The Nygo clan, coming right upon the heels of the Geril, swung north and inhabited the wild lands that now comprise Nygoto.

The Pilati clan took up residence in Pilong, ignoring the warnings of the Geril.

The prophetess Waerikol did not take part in the Great Migration. She had died during the first trek to Hagrog. However, her body was bourne by the Geril to their new land and a great tomb was erected, later followed by an even greater edifice erected by Pasha Thalivithes. To this day the Tomb of the Prophetess is one of the most revered and holy sites in all of Gerilong.

The eight chieftains of the Geril clan met in council and divided up the lands between the Vayshan Mountains, the Rivers Otelume and Siir, and Pilong (which by this time had been cursed). Each land was to be ruled by the progeny of these chieftains, and an overlord of all of the lands was to be chosen from a contest of arms, art, and lore.

In 1151 A.D, the first Pasha of Gerilong was chosen at the first Way of the World. He was Pasha Irtomche Valasvithes.

For the remainder of its history, Gerilong has been untroubled by the great events of the West. In addition, its distance from the centres of power and intrigue in the Morakki lands, specifically Xydlont and Vingariku, have isolated it from many conflicts that have raged between the various Morakki nations.

It was not until the War of the Gem, when the Heroes of the Gem attempted to cross Gerilong and were used as dupes in the assassination of the reigning Pasha, that Gerilong took centre stage in significant events. Eracuss the Archmage took great pains to convince the Gerilongi that the final war with the Deceiver was brewing, and that this time if the evil God was victorious, nothing in the world could stand against him.

The Gerilongi, with a long history of prophets and pronouncements of doom, took the Heroes seriously…especially after they had been marked as one of the Pure Ones at the Place of Testing. Gerilong was, therefore, instrumental in rousing the Morakki and this allowed the Morakki armies to take part in the Battle of Mordasht and keep the Deceiver's attentions focused away from the Heroes and the Hall of Slumber.

Since the fall of the Deceiver, the Gerilongi have been absorbed in trade with the West and with their fellow Morakki, and with internal intrigue.

A Timeline of Gerilongi History:

Pre-History - The God Tul creates the first humans from a perfect balance of the four elements. He sacrifices his own being to breathe the spark of life into his creation. The God disperses into four lesser gods. The first humans are divided into 15 families. The families meet and divide up their land, called Argashtu, between the families. However, family Gaiju disputes the division and instead heads south to give birth to the non-Morakki humans. The family of Geril the Blessed is given the Arrasthik Peninsula and the Geril prosper and grow from a family into a clan, protected by Lord Nygo and his family.

0 A.D. - The first Emperor of the Morakki (then termed a Sultan), Xilshan the Magnificent, is given a Gem of Power by the gods. The Deceiver murders him and takes the Gem. Chieftain Yeritil of the Geril clan is now recognized as the most senior leader of the Morakki people, though the progeny of Xilshan resent this.

3 A.D. - Chieftain Yeritil of the Geril clan represents the Morakki at the great convocation of races to decide how to oppose the newly arisen Deceiver.

16 A.D. - Amorany the Great is given shelter and succor by the Geril clan on his way north to fight the Deceiver.

1023 A.D. - The Deceiver launches his first attack, one half of his forces pouring down the coastline intent upon crushing the Morakki lands. The prophetess Waerikol pronounces her doom, and the Geril clan begins the trek to Hagrog (also known as the Lesser Migration).

1028 A.D. - The prophetess Waerikol dies during the Lesser Migration.

1032 A.D. - The Geril settle in Hagrog, along with the other Morakki, and try to rebuild their lands.

1142 A.D. - Under increasing pressure from minions of the Deceiver, the Geril and other Morakki leave Hagrog and begin the Great Migration.

1148 A.D. - The Geril cross Pilong and arrive in present-day Gerilong. The Morakki Sultan and his mages and priests pronounce a curse upon Pilong and the Western lands. The mages of Amoria rebuff the curse, which settles into Pilong.

1151 A.D. - The first Way of the World is held. Pasha Irtomche Valasvithes becomes the first Pasha of Gerilong.

3482 A.D. - The armies of Gerilong join with Sultan Al-Kamwir and the Divine One and cross Pilong to do battle with the Deceiver.

3516 A.D. - Pashek Aprimma Varansalong commands his forces in the great battle on the War Plains. The Pashek is slain, but not before aiding in the defeat of the Deceiver's Armies.

3517 A.D. - Pashek Vartuni Varansalong, son of the great warrior Aprimma, is named one of the twelve Mandarins of the West, to rule over Western Jerranq in the Emperor's stead. Minions of Flupnir construct a secret tower in his domain.

3755 A.D. - Forces of Gerilong join The One True Spear of the Sleeping Gods to march west to crush the rebelling Mandarins. The scion of Vartuni is slain shortly thereafter and the House of Varansalong is decimated, its members executed en masse. The family of Davalapong is raised to Pashek in their stead.

4065 A.D. - A wave of Wild Magic washes over Gerilong, the result of its unleashing upon the world by Ulmigurr-tholasht.

5512 A.D. - The Pasha Ondrolongga-into is assassinated by Pashek Naraganta-alo and the Heroes of the Gem and Pashek Okiro are implicated. Pashek Okiro and the Heroes undertake the Test of Purity and bring Naraganta-alo to justice. Okiro wins the next Way of the World and ascends the Pasha throne. He begins to rouse the rest of the Morakki nations to muster against the Deceiver.

N.S. 21 - A revolt begins against Pashek Haduro Davalapong. The Pashek's daughter is spirited to safety in the Far Coast.

N.S. 22 - Pashek Davalapong quells the revolt mercilessly. However, his daughter is maneuvered into marrying the son of Pashek Tharikri.

Organization:

Internal Organization:

Gerilong is divided into eight territories called Pasheks. Each is ruled by a dynastic ruler called a Pashek. The title of Pashek is handed down from Pashek to his offspring or family member, and the choice of succession is usually determined by the sitting Pashek.

The overlord of the Pasheks is one chosen from their ranks and is known as the Pasha. The term "Pasha" means "Watcher" in Morakki, and the term "Pasheks" means "Servants of the Watch", though the suffix for servant in this case denotes a lordly vassal rather than a lowly servant.

When a Pasha dies, the new Pasha is chosen from amongst the Pasheks in a weeklong contest called "The Way of the World". This contest is so named because the new Pasha must prove himself versed in the three foundations that make up the sum of the virtues of the world: Combat, Art, and Lore.

The Way of the World is adjudged by a panel of eight wise men, one from each Pashek. These judges are, after the contest, ritually killed so that they have no hope of reward for voting outside their conscience. It is considered a great honour to be a judge, and despite the certain death it brings, the Gerilongi believe that a judge of the Way of the World who judges truly receives great rewards in the afterlife. Greater, it is said, than even a Pasha does when he dies.

The title of Pasha is a lifelong title, though in Gerilong assassinations and usurpation are not unknown in either the line of Pashek successions and with regard to the Pasha himself. In fact, a sitting Pasha was assassinated by a Pashek as recently as 5512 A.D.

Further, Pasheks do not rule absolutely. There are loci of power in Gerilong as in most other nations, and a Pashek who abuses these loci too much or too often can find himself faced with a rebellion. If the rebellion succeeds, then either a surviving heir to the deposed Pashek can be emplaced, or, should all of the close heirs be missing, unwilling, or slain, then a new family can claim the Pashek throne.

Aside from the Pasha and Pasheks, each Pashek also contains various powerful families, whether the families of generals or powerful warlords, or merchant families. These families form one locus of power in Gerilong and generally act as a counter to any excesses of the reigning Pashek.

In addition, the Gerilongi take their superstitions very seriously, and as such, the cults of the divided god Tul wield considerable power at times, especially amongst the masses. While this power is usually quiescent, the cults can, by means of prophetic pronouncements and proclaimed divination, whip the peasantry into a religious fervor that has, at times, toppled Pasheks and even Pashas.

Beyond the Pasheks, territories of about county size are formed into districts, each ruled by a lord placed by the Pashek and administered by a caste of bureaucrats. Within each district are towns or villages usually run by an elder, often the eldest member of the community, but sometimes the most powerful instead. While technically an elder remains at the favour of the District Lord, most such lords cannot be bothered with the affairs of small villages and towns and so leave the decision of governance to the residents of the area.

There is a Gerilong middle class, but unlike many Western members of this class, the Gerilongi middle class, comprised of merchants for the most part, are vassals of their lords.

As a whole, each Gerilong citizen is assumed to be the property of his immediate superior. This hierarchy tends to break down at the top, viz a viz the leading noble families and the Pashek, but of a certain, the peasantry of free folk of Gerilong are regarded as the property of the District Lord, who then owes complete fealty to the Pashek. A Pashek or Lord is free to do as he sees fit to his subjects, including claiming property, conscripting into the military, administering high and low justice, etc.

External Organization:

Like all of the Morakki nations, Gerilong owes some fealty to the Divine Emperor (also called the Sultan) in Xydlont. However, like most Morakki nations far removed from Xydlont, the Gerilongi try to ignore the Emperor and maintain as much of their independence and autonomy as possible. Nonetheless, the Gerilongi do maintain the yearly tributes to the Emperor, and Gerilongi priests do take part in the Festival of Samahiku in Xydlont, and when the need arises, Gerilong has lent troops to the wars of the Emperor.

A good many Pashas have wed the daughters of the Emperor in order to inject the bloodline of the Emperor into the rulers of Gerilong and to placate the Emperor's desire to have Imperial blood spread throughout the Morakki nations.

The Gerilong attitude towards gaijin is similar to other Morakki lands. They distrust the Westerners and regard them as brutish and uncouth, ill-mannered and exceedingly loud and boisterous. The Gerilongi have experienced occasional raids from the Thaneeri, and many tend to base their opinions of all Westerners based on tales of such raids.

Westerners are forbidden from wandering Gerilong without the writ or permission of a Pashek, and each Pashek would likely demand to give such permission for each Pashek traveled through. The coastal trading towns set up to engage in commerce with the West are an exception to this rule.

Westerners found wandering Gerilong without permission will likely be regarded as spies, brigands, rapists, or worse and dealt with accordingly.

Military:

The Pasheks of Gerilong maintain their own armies, and there is no army that specifically serves the whims of the Pasha (other than his own Pashek forces). The army of Gerilong is fairly small, for they little in the way of external threats, and the Gerilongi prefer to trade with their neighbours than fight with them, and other than border disputes over the years with Amabong, the only need for an army for Gerilong as a whole is to guard against the things that emerge from time to time from haunted Pilong.

For the most part, the armies of Gerilong are far more necessary to keep the powerful families in line and to protect one Pashek from the ambitions of another.

Gerilongi favour the scimitar, and most Gerilongi troops are armed with the curved blade. Gerilong troops are generally made up of medium infantry, who have scimitars and wear medium armour, and archers who wear padded armour and wield composite longbows crafted by Nygotian bowyers.

Levies and peasant troops of the land wield spears and often wear leather armour or other cheap, light armour. Shields are not well known in Gerilong, and instead they tend to wield their scimitars with two hands.

The Pasheks maintain elite soldiers that in some ways take the place of knights in the Western Lands. They are termed Samurai, a term and concept borrowed from the Vingariki. In addition, the Gerilongi are faithful to the precepts of the cults of Tul and while wizardry is almost unheard of in Gerilong, wu-jen are the primary wielders of arcane power in the land and most Gerilongi forces have wu-jen accompanying them.

The Gerilongi do not, as a rule, ride horses, though the art is not unknown, especially amongst the nobles and Samurai. Nevertheless, Gerilong does not maintain a standing cavalry force and Gerilongi military tactics do not account for the use of mounted warriors amongst the Gerilongi. Instead, when needed, the Gerilongi hire Nygotian mercenaries to form cavalry units as well as skirmishers and raider units.

Gerilong keeps no navy. Indeed, while the Gerilongi are adept fishermen, they do not even engage in the building of sea worthy boats and have no tradition of seafaring. A good many Gerilongi are, in fact, afraid or uncomfortable on the water out of sight of land.

* Typical Gerilongi Infantry: Male human Fighter 1; CR 1; HD 1D10+1; hp 7; Spd 20 ft; Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; AC 15 (touch 10, flat-footed 15); Atk +4 melee (1D6+3, scimitar) or +3 melee (1D8+3, longspear); AL LN; SV Fort +3, Ref +0, Will +0; Str 14, Dex 11, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 10. Height 5 ft 7 in. Skills and Feats: Intimidate +1, Jump +3, Listen +2, Spot +2, Swim +4; Power Attack, Quickdraw, Weapon Focus (scimitar). Possessions: chainmail, scimitar, longspear, traveller's outfit, belt pouch, whetstone.

* Typical Gerilongi Archer: Male human Fighter 1; CR 1; HD 1D10+1; hp 7; Spd 30 ft; Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft; AC 13 (touch 12, flat-footed 11); Atk +2 melee (1D6+1, scimitar) or +5 ranged (1D8+1, composite longbow); AL LN; SV Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 12, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 12, Cha 10. Height 5 ft 7 in. Skills and Feats: Climb +3, Jump +3, Listen +2, Spot +3, Swim +3; Dodge, Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus (composite longbow). Possessions: composite longbow (+1 Str), arrows (20, padded armour, traveller's outfit, belt pouch.

Customs and Mores:

Myths, Prophecies, and Superstitions:

One of the most distinguishing features of the Gerilongi is their adherence to superstitions. This likely stems from the ancient prophetess Waerikol, whose guidance essentially saved the Gerilongi (and the rest of the Morakki) from annihilation at the hands of the Deceiver's forces.

Because of this, the Gerilongi have developed an intense interest, appreciate, and respect for prophecies, omens, and other superstitions that far outstrips the normal level of awareness of the other Morakki nations.

Many Gerilongi superstitions are unique to a given region, whether that be throughout a given Pashek, or a given District, or even a given town or village. In many instances, such regional superstitions or customs derive from local events, often myths from ancient times.

For example, if a local fishing village has a myth about a human who drowned himself in order to be with his lover, a spirit of the sea, then that village might have a custom to drop a rose petal into the sea before starting out on any sea voyage.

Obviously, the plethora of local or regional customs cannot be detailed in this work. Suffice to say that a DM running players through Gerilong should devise local customs that are colourful and prolific. Especially amongst the peasantry, such quirky customs and superstitions dominate life and form a sort of maze that the people have to navigate through in their everyday existence.

There are a few customs that predominate throughout Gerilong. These are detailed below.

Corners are Evil:

The Gerilongi themselves do not know how or why this belief came about, and so some scholars assume it must have been entrenched even when the Geril clan dwelt on the shores of what is now the Dead Coast.

The belief is that corners of all kinds are bad because they allow a place for evil spirits to hide in and reside. Using these corners as a sort of base of operations, evil spirits will then begin to plague those nearby. Such a plague might include delivering bad luck, sabotaging items nearby, or even causing illness or death to those nearby.

Gerilongi wise men tend to explain the belief in two ways, often combined. The first is that such corners possess shadows, and evil spirits enjoy hiding in shadowy areas. Of course, a great many rounded objects also cast shadows, so this viewpoint is often supplemented with the second reason.

The second reason is that, on an abstract basis, a true corner is a precisely undefinable object in three dimensions. That is, one can never point to a absolute geometric corner because a geometric corner is made up of the intersection of two perfectly two-dimensional planes, and there is no such thing as a perfectly two-dimensional object in real life. However, the Morakki have an old mystic tradition that says when an object is created on Therra, it acquires the "perfect" embodiment of itself on some higher plane of existence. This means that when a corner is built into, say, a room, the abstract concept of a "perfect" corner also attaches to that mundane corner, and within that perfect corner, which is infinitely precise and infinitely deep, evil spirits have a nesting place.

The concept is rather rarified, especially to the Western Jerranqi mind, but suffice to say that most Gerilongi believe that a sharp angle of two planes forms a sort of gate allowing evil spirits to enter from some other world.

Because of this, almost every aspect of Gerilongi architecture and craft eschews corners. Buildings are round or at least have their corners rounded off. Wagons are rounded. It is even considered bad luck to draw a square on the piece of paper, though Gerilongi scholars contend that the evil spirits require a three-dimensional corner to reside in. The Gerilongi alphabet, while based upon the traditional Morakki alphabet, has been modified so that no character possesses corners. This modification is not onerous, and those who can read Morakki can find their way through Gerilongi manuscripts, albeit more slowly at first until they become used to the modification.

Bare Feet:

It is a great sign of disrespect to show one's bare feet to another. Even amongst families and married couples, except when bathing, Gerilongi wear traditional cloth or silk foot coverings called wineshi. These are essentially thin socks.

When a Gerilongi wants to show utter contempt for a fallen foe on the battlefield or to a prisoner, he will remove his shoes and wipe his bare feet on the person.

Having bare feet in Gerilong, even inadvertently, in the presence of a noble is likely to result in an instant death sentence and execution unless the transgressor is extremely powerful, important, and apologetic.

Because of this, shoes are of great importance to many Gerilongi, and a gift of shoes is almost always welcome by Gerilongi and is regarded as a sign of respect. Many Gerilongi nobles wear elaborate shoes made of dyed silk studded with various gems, and often these have pointed toes or bells upon them.

A well-known Gerilongi curse translates as "may your feet always be unshod". And other Morakki nations often jokingly or disparagingly refer to the Gerilongi as "The Foot People".

Blood:

As far as anyone can tell, the ancient Gerilongi must have at some point been plagued by a vampire or vampires. This because it is considered extremely disgusting by Gerilongi to consume any blood other than your own in even the most miniscule fashion. This means Gerilongi will not eat meat or fish that is undercooked or cooked rare, and usually the carcasses of such animals must be hung and ritually drained of all blood and most meat is then highly salted and marinated to remove all further remnants of blood. As a result, Gerilongi cooking is often inherently dry and bland and is usually therefore garnished with spicy sauces to reintroduce flavour into the meat.

On a more practical level, Gerilongi in battle often wear mouth guards or flaps over their mouths to protect against errant sprays of blood from entering their mouths. A Gerilongi who tastes the blood of another is likely to be quickly nauseated and require immediate cleansing of the palette via wine, water, or sprigs of mint.

Gerilongi also, because of this, have an intense aversion to animals that suck blood. This includes weasels, stirges, vampire bats, etc. Such creatures are regarded as exceptionally vile, bad luck, fiendish, and scourges to be wiped from the face of the earth. Woe to the ignorant Western wizard who tries to bring his weasel familiar into Gerilong lands!

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In addition to the above, the Gerilongi follow many customs that are common to most of the Morakki, including the fact that an inferior should never raise himself above his superior and so forth.

Mores and Codes of Conduct:

Like most Morakki lands, the Gerilongi follow a strict hierarchy of status and a lower status person is expected to be extraordinarily humble in the presence of a superior. This includes bowing prostrate in the superior's presence, not speaking to a superior unless spoken to, following commands of superior instantly and without hesitation, etc.

In addition, as in most Morakki lands, females are regarded as decidedly inferior to males with regard to rights, position, and status. Of course, a female of a noble family still commands utter respect from male peasants, but within each strata of Gerilong society, females take a subordinate role to males.

Most citizens of Gerilong tend to be Lawful Neutral in alignment, with significant variance into Lawful Good and Lawful Evil. Gerilong society is a minefield of customs and rules and mores that are not conducive to free-thinkers and individualists, and most Gerilongi exist to serve their masters, and await their rewards in the afterlife.

The Gerilongi do not keep slaves, either from commerce or from battle.

While the Gerilongi do possess a caste of warrior nobles patterned on samurai, these samurai do not follow as strict a code of bushido as do Vingariki samurai. Instead, Gerilongi samurai owe fealty to their lieges and are expected to act as their Pashek's agents.

Face and honour play much less a role in Gerilong as it does in Vingariku. The Gerilongi are a practical people in this respect, and while respect must be shown to a higher classed individual, those of the same class deal with each other in a less formal manner and duels of honour between the Gerilongi are rare.

The Gerilongi marry, and while it is permitted for a Gerilongi male to marry multiple wives, only the wealthiest do this, mostly because the peasantry cannot afford to support two wives or to collect a dowry for more than one woman.

Adultery is strictly forbidden in Gerilong society, and adulterers are often shunned and sometimes branded with a hot iron on the forehead.

Marriages in Gerilong are usually arranged by the families involved and are for life. There is no concept of divorce in Gerilong, and since a man may take multiple wives, there is no issue to remarrying if a previous wife dies.

Wealth in Gerilong belongs to the males of the family and passes from father to son(s).

Most Gerilongi males are farmers or fisherfolk. A smaller subset of these can specialize in various crafts, including raising and farming silk from the silk spiders. The merchants of Gerilong form a middle class, and the highest station to which a Gerilongi peasant can aspire outside of the military or priesthood (or orders of wu-jen) is as a merchant or craftsman.

Females are expected to be mothers to children, and also engage in craftswork, including weaving, dyeing, and other "domestic" occupations. There are priestesses of the Tul gods in Gerilong, and exceptional women are also occasionally employed as warriors, usually specialty warriors to undertake covert missions, spies, or assassins.

All Gerilongi children attend religious training from age 8 to age 13, and during this time all are taught how to read and write, giving Gerilong an exceptional literacy rate amongst the peoples of Jerranq.

Religion:

Gods and Goddesses:

The Gerilongi recognize all of the Slumbering Gods, and make at least shallow obeisance to all of them. However, they primarily revere the four elemental gods, whom they regard as pieces of a once complete creator entity called Tul. When Tul created humans, the act burst him asunder into his component pieces, each of which is now worshipped as a god or goddess, These include:

Grommni-tul - Goddess of Earth
Queethar-tul - God of Air
Retuyar-tul - Goddess of Water
Somni-tul - God of Fire

The concept of Tul is not specific to Gerilong. The entire Morakki region invokes this concept. The belief is that proper worship of the four gods will one day reform the Tul, and his reformation will bring about an age of enlightenment…a paradise on earth. In addition, the concept of Tul is used as a metaphor for the flawed nature of humans and it is said that the imperfection of humans come from the sundering of their own natures, and that meditation and proper conduct can result in the sundered portions of the human soul reuniting, whereby the human will achieve Nirvana.

Temples of the four Tul entities exist throughout Gerilong, and despite the stated desire for eventually unification, many of the Tul temples compete with one another and regard their element as superior to others. No doubt the rivalry of the various wu-jen factions, each holding to one of the elements, spills over into the priesthood.

Clerics of the Tul gods exist in Gerilong and operate just like clerics in the PHB. In addition, a caste of priests called Shugenja also operate in Gerilong. These Shugenja serve the entity Tul as a whole, and they eschew the divisive actions of the individual Tul churches.

Both clerics and shugenja of the Tuls are respected, and new candidates for these positions are culled usually from promising members of the lower classes.

Some others of the Slumber Gods are worshipped in Gerilong. Aghorrit is revered as the God of War, and oaths are still sworn in Meredros' name. Some Vastallan nunneries dot the land. And Ularinn and Hindarr-quag are worshipped by some nobles and warriors. However, the primary devotion of the Gerilong people is to the Tuls.

In addition, the Gerilongi believe in myriad spirits, both good and bad, that inhabit sites and things, and many Gerilongi tend to worship these spirits or at least placate them or, in the case of evil spirits, banish them. The Gerilongi do not particularly worship their ancestors, as is common in other Morakki lands, though such deceased antecedents are still respected and invoked from time to time.

Afterlife:

The Gerilongi believe that when they die, Mergurr, the God of the Dead reviews the lives of the dead and assigns them into the care and service of one of the Tuls based upon whichever god best fits the soul of the deceased. On rare occasions, Mergurr judges a soul to be complete, or nearly so, and sends the soul into a mystical state of existence that resides in the intersection of the influence of each of the Tul deities. In this place, called paradise, existence is pure bliss and a soul finds its ultimate reward, becoming one with the universe.

The Gerilongi believe that the judges of the Way of the World, having given of themselves in service of their people, achieve this synthesis of soul elements and ascend to this paradise.

A soul in the service of one of the Tuls is incomplete, and must strive, in the afterlife, to grow beyond a single Tul entity and to achieve the balance necessary to enter paradise.

Economics and Trade:

Commerce:

Trade is central to Gerilong. The Gerilongi produce a variety of goods unique to their land, including various styles of arts and various craftworks. However, the most prevalent and famous of Gerilongi products is it silk.

Gerilong produces most of the silk found in Therra, and certainly produces the best silk. Gerilongi silk is produced from the eggs of several special varieties of normal sized spiders that are native to the area. The Gerilongi did not produce silk before they arrived after the Great Migration.

As an adjunct of their silk trade, the Gerilongi have mastered the art of weaving, and make tapestries and clothing from their silk that is famous throughout Therra.

The Gerilongi trade with most of their neighbours. For Westerners, they have set up several trading enclaves, called Trade Towns, along the western coast of their land, abutting the Oto Sea. These enclaves are locations where Westerners are allowed to disembark with their cargo and buy from and sell to Gerilongi merchants who bring their wares from all over the land. Each enclave is, by custom, outside the rule of any of the Pasheks, and in theory is governed by the Pasha. However, in order to avoid the Pasha dominating trade in the enclave, by tradition each enclave is run by a Trade Lord who has inherited the title from his father. Only rarely are Trade Lord lines sundered.

Most trade with Gerilong from the west passes through the Far Coast. The Thaneeri also conduct some trade with Gerilong, but they prefer to raid just as often as trade. There is much truck with the Nygotians, the allies of the Gerilongi to the north, and trade also passes into Amabong and east to the desert dwellers of the Wylag and the Wastes.

Finally, the Gerilongi engage with trade with the Raft People of the Oto Sea, often gaining access to Ice People goods and other exotic products of the region by way of the far-travelling raft dwellers.

Provender:

The Gerilongi farm the land extensively, especially in the Siir River Valley to the north, where they have devised intricate irrigation systems to take advantage of seasonal floodings of the river to water rice paddies. Immense amounts of rice are grown in the northern region, complimented by yams, soy, and inkiri root (a type of squash) in the south.

Farmers also tend to keep oxen and cattle for food, and goats are herded as well. In the north, water buffalo are used both as beasts of burden, plow animals, and as food, and a stringy cheese called mozariku is fashioned from the milk of the water buffalo.

Along the coast, fishing is extensive, the fisherfolk using lobster cages to catch bottom feeders and nets to haul in fish from the sea.

Goods:

Following are a list of common imports and exports to and from Gerilong.

Imports:

Iron ore
Wheat
Precious metals
Gems
Whale oil
Wine

Exports:

Silk
Textiles
Yew wood
Soybeans
Inkiri root
Ceramics
Spices
Shoes

Conclusion:

The above presents an overview of Gerilongi society. Look for more details in the Guide to Gerilong.

And as the Gerilongi say:

May your feet always be covered and corners never find you!

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