Navarr

“Actions have consequences”

Introduction

Self-appointed guardians of the realm, the Navarr roam the Empire keeping a careful watch over the wild places of the Empire, treading dangerous paths in their constant guard against the malevolent entities that lurk in the hearts of the Imperial forests.

They migrate along ancient routes called Trods bringing information and vital supplies to isolated settlements across the land.

For those who dwell in inhospitable places, the Navarr may be the only Imperial contact they have. The Navarr are the blood that runs through the Empire’s veins.

The Navarr display their feral heritage in battle. Warriors explode from ambush, slaughtering invaders with barbed spears dipped in poison. Warlocks fuel magic with the primal power of blood. But in peace they are a generous people, noted for their festivities and celebrations to which all are welcome.

Throughout the Empire travellers may stumble across Navarr settlements known as Steadings, which offer welcome shelter and respite – although the Navarr do not suffer fools gladly, and it’s wise to listen to their advice.

If you were asked to find Navarr on a map you might point with one finger, or many. It matters not. Their domain is the places in between, in the wild places most believe best avoided. The great forests of the Empire are deadly; parents still frighten their children with macabre stories of the things that linger in their dark hearts. This is where the Navarr walk, their travels take them across every Nation of the Empire, and sometimes outside its borders.

The Navarri consider themselves crucial to the survival of the Empire. They don’t protect the forest from you – they protect you from the forest.

Five Things About the Navarr

• The Navarr bind the Empire. The Navarr migrations carry information, goods and people to many isolated Imperial settlements.
• What news from the North? Because they spend their lives travelling, the Navarr are message-carriers and information gatherers. They have a firm grasp on what is happening in the lands of the Empire and beyond.
• Find your place. The Navarr firmly believe that each person should do the best job that they can to further the Empire’s aims. If someone is in the wrong profession, or even the wrong Nation, the Navarr will guide them to find their true place and fulfil their potential.
• Go cautiously in dark places. Navarr Steadings offer sanctuary from the darkness. But danger is always present and the Navarr will do everything necessary to stop anyone drawing its attention.
• Survival is change. The Navarri lifestyle is one of constant change as they travel the Empire and beyond, and they adapt accordingly.

What the Navarr are not

• They are not tree-huggers. The Navarr are wary of angering the dark things in the forest’s heart, but that is a matter of self-preservation and the preservation of Empire, not a matter of saving the trees. Wood is wood, and is very useful – but be careful where you cut it from.
• They are not vagrants or outcasts. Despite the transitory nature of their existence, the Navarr enjoy travelling throughout the Empire, and their arrival is usually cause for a celebration.
• They are not barbarians. They do not possess all the trappings of civilisation, but they helped form the Empire and will willingly give their lives for it.

The People

The Navarr, like the Suaq in Wintermark, have been here for a long time. Their culture predates the arrival of the Highborn from the South. No-one is quite clear how old, but it is known that the Navarr once had beautiful cities which are now fallen.

While the Navarr are, in general, a cheerful and welcoming folk, the brutal practicality that they employ in the defence of the Empire can offend the sensibilities of those who regard themselves as more civilised. The Navarr are not an overtly hostile people – at least not to the nations of the Empire – but, at times, take a stance which others see as unreasonable or downright unfriendly.

The Navarri attitude towards the brash and the foolish is born from what lurks within the great forests of the Empire, a threat which the Navarr take great pains to keep contained. Here there are areas which are alive, malevolent, and terribly, terribly dangerous. The Navarr call them the Vallorn. A Vallorn may be quiescent, but it’s all too easy for the unwary to stray into a Vallorn’s realm of influence and risk waking it. Deliberately treading in a Vallorn-infested area is seen as rank madness. It is the duty of the Navarr who dwell in the Steadings to see that the Vallorn are not disturbed, so they keep a careful watch to ensure that no-one stumbles into such areas, not even barbarian invaders.

By Imperial Law the Navarr have the right to kill anything they encounter which is leaving a Vallorn-infested area unless it is accompanied by a Navarr. The Navarr take this law and the responsibility that comes with it very seriously. They fight a constant battle against the dreadful creatures that inhabit the Vallorn’s glades, and this war means they are guarded and wary of any stranger in the wild, no matter what shape they take. By eliminating those who have no right to be there, the Navarr are able to ensure that the Vallorn’s influence does not spread.

Aside from the Steadings the most commonly encountered Navarri communities are the Els. These are travelling groups that move between the Steadings across the Empire and beyond.

The Els that migrate around and through of the Empire follow ancient Trods, fixed routes laid down in time-out-of-mind. It’s said that walking the Trods is a necessity to maintain the magic that keeps the Vallorn contained. The Trods pass through all nations of the Empire, so now many travellers prefer to use the Navarri Trods as trade routes and roads, and villages and resting places have grown up over the years along those routes.

Els vary significantly in size and make-up. In a normal El, most participants are on foot, usually with a few narrow wagons pulled by oxen or similar beasts to carry essential supplies. Most Navarr are comfortable walking for days on end, and some Els eschew wagons, making it a rule to own nothing more than they can carry with them at all times. Others take the opposite approach, using larger covered wagons which can serve as living quarters.

For some Imperial citizens the Navarr are the only contact they have with the Empire. Navarr Els are usually welcome everywhere, as they bring messages and news of events elsewhere in the Empire. Civil servants and magistrates travel with the Navarr to reach isolated communities and sometimes the Navarr bring individuals seeking a home with precisely the skills a community needs to survive and prosper. In addition the Navarr have become skilled at adapting to fill the roles required of them in the different Nations they travel through, for instance performing Fayres in Dawn or working as pedlars in the Marches.

As well as the dark forests that Navarr think of as home, the wild places between towns, burghs, fortresses and temples are hardly safe and the Navarr are practical about these dangers. They travel in large well-armed groups and set regular watches. They also move in and out of the frontiers of the Empire and when invaders threaten, it is usually the Navarr who bring word to their cousins in the other nations.

Navarr that spend much of their time walking Trods outside the Imperial boundaries are sometimes referred to as ‘The Eyes of the Empire’. Due to the danger they’re constantly in, and their time amongst foreign and barbarian peoples, they often come across as aloof and belligerent to other Imperial citizens. However, it’s said that they know more about the wider world than anyone. They are utterly loyal to the Empire – travel narrows the mind beautifully.

Culture and Customs

The Navarr are a communal people. A common Navarr philosophy is that wealth is measured in the number of allies who are prepared to fight for you, not the coins in your pocket. The Navarr expect everyone to work in the best interest of their El or Steading and most have little interest in personal wealth or success. Trade is a means of making allies and ensuring that people have the things they need rather than a means to enrich themselves or their El. The Navarr are well aware of the value of money and don’t avoid its acquisition, it’s just that most of them count allies as considerably more valuable.

Many things are kept communally, a wagon or an oxen that is the possession of the whole El, or a palisade which protects a Steading which is regarded as everyone’s responsibility to maintain. Despite or perhaps because of this, the Navarr are acutely mindful of those possessions which are owned by individuals and they are careful to respect them. Thieves who steal from the Steading or El are considered little better than traitors, thieves who steal from others are considered a dangerous menace that threatens the good standing of the Navarr.

Smaller Els tend to eat together, while larger Els will break into small groups at meal times. Attuned to the passage of the seasons, the Navarr Els congregate at these times, either together or at the Steadings. The Navarr celebrate the turning of all the seasons but the birth of a new spring, the end of the harsh winter that makes travelling so difficult is their major festival. This grand celebration, the Welcoming, is a time for revelry, feasting, raucous music and wild dancing.

Navarr Els and Steadings are not fixed – they shift and change over time, as people die, retire or move from one to another, perhaps due to a love-match or to a desire to see other climes. When an individual decides to leave a Steading to join a El, the event is celebrated with a simple feast in which they ceremonially burn a list describing their belongings. The Navarr are far too pragmatic to burn valuable goods, but the ritual helps people to let go of the things they do not need. When an individual leaves a El to join a Steading, a similar feast is prepared, where they are presented with a barbed spear, the weapon that symbolizes the Navarr struggle against the Vallorn.

When a child passes into adulthood they undergo the ‘Binding of Thorns’. The Egregore Liaven shares of Its blood with the celebrants. Then, accompanied by a war-band, the Navarr hunt for an offering to be given back to Liaven made of the denizens of a Vallorn infected forest. Those that die during the Binding are lauded by the Navarr and their names make up many war-chants.

Once an Adult the Navarr adopts the name of their Steading or El as their second name. Names, therefore, are not static and change with the choices of the individual. On occasion Navarri may be given an honorific name to exemplify some great deed of magic, politics, trade or war. These individuals are collectively known as the Thornborn.

In death, what remains are the memories of your deeds in the minds of your partners in the Great Dance. The Els commit bodies to simple cairns, the Steadings use a traditional glade – a charnel house – where the bodies are laid out to moulder in the forest.

History

Centuries before the Empire was formed, the Navarr built great cities in the heart of the forests. As the years passed they used more and more magic to increase the bounty of the forests until they became dependent upon it. In the end, disaster struck, their most powerful magics unwinding and pulling the Vallorn into this world from the Realm of Spring. The cities were slowly consumed and though the Navarr tried everything to stop the Vallorn, in the end they had no choice but to abandon their homes.

The heroine now known only as Navarr and her lover Thorn gave their lives at the inception of powerful ritual to keep the Vallorn from spreading uncontrollably across the whole land. The original ritual took decades to weave, and still requires the Navarr in their Els to walk the lines of magic that surrounded the Vallorn, to keep the magic alive and the Vallorn in check. At this time the first Steadings formed to fight the monsters of the Vallorn.

In time, the nations that now form the Empire coalesced and grew to their prime. The Navarr had little interest in the affairs of other people, but they soon realized that war between the nations was bad for the Navarr Els travelling between them. As a result they worked to remain neutral and used their impartiality to try and keep conflict between the nations to a minimum, an essential task if the Trods were to remain open.

The First Empress is one of the Navarr’s greatest heroines. It is popularly held amongst the Navarr that Navarri blood ran thick in her family’s veins and there had long been a great friendship between her house and the Navarr. With such ties the Navarr rallied early to the Empire’s cause, its goals and philosophies striking a resonant cord deep in their hearts. The Navarri Els became the standard-bearer for the Empire carrying its message to the scattered human nations.

Political Leadership

Within the Navarr, individuals choose which El to join, a choice which in theory they make anew each time they come to a crossroads. Navarr Els are fluid things, with individuals and families moving from one to another as the mood takes them. In practise most stay with the same El for years, but the Navarr encourage individuals to choose the El that is travelling in the direction they want to go, a philosophy that underpins their approach to life.

Throughout their history the Navarr have always adapted and followed the most suitable people required to meet the challenge of the time. A Navarr El is created when an individual chooses to go their own way. They become the Pathfinder, the leader for a new El formed of those who choose to follow them. While they have little need for other titles or positions, most Els appoint a Brand, an individual who can lead the warriors in battle and coordinate the defence of the El. When Els come together, the Brands either cooperate or appoint one of their number to provide overall military leadership if that is required.

The Steadings operate on a similar basis. Steadings select a Pathfinder to provide leadership and whatever government is needed. Individuals stay with a Steading as long as they agree with the direction the current leader has set. If disagreements within a Steading become irreconcilable, then the Steading splits, a new Pathfinder is nominated and he takes whichever Navarr wish to travel with him to found a new Steading.

Within the Empire there are three forests so large that they define a territory. Most of the Navarr Steadings are found within these forests. The lands are governed by the Navarr who appoint Senators by communal agreement. The Navarr use a simple process, gathering together everyone with an interest and then those who would speak for the territory step forward. Once the candidates are clear, the Navarr present choose who to stand behind. The process is very fluid, it is common for individuals and groups to move to coalesce support where it appears to be most effective. Once it is clear that everyone has made a choice, the individuals with the most support become senator for those territories being contested.

Navarr Senators have a reputation for careful and considered voting. They try to operate by accruing political capital from Senators of other nations which they use on key votes, either for the good of the Navarr nation or for the Empire as a whole. Their reputation for impartiality predates the formation of the Empire and a Navarr Empress or Emperor is often chosen in times of internal strife.

Military Concerns

Most Navarr have little interest in forming battle lines and engaging their enemies in a honourable battle. Their nature favours war through guile, sabotage and skirmish, they disdain heroic charges and single combat with enemy leaders, tending to regard these things as opportunities for battlefield murder when they arise. Better to lead the enemy into a trap.

Donning warpaint – often embelished with the stylised thorn motif that runs throughout Navarr art – before going to battle is an important ritual and most Els work together to paint each other. They are pragmatic about war, making use of any weapon they can wield, and are comfortable using poison when it will be useful.

“You can’t betray your enemies.”

Those Navarr who make a study of war are called Thorns. Leather and chain mail are favoured along with the ubiquitous barbed spear, which honours the original Spear of Navarr. Shields, when used, are narrow and fluted, barely wider than the wielder and often heavily decorated with the thorn motif. The Navarr consider surprise to be one of the most effective weapons to use in battle, so they are particularly wary of being caught unawares.

The Thorn philosophy is one of constant readiness, to be alert to the potential for attack at any moment. Ceremonially donning warpaint each day is a ritual that helps to ensure that they remain focussed regardless of where they are.

The military leaders of the Navarr are called Brands, for their habit of ceremonially branding a mark on to their skin when they are chosen. The practice is not ubiquitous, but the Navarr believe the Brand serves as a constant reminder of the need to consider the safety of others. It is customary for larger Els and Steadings to appoint a single Brand to take responsibility for defence and to lead the Thorns in battle. Whenever Els come together, the Brands select one amongst their own number to lead, but the Navarr are flexible in warfare, as in life, choosing which Brand they want to follow into battle where the choice exists. Brands are usually Thorns, but it is not unknown for a Navarr blood mage, a Vate, to become a Brand if such is their interest.

Unlike their political counterparts Brands are not known for their temerity and reserve. Archbrand Isabella, the most infamous Brand in Imperial History, murdered Mad Emperor Nicholas in 319 and is also responsible for codifying a lot of Navarri military doctrine. Known as the ‘Irrevocable Blow’, it attempts to educate the reader that war should be fought swiftly, without mercy or doubt.

Economic Interests

The Navarr have little interest in money for money’s sake. Valuable property is often held communally in Els and Steadings. Trade between Navarr groups is seen as a utilitarian activity, a way to ensure that the Navarr have the things they need. Trade between the Navarr and others is valuable because it ensures that the Els remain welcome and the Trods remain open. Traders are very well respected, sometimes even the leaders of Els, but trade is important for the benefits it brings, not for making individuals rich.

Navarr Els are usually small so the Navarr tend to specialize in moving individual items around the Empire. They try to make a habit of bringing specific items that people need. A Navarr who notes that a person in an isolated settlement needs a new plough blade will try to ensure he brings one with him when he returns, even though that may be a year later. If the person does not want the item it goes in to stock, but as often as not the need is still there by the time the El returns. In this way the Navarr have developed an almost magical reputation for turning up in isolated areas with exactly what a community most needs. This has served the Navarr incredibly well, making them welcome wherever they travel inside or outside the Empire.

In addition to this the Navarr are skilled at moving information and people around the land. From the earliest days of the Empire they acted as couriers, carrying important messages to far-flung places. They also act as guides, escorting individuals on a difficult trek between Nations. Over time most Els have become adept at conveying information and people, they strive to be discreet about what they are told, treating information and people like any other commodity – something to be moved to where it can do the most good. The latest word on the progress of a border war is every bit as important as replacement seed or a new hoe to a woman whose son has joined the Imperial army.

When Els gather together in other Nations, they often create a Fayre. Fayres are an extension of the traditional Navarr way of life, with Els camping and travelling together for a while, but the Fayres exist so that others can meet the Navarr, trade with them and join in their celebrations. The Navarr will adapt a Fayre to suit the particular tastes of their hosts, with the goal to produce a moment of trade and interaction that is also the best possible entertainment.

Like the Freeborn, the Navarr often travel beyond the borders of the Empire bringing back rare goods not found inside the Empire. The trade of dyes and pigments, spices and rare herbs is the what the Navarr are most commonly known for, but they also bring to the Empire unique flora from the deep forests that are especially prized by physicians and mages alike. However, for those rich enough, a ship or house built of Navarri hewn timber from the great trees of the heartwoods is a prize beyond reckoning. Across the Empire, Navarri-carved lintels and door frames are widely known for their properties of warding and defence. From dinner plates to spear-hafts, where timber is concerned the Navarri trade in the best.

Religious Beliefs

The central philosophy of the Navarr is the idea that life is a Great Dance in which all humankind is engaged. Reincarnation is central to this belief, death is simply a pause, a moment to rest before rejoining the Dance. To the Navarr the dead are simply resting for a while before they resume their rightful place. Some may lead, some may follow; but the Dance is better for everyone when the dancers have the right partners at the right time and place. Many Navarr try to help people find their place and their partners in the Great Dance.

The Navarr are proud of the stories that they have woven within the Great Dance, and recount old tales and build new ones. Old stories are retold in new ways – the core of the story will remain the same, but the decoration will change. Some storytellers will use items to focus on the core of the story – often a cup, stick, or sword, adorned with symbols that mark the key waypoints of the tale. Many stories focus on the resourcefulness, cunning, guile and self-sacrifice shown by Navarri in the defeat of those that threaten the Empire. Other stories are drawn from memories of the Navarr of old, before the cities fell.

The Great Dance underpins Navarr philosophy, they believe everyone has a place and a time for them in the Dance, but some need help to find that place. Another belief is that people who find their perfect partner in the Dance are destined to find that partner again and again each time they are born. A partner may not always be a lover, it could be a sibling or simply a close friend. What matters is that people who do not feel ‘right’ where they are should be encouraged to travel to find a new place in the Great Dance, a chance to find a place they will belong where their partners will be right for them.

Navarri priests are titled Arwain or Guide, partly because of the guidance they try to give the Navarr Els, but more for the practice of trying to guide people to their rightful place in the Great Dance. They also work to bring partners together, finding people whose skills or personalities compliment each other, so that they can take dance together from then on. As the Els’s travel along the Trods and through all the nations of the Empire so the Guides seek to ensure that the individuals they encounter are given the best opportunity to flourish and in turn add to the Empire and the Great Dance. This might be recruiting an individual to join the El and the Navarr; or it might be aiding the individual to leave a life of farm-work in the Marches to become a Scrivener in Siroc.

This has led to friction – in some circles ‘running away to join the Navarr’ is seen as irresponsibility, betraying one’s own life and family. In other circles it’s seen as a desirable goal, the path to high adventure. The idea of joining the Navarr is a common daydream in the Empire. The truth is usually a little more prosaic. Few outsiders stay with the Els for long, but the Navarr provide these individuals with a home, guiding them towards a place where their skills are needed and they will be welcomed. In this way, the work of the Guides helps communities as well as leaving a network of friends of the Navarr across the Empire.

Much less common amongst the Navarr is the idea of a priest as a Caller. Rather than guide people to help them find their place in the Great Dance, the Caller sees their role as being one of setting up the dance, of putting the performers in place and setting the music. The Caller’s role is thus to set the dancers in motion with the view to directing the Great Dance to their own desire. There is no small amount of hubris involved in such a role, and many Navarr find the idea of a Caller repellent, the phrase being used to criticize those Guides, Brands or Senators who overstep the mark in trying to help people find their place. If any Navarr individual self-identifies as a Caller they keep it to themselves.

Magical Traditions

When the Navarr cities were consumed by the Vallorn, much of the Navarr magical lore was preserved by distributing it between the Navarr Steadings and Els. Most still have a few ancient tomes from this time, either the originals meticulously cared for, or copies that have been painstakingly written out. By themselves these books do not offer sufficient for a young Navarr to learn what is required, but they are enough that those children who become fascinated with magic can begin to learn. To ensure that they can retain a mastery of magic through the generations, the Navarr periodically trade books whenever they meet.

As a result of this approach, magic is seen as the legacy of the nation as a whole, rather than any individual El or Steading. Those who devote themselves to the study of magic are expected to acknowledge the gift they have been given by the Navarr and to give themselves and their magic freely in the service of the nation. Not all choose to do this of course, there are selfish individuals in the Navarr as in any nation, but those that do are called Vates.

Vates are expected to make themselves known to all. Those who are skilled in battle work with their Brand to ensure that they can play a role in the defense of the El or Steading when needed. Guides make a habit of knowing who the Vates are, so that they can bring individuals to them who need magical help. And the Vates are often called on by the Senators to perform rituals that benefit territories, the Navarr Nation or the Empire as a whole. This life of service to the Nation can be arduous and difficult, but most Vates shoulder it willingly. Their reward is the acknowledgement and respect they receive from other Navarr and the opportunity to practice their magic often.

For the Navarr, magic is figuratively and literally ‘in the blood’. The Vates use blood-letting to draw on his power to enhance their ritual and rote spell-casting. The practice preserves the memory the sacrifice made by Navarr, the first Vate, who gave her life to protect the people form the threat of the Vallon. But it also provides a raw power that the Navarr can draw on. Blood is a common motif in Navarr rituals and various forms of ritual blood-letting are widely practised in everything from blessings at the birth of a child, the granting of fortune on a hunt or imbuing a weapon with unerring accuracy.

The Vates only ever use their own blood and the blood of willing participants when performing magic. Blood drawn from an unwilling or dead victim is useless to Navarri magic; it holds no power.

Because of their use of bloodletting, it is rare to find a Vate who does not have some ability with the healing arts, either mastery of the powers of Spring or else chirurgery. Many Vates are skilled with both, able to use both magic and skill to heal wounds and knit bones.

Hearth Magic and the Egregore

The Egregore of the Navarr is Liaven. It always appears dressed as a Vate, reflecting the role of the Vate as the servants of the Nation. Liaven changes with the seasons; young in the Spring and decrepit in the Winter. In the winter Liaven is hunted down and ceremonially slain by the Thornborn, so in the spring it can be born again. Regardless of the season, Liaven is optimistic and amicable and relishes in tales of how the Navarr have added to the Great Dance.

Blood is a powerful Hearth Magic in Navarr Steadings and Els. An alliance may be bound by signing in the blood of the participants, a blade fresh from the forge can be quenched in blood. Drops of blood may be added to the cup of a binding toast of friendship. A pattern of blood may be marked across a doorway, to keep the darkness from the threshold. There is power in these rites only as long as the blood’s source lives.

Stories and tales are also woven into many Navarri tasks, told, sung or performed to add power.

Icons and Images

The banner of the Navarr is a great white tree surrounded by a knotted circle of thorny-branches on a blood red field. Most large Steadings and Els also have their own banner using similar stark images for their design.

Tattoos are common amongst the Navarr, used to memoralize significant moments in the Navarr’s life. Most tattoos are done with a dark red ink, symbolic of the blood that flows beneath the skin. It is not unknown for Thorns and Brands to permanently tattoo their warpaint.

Fashion – such as it exists – is practical for the life the Navarr lead. They do, however, make use of the vast range of natural dyes and pigments they extract and these flashes of colour adorn the trim of their clothing.

The regions where the Vallorn is strongest are populated by massive insects, grown to the size of a man. These creatures come in all shapes and sizes but they have hard chitinous carapace, which makes them all a deadly thread. In recent years, some Navarr have found that the carapace can be used to make effective armour, not as tough as steel but much lighter and without risk of corrosion. Many Navarr regard wearing the chitin of their enemies as somewhat barbaric and extreme, but it has become popular with a few Steadings.

Lineage and Species Attitudes

Of all the Human nations the Navarr have always enjoyed the best relations with orcs and others outside the Empire. As Els can, at times, travel beyond Imperial protection the Navarr are open-minded to the other people they encounter. Hospitality and trade is the first approach before blades are drawn.

The Navarr were instrumental in bringing the Imperial Orcs within the Empire, both in convincing the orcs that they would be accepted and in achieving the majority vote in the Senate to allow it to happen. While many were shocked by the outcome, to the Navarr, the solution was simple and embodies the Navarri’s principles of finding a place for people in the Great Dance, a place from which they can serve the Empire.

With this open-minded approach, it is no surprise that the Navarr are accepting of those with lineage. Most Els have one or two individuals with the trace of lineage. Because of the common bond that humans with the same lineage often feel and the way individuals move between Els and Steadings, it is not uncommon for them to end up composed largely or solely of Navarr with a single lineage. There are rarely hard and fast rules however, such things are anathema to the adaptable Navarr.

However, one lineage is distasteful to the Navarr. They shun the Leshy, who they can’t help but see as an outward manifestation of the overabundant growth of the Vallorn and as a reminder of what was lost. While intellectually they may understand that a Leshy has his place in the Dance, like everyone else, Navarr are rarely comfortable in the presence of such a being, and they are rarely, if ever, seen amongst the Navarr themselves.

Territories

The Navarr territories are scattered throughout the Empire, chosen for the forests that the Navarr prefer. In the east, lush Brocéliande, on the border between Dawn and Orison, is considered by the Navarr as ancestral homeland and is the single largest forested expanse in the Empire. This is where Navarr and Thorn first danced and the the woods encompass two Vallorn in their sweeping expanse.

Ice-bound northern Hercynia is a forest territory entirely contained in the Nation of Wintermark. It is an inhospitable place but where the Trods flow so the Navarr travel. A single and particularly malicious Vallorn dwells within it.

In the west a series of dense forests once formed Liathaven. Control of Liathaven was lost at the same time that the Mourne fell and though the Navarr migrations still include this land they must travel secretly for the barbarians that control the Mourne harass any El which attempts to follow the Trods around the ancient wood. The Navarr have been a firm ally of the Marches in trying to see the Mourne reconquered, for there is no hoping of reclaiming Liathaven until the Mourne is back under Imperial control.

In the south is Miaren, a forest of golden trees and fair winds, that lies on the border between Catazaria and the Siroc. The territory is small and the Vallorn is weak which has allowed the Navarr to widen some of the trails which skirt the forest to allow Siroc and Catazaria wagons to pass under the eaves of the wood.

There is a single Vallorn in Varushka and another in Highguard although both these forests are part of larger Imperial territories controlled by those nations. The Varushkan Vallorn is quiescent but is noted for being home to a number of monstrous creatures of Winter, that have somehow found a way to survive the touch of the Vallorn. In Highguard, the water-logged bayou of Therunin provides a unique challenge to the Els that travel here. The number of Navarr who live in the Steadings there are few, but even so there are frequent disputes between them and their non-Navarr neighbours.

Children

Choosing to bring another life into the Great Dance is something to be celebrated. In the making, in the bringing into the world, in the life, the learning and ultimately even in death. Parents are considered much like Guides, individuals with a great responsibility for helping their offspring find their place in the dance.

Children are considered the responsibility of their parents, a participant in the dance can only receive guidance from one quarter. Navarr children are encouraged to take the Imperial tests of citizenship as early as possible however, and once they pass they become true members of a El. At that point anyone can offer the youngster help, giving them what guidance they can.

Many Navarr believe that though children are precious they need to be exposed to risk, if not danger. They should be tested often, to challenge and stretch them, but with care so that their gain confidence with each test. Questions are an opportunity to teach and should be answered with thought and care. The children of other nations are an Imperial resource that the Navarr think are often under-valued. Orphans are a particular concern and in Siroc and other lands they often offer a home in the Els to children who have lost their homes and their parents to war with the Barbarians. In Varushka naughty children are even warned that unless they behave they will be sent away with the Navarr.

Things every child should know

• Ask questions; it’s the best way to find out about the world. If an adult is doing something you don’t understand, then ask them why.
• Find your place in the Great Dance. Try to experience as many different aspects of life as possible, so that you can see which one suits you best.
• The world is dangerous, learn to outsmart it. The Navarr are the smartest and most cunning warriors in the world, learn to outsmart any problems you encounter rather than using brute force.
• Work hard to pass the tests of citizenship. When you are old enough there’ll be a special ceremony to prove that you are an adult.
• Respect the privacy and property of others. Do not venture into a tent or take anything that does not belong to you or your parents.