Fargunia and Zarthmoor

Named after their first leader Fargus who led them to safety in Elenna from their old home away to the north and the west in the Cursed Lands (which is what they call the Cataclysm Lands), Fargunia is ruled by his Lofty Grace, Barmurg, Archbaron of Fargunia. He is the son of the Adopted son of Fargus. The boundaries of Fargunia consist of the Phosy River and Zarthmoor to the north, Osto and Shadow Mountain to the east, The King’s Channel and the Wall of Kaazul to the south, and Defiles Channel leading to Centaur Island in the west.

If Aisildur is the most oppressive of the invader/refugees during the time of the 4th Cataclysm. Fargunia is the most eclectic and isolationistic. To put it brashly, the place is backward, even boring. However, it also lays bare as a ripe source for plunder. Many Elennian Ruin Sites that are centuries old are still unoccupied and have not been plundered, remaining in pristine condition. These sites are not easy to explore, due to the oddities of Fargunian society.

Fargunia is a prime location for people who desire privacy, because they are willing to leave strangers alone. Therefore many sages and others who seek quiet and isolation call the land home away from home. The Fargunians believe that many times a person’s secrets are his most valuable possessions. People normally do not “buy” information in Fargunia, rather it is exchanged. No one asks for information or digs into someone’s past in conversation without giving equal information about oneself or a subject desired by the others involved in the exchange.

Privacy is always respected, making law enforcement ineffective, but quite a social event that is conducted by the public. Therefore, no formal policing force exists in Fargunia. When a crime does occur, the philosophy of the public is to leave the criminal suspect alone, respecting his privacy, and to search diligently for the person who started the “rumor” concerning that person. The head of each “doulos” in the area consult and decide who is the proper person or persons to investigate the incident. This does not exclude anyone else from getting involved if they with and usually the gossip exchange does most of the work in these investigations.

In the case of a murder, the scrutiny would begin with the person who discovered the body to see if that person has told the complete truth. Then the victim’s “doulos” or family unit would be questioned by the public to see if the homicide was justified so that the privacy of the unknown killer is preserved. The accused is considered guilty just in case. The criminal suspect is “stuck” with his loot since his reputation and breaking of social taboos prevents anyone from doing business with him or even communicating with him.

Anyone associating with a person or group that has been labeled outcast by lawful or social means becomes associated witht he outcast person and is outcast as well. The effect of this is that word travels ahead of the person and all talk stops in the person’s presence. No one will let him purchase food or needed supplies. This “treatment”, in principle, serves to break the spirit of the guilty and increase the honor of the innocent. The only action the accused can take to clear his name is to endure the ostracizing for 10 years or to admit guild and turn oneself over to the local temple for penance.

Another option is to leave the country which to the Fargunians is an admission of guilt. Those who choose this option have their citizenship revoked if they refuse to reappear within 30 days. In several cases a “doulos” group has barricaded themselves inside their homes and come out after 30 days only to find out that they are no longer citizens and be escorted to the country border as illegal aliens. In the last several hundred years, the list of social taboos has become exceedingly long. The only thing keeping these quirky people from ostracizing everyone they meet is that the greatest social taboo of all is to falsely accuse another person. Committing this offense calls for the strictest actions of penance.

Not much is known today of the “old country” of Arbol Hru. However, stories of the “old country” abound in the oral history of Fargunia. Before the “Day of Purification”, which is what the Fargunians call the 4th Cataclysm, the citizens of Arbol Hru had begun to be lax with their religion and even to start to fit in with society; however, the “remnant” who followed Fargus have become more strict and backward citing the “Day of Purification” as the response of the Gods of Wold to the lifestyle of the Hruites of the time. This wickedness of their ancestors must be paid for, of course, and the Fargunians believe that this penance is great. The Hruites paid for their penance with their deaths. The Fargunians believe that their penance must be just as great.

Barmurg, realizing that his people needed to get this penance behind them, has devised a means for paying this penance. All their efforts for the last 20 years have gone toward the renovation of the city of Fokos, which is being designed to surpass the capitol of old: The City of Circles. Always ones to place restrictions on themselves, the priests responded to this challenge by saying that the gods would accept the penance offered by Barmurg for his people if he could complete the city in 30 years. No architects who have observed the plans and the progress thus far gives them much of a chance of finishing on time. They estimate at least 15 more years are needed at the current rate of progress to finish the project.

To summarize, Fargunia is definitely an interesting place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there.