Lore: Aroegin Reach

The reach has a long history of agriculture centering on vice and mercenaries. Though they resist the governance of the keep, the Reach is a taxable province of Harfal. Reachmen are notoriously superstitious and distrusting of religion. Even in a mineral poor area like Harfal, the Aroegin Reach is known for a lack of natural ore deposits. Due to this, there are few metalworkers among Reachmen.

Trade: The reach primarily generates money through their famous tobacco and spirits (primarily whiskey) and mercenary work. After farming and mercenary work, fishing is the next most popular profession in the reach, In order to skirt the exorbitant taxes on their mercenary work, the mercenary groups of the Reach have taken to receiving pay in the form of weaponry,

Military: The Reach does not have an official military, and as part of a pact not recruitable into the army of the Keep. Local mercenary groups act as militia for their respective homes.  Reachmen use odd assortments of weaponry and armor, often determined by where they have done work. It is expected that in exchange for keeping marital autonomy the Reach mercenary groups aid the crown’s military when needed.

Culture: The life of a Reachman is difficult (a common expression is that "the gods have been unkind to the reach") and many of the reach resent the "Keeplings" as oppressors and oppose their rule, often openly. It is not uncommon for the people of the reach to adopt a temporary spouse while their partner is away on long mercenary work. Upon the return of the original spouse, several options exist, ranging from duels to the death to one party frightening the other away (sometimes a mutual agreement is made). The Reachmen take few things very seriously and numerous rituals and sayings belong to those activities (primarily: fighting, drinking, and gambling). Reachmen believe that objects have two statuses "owned" and "borrowed." An object can only truly be owned if it was explicitly made for the person who possesses it. It is also customary to sample everyone’s drink (passed in a circle) when a new round is poured (you know, just in case). Upon a person’s death it is customary to only speak ill of them in order to miss them less. The worse a person is spoken about, the higher the honor.

History:

-Conquest by Trestin

-The Sullen Bride: The daughter of a prestigious mercenary was to be married to the cousin of the King of Harfal (the grandson of Trestin) against her will. This was to cement the crown's claim to Harfal as well as set up the King's cousin as governor of the Reach. After multiple skirmishes caused deaths on both sides (including the father of the bride), the wedding went as planned. It was customary in the Reach at the time for the family of the Bride to give a gift to be placed in the marriage room.  The bride's older brother had an unparalleled two-handed sword made from a variety of weaponry collected by his mercenary group. On the morning after the wedding, the bride emerged holding her husband's head.  The sword has since become known as the "Kiss of the Sullen Bride" and has faded in and out of history.

-The Battle of the Mercy Tide

- The Blade Tax levied (Reachmen pay an annual tax for every weapon owned).

Notable Factions: The Mercy Tide (Mercenary Group)

Notable People: Maritine mistress of the Mercy Tide