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Eddis is a small, mountainous country on the Little Peninsula located between Attolia and Sounis.

Geography[]

Eddis is a narrow country located high in the mountains of the Little Peninsula. It is bordered by Sounis to the northwest,[1] Attolia to the south and southeast, and Magyar to the east. It is unclear what borders Eddis to the north. In the southwest, Eddis has a short coastline along the Middle Sea between Sounis and Attolia.

The city of Eddis sits in a valley beneath the Sacred Mountain. An ancient road, paved with giant stones set perfectly evenly, travels from the capital city to the main pass through the mountains. According to myth, the road was built by the giant Polyfemus.[2]

Geology[]

The Hephestial Mountains are steeply sloped and composed mostly of shale and slate, with deposits of limestone, granite, and marble.[3] The Sacred Mountain is the tallest peak in the range.[4] The mountains are volcanic, and the Sacred Mountain itself is an active volcano.[5] Earthquakes sometimes occur in Eddis.[6]

The main pass through the mountains was carved by theSeperchia River in the softer limestone of the coastal range.[7] The Seperchia runs through a deep gorge, and it must be crossed several times to navigate the pass.[7]

The Aracthus River originates in Eddis on the Sacred Mountain.[4] The Eddisians have built a dam near the Aracthus's source, creating the Hamiathes Reservoir and diverting the path of the river so that it joins the Seperchia further downstream.[8] A road follows the former riverbed, and it serves as one of few routes from Attolia into Eddis.[8]

In the northeast, along the border with Sounis, the slopes of Mount Irkes provide a relatively gradual rise into the mountains.[9][10] The area was once covered by the Irkes Forest, but Sounis burned it while attempting to invade Eddis.[10]

Ecology[]

At lower elevations, occasional shrubby bushes grow on the mountain slopes, including two species identified as "red shank" and "green shank."[11] Olive trees grow in the crevices where water flows during the rainy season.[11] At higher elevations, there are forests of juniper and mountain fir.[12]

Climate[]

It is generally cooler in Eddis than it is in Sounis or Attolia. Winter ends later[13] and fall begins earlier[14] in Eddis than in the lowland countries.

Eddis is rainy in the spring.[15] The combination of rain and melting snow create floodwaters that make Eddis relatively difficult to traverse in the spring.[15] During the summers, however, many streambeds are dry[11] and even the Aracthus River stops flowing when the water level in the Hamiathes Reservoir is low.[16]

History[]

Pre-Invasion[]

Little is known about Eddisian history prior to the Invasion. According to myth, Hamiathes was an ancient king of Eddis who possessed a stone called Hamiathes's Gift, which had supposedly been dipped in the waters of immortality. He eventually passed the stone on to his son, and the people of Eddis came to believe that possession of the stone conferred upon the owner the right to rule the country, as long as the stone had not been stolen. The tradition of King's Thief emerged as a way to bypass this restriction, so that one person could steal the stone and then give it to someone else, making that person the rightful ruler of Eddis.[17]

Although the Gift is real, it is unclear how much of the story of Hamiathes is true.

Invasion[]

When the Invaders arrived on the Little Peninsula, they launched an attack on Sounis. Eddis allowed an Attolian army through the mountain pass to aid Sounis, but the Attolians betrayed them and fought on the Invaders' side.[18] The Invaders eventually conquered both Sounis and Attolia, but were unable to take Eddis.[18] They attempted to gain control of the country by stealing Hamiathes's Gift, but they were unable to obtain it.[17] At around this time, the king of Eddis hid the Gift in an underwater temple in the Aracthus river, and died without revealing its location.[19] It remained hidden there for five hundred years.[20]

After several hundred years,[18] the Invaders left the Little Peninsula.[21] Sounis intended to invade Attolia as revenge for their earlier betrayal, but Eddis dismantled the main bridge across the Seperchia in the mountain pass, making it impossible for Sounis to bring an army through the mountains.[21]

Politics[]

Eddis is ruled by a monarch and a court of eleven ministers, including a prime minister.[1] Partially owing to the legend of Hamiathes's Gift, the rule of Eddis has never changed hands at the instigation of an outside force.[18]

The throne room of Eddis is decorated in red and gold,[22] which are perhaps the official colors of Eddis.

Foreign Relations[]

Since Eddis is dependent on trade, the country generally prefer to remain neutral.[21] The queen of Eddis is currently engaged to Sounis Sophos, and as a condition of that marriage will be required to swear allegiance to the king of Attolia.

Military[]

Eddis maintains a small army,[23] and Eddisian soldiers have a reputation for being particularly skilled.[24] Most of Eddis's territory is highly defensible, since the country is surrounded by mountains and has few traversable entry points. In addition, Eddis uses iron mined from its territory to forge cannons that effectively prevent armies from moving through its mountain passes.

In infantry combat, Eddisian soldiers are fairly lightly outfitted. They wear quilted tunics[25] and are armed with swords and handshields, but do not wear helmets.[26] Eddis also employs crossbowmen and pikemen.[27]

Economy[]

Eddis has only a small amount of arable land,[28] and thus imports the majority of its grains, olives, and wine.[1] Eddis's main exports are lumber and silver[1], though the country also exports iron and wool.[29] The country has few other natural resources.[21]

The Eddisians are said to have superior artisan skills,[24] and the finest linens in Sounis are imported from Eddis.[30] Although Eddis typically produces iron ingots to export to the Peninsula, during wartime the country instead uses the iron to produce cannons.[31]

Eddis controls the only easily traversable mountain pass between Sounis and Attolia, and taxes the caravans that pass through it.[21] Although there are tiny harbors on Eddis's coast, most sit beneath cliffs, any trade goods arriving by that route need to be carried up to the coastal province.[25] After the end of the Eddis-Attolia war, Eddis gained control of the small coastal village of Ephrata, which allowed for greater access to sea trade.[32]

Culture[]

Society[]

Eddisians are a relatively stoic people, and typically do not cheer for the queen, though they do smile and wave.[33]

Fashion[]

Eddisian men typically wear tunics, often in dark colors and decorated with embroidery,[34][35][36] over wide-bottom pants that are tucked into boots.[34] Eddisian noblewomen often wear dresses with long skirts,[37] though Eddis Helen frequently wears trousers.[38]

Cuisine[]

Eddisian nobles typically drink watered wine with their meals, at a ratio of two parts water to one part wine,[39] served in ceramic cups.[40] Other common foods in Eddis are mutton[8] and bread that is either spread with cheese[40] or dipped in olive oil.[39]

Religion[]

The people of Eddis still worship the Old Gods, and never converted to the Invaders' religion. Although most Eddisians go to the temples and attend religious festivals, true believers are rare.[41] Worship in Eddis involves the burning of candles,[42] ritual sacrifice of animals,[42] and offerings of food, coins, or other valuables.[43]

The high priest of Eddis was historically responsible for identifying Hamiathes's Gift. Whenever someone claimed to be in possession of the Gift, the high priest would compare the presented stone to the description kept in a scroll that only he could read.[44] The punishment for being caught attempting to steal the Gift or otherwise interfering with this process was death.[45][46]

Arts[]

Traditional Eddisian music is played on drum and mountain pipe.[47]

Eddisian square dances are a set of traditional dances in which all the steps take place within an imagined square on the floor. They begin slowly, but the tempo increases at the end of each cycle.[48] According to legend, the Thief of Eddis and their partner may safely perform square dances on the roof of Eddis's megaron; if the king dances, then the entire court may safely dance with him.[49]

Language[]

Eddis shares a common language with Attolia and Sounis, which they colloquially call "demotic." It is unclear what the formal name of the language is.

Accent[]

Although foreigners pronounce the country's name as /ɛdɪs/, Eddisians themselves call their country /idɪs/. According to the magus, this is an old-fashioned pronunciation, and he claims that the people of Eddis have not altered the pronunciation of words for centuries.[50][note 1] As described by Costis Ormentiedes, the Eddisian accent is "rougher" than the Attolian[51] and "seem[s] to add a syllable to every word."[52]

Idioms[]

"Be blessed in your endeavors" is an Eddisian expression used generally to mean "please", "thank you", and "you're welcome."[53]

Eddisians will sometimes describe intelligent people as being "clever enough to steal Hamiathes's Gift."[54]

Footnotes[]

  1. But he's probably mistaken. It would be extremely unusual for a language not to undergo any phonological shifts in hundreds of years.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 66.
  2. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 77.
  3. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, pages 64-65.
  4. 4.0 4.1 The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 169.
  5. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, pages 351-352.
  6. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 350.
  7. 7.0 7.1 The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 40.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 167.
  9. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 270.
  10. 10.0 10.1 The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 166.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 65.
  12. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 75.
  13. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 103.
  14. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 56.
  15. 15.0 15.1 The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 173.
  16. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 155.
  17. 17.0 17.1 The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 70.
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 68.
  19. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 71.
  20. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 158.
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 67.
  22. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 258.
  23. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 209.
  24. 24.0 24.1 The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 260.
  25. 25.0 25.1 The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 197.
  26. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, pages 260-261.
  27. A Conspiracy of Kings, 2017 paperback edition, page 205.
  28. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 188.
  29. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 334.
  30. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 261.
  31. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 116.
  32. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 333.
  33. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 151.
  34. 34.0 34.1 "Destruction", page 324.
  35. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 187.
  36. The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 43.
  37. "Eddis", page 3.
  38. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 89.
  39. 39.0 39.1 The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 65.
  40. 40.0 40.1 The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 64.
  41. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 84.
  42. 42.0 42.1 The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 347.
  43. The Queen of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 354.
  44. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 194.
  45. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 154.
  46. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 195.
  47. The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 96.
  48. The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, pages 99-100.
  49. The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 99.
  50. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 84.
  51. The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 215.
  52. The King of Attolia, 2017 paperback edition, page 287.
  53. A Conspiracy of Kings, 2017 paperback edition, page 287.
  54. The Thief, 2017 paperback edition, page 153.
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