Gasmithon

Gasmithon is made of intermingled clans. Though each has their strongholds, they interact in relative peace. The clans were unified several hundred years ago in the Gasmith Pact. Under that agreement, they later entered as a nation into the Treaty of Still Waters.

The Bouchol Clan focuses heavily on martial training and endurance, while members of the Wood Clan train in wilderness lore and stealth. These ideological differences in survival disciplines along with competition for land and innumerable ancient slights and grievances sow constant tension between the great clans. It falls to the Aylar Clan, a small but influential clan of many records and scholars, to act as mediators between the two.

There are dozens of smaller clans, many of which have strong bonds or enmity towards the major clans and may serve as their pawns or proxies. The internal politics of Gasmithon in many ways mirrors the Land of Still Waters as a whole, and many Borderlanders have suffered for underestimating the savviness of a burly clansman.

The pragmatic views of Vitae have taken strong hold in Gasmithon, but there are strong centers of Ayanism there as well.

Follow Vis Major's board Gasmithon on Pinterest.

Daily Life

Leather is the most popular material in gasmithon. Both genders favor leather breeches, boots, and jacket. Shirts, caps, and cloaks tend to be of a fairly light cloth, either linen or wool, and often oiled. In winter, heavy greatcoats are the norm. Boots are usually thick-soled and worn just above the ankle. Gasmith tend to wear dark and earthy colors, and are fond of camouflage patterns. Cuts are tight and simple, with few flourishes and close stitching. Most adornments are worn in the hair, but the brooch or clasp is a very popular item of heraldry, so often receives special attention.

The palate of Gasmiths runs to the bitter and, some would say, astringent - they favor their vegetables raw and their meat burnt. The Bouchol Clan has an appetite for feastworms, a species of beetle grub cultivated in sealed pits of offal overwinter, which are smoked or pickled like jerky. Mushrooms, vinegars, and fermented foods are popular with the Wood Clan.

A common drink is a weak rye beer flavored with a bit of hops and honey. Hard liquor and wine are rare, as intoxication is generally frowned upon. Herbal teas and infusions are another staple, with each clan having their own ancient blend.

Education in Gasmithon varieswildly between the clans, each holding formal education somewhere between a sacred right and a useless nuisance. The Aylar Clan are among the most revered scholars and educators known, intimately tied to Tarsus College.

Outsiders sometimes refer to the Bouchols as the "Mountain Clan" and the Aylar as "Water Clan". They are wise to do so out of the hearing of any true-blooded Gasmith.