Free Marches
The region known as the Free Marches is a patchwork of small city‐states, farming communities, and river‐valley settlements spread along the Waking Sea and the Minanter River. Their people are resourceful and practical, making the most of fertile land and important trade routes—but they lack any cohesive political identity beyond local alliances or rivalries.
Environment
The Free Marches feature rolling farmland, moderate hills, and navigable rivers leading to the Waking Sea. The land is famed for mild summers (compared to the sweltering tropics or harsh deserts elsewhere) and cool, damp winters that water the fields. This climate allows for a steady production of grains, vegetables, and orchard fruits—assets that make the region attractive to traders and imperial ambitions alike.
Coastal settlements enjoy bustling harbors and access to fishing grounds, while inland towns thrive on trade moving along the river. However, roads are rudimentary at best—travelers often rely on shipping routes or winding paths that can become dangerous in bad weather or under threat of bandits.
Culture & Society
The people of these Marcher towns have a pragmatic outlook, shaped by generations of balancing local independence with the looming presence of Tevinter. Most residents farm or fish, with a smaller number of blacksmiths, tanners, and carpenters supporting these industries. Merchants passing through by river or sea bring luxuries like spices, metals, and cloth, fueling modest marketplaces in each settlement.
Social structures are typically town‐based—led by reeves, mayors, or councils representing influential families. Extended families often cluster in walled compounds or protective enclaves, forging tight‐knit communities. Hospitality is important, but so is caution: welcoming traveling merchants or emissaries can reap rewards, yet it risks attracting Tevinter scrutiny, pirates, or hostile rivals.
Religion varies, but worship of the Old Gods remains prevalent in coastal areas. Many smaller inland communities honor local spirits or have begun adopting the nascent Chantry‐related beliefs spreading around all corners of Thedas through the Orlesian Empire.
Culture Skills
The Free Marches is a land of small, fiercely independent enclaves shaped by fertile farmlands, teeming harbors, and vulnerable trade routes.
Standard Skills (+5): Athletics, Customs, Deceit, Endurance, Influence, Perception, Swim
Professional Skills: Courtesy, Engineering, Literacy, Lore, Oratory, Sleight
Requirements: Dwarf, Elf, Human
People from that region dislike even being lumped together as "Marchers." Rather, they are a collection of independent city-states united only when it suits them
Politics
At this stage, the region is not recognized as the “Free Marches.” Instead, it comprises a loose mosaic of city‐states and township alliances, each fiercely guarding its autonomy. Conflicts typically revolve around river trade routes, arable land, and coastal access. Temporary alliances form to repel pirate raids or Tevinter taxation squads, but genuine unity is fleeting.
Rivalries among these states sometimes erupt into brief skirmishes—mercenary companies are hired for protection or to gain an edge. However, large‐scale warfare is uncommon.
