Elirapa

Elirapa - Elee rap a (G-d’s Fortress)

The early history of the Elirapa can be found at The Founding of The Elirapa.

Geography and Population

The Rapani Marches occupy the area due east of the Brissa Gap on a triangle of land roughly bounded by the Styritsa Mountains to the west, the Dunafolda River to the north and the Vari River to the east. These lands are commonly referred to as The Elirapa (G-d’s Fortress). The Elirapa is divided into five independent but closely allied Marches.

The two oldest, Usak and Artova are nestled in the western foothills of the Styritsa Mountains. East of them lie Sivas and Tahir, which are called the New Marches. All four of these Marches lie north of the Brissa River. The newest and largest of the five Marches is Selka, which occupies the lands south of the Brissa and along the Great Road.

The total area of the Rapani Marches is 2,547,200 km². It is about evenly divided between hill country and lowlands, with Usak predominately hills, Artova and Tahir about even and Sivas and Selka predominately lowland. The Doberai Hills in the western part of Selka occupy about 14% of its total land area. This region is more rugged than the rest of the hill country and is sparsely settled.

March — Area

Selka — 1,156,800

Artova — 588,800

Sivas — 334,400

Usak — 324,800

Tahir — 542,400

The total population of the Elirapa is 6,314,000, of which almost half, or 2,874,000 live in Selka. The overwhelming majority of the Rapani live in the countryside as farmers or ranchers. There are a scattering of market towns and a small capital in each March.

March — Population

Selka — 2,169,000

Tahir — 847,500

Sivas — 835,000

Artova — 295,000

Usak — 105,000

Three elements dominate the topography of The Elirapa. To the north lie the Rabkona Hills; the Doberai Hills are in the south; and the broad valley of the Brissa River separates them in the center.

The Rabkona Hills extend from the eastern front of the Styritsa Mountains, parallel to the Dunafolda River for almost 1340 km. The land is rugged and broken in the west but becomes more rolling as it descends to the Dunafolda and Vari River valleys. In the center of the hills is a high outcrop that was fortified by the Rapani in the early days of their settlement. This is the present day site of the town of Taglari. Further east, a large broken upland area dominates the tip of the Rabkona Hills. Much of the forest that covered the Rabkona has been logged, although large stands still exist between Tahir and Sivas and along the mountain edge.

The Doberai Hills are a northern extension of the Schodni Mountains, continuing northeasterly for 920 km beyond Mt. Zatow. The Doberai Hills are higher than the Rabkonas and are broken by steep ravines and hillsides to the north and south. The center of the Doberai is an area of lower relief, with a gentle climb from Selka City to the ridgeline and an equally easy descent to the Brissa Gap. The Great Road traverses the Doberai Hills through this country. These hills were logged in Wanderer times for many km either side of the Great Road. Forests still blanket the northern sector of the Doberai. In the south, isolated stands gradually merge to form the thick growth of the Banakur Forest, on the southern edge of Selka.

The Elirapa is bounded, shaped, defended and nurtured by its rivers.

The Dunafolda marks its northern boundary. The river is difficult to cross to the west of the Vari, and it serves as Elirapa’s northern moat. It flows 2040 km from the Kolshod Gorge to the point where the Vari joins it. A ferry crossing exists at Koskivere, on the Kirtoa River.

To the east of The Elirapa lies the Vari, another great river. The Vari begins deep in the Banakur Forest and travels 2120 km north to the Dunafolda. The Vari is easily crossed along most of its length, with the best crossing point across from Selka City, where the Great Road bridge once stood.

The Brissa travels easterly across The Elirapa, bisecting it and dividing Selka from the other Marches. Its tributary, the Brae pours out of the Styritsa Mountains and cuts a narrow valley across western Elirapa, marking the eastern boundary and ancient moat of Usak. The Brissa is difficult to bridge, with its main crossing point at Inigol, one additional point far upstream and the other about 180 km from the Vari.

Each March maintains an administrative capital that is the primary town of the March. Of them, only Taglari and Selka exceed 10,000 inhabitants. Taglari owes its size to its central location and position on the trade route from Korslik to Pundri and to its role as the main commercial center of the north and ancient capital before Selka March was settled.

Capital City — Population

Artiven (Artova) — 4,720

Sivanica (Sivas) — 9,610

Selka (Selka) — 28,739

Inigol (Selka) — 6,507

Taglari (Tahir) — 13,560

Zamegaber  (Usak) — 6,510

Selka is the largest Rapani town, located on the Great Road where it crosses the Vari. Although the bridge is long gone, in peaceful times Selka maintains a ferry service across the river and barges travel from Selka to Kotrath and Kyla, in the Kyla Councilate.

The chartered city of Inigol, located in Selka on the south bank of the Brissa, is a commercial center for the central Brissa valley. It is also a transshipment point for goods moving by water on the Brissa or by land to Taglari or Selka City.

There are also 95 free towns in the Elirapa.

There are two main road systems in the Elirapa. The Great Road runs east to west, from Korslik to Selka City, connecting Korslik to the United Councilate States. The Pundri Trade Route runs north from Selka City to Inigol, then across the Brissa to Tahir and from Tahir to Koskivere on the north bank of the Dunafolda.

Secondary roads connect Sivanica, Artiven and Zamegaber to Taglari. A military road runs from Zamegaber to the Styritsa Workings via the Tarka Gate on the upper Brae River. A second mountain trail connects Artiven to Zelakova via the Zlada Pass.

Political Structure

Each of the Marches is an independent state within a loose confederation formed to meet the threat posed by the Keshdumah. Selka is by far the largest and is the dominant member of the confederation.

Each March is ruled by a Duke, who is advised by a council comprised of the Rhyde Masters and the Free Town Eschals.

The economic and social life of the countryside is dominated by military organizations known as Rhydes. The basic purpose of the Rhyde is to raise, equip and train soldiers for the defense of The Elirapa. All of its ancillary economic and social functions are directed to that end.

All land outside of the towns is owned by the Rhydes. The land owned by a particular Rhyde is not contiguous but consists of farms spread throughout the March. Farms are assigned to members of the Rhyde who have completed military service. The proprietor has tenure to the land for life. In return, the proprietors provide the Rhyde with food and agriculture products to support the Rhyde’s military obligations.

Each fall, all 18 year old males gather outside the march capital for a recruiting fair held by the Rhydes. Each Rhyde is obliged to fill a 1,200 man Battle with 18 year olds and any 18 year old who wishes to have a future must either join a Rhyde or seek his fortune in a town.

The towns and cities operate independently of the Rhyde structure. By custom, the Rhydes control the sale of agricultural products within the towns and cities. All other town occupations are open to all citizens. Towns permit their citizens to buy and sell property freely and they are exempt from military service. Instead, each town maintains a town militia that performs policing and garrison responsibilities in peacetime and joins the regular army in wartime.