Thanks Artimidor!

I've examined the time tables you've suggested and gone over any differences that exist between the entries.  There are definitely more details in the History section than in the source I used (which was basically the submission on Khizaar).  I've also found entries for the Massacre at the Silvershire and some other related sources (Evergrey Bridge, a sword called Or'injèrá) that further add to the details of the war between Erpheronia and Caltharia at the time.

I am interested in doing more elaboration of the Caltharian culture, as the story I would like to write about is set in Caltharia and deals with more their perspective of the War of Ancyros.  For the meantime, I will stick to writing up smaller entries before I begin writing the story I mentioned above. 

Also, is there anything specific on the Avennorians that I could help with right now?

Cheers!   

Trel.

Thanks for the comments guys!   

Takór, I've addressed your comments in soothing green, and Arti, I've made your suggestions in brilliant yellow. 

Takór, I agree that some of the terms and concepts I used come from my background in botany, and were not used by herbalists in the 12th century.  Sorry about that - and I'll be sure to tone it down in future submissions.

Arti, I added a little exposition on Bardess Dalireen, and I really liked your idea about connecting the Acorn Grass to the Acornlands nickname.

Hi everyone!

I was wondering if it would be possible for me to develop one of the people involved in the War of Ancyros - Mertogrand (Duke of Cantollio) and self-proclaimed, but short-term King of Caltharia. 


I read up on the history of Caltharian/Erpheronian relations between 846 b.S. and 822 b.S. and thought this would eventually make for an interesting story.  This is not a story proposal.  Mertogrand is mentioned but not yet developed, though I think he played as an important a role in the War of Ancyros as his counterpart, Colonel Khizaar, who is developed to some degree, though not posted (I think - I can't find him in the People Menu).

I've done a fair amount of background reading thus far, and summarized below what I know about Mertogrand:

834-833 b.S.     Civil War and the Rising of Mertogrand - Duke of Cantollio who leads uprising against Erpheronia.  Nine years after The Declaration of Alvang is signed, many dukes conspire to remove King Arteros from the throne, and place Mertogrand on it.  The Royal army is much reduced, so the rebels charge unchecked upon Carmalad, and hold a siege for two months, until the king finally steps down.

823 b.S.        Mertogrand raises a massive army and takes the field, thus violating the Treaty of Alvang (a devastating agreement signed in 843 b.S. that sees much of Caltharia's land handed over to the Erpheronians and greatly limits the power of the Caltharian throne - especially the development of its military).  The new, self proclaimed king invades Erpheronia, with the intent to regain all the land Arteros had lost.  The Erpheronians are surprised by the bold move, and suffer some initial losses.

822 b.S.   Battle of Salazar
Month of the Awakening Earth: After some initial losses, the Erpheronian army defeats the Caltharian insurgence.  In a desperate ploy to give his troops a moral victory and a northern seaport, Mertogrand musters his forces and attacks Salazar.  Unfortunately, he is more a politician than a general, and his forces are defeated by Colonel Khizaar’s army.  Though Khizaar’s army is smaller, he is able to position his forces along a series of ridges that collapse the Caltharian lines to half their potential length, so Mertogrand is unable to take advantage of his greater numbers.  Mertogrand is killed during the fighting.

Cheers!

Trel.

Hi everyone,

Well, here's my first entry.  I am interested in setting a story in Caltharia, and noticed that Acorn Grass is mentioned in the account on the Dogodan Hobbits, and is an important plant of the Alianian Hills.  This account has nothing to do with my story, but hopefully will be useful background information (and of interest to all us green-thumbs)!  Cheers!

Trel.

Last edit: Mira's comments now included.


Acorn Grass

a) Categorization
Grass

b) Basic Overview of the Plant
Acorn grass is an important plant of the Alianian Hills, where it is primarily found.  Its range extends along the coast of the Adanian Sea as far as the town of Veltin, where further spread is restricted by drier, cooler climates to the north.  On the Alianian Hills, thick stands of Acorn grass carpet the ground, whereas further north between Istarin and Veltin, it is only found sporadically on windswept hillsides and only reaches half its potential height of 4 fores.  It grows in a thick mat that holds soil in place even on the steepest slopes, which prevents soil from being washed away by the intense winds and rains that strike the Alianian Hills during the winter months.  The diminutive residents of these hills, the Dogodan halflings, use the young, green leaves as forage for livestock in the spring, and in autumn, they harvest the fibrous stems of Acorn grass to produce baskets and hats.

c) Description
The plant emerges in mid-spring, the leaves are light green in colour, and are tender and hairless.  Leaves are 2 fores long and 1 nailsbreadth in width once they are fully elongated.  For the first two months after emergence, Acorn grass leaves are quite sweet, which makes them very palatable to livestock.  As the plant matures through the drier summer months, the leaves lose some of their sweetness and turn a deep green colour, and the plant begins to produce wiry stems that possess a tough vein of tissue that runs down their length.  This vein of tissue gives the stems good tensile strength that makes it withstand wear and renders it useful for the production of baskets and hats.  The stems of the plant reach their greatest height late in the summer in the fertile soil of the Alianian Hills, standing at most 4 fores in height. 

Acorn grass thrives in the fertile soils of the Alianian Hills, which are situated between the Ancytharian and the Adanian Seas.  The dryness that follows the rainy season – between late fall and mid-spring in this region – encourages the plant to flower and eventually go dormant.  The flowers are small (less than 1 grain in length), wispy, and found at the tips of the stems.  Through autumn, the stems turn a golden yellow, which drastically alters the appearance of the Alianian Hills, and the flowers produce seeds.  It is at this point – just as the plant begins to flower – that the Dogodan hobbits will cut the Acorn grass using sharp scythes to use the stems for baskets, garlands and other items.  Unlike the flowers, the seeds are quite large (3 to 4 grains in diameter), and look like small acorns when viewed up close, even turning a dark brown colour by late autumn.  It is the appearance of these seeds that gives Acorn grass its name, and helps to reinforce the nickname - The Acornlands - given to the area in which it is found, though the area originally was called this due to the presence of the beautiful white oak trees.

Though the plant produces a long-lived root system, the roots can die back during the winter months.  The Dogodan hobbits will purposely leave stretches of the Acorn grass unharvested each year, to allow the plant to produce seeds that will help replenish portions of the stand that are sometimes killed by early summer frosts in some years.  The stems that hold the seed heads upright become brittle during the winter so they break off, which causes the entire seed head to be tossed around in the wind.  As the seed heads are thrown around, the seeds fall off the plant and are spread around.

d) Territory
Found on the Southern Sarvonian continent, Acorn grass grows primarily on the Alianian Hills, though it can be found along the coast of the Adanian Sea as far as the town of Veltin.  It is unable to spread further north into cooler, less temperate climates, and drier soils and higher temperatures limit its southward spread.

e) Usages
The Dogodan halflings use the young, green leaves to feed livestock in the spring, and they harvest the fibrous stems of Acorn grass in the fall to produce baskets and hats.  Humans in the area also use the stems for animal bedding during the winter months if straw is in short supply.  Sometimes the seeds are roasted and salted as a snack, but they must be harvested late in the fall once they fully ripe and have lost their bitterness.

f) Reproduction
The stems that hold the seed heads upright become brittle during the winter so they break off, which causes the entire seed head to be tossed around in the wind.  The seed heads roll around on the ground, spreading the seeds over the soil.  Seeds can be dispersed up to fifty fores from the plant that produced them, and will quickly grow the following spring.  A portion of the seeds will remain dormant in the soil for several years, and suddenly sprout after a particularly cold winter.  The root system allows the plant to live many years, but does not spread rapidly, so its primary method of reproduction is by seed.

g) Myth/Lore/Origins
Local legend tells of a time that Bardess Dalireen herself walked the Aliarian Hills herself.  Dalireen is a lesser God of the halfling race, and a Goddess honoured and revered by "hobbit folk”.  Dalireen is said to have spent her time in the Aliarian Hills partaking of her favourite pasttimes - dancing, singing and telling stories from her past.  Though she loved the stands of white oak and the mild summers, she found the hard ground difficult to dance upon, so she left behind strands of her light brown hair that took root in the hills and eventually covered the region.  The Dogodan hobbits give tribute to Dalireen during their spring and harvest festivals by fashioning various garlands from the stems of Acorn grass that are hung on walls or doors.  Another tale mentions that Dalireen actually visited the first hobbits in the area and presented them with a few strands of her hair.  She instructed them to place the hair in the ground and that each strand would eventually grow and produce a carpet of plants to help them with their tasks of feeding animals and harvesting crops.

Hi all,

I hope you're all doing well.  I just wanted to say a brief hello      I'm a big fan of fantasy fiction since way back (about 20+ years), and I'd like a chance to be able to contribute to the development side of Santharia.  My main interest is story writing, but I also have enjoyed reading the history sections for the various tribes of Santharia.  I also am willing to proofread entries of any sort for grammar and spelling.   Cheers! 

Trel