Dorwinrim

The Folyavuldok represent the unique blending of Ulgathic Easterling and proto-Daen cultures. Their common persecution at the hands of the predatory Szreldor, combined with their shared experiences with the Entwives allowed them to overcome cultural barriers that might have otherwise held them apart, forging a single and diverse society. They are an outgoing and cosmopolitan people, in many ways representing the best parts of their two parent traditions.

Society and Culture
Many know the Folyavuldok as a free-speaking and open-minded people with a great love of oratory debate and the art of negotiation. This passion for public speaking translates to all sectors of urban Folyavulda culture and contributes to the successes of the merchants and diplomats of the realm. Intelligence, charisma, and a sharp wit mark the successful Folyavulda, giving him or her an advantage when dealing with most foreigners.

Competition between two traditions of kin-based authority: one patriarchal and the other matriarchal, resulted in an equality between the sexes in Folyavuld which enables them to negotiate effectively in all manner of foreign environments. These are the Folyavuldok that most come to know: shrewd and worldly individuals, often abroad in distant lands. Within the Riverland itself, outside the lowland cities, in the rural heartland that is the real strength of the Folyavulda realm, a more traditional, conservative aristocracy quietly live comfortable lives producing some of the finest agriculturally-based goods in Endor. Whether in the rural lowlands where the Gargath matriarch's word is law, or in the rugged highlands dominated by the patriarchs of the Donath tribes, travelers in Folyavuld's back-country are invariably surprised by the provincial perspective and deep respect for tradition observed by the people they encounter. Here, justice lies in the judgment of traditional tribal authorities whose jurisdiction extends to all matters save those of tax collection and the security of the wider realm.

Each tribe is composed of several clans, and collectively controls a contiguous region of clan-held estates. Settlement in the rural clan holdings is centered on large farms managed by the heads of prominent families. Manual work is done by the members of less privileged houses within the clan. Rural towns are often located near the boundaries of several estates and fall under the local tribal authority. Towns serve as collection centers for locally produced goods and often sit on navigable rivers that connect the tribe lands with the wider realm. Taverns and inns house merchants who come to purchase the fine wines, honeys, and grain products that are carted in from the outlying countryside. Towns also contain markets, and house the Realm-master's tax collector as well as some of the more skilled artisans and craftsmen of a given locality. For the finery that graces the more successful estate manors, however, the wealthy are often forced to journey to the larger markets of the lowland cities.

Religion and Worldview
One hold-over from the parent cultures of Folyavuld is the importance of local spirits to the rural peoples of the realm. Both the Gargath and the Donath believed in spirits tied to specific locations who held powers over a region's security, health, and agricultural bounty. Small stone shrines dot the landscape, each devoted to a particular spirit thought to inhabit the surrounding land. The Folyavuldok pay their respects to the spirits by lighting incense and candles at the shrines and spending time in meditative prayer, asking for protection and blessing. In this form, nearly every deity of the old pantheons are preserved in the image of some local deity (often more than one, each in a different region).

Contact with Gondor, however, has discouraged the worship of smaller local spirits, especially in the urban centers, in favor of the greater deities of the realm, each of whom corresponds to one of the Valar that the Dunedain revere. Chief among the deities of Folyavuld is the Earth goddess Aldena, who it is believed sent the legendary Earth-maidens to Folyavuld so long ago. Other deities enjoy increased importance in specific areas (such as the Lord of Winds in Scari, and the Great Shaker in the highlands), but only Aldena is so universally recognized as a benefactor of the realm. Indeed, the reverence of Aldena is the only institutionalized religious tradition in Folyavuld.

The priests and priestesses of Aldena are sought by the ill and the wounded for their extraordinary skills as healers and herbalists. The worship of the Earth-mother is centered at three citadels in the highlands, each the site of a sacred spring and garden. Together, these sites comprise the spiritual heart of the Land of Rivers, and pilgrims in search of physical, mental, and spiritual healing travel from all corners of the realm.

Warcraft
The present realm of Folyavuld was born in a violent rebellion, and since that day war has never been too far from its borders. The raising of an army in the Land of Rivers, however, is a monumental task, involving a unanimous vote of the Council of Clans and the setting of negotiated quotas that each tribe must meet in conscripted soldiers. This arrangement is unwieldy when it comes to emergency defense of the borders, so the Realm-master is empowered to keep a large number of men under constant arms to garrison the various border forts and strongholds. In addition, the Realm-master has the ability to impose a conscription on a single tribe for the purpose of immediately defending its lands from an imminent threat.

This device has been used effectively throughout the Third Age to slow down invaders while a proper army could be raised to expel them from the realm.

The Realm-master's men, the professional soldiers and officers of the realm, are invariably well armed and organized. Among the units maintained on a permanent basis are the Horsemen of Uldonavan, the Highland Rangers, the Ilanin Guards (reorganized at Uldonavan following their recent loss of Ilanin to the Tros Sagath tribe), the garrisons of all the realm's fortresses, and the navy at Szrel-Kain and Riavod. These are the elite units at the Realm-master's disposal, and they invariably impact the battle when they are committed. Often their organization and battle-discipline alone is enough to turn back the typically disorganized light cavalry of the Sagath, or the unruly crew of a pirate ship.

At all levels of the military, the use of bows and javelins is universal. In addition to their mounted lances, the Horsemen employ short bows. The Guards supplement their famous pike line with long bows and javelins. The soldiers of the navy preface any boarding action with a furious barrage of arrows and ballista bolts. It is only after this prolonged missile attack that the scimitar-wielding soldiers cross planks and swing down from the rigging on to the enemy vessel. Even the conscripts spend the bulk of their time training with the battle spear, a weapon that can be used either in melee or as a thrown missile.

Armor is invariably light among the ranks of the Folyavuldok. Only the Guards and the garrisons employ heavy chain, as they are often required to absorb the charge of the enemy or face heavy missile-fire themselves. The Guards pike-line also uses square wall shields that shieldmen raise to protect the line from the enemy's missiles. The Highland Rangers and the soldiers of the navy favor leather armor and small round shields which leave them free to maneuver. The naval soldiers take cover behind obstacles on board their vessel until the missile barrage has forced the defenders to cover. Casualties from a mis-timed assault are often staggering, as the light armor and small shields offer little protection from enemy missile-fire. The Horsemen employ a light chain mail and small jousting shields, and rely as much on their mobility as their armor to protect them from enemy missile-fire. Conscripts are typically given pot helms and studded leather coats reaching below their knees. Shields are of medium size and spears may be thrown or discarded in favor of short swords in close melee.

Appearance
In height and stature, the Folyavuldok span the full range of Rhûn's Mannish inhabitants. A full-blooded Donath man might reach a height of six feet or taller, while a Gargath woman may barely reach five. Most represent a mix of the two blood-lines, being generally taller than the plains nomads, and shorter than the Northmen. They almost universally have dark brown or black hair, very often curly. Men keep well-groomed mustaches and beards. Their skin coloration is darker than their neighbors, a testimony to their Donath ancestry.

Both men and women are fond of jewelry, though they have sense enough not to display it when traveling the dangerous plains outside the realm. Clothing tends toward loose fitting garments in all but the coldest seasons. Women wear flowing skirts and blouses, and are fond of colorful vests. The clothing of both sexes favors earth-tones, bright tans and orange-yellows contrasted by deep navy, burgundy, brown and green designs that are often geometric or stylized natural forms.