Aegân

Situated between the Orocarni (Q. "Red Mountains") and the Romenëar, Aegan is a large, heavily-forested coastal region renowned for its myriad tree species. Its two grand temperate forests provide home to hundreds of different maples, oaks, chestnuts, cherries, hickories, elms, pines, and spruces. Besides yielding countless medicinal resources, lumber and pitch for boats, and various oils and syrups, the rich woodlands shelter numerous beasts. Large cats and apes dominate the local chain of life. The Aegaw reside throughout Aegan. A Womarin-speaking people, they constitute the southern branch of the same Hildo family that produced the Wômaw. The four Aegaw tribes -the Uonurk (central), Ornurk (west), Dawurk (east), and Arxurk (south)-share a largely-common culture with their brethren across the Bay of Swirling Waters. Only geography sunders their union. A watery gulf and rugged mountains help restrict free movement and, because Aegan's two rivers (the Orosîr and Dawahîr) run southward, the Aegaw focus much of their commercial attention toward the south.

Like the Wômaw, the Aegaw enjoy a strong, somewhat rigid political tradition. The four tribes each elect their leader, a "Hion," in an annual midwinter's moot. Blood plays a major part in these elections, and it is not unusual for one family to oversee a tribe for a number of centuries. Every four years, the election is especially important, for afterwards the four Hioni join to select another individual as Hionvol. The Hionvol serves as the Over-chief of all the Aegaw. He resides at Uon, where he maintains the Four Shrines, conducts foreign policy, and wages war.

Aegaw symbolism is rich and varied. Nature and family provide many of the themes. All four Aegaw tribes carry similar banners, each a two-color design with a stylized tree emblazoned on a contrasting field. The Ornurk's flag involves a dark red pine on a pale lavender background, symbolizing their affiliation with the Orosîr Valley. A green maple on a white field serves as the symbol of the less numerous but powerful Uonurk. The plentiful Dawurk carry a banner that nearly mirrors this design, for it displays a silver oak on a green field. A yellow cherry on a black field denotes the Arxurk. When joined, the Aegaw carry a large flag incorporating all four of the tribal fields (lavender, white, green, and black) and adorned with a black chestnut tree-the symbol of tribal unity.

Literature

 * the Wild Lands south and East, Gazetteer by Pete Fenlon