To the inhabitants of Cutmurk Island, the land actually has two different provinces, though there are no official borders separating them. The separation is in the terrain, one society lives in the dry upper region of the island and the other society lives in the lower region. The settlers are the only ones who view the island this way. To the rest of Eridus it is simply Cutmurk Island, a small backwater island that has very little to offer.
Cutmurk is a small island far to the south, away from the rest of Eridus. It is located between the Peaks of Elsenmoor and the island of Rivermurk. It is also directly south of Drakkhorn. It’s an island nearly split in half by its two different terrains. The north part of the island is fertile plains while the entire southern half is covered by swampland.
CHARACTER PROVINCE BONUSES
- +1 bonus to Constitution
- You may add Endurance and Nature to your class skill list
- Gain a +1 to all Endurance and Nature checks
- +1 bonus to Initiative checks
Province Society
Cutmurk is an island divided by prejudices. Because the island has two different terrains, the settlers thought it would be okay to have two different societies living on the island. These two societies occasionally trade but rarely mix.
In the northern plains are clean settlements, vast farms, and healthy living. The people are friendly and talkative, as long as you at least look like one of them. The people living in the Raised Plains try to simulate a high society. They only succeed at showing their own short sightedness and prejudices.
The southern half of Cutmurk is a completely different story. It’s covered in a swampy territory so there is a murky smell that is sometimes unforgiving. Living in this wetland is the lower class of human society. These are the people that, according to the north land, have something wrong with them. Some of them look funny, act funny, or simply don’t act like the highly civilized type the north is looking for. Unfortunately this civilized society is only another name for the snobbish, over glorified, self indulged way of thinking of the settlers living there.
This split of human society on the island doesn’t seem to bother the human settlers living in the swamp as much as it bothers the people to the north. The swamp dwellers sometimes go north to trade and look for work. This appalls the northern settlers since they would never travel into the “nasty smelly swamp.” Tension is growing between the two halves; it’s only a matter of time before something breaks.
Geography
At one point this island used to have a thick beautiful jungle. The flood changed all that. Now the lower half of the island is nothing but swampland. The northern half of the island is completely different. It is covered in fertile soil, excellent for growing crops and grazing animals. The north half of the island is a flat plains.
Murkplain Swamp: The Murkplain is a vast wetland. Large areas of the land are simply underwater. Much of the vegetation was killed during the flood but it has recovered. It is no longer the thick jungle it used to be, but the swamp now has its own personality. It breathes life to strange and unusual creatures as well as a healthy population of reptiles. The wooded area still provides life to those that live around and in it, only in a different manner.
Raised Plains: To the inhabitants of the upper region of the island this land is now known as the Promised Land. It was the part of the island that was spared the most. When the flood covered Cutmurk Island, the waters started to recede back into the Sea. The people to the north were able to salvage some of what they lost. The land became more fertile than before and now it yields large crops and nutrients for grazing animals.
Province Features
Cutmurk Island is seen as one of the smaller, unnoticed islands. The flood nearly wiped out the entire population. Those that survived were able to recover and rebuild. Today the island has a very small population but it seems to be on the rise.
Urkash [Small Walled City: 11,107]: Urkash is the center of commerce for the island, especially for the northern inhabitants. Since the flood the settlers decided to build a wall around the city. It is not as much for protection against attack as it is in hopes of stopping the waters if another flood occurs. Inside the city is clean and well kempt. The people see the kind of living done to the south and they wish to separate themselves from it as much as possible. The city is segregated by social class. There are laws in place to keep the swamp dwellers of the south in a more controlled area. They will continue to trade with them, but they do so with open disgust and revulsion.
