Feohthal

Overview

Feohthal, literally meaning “Wealth-Land” or “Land of the Wealth” in Væstalaen, was a large trading state based along the northern coast of Suthelan. It was never a single sovereign kingdom in the traditional sense, rather it was made up of several wealthy ports which shared common law, commerce and trade as well as the rule of the First House. Merchant families owned much of the land, shipping, banking and some controlled entire parts of their cities. At it's height Feohthal was one of the richest powers within the known world, and it's influence reach far beyond Suthelan even when it did not directly own or rule those lands. By 500 AS however, almost all oF Feohthalen ports are in ruins with the only major city left being Tianji, which once seen as the smallest and least important of all the main ports.

The First House & Government

The First House was the richest family in Feohthal and was the highest body of authority over the other ports. The title did not always remain within one bloodline. In theory, another family could take it's place if it became richer, more respected and gained enough support from the other great houses. This made Feohthalen politics extremely different from the various monarchies around it. Power could come from birth, but money, trade and familiar links mattered just as much. Each port still had its own leaders and local rules, while the First House dealt with larger disputes, foreign relations and problems that affected the whole collective.

The Head of the First House was not treated like a normal monarch. Feohthalen belief linked wealth with divine favour, so the richest family was seen as having been chosen to guide the rest. This gave the First House an additional religious role as well as a political one. Losing wealth could therefore be dangerous in more ways than one, since it could also make people question whether a family had lost the favour of the divine.

Religion, Wealth & the Golden Fleet

Money and religion were closely tied together in Feohthal. Wealth was not only seen as something to own, but also as a sign that a family, city or ruler was doing well in the eyes of the divine. Suthelan's volcanic land helped shape this idea. The same mountains that could destroy cities also gave the region good soil, useful stone and rich mineral deposits. To many Feohthalen, the land itself was the source of their wealth, and the volcanoes were both feared and respected because of it.

The best known symbol of Feohthalen power was the Golden Fleet. It protected trade routes, hunted pirates and fought anyone who tried to cut Feohthal out of the Silent Ocean. The fleet had a reputation for being hard to defeat. but Feohthal was just as dangerous when it chose not to fight.

One old Vastalan tale tells of a small kingdom that challenged Feohthal with Vastalan support. According to the story, the kingdom managed to hold back the Golden Fleet in battle, so Feohthal changed its approach and simply poured money into the kingdom instead. Nobles were bought, traders were paid to move elsewhere, grain prices were pushed around and rival groups suddenly found themselves with more gold than they knew what to do with. The kingdom soon fell apart from inside. There is no clear Feohthalen record proving that this happened, and it is normally treated as a Vastalan story rather than solid history, but it shows how Feohthal was remembered by its rivals. Fighting its ships was only one way to lose.

Relationship with Vastala & the Golden Age

Feohthal and the Vastalan Crownrealm first came into regular contact around 620 BS, after Vastalan ships began moving father into the Silent Ocean under Vaelion II. Vastala at this time was quickly becoming a major seaforce and had founded permanent ports within Gullspear & the Ladder. Both powers wanted different things from the same region. While Vastala preferred colonies, military ports and direct control, the Feohthal cared more about trade, access to markets and keeping shipping routes open. This caused long periods of rivalry, including piracy, naval fighting and trade bans, though both sides would never stop trading with each other.

Feohthal reached it's greatest wealth after the Crownrealm fell in 0 AS. The Sixth Sundering flooded the Vastalan lowlands, cut off the old capital and broke the Crownrealm apart. With Vastala no longer able to control the silent ocean in the same, Feohthalen merchants moved into many of the old routes taking advantage of what had been left behind. Between roughly 50 and 250 AS, the great houses became richer than ever. The Golden Fleet grew larger, some merchant families controlled entire harbours, and the First House became even more divine.

The Decline of Feohthal

Feohthal did not collapse all at once, rather by the fourth century AS, more of it's wealth was being held by fewer families, and fights between the great houses were getting harder to control. Some ports became far richer than others, and old deals between cities started to matter less. Around 400 AS, earthquakes also become much more common across Suthelan. At first, they were seen as yet another problem to work around, but roads, farms and smaller towns began to suffer. The situation only deteroiated during the early fifth century. Larger eruptions covered farmland in ash, damaged ports and forced people to leave smaller settlements. Feohthal was still rich, but its old network of ports was already starting to break apart before the Seventh Sundering began.

The Seventh Sundering

The Seventh Sundering began in 437 AS with the start of the Everwinter. Feohthal had already been hit by years of volcanic trouble, and the sudden cold made the situation far worse. Harbours froze, crops failed and ships could no longer move food between the cities as easily. Some ports were abandoned simply because there was not enough food left to keep everyone alive.

When the Everwinter ended in 450 AS, the thaw caused a second wave of damage. Meltwater mixed with old volcanic ash and created floods and mudflows across parts of Suthelan. Cities that had survived the cold were buried, flooded or left impossible to live in. One by one, the old ports disappeared.

The only major city to survive was Tianji. During the height of Feohthal it had been seen as the smallest of the main ports and was often ignored beside the richer cities. Its location, however, protected it from the worst of the eruptions and flooding. Refugees, merchant families and what remained of the First House slowly gathered there, bringing money, records and anything else they had managed to save.

By 500 AS, Tianji is the centre of what is left of Feohthal. The old empire of ports is gone, but much of its wealth still sits behind Tianji's walls, and many of its families continue to claim land in cities that have been dead for decades.

Read the full history of the Seventh Sundering →