The Riverlands

Description
The Riverlands are to the south of the great mountain range. The land is carved into pieces by hundreds of rivers and streams. Some villages are situated on islands formed by these rivers. Commerce is conducted solely through the rivers, and roads are almost unheard of. Some ambitious entrepreneurs and rulers are attempting to build a network of bridges and roads. Most of the rivers empty into the ocean, so a few of the towns on the southern coast of the continent have grown into economic powerhouses.

Demographics

 * Humans are the majority of the population in the population in the towns and cities.
 * Halfings inhabit large parts of Upriver, with a majority of them living on the Floating Cities.

Upriver
The communities of the Riverlands are largely self-governed and self-sufficient. Upriver, the villages and towns are led by mayors. Some areas have regional lords, such as governors, that rule over a group of communities, which are in turn controlled by local lords. Lordship is most often passed down by bloodline, but a few of the more progressive communities have switched over to a more democratic system.

Knights
The main policing force is the knight, a soldier sworn to a regional road or town that protects that area. Knights enforce the local laws of the land and help towns with problems, whether that be bandits or a bad harvest. As a result, they are expected to be educated in a wide variety of subjects such as swordplay, farming, medicine and animal husbandry. These topics are mostly learned at schools upriver, but some knights travel out of the Riverlands in search of a better education to further help their village. Knighthood is considered to be the highest honor a person can receive short of becoming the mayor or governor. Very rarely do knights go out of the relative area of their town or region. Conflicts between towns are very rarely settled with violence. Most often, the two settlements meet in a neutral ground and sort things out diplomatically.

Downriver
The politics of Downriver cities are much more traditional than those of their northern neighbors. The cities are ruled by a Merchant Prince or Princess, and a council of wealthy men and woman oversee their actions. Guilds are a big deal in these cities, everyone is part of one. From candlemakers to goldsmiths, everyone has an organization relevant to their profession. These guilds standardize production and pay, as well as manage housing and security for their members. Not allying yourself with a guild is asking for a long road of difficulty, with getting a job being nearly impossible.

Economics
The country is split into two sub-regions: upriver and downriver. The upriver people live towards the mountains. The villages here are smaller, and do not benefit from the economic boom the coastal cities are experiencing. They are often poor villages that used to be prosperous. Their entire livelihoods are tied to the rivers and streams, and the coastal trading centers have no need for them anymore. Calling someone an "upriver" whatever is a huge insult, basically the equivalent of "backwoods" or "redneck" here.

Shipbuilding
Boats are obviously a pivotal element of the culture of the Riverlands. Therefore, every single person in the Riverlands knows how to operate a boat to some degree of skill. One of the major exports of the Riverlands is ships. The cities on the coasts host huge drydocks and carpentry shops; all devoted to the singular purpose of building ships. Despite the huge quantity of ships put out by the Riverlands, they are lacking a powerful navy. They do enough to keep the threat of piracy to a minimum, but the lords of the coastal cities have little interest in conquest; they would rather dominate through economics rather than politics.

Culture
The two most respected professions are those of a sailor or merchant.

Because of the relative isolation imposed by the rivers, the towns are very independent. However, there is a ruler who imposes strict regulations and taxes on the goods transported along the waterways. Because of this, several successful smuggling rings operate out of the Riverlands.

The Floating Cities of the Riverlands
There are a few floating towns built on rafts that migrate around the country, using the flow of the rivers to transport themselves. These towns are largely self-sufficient and mistrusting of outsiders. They worship their own gods of the river. The communities grow food on these rafts, and some exotic spices that they trade to the static settlements on the rivers.

The Conclave of Naiads
Because of the countless rivers that dominate the land, nature spirits flock to the region. Namely water spirits such as naiads or marids. Every so often, the spirits meet at a location Upriver to discuss Fey politics and present threats to their existence. They are often joined by the druids and shamans of the villages.