A humid rainforest a thousand miles wide covers the west, teeming with life found nowhere else. In the east, burning sands are crowned by glittering mountains. The Attamek river bisects the continent, flowing out of the Bey’s Head mountains in the north, all the way to the southern Matansil Sea.
The Bat’yan and the Beylik of Arneria is one homeland with two identities. Its people are split by the geography and climate on either side of the river, but Arneria’s unity is a friendship that has stood for over a thousand years. The Bat’yan’s barangays and the bey’s subjects vowed never to take up arms again after two centuries of bloody war at the dawn of the Beast World.
A diverse blend of six million Arnerians live in the Bat’yan and Beylik. Murine mice are its emblematic species, the most common beast in both halves of Arneria. Ligonine sloths favor the Bat’yan, where they hang from dense foliage on hooked claws. Bison and desert vulpines dwell in the Beylik, where their species have lived and worked to form the caravanserai powering an economy of gem trade. Armadillos and donkeys roam the thousand-mile elevated Causeway that runs between the two sides.
Intense Spirits
The two cultures of Arneria share some defining traits. One is the fiery passion that its people are known for. The stereotypical Arnerian is an all-in sort of person, living their life one hundred percent and never afraid to show it. This passion makes them quick to love and quick to anger, but their bright-burning hearts are beloved almost everywhere.
Some say Arnerians get their neverending enthusiasm from their ligonine species. Unlike Oric moles, ligonine sloths and armadillos aren’t isolated by thousands of tons of rock and stone. Arnerian ligonines burn like the sun, albeit in different shades of light. Sloths are steadfast and unrelenting (some even accuse them of being close talkers), while armadillos who sit still when they’re excited are rare.
Charity and Dignity
Dignity and charity are important values to an Arnerian. The two ideals are closely linked— Arnerians give generously, but always consider the dignity of the needy when doing so. They believe that boastful giving is a surefire way to invite Varasta’s misfortune, and that arrogance eventually leaves you in the same position as the people you embarrass.
A Charity Stone sits in front of most Pirhouan bethels in the Bat’yan and Beylik. The top of these pillars of rock have a cup-shaped indentation. People leave coins in it whenever they can afford to. Those who need money can take from it with- out risking humiliation. The stone is tall enough that no one can see who is doing what.
Strength Together, Strength Within
Arneria has the largest standing military of any homeland. The mice of the east fostered a culture of collectivist strength through the century-long effort to construct the Causeway. The builders who moved stones across Arneria’s unforgiving terrain were strong in body and magic. They easily made the transition to a formidable infantry, and the tradition of service continues to this day.
Their military collectivism has made Arneria an insular society. Arnerians are happy to welcome an outsider into their home, but they’re deeply suspicious of political meddling by other governments. The borders and ports of Arneria are heavily fortified navigating entry can be an irritating thicket of paperwork and questions.