"Girl, you must get ready. I have already informed the servants, but we are leaving tomorrow for the coast, and then Eldios. We are to be received by the Empress, and she will name you as the Presumptive Heir Magister Militum of Adra Minoris. The barbarians in the other islands simply name themselves king, but we Martish are appointed by the Empress, and she is appointed by the gods."

-Magister Militum of the Marteese Isles, Padruig MacCearnaigh

Martish Culture

Highland Warriors

When people from the west came east, those with more nautical tendencies took to the waves of the Glittering Sea and made their way east to the isles of Adra Minoris. Some of these people settled on the Marteese Isles. The majority of the islands in Adra Minoris were settled by these people, a chain of dozens of small islands in the west of Adra Minoris, the largest of which was called Martum by its settlers. These people were settlers, farmers, and merchants. The original settlers mingled with human and dwarvish refugees coming from fallen dwarf holds and their surrounding communities; once one family came, multiple others followed suit, and after generations, the two peoples had mingled. The people learned craft and mining from the dwarves, and the many hills and rocky highlands of Martum became filled with mines and mining towns. This fledgling island people were less powerful than their neighbors, who outnumbered them greatly. In order to survive wars of invasion, each warrior had to count for two of their enemy. The Martish imported techniques from the Kamanoans, learning the phalanx, and transforming it into the halberd square. They became a disciplined and indomitable infantry force, incomparable with the tribal warriors of their rival islanders. Eventually, they did meet foes that could dominate them: The Arissian Army. The Marteese isles fell first in the Arissian invasion of Adra Minoris, and garrisons and a governor were placed immediately to placate the population. Rather than see the fierce Martish army as a threat to be wiped out, the Martish soldiers were offered auxiliary positions within the Arissian army, serving as the flank infantry in many battles to come, including battles to conquer Haeland, Halstat, and Rackam. The Martish felt respected for their martial might, and their iron, tin, and copper mines were valued highly by the empire, bringing wealth and prosperity into the islands. The Martish became model citizens in the empire. Their culture was never fully erased, perhaps because of how much prominence it was given. Instead, it was folded into the cultures considered 'civilized' by the Arissian elite. Eventually, the Arissian Empire withdrew its forces from Adra Minoris, seeking to protect its home territories from invasion and chaos. Unlike the other islands, the Martish actually maintained nominal Arissian rule using their auxiliary forces. The Arissians, unable to maintain direct rule, welcomed this, and named the ruler of Martum the Magister of the Isles, giving him complete authority to rule over, technically the whole of Adra Minoris, in the Arissian name. Of course, in practice, this means the Martish attempt to maintain Arissian trade routes through the isles, and serve as the main arm of the Arissians in any proxy wars fought against Halstat. The other rulers of the isles view the Magister to be a threat to their authority, and multiple attempts have been made, both within and without, to remove the Magister and install an independent King of the Marteese Isles. However, public support, even after 300 years, still swings heavily in favor of the Arissians, and so all of these attempts have failed. The Martish are a unique people, viewing themselves as both Martish and Arissian, and they see no issue in this. They dream of the day that Arissian rule can be properly established over the isles of Adra Minoris, and fantasize about their place of priority, over the treacherous Haelish, the barbaric Rackish, and the vile Halish.

          Martish folk are known to be strong warriors. They have often been compared to the Throsans, being raised from the age of 7 or 8 to be warriors. However, the Martish comparison doesn't hold true with the Throsan one. For one thing, far less of the Martish actually become warriors. The Martish are also capable seamen, merchants, miners, craftsmen, and warmaking is just one of the things they do well. Furthermore, the Throsans are taught to be islands, figthing men indomitable on their own. Martish warriors are trained in rank, to be an indomitable wall of steel and halberds. On their own, they are far less impressive. The Martish pride themselves on their Arissian ties, and their old island heritage. Their Martish values causes them to revere the stalwart and stoic virtues of the early empire, and the Martish tend to balk at the garish displays of wealth and privilege shown by the Haelish to their north, and yet share their judgements of the Rackish and Halish to be barbaric peoples. Since the empire left the Marteese isles, they have fallen on harder times, and so it is common for Martish boys and girls, not out of wanderlust but out of desperation, to leave their home and travel elsewhere in search of work, particularly those of the martial disciplines. They tend to be hardy and simple: the main staples of their diet are literally meat and potatoes, since the rocky terrain of Martum allows for few crops to grow other than potatoes. The Martish governing system is a strange mishmash of the old imperial system, and the growing system of feudalism taking hold in Adra Majoris. There is a centralized government that collects taxes and organizes military functions, but there are also a series of landed magnates who hold wealth and power, and who bring their retinue to arms when Martum is at war with their enemies. The Martish, revered for their temperate ways by many, cannot be claimed to have mastered the aesthetic arts. Their food is notoriously gritty and mealy, their music is harsh and ugly, and their art is childish and simple. Dwarvish culture left its mark on the Martish in their past, meaning that many Martish have a keen sense of the value and craft of precious metals and gemstones. They also have a well-reputed love of ale, and like the dwarves, are famed for drinking quantities that seem difficult to imagine at times. The Martish value physical fitness, and physical sports are promoted among the youth. Because of this, many of these sports, like polo, javelin throwing, and charioteering are all popular spectator sports as well. However, when an activity or sport is known to require grace, balance, or agility, the Martish tend to perform poorly. Instead, they are known for outlasting their opponents, rather for outrunning them. The Martish are generally good people, but tend to be reactionary as a whole. The Martish assume war will inevitably break out with their neighbors, and so are often the first to provoke the war, preemptively. Their fear of being trampled on by the Haelish, or Halish, or Saldonians, all make them constantly vigilant, constantly defensive. This can be a useful quality, but it can also mean that the Martish are a people with a quick temper, and an itchy sword-hand.

          The Martish people are most highly concentrated in the Marteese isles, including the chief isle of Martum. There are also many Marteese living in the lands the Arissian Empire, and some in the other islands of Adra Minoris. The races of the Martish are most predominately human, halfling, and dwarf. While many new religious affiliations are brewing across the isles, the predominate pantheon is the Old Ones, with the old imperial cult remaining an important tie to the Arissians. Martish tend to be temperate, tough, and disciplined. They also tend to be boorish, clumsy, and irascible. Among the general population, and within the home, Middle Arissian is the dominate language among the Martish. However, within the halls of power, High Arissian tends to be spoken.

If you choose the Martish Culture, you gain the following:

~Either a +1 to your Constitution score or a +1 to your Strength score~

~A -1 to your Dexterity score~

~As a known language, either Middle Arissian Common or High Arissian Common~

~A Sub-Discipline in every knowledge skill on checks relating to Martish Culture~

Back to Cultures of Adra Minoris

Back to Culture

Back to Expanded Backgrounds

Back to Adra - 3rd Era World Guide