The Reverians are a human people descended from Gerudian Reavers who came to settle in the Dragon Coast, especially the Reaver’s Coast. They are infamous for their historic practice of piracy and their axe-men.
History[]
In 825, Reaverking Askel arrived at Reaver’s Landing, seizing the northernmost provinces of the Kingdom of Iochand. They would go on to take the Gnomish Pass from the Kingdom of Eaglecrest, founding the Kingdom of Reveria. While the Dalric Reavers adopted the Cannorian Pantheonic faith and the Common tongue of their native Iochander subjects, Reverian peoples retained more of their old Gerudian customs than the other Reaver-descended Derannic and Pearlsedger cultures did.
The Reverians extended across much of the southern Dragon Coast over the following centuries, assimilating the remaining Iochanders north of the Portroy River following the Sack of Iochand in 1264. The Portroy Agreement signed with Lorent halted further Reverian incursions south of the river. This period of dominance would come to an end, however, when they were driven out of the Gnomish Pass by the Cliff Gnomes of Nimscodd in 1396 with the aid of Gawed.
Society[]
Reaver blood runs strong among Reverians, and they are proud of it; beyond a close affinity with the western seas where many fish and trade, they also historically maintained the practice of raiding and piracy. Reverian captains were often hired as privateers by other nations to wreak havoc on their rivals’ trade, while their mercenaries worked as shock troop units with their ferocity and courage.
Axes have long been the preferred weapon of Reverian soldiers, their footmen famed for their skill. Even when cavalry innovations led to their axe-men becoming obsolete, Reverians developed the poleaxe to answer the growing use of cavalry charges. Later on, the axe-pistol would become an infamous symbol of the Reverian armies and as a reminder to all of their Gerudian elite huscarl heritage.
While using finer cloth than what Gerudians use, Reverians continued to favor the simple and sturdy styles of the Northmen, making frequent use of fur for trims and cloaks. Later, naval outfits from the Dameshead influenced those who lived in seaside towns and cities, while those further inland retained the older, simpler fashions.
While Reveria does not contain the most bountiful farmlands, Reverians who remain on land work small farms to keep the nation fed. Reverians supplement the crops they have reaped with freshly-caught saltwater fish and imported Lorentish wine; when feasting, it is not uncommon for them to tell tall tales of adventure and ancestral exploits in a manner akin to the Skalds of Gerudia.
The Reverians maintain a friendly disposition with the halflings of the Small Country, especially those of Appleton, welcoming them as laborers and farmhands in peace and hiring their mercenaries in times of war. Their relations with gnomes are more mixed; Cliff and Creek gnomes historically served as advisors and guides to Reverian leaders, but the Reverian sacking of Iochand and the Nimscodder invasion of the Gnomish Pass made later relations more difficult.