Acerbus

Acerbus is a mountain filled country that is known for it's harsh storms and dark clouds, along with hard to navigate land and tough terrain. Underneath Acerbus is Umbra. It is home to many drow, orcs and goblinoids who have gotten away from the influence of evil gods; there is also a large dwarf population due to the many mountains.

Geography
Acerbus is a mountain-y country with low laying wetlands forming marshes and bogs. The south east is incredibility humid and home to most of the swampland the country has. Meanwhile the Northwest is cold with frequent fog descending from the steep cliff sides and a lot of rain.

The ground was once (3000 years ago) magically blighted by Lolth as both a punishment and an attempt at making the residents return to worshiping her. As such most conventional crops die in the soil of the land, however new plants that adapted begun to spring up, with aid from the naturally inclined of the country. It has made Acerbus the home of unqite plants and animals that can only be found there. It has also made their food wholly their own.

It is located in Kennric.

Locations of Note

 * Morsiire: The capital of the country and home it's queen. It stands vigilant at the site of the last fight with Lolth's followers at the end of The Oblivion.
 * Molume: Once a home to the most prestigious of academys after it's closure it has became a hub of more low brow culture and the home of the largest gladiator arenas.

Society
Acerbus society values endurance, the right to self governance, and enduring greatness. As such those who've been through the worst of life are treated with much respect, would be tyrents are shunned and destroyed, and trying to cement a legacy is one of the most important things.

The drow of the country descend from those who escaped Lolth's reign after realizing her intent with the deals they made with her, but they still held onto guilt for allowing her to become so powerful. Meanwhile other races came to Acerbus to escape from cruelty and powerful and harmful groups on other continents. As such it is not a judgemental place to live so long as you don't continue the harm of your ancestors or past.

Due to the blight of the land the people of Acerbus are known to be resilient and creative problem solvers.

Military
As of 2996 AO Acerbus has extreme tensions with Enthas due to their escalating searches for the artifacts of the Nephillum and paranoia for when the other will strike. Due to that Acerbus has kept most of it's army by the border to Saltu.

There is always a platoon kept stationed near the only road leading into the mountains housing the entrance to Umbra. The two countries are at tensions but neither are able to make the first move due to the extreme advantage the other has on their home turf.

Espionage
Acerbus's outside focus is on obtaining the magical secrets of Dunamancy and the ancient inventions of the Nephillum. As Dunamancy is not widely practiced anywhere they have sent people to the hub of Enthas' research and a few agents in Saltu should any of the tribes figure it out.

Within the country limits it is on rooting out any spies sent by Umbra, Lolth Sympathizes among the upper class or religious class, or internal threats to the power of Queen Ilmra Horel.

On an individual level many nobles employ spies against their rivals.

Acerbus is second best in the world for their Espionage, only beat by Umbra due to the fact that the state's training methods remain humane (although not every private group could say the same).

Politics
The country is ruled over by Queen Ilmra Horel who has ruled for 200 years after taking the throne due to the young deaths of both her parents while out on the sea, to most it is unknown why but they were on their way to Nephillim ruins. She was only 123 when she took the throne, she was the youngest to ever take the throne. Under her is the vassal system with Dukes, Viscounts, and Counts.

Religion
Most good aligned gods associated with the races present in Acerbus are worshipped.

There is little to no religious freedom when it comes to non-approved neutral gods and all evil gods as Acerbus wants to make certain that Lolth or any other evil god gains power over the people and that Acerbus becomes like Umbra. However this includes good aspects of evil gods or careful worship. The punishment for worshiping a non approved deity is imprisonment and the creation of a cult is death.

Gladiators
Gladiatorial combat is a feature of Acerbus culture where those who wish to test their might can fight in arenas located in the major cities to prove their combat prowess and win prizes. It is a holdover from Umbra's fighting rings but made volentary and given respect to those who enter the arena. It is one of the largest entertainment sectors in the country.

Gender Roles
While rejecting the strict matriarchy of Umbra there remains a bias towards women.

History
Acerbus was founded during The Oblivion and was one of the things that escalated the war between the gods. Some of the people of Umbra were tired of the treatment they received and the iron grip Lolth kept over their people. As such they undertook the pilgrimage to the surface world. There they were welcomed by the people of Saltu, who had the land that later would be known as Acerbus.

Not long after that, as they were figuring out their role on the surface and in Saltu, Lolth declared war upon them. She began to blight the land and send her army against them. They fought against her and her forces with aid of the people of Saltu. In the end most of the western side of the continent was blighted but the blight was stopped from spreading further and Acerbus was made it's own country. The tribe leaders of Saltu could not take on any more of their problems.

The people had to quickly adapt which lead them to developing a lot of druids, clerics, and rangers who healed the land enough for new plants to grow and new life to take root.

Trivia

 * Geographically Acerbus is inspired by the following.
 * Northwest & East: Britain
 * Southeast: Florida & New Orleans
 * Southwest:
 * Culturally Acerbus is inspired by the following.
 * Kryn Dynasty
 * Flerlden
 * Medieval Britain
 * Southeast: Cajun French
 * There is a lot of generational trauma present in Acerbus due to being only three generations removed from those who lived in Umbra and lived through the founding of the country.