The following piece is a fragment of backstory or world history from an unreleased role-playing game. It was written by Cindy Vanous, copyright Sierra On-Line, 1998.
The Freeborn (Nation: Holdwood)
There is a saying in the cities of Shand: "Don't forage in the forest, for the nuts will disagree with you." Possibly true in the literal sense of the phrase, but more appropriate to the denizens of Holdwood, the giant forest which borders Shand on one side. The "Nuts", so-nicknamed in Shandrian jokes for their tree-dwelling habit, were once a Shand protectorate (read: oppressed source of resources and labor). This lasted only until the Night of Tears, after which the Shandrians were too busy rebuilding their own cities to worry about the outflung reaches of their empire.
The forest people, breaking away from the Shandrian empire, declared themselves the Freeborn, swearing that neither they nor their descendants would ever again fall under the control of another nation. Their forest home they re-named Holdwood, and accordingly vowed that they would hold it free against all who sought to take it. At that time, or so it is said, the Freeborn welcomed all those who would fight Shand to defend the Holdwood, and who were willing to live in accordance with the customs and laws of the Freeborn. If this doubtful piece of history is true, it would have been the last time the Freeborn welcomed anyone across their borders without an excellent reason, a full purse, and an oath to leave quickly.
This dislike of other people applies, to an extent, even among the Freeborn themselves. Fiercely independent and somewhat anti-social, the forest people like a lot of space between themselves and their neighbors. Their homes are widely spaced among the ancient trees, and their few cities are small and sparsely populated. (The Shandrians joke that if they wished to retake the Holdwood, they could march in and recapture the forest without bloodshed or sweat, as the Freeborn would be too busy hiding or arguing to stop them.)
The one exception to this rule is the capitol of Holdwood, Vair'ma Brier, whose name rather prosaically means "Reclaimed Thicket". The product of eight centuries of Freeborn magic, this incredible city was grown amidst the stone ruins of the hated Shandrian provincial fortress. Twenty acorns were planted around the site, eight in the center and twelve to surround them, and there they grew, shaped by generation after generation of mages into a towering, interwoven city of branches, leaves, and trunks. A city's worth of people live in the woven walls and broad avenues of Vair'ma Brier, shaded by a thick green canopy and rarely setting foot to ground.
Aside from Vair'ma Brier, the magic of the Freeborn has crafted three imposing Wonders: the wall of living wood and bramble known as Thornguard, the great orchard called Cabra's Blessing, and the Tree of Ages. Thornguard is a vegetative wall some hundred miles long and fifty to seventy feet high, which blocks the border of Holdwood and Shand, and is thorny only on the Shandrian side. Cabra's Blessing is a beautiful place, ringed by silent, massive oaks, where wide berry bushes and short fruit trees grow in reckless profusion, bearing their fruits and leaves year-round, no matter the season. And the Tree of Ages is an ancient and singular giant, different from any other tree in the Holdwood. Legend has it that this towering, red-barked enigma was brought as a seed from the Freeborn's first home, a land razed by war many centuries before, and planted in the Holdwood as a reminder of what they had lost. The sheer height of this tree dwarfs even the mighty oaks of Vair'ma Brier, and it is said that if you tell your tale to the Tree of Ages, it will remember it forever.
The forest people have a strong religion, one which is intertwined with both their magic and their healers. Rather predictably, it is a nature-based belief system, personifying flora, fauna, and natural forces as sentient spirits. The cabra are the spirits of the trees, the dobra are the spirits of wind and rain, the geilbra are the malicious spirits of fire and lightning, the mebra are the spirits of animals, and shibra are the spirits of humans. The sun is the great spirit, Y'lnabra, who guides the other spirits and gives them life. The Freeborn take very good care of the trees in which they live, as they feel that the cabra which dwells within each tree is being kind to allow them to reside within its branches, and if they were to neglect it, the cabra might cease to shelter them... or worse.
The Freeborn religion is called Y'lnabra Gafon, literally Beloved of Y'lnabra. The priests of this religion are those who have the gift for magerie, as they believe all magic to be granted directly from the various spirits, and that those people who are so talented are blessed. The priest/mages preside over various ceremonies and festivals, shape trees into homes, practice a direct and often painful form of sorcerous healing, and help to maintain the four great Wonders. Priest/mages can be of either gender and any age, and due to some odd freak of genetics or magic, almost always have one green eye and one brown. Go figure.
The government of Holdwood is loosely organized and rarely heeded. The Freeborn usually keep their own counsel and live as they please, but there are two times in their lives when they are required to put the welfare of their people over their own concerns. The first of these times is a Freeborn's twentieth birthday, when he (or she -- the Freeborn make little distinction between genders) must "leave the nest", so to speak, and take up arms as a guardian of the Holdwood. Although the defenders' stated mission is to protect the forest against possible invasion from one of the surrounding nations (including repeated and annoying raids by the Jhinari for shipbuilding wood), their day-to-day function is mainly the rare apprehension of Freeborn lawbreakers and the frequent harassment of visiting foreigners. This duty lasts for two years, after which the new adult is free to build his own life and to completely ignore the needs of the state... until he reaches his fiftieth birthday. On that day, again, he must leave his home and family and take up residence in the capitol for one year. During this time he will sit upon the Council of Elders, reviewing the few Holdwood laws, approving trades, hearing disputes (of which there are many), judging the cases of lawbreakers, arguing amongst themselves, and, again, harassing visiting foreigners. This latter term of service is considered a vacation amongst the forest folk, and is looked forward to with great anticipation.
The Freeborn are part of the three-way treaty which guarantees protection of Mardony. Trade with the Mardons is a necessary part of Holdwood life, since the Freeborn feel it would be sacrilege to clear enough land to grow wheat, yet they have developed a great taste for bread. Besides, they live in the perpetual hope that one day the Shandrians will renege on their word and cause the other three cultures to band together and crush them. ("Yrio'n nal grat", meaning "May they break the treaty", is often said as a habitual response to any mention of Shand, much as we would say "gesundheit" when somebody sneezes.)
Freeborn clothing is generally close-fitting, to prevent snagging on underbrush or branches, and vibrant in color. Fruit, flower, nut, and sap extracts are used to produce some of the most vivid textile dyes available on Athyr. These dyes are one of the Holdwood's most popular exports, particularly with the Mequali, and have brought a good deal of gold into the Freeborn coffers.
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