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 Puerdu (Nation: Alabo, "Goldenmarch")

The Puerdu were once the nomads of Athyr, and that history is evident even today. For thousands of years, the great plain Alabo was home to dozens of Puerdu clans, each moving along a traditional pattern of hunting and foraging, stopping in one place for no longer than a fortnight to set up temporary shelters of hides and grasses, then moving on again. Two thousand years ago, the Puerdu had domesticated pack beasts and a few personal effects, but few other possessions.

Today, the great plain Alabo is known across the world as Goldenmarch. The name comes partly from the golden color of the tall plains grasses, and partly from the cynical observation that the Puerdu make a considerable sum of money at their new occupation, which is trade and transportation of goods across the plains. Once the Puerdu realized that other cultures were making more and more forays across their land to trade resources and goods with the peoples on the other side, they began to wonder why.

One young man, the heir to a large Puerdu clan, made the journey to Otrivel. He hoped to study the trading practices of the Jhinari, who, according to merchants who traveled across Alabo, transported all goods which needed to cross the sea. He reasoned that his own people were in a similar situation, and should take advantage of this fact. After six months in the company of the Jhinari, he returned with two major realizations: first, that the Puerdu were considered primitive by the rest of the cultures of Athyr, little more than wandering herds of animals, and second, that a considerable amount of gold was involved in the passage of goods across Puerdu land, none of which ended up in Puerdu pockets. He resolved to change both of these situations.

After a considerable amount of debate and dispute, his clan broke their millennia-old pattern and moved to the edge of Alabo. They set up camp on a major trade route, where they first offered and then, when ignored, began to demand payment for moving goods across the plains. Not to go into too much bloody detail, after twenty years of violence, during which several of the other Puerdu clans became involved, the bordering nations realized that it would be cheaper to simply pay the Puerdu for transport than to lose a constant supply of soldiers, mercenaries, and cargo to a very long and hostile stretch of territory. As for simply going around Alabo, it was out of the question... not only was the journey too long, but it would mean traveling through territory held by the Jhinari, who were considerably better-armed (and even more mercenary about trade) than the Puerdu.

Thus began the enrichment of the Puerdu, and the end of their ancient nomadic lifestyle. More and more clans joined the burgeoning cities along Alabo's borders, trading and transporting foreign goods, and intermarrying with other families until the distinction between clans began to blur. Still, the Puerdu wanderlust was not so easily suppressed, and groups routinely left the city for months at a time, to hunt and forage along the old patterns, returning food and supplies to the now-permanent cities. One thing which particularly interests scholars is that the Puerdu building style has never evolved... even in their permanent cities, the houses and shops are temporary, and often change location within the town itself. Old habits die hard.

Although the Puerdu have a hereditary sovereign, descended from the man who built the first trade city, he is nearly powerless. A council representing the twelve remaining clans handles issues such as trade disputes and justice. The sovereign is now merely a figurehead who speaks for the Puerdu when foreign representatives come to visit or bargain, but who has no real power of his own.

The Puerdu religion is very abstract, and only loosely followed. Its single tenet is that the World-mother, the deity who created Athyr, put a piece of herself into each thing that she created... the sun, the grass, the water, each tree, each animal, each person... and that all things were there to be her eyes and her ears and her hands, so that they might bring their experiences and knowledge to her when they return. In practice, however, it almost seems as if the true religion of the Puerdu is money.

The Puerdu were the single race who survived the last Mirabilis virtually unchanged. The energy wave tore some of their temporary buildings and shelters from the ground, killing a few people and animals in the process, but new shelters quickly took the place of the old, and life went on. Considerably more damage was done the following spring, when runoff from the mountain snowmelt found its traditional way down the east side of the mountains partially blocked, and poured down the west side instead. The resultant flood covered fully a fourth of the plains, forcing several groups to change their hunting and foraging patterns, and miring pack animals and trade carts in sucking mud.

Over the next century, the seasonal deluge ate a channel from the fertile soil of the plain, funneling the torrential snow-melt runoff from the mountains to the sea. The racing waters further eroded the soil in and around the channel, until a sprawling, mighty river was formed. The Puerdu, recognizing a good thing when they saw it, quickly took control of this passage through their land and built cargo rafts to move trade goods from the mountains to the forest. Just as the bazaar cities had formed at the edges of Alabo to facilitate land trade routes, they now sprung up along the new river, one at each end and one in the middle.

The traditional Puerdu magerie of beastwarding is no longer a necessity, but it is still often practiced as a means of providing both pack animals to carry goods across the plain and a ready supply of riding animals to sell to neighboring nations. More recently, though, the plains people have taken up a new sorcerous art -- battlemagerye. This ancient form of magic has been largely ignored in recent centuries, practiced only sporadically by warriors from various cultures. But the Puerdu have found new uses for the old skills. Increased stamina can be used to chase down a packdeer for several miles. Farseeing is always helpful, whether tracking prey or watching the caravans of rival clans. Extra strength can pull a mired trade cart free from the muck. Increased accuracy helps hunters to bring their prey down with a single shot or throw. And the Puerdu make no secret of this revival of warrior magic, giving pause to any other culture who might consider them an easy target.

The Puerdu live in a world of tan, green, and brown, and this is reflected in their fabrics and construction. Shelters and tents are made from brown hides and golden grasses, the loose plains clothing is dyed in shades of tan, gold, and brown. Even the Puerdu themselves display the same coloration, being blonde or light-brown haired, and having an unusual golden-tan complexion. This camouflages them nicely in the long plains grass, and hides them from the beasts they hunt.

Puerdu Religious Rituals
Puerdu Customs

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