The Riding

A federation of cities and villages along the banks of the Green River and its tributaries stretching from the foothills of the Badcrag Mountains to the Forearc Basin.  The Riding was traditionally under the loose rulership of the Lord of Greenmouth but is now occupied by the Empire of Polonia.

Economy

Grains, meats and the products of craftsmen are traditionally transported up and down the Green River by barge, although the Southern Mercantile Company prefers to use caravans for precious and important cargoes.The folk of The Riding are primarily farmers and herders.  The rich soils and easy irrigation opportunities support a vibrant farming economy.  

Map of The Riding Blacksmiths in The Riding are often viewed as creating inferior products to those that are produced in the Orcish lands and made available for trade in Darkstone, but their work is more than sufficient for horseshoes, carts, and farm implements.

Lumber is produced is limited but growing quantities as the prosperity of The Riding has increased over the most recent decades.  This prosperity had resulted in a call for finer houses and farmsteads.

All sea trade of note occurs in Greenmouth as the Green River is too shallow to allow ships with large drafts to reliably make their way upriver during harvest time.  The majority of trade conducted in Greenmouth is a result of foreign traders calling at the port, rather than traders from The Riding heading out into the seas.

Religion

The folk of the Riding primarily worship local gods reflecting the various aspects of nature, but the River God Plethamor would be considered transcendent over the other deities of the Riding pantheon.  

Population

The folk of the Riding identify as human, but might be characterized as half orc or half elf. Almost everyone exhibits at least some physical aspects of Orcs or Elves due to historical intermixing of the populations.  The mixed background of the RIding is popularly attributed to the Primeval Days of the Riding and the co-location of Orcs, Elves and Humans in the same lands.

However, there are no pure-blood Orcs or Elves in The Riding.  Pure blood orcs are often reported in the Orcish lands east of the Pillars of Krokus, but none have been seen in the Riding proper in centuries.  A reliable report of an encounter with an elf in either The Riding or the surrounding lands has not occurred in decades and some would argue that an Elf hasn't appeared in the Riding proper since the Primeval Days of the Riding.

Cities