Kavash
Once a military Outpost for the Dwarves, Kavash has grown into a relatively peaceful nation. it's population Mostly consists of Dwarves, Halflings, and Gnomes, who employ Dwarven building techniques to dig directly into the Mountains and hills that make up the country.
Kavash is unique for it's relative peace dispite the ongoing wars that wage around it. Infact, this peace is not an accident. It is one of the few countries that is directly under the protection of the fey. The fey have driven many conflicts away from the borders of Kavash- from the invasion of the dwarves, to the ongoing conflicts to the east. There is no concensus on why Kavash is so loved by the fey, but it is hypothesised to be related to the high number of portals to the feywild here.
Although the Fair folk of Kavash do not live side-by-side with the fey, they exist in the shadows, and many of the country's cultural practicies exist to make space for them. Many Kavan families will speak fondly of cousins and uncles who look nothing like them. A Cobler may praise the talents of his apprentice who's feet are too small for any of the shoes in his store. A butcher may recieve meat from a firbolg that turns into solid gold overnight.
Overview
Climate: Temperate, Wet summers
Biome: Forests and Mountains. The weather is always perfectly seasonal, and storms wash over the country with little fuss.
Government: Druidic council that consider the desires of the fey, but respect their dislike for organized government by leaving them out of it.
Technology: High magic, High druidic, Low tech, Low religion
Primary Culture: Druidic, with Fey and Dwarvish culture.
Cultural Values
Work Ethic
The Kavan work ethic is nominal. Although humble in it's exports, Kavan craftsmen and artisans are well known worldwide. Many think the Kavash ideal to be quite simple-minded. But a Kavan would argue that it is not about the bells and whistles that are put into a product, but the way it feels in one's hands, its durability, it's materials.
Living With the Spirits
Respect for nature is very high in Kavash. This is because of the belief that every rock tree and stream can and may house a spirit. It is not uncommon for a Kavan hunter to introduce himself to the trees before starting out for the day, or for a particularly bountiful stream to have a temple erected in it's honor.
The Fey of Kavash are considered analogous to these spirits - the difference between a nature spirit and a dryad is one of semantics at best - and are treated with the same respect. Wandering firbolgs tend to the shrines that pop up in forests, and a child's altar to their favorite reading nook may one day be inhabited by a friendly nisse.
Tradition
With the seamless connection between the feywild and the material plane here, the people of Kavash have had eons to grow in tandem with the fey. Much of druidic practice originates from Kavash. And although not every druid is from Kavash, every Kavan knows the power of the druids, and practices the faith to some degree.
The old ways are baked into the traditions of even the modern settlements, from solstice festivals to holly and elderwood woven into the bastinets made for infants, the magic of the earth is alive here.
Shamans are often consulted as soothsayers, matchmakers, and peacekeepers. As gateways between the world of spirits and of men, they walk effortlessly amongst both, maintaining relations between two very disparate cultures.
Population
Cultural Notes
Please note: these are only the most notable opinions held within the culture. If a species isn't mentioned here, assume they take the view in the species' description page
Fey
Mysterious and secretive, the fey of Kavash are as understood as one might understand a sunshower, or the aurora borealis. It is part of the natural world, it is appreciated, but it is not something to trully know. Even those who can claim to have been loved by a fey at one time or another can not put it into words.
Rather than worship, it might be best to look at the relationship between Kavash and the fey as one of mutualism. These two cultures have evolved side by side for so long that they have become intertwined. And although their cultures are unique and distinct, they compliment eachother very well, fostering respect from both sides.
Firbolgs
Firbolgs are seen as the caretakers of the gateways between the material plane and the feywild. They work closely with the shamans of the druidic camps to help interprerate and resolve the desires of their respective parties.
Goblinoids
Goblins are a rare sight in Kavash not for any great acts of violence, but rather the oposite. It is understood that they fey of Kavash "convinced" the goblinoid army to ignore the welcoming and open lands of Kavash. It is not known how, or why the leadership of Dengal maintains this truce, but it is left up the the wink and nod of any fey that is asked about it.
Adventuring
Aventurers may find work in Kavash to be unconventional. Those who often find themselves swining a sword will here instead mediate arguments, decide bridal gear, and correct fairly simple dispites. The fey are unfortunately a fickle people, and sometimes additional help is required to solve an argument between a young sorcereress and her changeling twin.
Fey dealings, while intimiating to the outsider, are in Kavash are considered relatively normal. They are handled with the same foresight and contemplation that one might put into taking out a loan with a bank, or undergoing a medical procedure.
An adventurer from Kavash is likely to be a druid, or at least hold some belief in the druidic faith. Perhaps they've made a dealing with the fey, or maybe a family member claims to have gotten spirited away once.