The Mountain Folk

Togarmah is a land of contrasts, and that does not stop at the multifold nature of its people. Although the north and central regions of the kingdom are dominated by rolling plains, the south, especially along the border with Vardessy, is a great chain of rugged mountain ranges. Though not approaching the grandeur of the Halvards, they are nonetheless wild and inhospitable, with steep cliffs, howling winds, and snow-capped peaks. The Balinoks, the Doldaks, the Stados - whatever the range, they are known and feared to travelers throughout the region.

Such a harsh land breeds harsh people. Though the people of southern Togarmah - the Korjans, Barovians, Gundalians, and Jaloviks - do not fear raids by orcs or Zelskys, they have little contact with the outside world, owing to their seclusion in the hills and valleys. They are not as wealthy as their northern neighbors, nor as connected by commerce and diplomacy, and they tend to be a dour, insular sort. They rarely make jokes, they are often hesitant to trust strangers, and it is a bit of folk wisdom in Togarmah that a mountaineer will have a superstition for everything, whether it be sprinkling rice in front of their doorstops to distract vampires or tossing salt over their shoulders into the eyes of lurking demons. Still, word travels fast in these lands, and one who earns the respect of these stern people will soon find themselves regarded as a trusted and dependable ally.

That is not to say that these people do not have anything to be happy about. Though arable land is scarce in the rocky mountains, that which is there is quite fertile; there are a fair few volcanoes in the southern ranges, and though they have long sat dormant, their ash blesses the valleys below with fecund soil. So too, the high mountains block northerly winds, allowing the lower valleys to maintain a warmer climate than the open plains. Grapes and plums are a famed crop, and Togarman wines - including the local specialty of aszu, a type of sweet wine made from grapes afflicted by noble rot - are inevitably southern imports, often fetching a high price in the north.

Communities in southern Togarmah tend to be on the smaller side, with villages and homesteads scattered amidst the steep hills and dense, deep forests, surviving off of farming, woodcutting, and herding of livestock through mountain meadows. In addition, the natural seclusion the mountains provide has made them home to many monasteries and hermitages. Many dwarven holds are located in the mountains as well, thanks to their rich veins of ore and subterranean rivers of lava to sustain forges - though these holds are secluded ones too, often with their gates expertly carved to be nearly indistinguishable from the rock. In Togarmah, one may pass a dwarf citadel without even noticing. And even if one did seek the company of the dwarves, the mountaineers regard them as a fickle, uncaring people whose trust must be carefully earned and whose patience is not to be tested - though their enchanted crafts are the stuff of legend.

The mountains limit the scope of any ambitious nobles' plans for expansion, causing isolated domains and petty baronies to thrive here, often laying down the law on their own terms and with little oversight from their feudal lieges. Under the Golden Peace, all nobles of these lands have the right to participate in local elections and are expected to appoint representatives to the court, though not many choose to make the journeys to the grand assemblies, and word from those representatives does not often get back to their homelands. This, consequently, leads to tyrants often ruling their domains by force and oppressing the hapless populace. On the flip side, the mountainous lands provide a natural barrier to invasion - there are many strategic points that castles were build upon, and in the face of foreign incursions, the mountaineers simply retreat into the hills and starve out their would-be conquerers. Even Ghammorz's empire faced difficulties in the southern mountains, and in many cases resorted to bullying local nobles into paying them tribute and keeping them in control as long as they stayed loyal; it was less work than storming every valley and taking out every lord and baron.

Art by James Paick

Of course, it is not only one's fellow man one has to fear in the mountains. Greedy nobles and ruthless bandits are a threat, yes - but so are the monsters lurking in the woods, and the restless spirits of the dead. The nights in the southern valleys are quiet ones, as everyone knows that things lurk in the shadows and are best left undisturbed. Around every hearth, at night, ghoulish stories are told to reinforce these fears. There are werewolves in the forests, ghosts that roam the roads, vampires in their crypts. There are cults to the powers of the Old Faith that still tend to their menhirs and circles - and some worshiping even darker powers. And one should hope they aren't unlucky enough to live under the eye of a tyrant who has made pacts with such supernatural forces...