Izotza People

In a Barren, Frozen Land

by nenets

The native people who live at Sigurd's Craw in the Northern Wastes are known as the Izotza or "People of Ice". They eke out an existance on the fringe of the frozen continent, refusing to give up the toehold that humans established in the early portions of the First Wave. The Izotza have legends and oral traditions, specifically the Tale of Woe that explains the transformation of the continent that occurred at the Cataclysm. This story was recently popularized by Egiten Aizuain who visited last year on her quest to visit the site of the The University of the Arcane and discover information about the cause of the Cataclysm.

by evgenii mitroshin

The Izota are primarily herders, who follow the Way of the Fireley and Waterley taking herds of reindeer further into the land during the summer months when the frigid weather is at it's mildest, and falling back to the coast during the bitter cold winter months. Reindeer at the lifeblood of these people who use them for heavy transport, food and warmth. They also raise and train the sled dogs that are the backbone of communication between travelers and their home base when they guide adevnturers into the Northern Wastes. Because the Izotza live so close to the shore, seals and sea lions also comprise a significant source of protein which is necessary to sustain life as the area is so cold that crops are difficult to grow and do not provide enough energy or nutrition to sustain a person in the bitter cold weather.
The Izota generate a significant revenue stream from providing guide services to outsiders who wish to see and understand the Northern Wastes without getting killed. The most infamous of these was Hamerber Dreadlok who as a matter of record travelled the interior of the Northern Wastes more than any other person after the Cataclysm.