Shining White

Overview

The spirit mound of the Griffon tribe of Uthgardt barbarians sits atop a rocky hill overlooking a tributary of the River Surbrin, south of the Lurkwood. During the winter, most of Shining White is buried under snow. During the summer, the grass atop the mound grows tall.
Two raised rings of grass-covered earth form Shining White, which gets its name from a 280-foot-tall spire of white chalk that rises atop the hill. This landmark is visible for miles. The menhirs and altar that once stood atop the spirit mound were carved from opalescent marble. Three stone giants recently desecrated the mound, knocking over all the menhirs and cairns. They also dug up and pulverized the central altar. The Uthgardt who claim this mound have not yet learned of the desecration.

Ancient Relic

In the middle of Shining White is an altar mound surrounded by a griffon-shaped indentation in the earth, the form of which isn’t readily apparent until one takes to the air or climbs to the top of the rocky spire. The stone giants smashed the marble altar to rubble, but they didn’t dig underneath it. There, the followers of Uthgar buried both halves of a giant relic: a colorfully painted porcelain mask crafted long ago for a cloud giant. The mask is nonmagical, and each half weighs 20 pounds. If the halves are brought together, they display the image of a face that bears a fearsome scowl. The mask is too large to be repaired with a mending spell.

Uthgardt Barbarians

The Uthgardt barbarians are a black-haired and blue-eyed people - large, bloodthirsty folk with inhuman dispositions. Few Uthgardt are willing to trade with civilized folk. Most are vicious raiders who pillage and destroy any caravan or homestead they come across.
Uthgardt barbarians take their name from Uthgar Gardolfsson, a great hero-chief who battled giants and conquered much of The North. In addition to revering Uthgar, each tribe venerates a totem animal spirit after which the tribe is named.
Numerous Uthgardt tribes have been vanquished over the years, and at least one tribe previously thought to be extinct has returned in force. There are currently eleven known Uthgardt tribes scattered throughout The North. Each tribe claims a vast tract of wilderness as its hunting grounds - territory that often overlaps with the hunting grounds of other Uthgardt tribes as well as land claimed by civilized races, orcs, dragons, goblinoids, and other monsters.
Uthgardt speak their own language (called Bothii), which has no alphabet. Each tribe is made up of several widely scattered clans, each with its own chieftain and tribal shaman. The chieftains of a particular tribe choose one among them to become the great chief of the tribe, with power comparable to a monarch.
Uthgardt barbarians bury their dead under cairns and earthen mounds. These burial sites are scattered throughout The North in out-of-the-way places. Each Uthgardt tribe also has a single spirit mound that is sacred to its people. A spirit mound is where members of the tribe gather to revere Uthgar, honor their ancestors, make sacrifices to their totem animal spirit, and choose a new great chief when the old one dies. The Uthgardt believe that their ancestors trapped their totem spirits under these mounds so that they and their descendants could commune with the spirits and gain their power.
Uthgardt barbarians fear magic so much that they will attempt to kill and dismember spellcasters they meet. Tribal shamans are not attacked because their power comes from the spirits of their dead ancestors.
Uthgardt hunt and forage for food. With one notable exception among the tribes, they don't build houses or permanent settlements, preferring a nomadic lifestyle.
Of all their enemies, Uthgardt barbarians hate orcs most of all. Even rival tribes will unite against a rampaging orc horde. The Uthgardt treat giants with similar contempt - the legends of the barbarians are replete with tales of how evil giants slew their ancestors.

Griffon Tribe

The great chief of the Griffon tribe, Halric Bonesnapper (CN male Illuskan human gladiator), is the great-grandson of Kralgar Bonesnapper, who was killed by orcs many years ago. Like his ancestor, Halric longs to wipe out the cities of The North, but his tribe has made too many enemies of late, and its numbers are dwindling. Some of the more jaded tribesfolk believe that the Bonesnapper clan has lost Uthgar's divine favor. Halric refutes such claims by staging bold raids. Griffon barbarians venture as far west as the Sword Coast and as far east as the Silver Marches, and they are known to raid homesteads and ranches in the Dessarin Valley north of Triboar and Yartar.

Type

Barrow / Burial ground