Qyllibi (KILL-ih-bee)

61% Gnomes (rock gnomes), 32% Harkrins, 7% Other Races

---

Qyllibi is less a nation than a region, sparsely inhabited by the resourceful gnomes of the Kras'kora mountains and the harkrins who live high atop its peaks.

The Palisades

The Kras'kora mountains are deceptively hard to cross. While the eastern fork of the mountains has its underground tunnels and its passes, the smaller mountain range between Althruel and Toralaithe, known colloquially as The Palisades, is an extremely dangerous journey. Between the fierce weather and the lack of traversable passes, most expeditions fail to cross it. Throughout the centuries, Althruel has used this as its defense (hence the name "Palisades"). Toralaithe has mostly given up on crossing them, since the elves have a claim to the land and there's no reason to start a fight over it. However, there are people who know how to travel the terrain. The gnomes of Qyllibi live in villages nestled in caves, built under cliffs, and hidden among the snow. These villages are almost impossible to find without being told how, and their residents never make themselves known. Higher in the mountains, above the clouds and trees, are the reclusive harkrin settlements. These winged people live in such high elevations that most people can't acclimitize to the pressure without magical assistance, and their villages are not built for people who are stuck to the ground. If one does manage to travel across the Palisades, they may pass a handful of villages without ever knowing it.

Wartime Controversy

For many years, the Kras'kora region has been peacefully balanced. Althruel, Toralaith, and Qyllibi have largely minded their own and kept out of each other's way for a handful of centuries. The invasion of Althruel has changed this. Many gnomes and some whole villages have broken their isolationist tradition to help the elven refugees. Even some harkrins have been rallied to help. While tradition dictates everyone treat each other with polite respect, this is a high point of contention in the region as the paths become open to more and more people. It's only a matter of time, it seems, until Toralaithe, Vaas-Vrudak, or even Barak-tor decide to move further into the mountains, and the gnomes have no army to stop them.

Pictured: The Palisades are not empty, although they may look it. 

Demonym. Qyllibian

Languages. Gnomish, Common, Auran

Government. Each gnomish village has its own loose government, usually lead by a trusted elder or leader. The leaders meet when they need to, but they aren't unified as a single nation. The harkrin villages are lead by an individual, and the title often passes through the family. Harkrin leaders barely communicate with each other because of how far apart they're each settled.

Demographics. Both groups settled in Qyllibi are quite strict in their isolation. It's very rare that a person is allowed to stay in a gnomish village, although it's not unheard of. The harkrins are not unwelcoming, but most other races can't survive in the elevations they live in, so they rarely need to be.

Military and Defense. The mountains protect the Qyllibian people, and while there are hunting groups, there are no armies among the mountainfolk. Many harkrins practice druidic magic, but they're not trained in combat.

Economy. Settlements in Qyllibi sometimes trade with each other, but none of the villages import goods from the surrounding nations. Every so often a Qyllibian gnome will bring goods from the mountains outside of them, but they don't rely on imported goods to survive. The harkrins send their hunters down the mountains to forage and hunt while many gnomish villages have perfected sunless agriculture so they can grow food in caves and under cliffs.