Hillfolk

The freedoms valued most are those hardest fought and most recently deprived. The Hillfolk of both Tarrasconensis and Lusitania have been conquered and made the vassals of foreign powers hostile to their way of life. These conquests each came near half a century ago but the countryside still crawls with guerilla soldiers waging a campaign for independence. They seek to turn every stone, person, and animal of the land against the occupying forces.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Hillfolk culture is defined by self sufficiency. Every person is expected to be able to provide for their own basic survival needs; food, tools, shelter, and weapons. Exceptions are only made for cases of physical injury or disability, the concept of specialized labor being exempt from farming or hunting is foreign to them. As such Hillfolk are nearly impossible to disarm for any length of time, as they will immediately set about turning any items available into deadly weapons.

Shared customary codes and values

The Hillfolk do not put faith in concepts as abstract or distant as a state or empire. Their society is built on a complex web of personal relationships of patronage, and leadership through acclaim. Thus a soldier is not loyal to his nation but his direct commander who owes service to his commander and so on until one reaches the overall commander. This gives each Hillfolk a far more personal stake in any organization they join, but also means they can leave without a care should their tie of patronage be severed. It is only the greatest of Hill leaders who are capable of forging an organization that unanimously swears loyalty to a single individual patron

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

The people who live in the hills of Occidentia south of Capetia are of a rugged breed. Both sexes abstain from shaving any body hair or cutting their hair any shorter than shoulder length. Extensive modification of the body even just by shaving a beard is seen as a sign of insecurity in ones natural beauty.

Related Organizations

• Lusitania
• Tarraconensis

Languages spoken

• Hillfolk
• Nysan

Every Stick a Spear, Every Rock a Mace

You can use furniture, farm implements, or nearly anything else at hand to attack your foes. Anything from a ladder to a haunch of meat to barstool is a weapon once you touch it. Regardless of the exact item, the weapon does 1d6 points of damage. Most items do bludgeoning damage, although shishkabob skewers, for example, would do piercing damage. Long items (such as ladders) have reach according to their length, and items with many protrusions (such as chairs) give you a +2 bonus on disarm attempts. Finally large items with broad, flat surfaces (such as tables) can be upended to become improvised tower shields.