Kaumogg Stone Settings

General introduction

The Central Erana Mountain Range is the second largest mountain range on Samthô and thus an area with a complex and confusing terrain. Local peoples deal with the difficulties the landscape poses by setting stones to indicate safe passes, places prone to land or mud slides or avalanches, drinking water and so on.

Interestingly many peoples living in the Central Erana Mountain Range use this system communely, no matter whether they normally interact with one another or not. This mode of communication even transcends all conflicts, as the living conditions in the Central Erana Mountain Range are harsh and by convention the stone settings are considered a safety measure to be used and enjoyed by everyone. Although the system is used by a variety of peoples, the name pays tribute to the Kaumogg, the most numerous ethnicity in the region. The existence of the stone settings was brought to the Tarrabaenians attention by Grópius Avenna Porrótor in one of his published travel diaries.

Shapes and meaning

There are basically three basic shapes the stone settings can take:
Small mounds
The small mound type is generally used as an indicator for safe passages. It just marks the way. The small mounds are generally built of flat lieing stones and have a height of at least four layers. Common modifications are in height, an indicator for the viabilty of the passage - the higher the mound, the less baggage one should carry or consider to not take a mount of beast of burden. The other modification is the secondary mound, which is set only a metre or so apart from the main mound. It is used, when the direction of the way is unclear, like sometimes on hilltops with secondary mounds showing which way to go.
Menhir type settings
These settings are either a line of long, vertically set stones or a circle. They indicate danger of various kinds, but also caves or caverns. The circular settings show caverns, but when there is a taller stone set in the center of the circle, there is a cave. If there is not only one central stone, but two, there is a passage through a cave. Linear settings show danger. Depending on the configuration, either dangerous animals' lairs can be shown as well as threats posed by landslides, falling stones, avalanches and the like.
Y-or-X-shaped settings
These show forks or crossroads. Secondary small mounds add information on the viability of the respective directions.

Distribution and examples

These settings can be found mainly in the central part of the Central Erana Mountain Range. There the Kaumogg, a society of Joun are main users of the system. They live in underground cities, but sometimes also have to travel at the surface. Same is true for the Kubolen, which stem from the Eastern Erana Cave-tinent. These make up the majority of the population in the middle os the mountain range. Various nomadic ethnicities are also present in respective smaller sub-areas. They also contribute to setting stones or maintaining settings already established. It was probably these nomadic people who also promulgated the use of these settings further to the South, although maybe they even started this whole type of communication and the Kubolen and Kaumogg were the ones to pick it up.

In the South, the stone settings are less dense, although there are some bigger communities there. Nonetheless, the communities there do not venture north and vice versa. The little flow of people and wares that exists is due to and facilitated by the nomadic people. Also in the South, especially the Shviliani use stone settings also to indicate the borders of their private land.