The Stormswept Foothills
"Many might see the land and see how to abuse it. We see the land and see how to live with it. Every animal has its purpose, every fur and ounce of fat will find its use. This land is sacred and the spirits of it live among us, and our ancestors share the land with us. This land has treated us well, despite the threats that seek to upend our lives, and we shall treat it in kind." Myrriam Theurbyr of The Gwarcoedwig Tribe
Overview
The Stormswept Foothills are the ancestral home of the Baegir and their nature spirits and deities. A craggy highland with swampy bogs, craggy foothills, and windswept plains all rolled into one. A diverse terrain where this breed of half-giants prosper in their tribes, venerating their ancestors and the spirits that watch over them. The Baegir themselves are a relatively peaceful people, ruling over their lands from their tribal lands and paying homage to the gods that rule over their daily lives. They live off the land and in many ways are at peace and harmony with it. Their lifestyle maybe seeming savage and barbaric to other civilizations, but they are lovers of peace first and foremost. They have simply known many enemies over the course of their history and find themselves always prepared to join in battle, many of them being avid hunters, if not devoted to one of the warrior-paths present in Comhairle nan Dia.Geography
The Stormswept Foothills are full of diverse terrains that the Baegir have learned to navigate and live with. From lush forests and windswept plains to craggy hills and marshy bogs, the terrain makes it difficult for outsiders to travel without proper preparation. The people who live within this region have consolidated into tribal community groups, working with each other through usually bartering and charity to provide for one another as a community. Many traveling to other tribes within the region bring goods to trade for the crafts and material local to their lands as well. However, they do still have coin which they use for trade caravans outside of their home and to allow for outsiders to still purchase their goods without needing to figure out their bartering system.
Amongst the golden plains of The Stormswept Foothills lies many of the Baegir tribes. This covers a large swath of land where horses are favored and palisade towns are built upon hills overlooking the land. The Great Tribes that call the plains their home are the Snáchos Tribe, known for their skilled use of horses. They are the ones who breed the fastest and strongest horses amongst their people. Then there are the Hebogweld Tribe known for their scouts. They are masters of Seabhac Roghnaithe, Aspect of the Hawk and known for their swift guerilla tactics. Their hunters are usually called upon to fell particularly deadly beasts. The final Great Tribe to call this region their home are the Amathaneal Tribe, who often boast the claim of being the first and oldest tribe descendant from Gaul's bloodline. These are mighty, yet majestic and honorable warriors. Their home is often where the Council of Twelve Tribes is called. The final tribe and perhaps the most ferocious of them all are the Cynddarbh Tribe who fight with such a ferocity in battle that it is said they can take fatal wounds and keep fighting until the battle has ended. Many mystics suggest that perhaps they draw upon the power of Cailleach, The Worldbreaker himself, wielding his destructive force with each swing of blade, axe, and hammer. They tend to favor shock tactics and while not always the heaviest armored, will often charge and throw themselves into the middle of an enemy force so that they might fight their way back out again.
Then there is the highlands, a craggy region of steep hills and mountains jutting into the sky. Stone formations make up this region and make it harder for individuals to travel by horse and cart both. Despite this, many Great Tribes call this place home, being very defensible and resource rich. The towns here are often built alongside naturally rich ore veins or surrounded by otherwise large rock formations that form a barrier around one of its sides. The tribes that often make their home here are the Madallaidh Tribe who stalk the crags with bows and steel, praying on weaker enemies with their pack-like tactics. Many attribute this tribe to mastery of Madadh-allaidh, Aspect of the Wolf as well. Then there are the Gaisgaidach Tribe a Great Tribe who has bred many of the finest warriors of the Baegir. These warriors tend to use large weapons such as claymores and bastard swords, charging into battle with warpaint and light armor, cleaving their way through hoards of their foes with such ease that many think twice before crossing them. While one of the lesser Great Tribes but still playing an important role are the Brionncruach Tribe. These are the warriors who are perhaps best known for their defensive tactics, with control over some of the largest ore veins within the Highlands, they are an important trade partner as well. The final Great Tribe who is known to take residence here are the Gwylawyr Tribe, known for claiming the highest peaks amongst the highlands. They venerate the sky and the avians that call it home. They have built many a tower and town amongst the peaks, looking down upon the land. Because of this, they have been given the important duty of lighting the signal braziers whenever they see a threat encroaching upon the land.
The vast expanses of forest that cover the land are come to many creatures and some speculate even fey spirits inhabit them. They are venerated by a great many amongst the Baegir, especially those who walk the path of the druid, binding themselves to the land the creatures within. The woods are rich with natural resources and plants that make up the many remedies and meals in their everyday life. However, it is also home to some ancient creatures of a far more mythical nature such as the Threakin. Two Great Tribes control these forests and both fulfill their own special roles in the balance of nature. First amongst them are the Gwarcoedwig Tribe who protect The Grove of Ancestor Spirits and all of the important life within. After all, it is said that it is the ancient home of Edanbough, Lifeblood, the one who gave the forests and life to begin with. They are known for being the ones more tied to nature and the guardians of the sacred places within the wilderness. Then, there are the Gleisinsear Tribe who also play an important role and utilize the forests to pay homage to the ancestors which have long passed from the world. They are perhaps most known for creating the rituals to assist those who died in passing along to whatever afterlife they are destined to. While not all those who tend to these duties join or are even from the Gleisinsear Tribe, they often have a deep respect for those who originated their practice.
The final major region and terrain type within the Stormswept Foothills are the bogs and fens that exist within. This is home to many of the more vicious creatures and the terrain is a huge disadvantage for those who do not know how to navigate them. Beyond that, there are many plants and animals who reside here whose material is important for antivenoms and even camouflage to hide the warriors who made such a place their home. One of the Great Tribes that reside here are the Crogalfi Tribe, known for their light and durable armor as well as their skirmish-style tactics. Their weapons of war are unorthodox as are many of their customs as they seem to be at peace in this difficult terrain, and perhaps are one of the toughest tribes there are. Then, you have the elusive Nathúpla Tribe. Their tactics favor a quick and decisive strike. When the tribes unify against a common foe, the Nathúpla Tribe is often the ones sent to cut off their supply lines, crashing in from the less reinforced back, taking the supplies or sabotaging them and then fleeing back into cover. Some amongst the other tribes wonder if they perhaps are erring towards Halifax, Winged Terror, as they seem to favor the more ambush style tactics that Halifax represents. However, given their efficiency and otherwise desire to be left alone, no one is willing to question if they truly strayed from the paths or not, or if they simply have their own way of following the aspects.
Type
Highlands
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Owning Organization
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