Kiern
Vale Handbook
Chapter 5:
The Northern Vale – The Drarun Hills and the “Stone Brothers”
Prologue
| Landscape and Important
Locations| The
Hunting Estates| Important
Characters
Background
of Player Characters
|
Possible Backgrounds for Player
Characters Tolvis’
Estate or Eramel’s Estate: The character or their family came to
the wild hills years ago from the Granite Courts or one of the other holdings
of House Kor-Om’thel. The
character or their family are—or at least once were—in the service of one of
the two ill-tempered estate lords, and have witnessed their endless clashes
with the locals, whom Tolvis and Eramel regard as filthy and treacherous
savages. Whether the character or their kin served as scouts tasked with
securing the estates and surveying the surrounding wilderness, as caravan
guards, servants, or watchmen, they remain strangers to the wild region of
waterfalls and dangerous highlands, and know well that it is best not to
forget this. Shadows stir in the dark nights, monsters wander not far away,
and the cruel fur-clad locals may be no less Alternatively,
the character comes from Orog’s clan, having grown up among broken folk
wearing rags, living in leaking and filthy huts around Lord Tolvis’ estate,
subjected to mockery and mistreatment by the well-fed and finely dressed
retainers of the estate. Older
characters may still remember the days when their people were proud hunters
known as the “Hawk-Eye Clan,” as well as the horrors of the war against the
Black Bow. Younger characters remember only hardship beside Tolvis’ estate. Many of the younger folk despise the
aging lord and his servants with all their hearts, and some have begun to toy
with dangerous ideas—whether the character shares them or not. The
Black Bow Clan: The character comes from the wildest,
most skilled, and most dangerous clan in the Drarun Hills. Raised high above
the waterfalls, in a well-hidden and secluded stronghold, the character grew
among people who know the wild highlands like the fingers of their own hands. The
people among whom the character grew possess the fiercest pride in the
region. They are raised upon oral traditions of war against monsters and
human invaders alike, including the recent clashes with the servants of the
new lords. To them, such men are little more than loathsome and foolish
intruders—strangers whom the hills will drive out sooner or later, and not
gently. Alongside
that pride, however, the clan is steeped in a constant, silent fear. Those
raised there learn from an early age that violence is swift and merciless,
and also that it is best not to ask forbidden questions or openly challenge
the older warriors—least of all the clan’s leader. Everyone within the clan knows their
place, and that if they step beyond it, they will be dealt with sooner or
later in such a way that the hills themselves will hear their screams. The
Fox Paw Clan: The character grew up in a clan far
louder and more boisterous than their hated rivals of the Black Bow Clan,
with looser discipline and fighting skills inferior to those of their rivals.
On the other hand, the people around the character possess broader knowledge
of herbalism, cooking, and—most importantly—trade with the people beyond the
hills, even if they are far from naïve regarding the motives and
arrogance of the lords and their followers. Under
the current chieftain and her three daughters, the dwellings of the Fox Paw
Clan are a far freer place than those of the rival clan, at times resembling
a large, noisy, and rather cheerful family. Even so, the character learned
from childhood that there are ancient customs that must be respected, and
that even this great and boisterous family has shadows of its own buried deep
beneath the surface. Alongside
the human members of the clan, there is also a small number of Gurg
considered close to the Fox Paw. Most concern themselves with trade and the
tending of herbs, coming and going as they please, and at times dwelling for
long periods on the outskirts of the humans’ encampment.
|
Back to the index of the
English version | Back to the index of the
Kiern Vale guide
Created and edited by Gideon Orbach (2017) © All rights reserved. Commercial use and/or any
profit-making purpose is strictly prohibited without explicit permission from
the creator, in writing and in advance. Noncommercial/personal use with no
profit aim is allowed (and even recommended!)