Denonym: Windborn
The vast region north of the Elvani mountains and of the farthest reaches of the Kardy forests is inhabited by the Windborn, clans of nomadic reindeer herders. They practice little horticulture, mostly plantations of berry bushes that thrive in the short, cool growing seasons. Their primary beasts of burden are mammoths: vast, shaggy creatures that can withstand the most bitter winter storms and have the strength to pull their wagon-homes. The Windborn clans have an overall leader in the Chief of the Clan-Chiefs, but the clans usually operate autonomously and rarely is the Chief of the Clan-Chiefs' authority invoked. On the rare occasions when they unite to war against their southern neighbours, their nigh-unstoppable mammoths trample all in their path; only the summers' heat forces them to return to their cool northern lands. Unlike most nations, the Windborn fight primarily in the winter.
The Windborn rarely take to the sea: in their folklore, the sea is the only thing hungrier than a mammoth. They have few conflicts with the Iyutik along the northern coast and trade with them for metals. While the Windborn may camp near the ice-free southern coast, they have little use for anything close enough to the water to catch salt spray. There are a number of freeports along the coast, inhabited mostly by merchants and travellers from other lands, where the Windborn trade their meat, leather, cheeses, ivory, and other goods for cloth and other products.
Windborn bands of up to a few hundred people are semi-nomadic, rarely spending more than a few months in one place before moving on to fresh pastures. Wealthier families have their own mammoth- drawn wagon-homes; poorer families live in yurts. While there are a number of permanent settlements in the northern plains, they have few permanent inhabitants: bands drift in to trade before moving on again within a few weeks.
Most inhabitants of this region are sylphs, with a significant metal accursed minority. A few
clans contain significant numbers of ignans, but ignan child-rearing prevents them from living in
small numbers even if among many of other races. Mature dryants can't survive the winter
conditions and undine can't tolerate the nomadic lifestyle. While there are a few settled
communities of undine near the southern coast, they don't really consider themselves to be
windborn. These people grow mostly cold-tolerant root vegetables which they trade with the
windborn for meat and animal products.
Inspirations: various nomadic cultures from northern Eurasia, some groups from David & Leigh Eddings' "Belgariad" series and sequels.