The Ancestral Mountains

Scenario

Icy winds blow across white mountains where ancient civilizations carved glorious citadels deep beneath the earth. Fearsome warriors hardened by the hostile climate patrol the perilous mountain roads, teeming with bandits, as the ancient dwarven tracks lie forgotten beneath the mountains due to centuries of lack of maintenance.

It is said that in the Age of Myth, the dwarves refused to join the wars between races that tormented the continent, and retreated to the territories of their ancestors in the distant North. Many men and goblins followed them, some out of friendship, some to escape persecution and so the dwarves asked the Oracle of the Mountain, the last of their ancestors in the region, to guarantee them peace and isolation.

According to legend, the Oracle climbed the Stormy Peak and invoked the power of the Primal god Ayn, a deity who was dear to the grey goblins of the mountains, who invoked a white blanket of clouds and snow on the Ancestral Mountains, making them dangerous and impenetrable.

When the Empyrean forces then moved into the region, they were therefore stopped by the icy winds of Ayn.

It is said that the god Mithrann, Avatar of the Sun, stopped with his Asaernes warriors on the clouds over the Ancestral Lake at the edge of the region, where he founded a sanctuary called Sky Fountain.

Faction titles and nomenclature

It is customary for each mountain or mountain group to have a self-proclaimed “King”, or title of equal rank. No faction boasts the title of Emperor at least initially.

Culture Guidelines

Dwarven and Goblin cultures are dominant in the region. Any faction in the region must have any of those as a primary component of its.

Religion

Factions in this region are free to follow any religion.

Races

The most widespread races are dwarven and goblin ones, both can’t be excluded by factions of these regions at the same time.

Archetypes

The region’s hostile climate has made life on the surface difficult, but beneath the earth, a wide variety of factions have always fought for greatness and the ancestral ruins hidden beneath.

The Dwarven Holds

Dwarven Holds are welcoming halls dug deep into the earth, filled with metals and riches locked in large safes. These deep and monumental halls, carved with legendary skill from the hard stone, are the emblem of the Dwarves on the continent and their pride.

They are so large that they are considered real Kingdoms, rather than cities, and have ruling dynasties when a council of elders or aristocrats does not elect their representative.

The original inhabitants of the Holds, generally dwarves and more rarely goblins or men, are very pragmatic, and attached to money and wealth, but they all respect a rigorous code of hospitality and respect.

Their ironclad traditions are imprinted in their bones like the ancient lost runes of the dwarves, and they rarely forget a wrong they have suffered, even many years later.

Examples of popular names are:
male: Nyr, Falr, Toki, Finrr, Dwalin, Onn
female: Arna, Ravlia, Dolna, Galona, Gagna

The Nordic Strongholds

These surface fortresses are rare and hidden hideouts of the very brave human tribes who have loyalised the underground populations of the region since ancient times.

Humans are in fact known for having very long legs and generally not liking life indoors. For this reason, they have often offered to guard the rich caravans heading south, protecting the mountain passes from bandits and hostile creatures.

The harsh climate on the surface of the mountains has made these men of Nordic culture, similar to dwarves, wild people with stormy tempers and unique ways.

They are often found drinking bears and meads while eating lots of meat. They cover themselves in heavy furs when they head out of their near impregnable fortresses into the cold.

Examples of popular names are:
men: Aki, Baulf, Arfast, Esburn, Kulaif, Haralt
female: Astrid, Sif, Freya, Embla, Agda

The Grim Legions

In a very ancient past the first goblins of the region, with their typical grey colour, lived with the dwarves, learning their techniques and offering themselves for the most dangerous jobs.

Much more numerous than the dwarves, they rapidly organised themselves into an independent kingdom, with rigid discipline and faithful to the Primal Gods which was called the Grim Legion.

Like the other Legions, the Grim Legion was a dictatorial regime, manipulated by influential generals in command of armoured legions and the most ruthless and deadly tactics, including poisoning and assassination.

Grey Goblins are generally much more civilised than their red or green cousins and are kind to strangers as well as more or less polite to their dwarf neighbours, with whom they never fail to argue.

Examples of popular names are:
men: Sleaz, Kuz, Freex, Brosix, Chak
female: Crolka, Grax, Roltai, Sregs, Vrish