Jackal's Fangs

The Jackal's Fangs are a mountain range on the southern edge of the great Suagir steppe. They are situated to the northeast of the Vardic mountains and west of the Mera's basin; the headwaters of the Mera arise upon their slopes. 
Their ominous name stems not just from the steep and jagged aspect of their peaks, but from the fact that, in ancient days, Suagir raiders swooping down on Pelenaia would either come through the passes of the range itself, or skirt around its flank to descend via the vantagelands to the north. The settled peoples living east of the mountains have always associated the feared steppe nomads with wolves and jackals, and the name has persisted despite the fact that no such raids have reached Pelenaia's lowlands since the early days of the Phyridian Empire. Controlling the Jackal's Fangs and fortifying their passes was one of the important military achievements of the empire's early expansionary phase. They have formed the backbone of one of its garrisoned border provinces ever since.
The native people of the Jackal's Fangs, called XXXXX, resemble Suagirs in their features but have little in common with the steppe-riders' ways; they have dwelt in small walled towns and mountain villages since time immemorial, farming the valley-sides and raising flocks of goats and sheep. By now these people have been under Phyridian rule (and intermarrying with Phyridians who come up from the lowlands) for so many centuries that they have adopted the Tuvai language, but old histories tell that they once spoke a Suaga-like dialect. Between this and their physical appearance, it seems likely that they descend from Suagir forebears who left the high steppe and settled amidst the jagged peaks for some unknown reason long ago. The Suagirs themselves have nothing but contempt for the XXXXXXs, as they do for all settled peoples who huddle behind village walls and push ploughs through the dirt for their sustenance.