Jon

The **Jon** were a culture and ethnic group that inhabited the land that would eventually become Higd prior to the arrival of the Nordurens in the 18th century AE. They were eventually assimilated into the Norduren culture, though some of their physical features remain visible in certain parts of Higd.

## Appearance

The Jons had light skin with a peachy undertone similar to the Nordurens. They were taller than their neighbors, the Callaeds, though only by a few inches. Men were on average 5’5” and women 5’3”. Their hair was slightly darker than the light hair of the Nordurens, being sandy blond, auburn, light brown, or redheads. The Nordurens who first encountered them described them as having eyes “like muscle shells” meaning with one lid. They share this feature with the Callaeds, Nor-Jon, Is, and some of the Vads.

### Clothing and Dress

The Jons were described upon first contact by the Nordurens as wearing clothing made mostly of goat hides and hair. They clothed themselves in two layered garments: a thick outer coat of goat hair that protected the wearer from rain and water, and a second tunic of soft goat hair fiber cloth which provided warmth and comfort. This garb was nearly identical for men and women, except that women’s tunics were fastened at the shoulders so that they could be opened to breastfeed children. Some accounts claim the women kept their children in this portion of the tunic to carry them.

Learher belts were worn in excess, usually about the waste, calves, thighs, bicep and upper arm, and sometimes about the neck. The latter was especially prevalent near the border with the various Bar tribes as the thick leather straps protected from sword blows. Goat hair socks were worn up to the thigh and wrapped in long leather straps that were fastened by means of a special type of knot.

As the Jons did not work metal or stone, their jewelry was mostly made of woven dyed fiber bands or beaded adornments made from shells, bones, horns, nuts, or other naturally occurring materials. Beaded headbands were popular among both men and women. They had no means of refining gold, however some acquired through trade with the western peoples meant that the Jons had come to own some amount of the metal. This they revered and feared, meaning only priests could wear or handle it. Silver, bronze, and copper goods that were acquired through trade could only be owned by chiefs.

The Jons fashioned their weapons from bone. They preferred spears, clubs, and bows as well as small daggers or knives when in combat or hunting.

Men and women kept their hair at a medium length, sometimes braided or in an elaborate arrangement of small ponytails. Both sexes would weave long strands of goat hair into their own hair. Leather adornments, beaded bands, and bone or antler ornament would be added to these divisions.

## Culture

The Jons were considered primitive by the Nordurens when they first made contact circa 1850 AE. They practiced a form of proto-agrarianism: select members of a special class were in charge of growing small patches of cultivated plants. These plants (semi-wild grains, pumpkins, and roots) were supplementary to their main diet of animal products. The farmer class consisted of select men, their wives and their children, who would tend the various patches for the spring, summer, and autumn but abandon them in the winter. Prior to winter, they relocated to social centers with the harvest which was given to their chief.

Most of Jon society was centered around two activities: goat herding and hunting.

### Goat Herding

The Jon, or a previous iteration of them, domesticated a species of wild goat sometime in the distant past. Called Joh by the Jon, this species of goat was large but mild mannered, easy to herd through the fjords and mountains of Higd, and produced a fine hair that was perfect for being made into soft garments. The culture evolved around the care of these goats.

For most of the year, the Jon lived nomadically with their herds, bringing the animals all across the territory their tribe claimed. They would haul with them on sledges the panels of their homes, made of wood harvested from then extent forests in the middle of Higd. These prefab homes could easily be deconstructed, moved, and reconstructed. The homes used no nails: everything slotted into place.

Inside, the houses were small, typically octagonal, with a central hole in the roof for a fire where meals were cooked. The houses were filled with rugs, hides, and thin spruce mats. It was here that the Jon spent most of his life. Women tended to the home, children and some adults to the herd, and the majority of the men went away on hunting trips.

In the winter, the Jon would settle tribal differences by all meeting at one of two locations: Raven’s Rest and Urst. These were the ruins of ancient construction that the Jons had took to inhabiting during the coldest months. During the winter, no human blood could be shed. Anyone caught breaking a law would face this council of chiefs. If found guilty, the person would be thrown naked into the wilderness to freeze to death.

During this period of inhabitation, the herds would be divided and watched over until spring came again and the people could return to the countryside.

### Hunting

Hunting was a religious activity to the Jon. They believed that several gods inhabited the wilderness who would only allow hunting if the Jon followed specific rules and ceremony. The woodland was the most sacred of these environments and it was ruled by the god Od, who the Jons considered their chief deity. Hunters would have to appease the deity with offerings that corresponded with a variety of possible signs interpreted by a priest. These priests were often the leaders of the hunting party and would instruct the others in how to proceed in the hunt to best appease Od.

The Jon read signs or omens into what animals were killed on a hunting trip, some of which lasted weeks. For example, a wild goat was seen as most auspicious and lucky, while a bear was seen as heralding a cold snap. Hunting supported the Jon’s diet of mostly goat products and gathered vegetables.

## History

The Jon claim that prior to the arrival of the Nordurens they themselves emigrated to the land from the Great Flat Place, probably southern Korevna or Arimania. When they arrived after passing through the Tall Forest of Cracking Thunder they came across the fjords of Higd. Starving, the people were nearly dead when they saw a large Aldon Tree. Beneath it were two wild goats, tied to it by braided and beautifully dyed cords. They killed the ram and found that it’s meat nourished them fully even with a small bite. The doe was pregnant, so they drank her milk and waited for the kids to be born, which were four thousand. Thus, the Jon were saved from near death.

Moving east, the Jon found the ruins of a great stone city they called Urst. Inside they found giant furniture, pottery, and halls. Thus they called the prior inhabitants the Urston meaning “those who came before the goat eaters”. The Jon believe the Urston to have been a race of giants who were wiped out by the mountain god Er Oldor for defiling his kingdom by cutting stone. The Jon lived sometime at Urst and later at Raven’s Rest, which they called Oldor Urst, refurbishing them with wood.

For many years the Jon lived in the area, warring with the Callaeds on the coast. At some point, another group called the Nor-Jons split and became their own distinct culture, probably in the 20th century AE. The Jon also struggled with the Bardic tribes to the west, who enjoyed slaughtering them and stealing their herds.

### Norduren Contact

Around 1852 AE, the Nordurens arrived on the shores of what would later be Higd. They first encountered a band of Nor-Jon, who mistook their boats for a new invention of the Callaeds and were terrified. The Nordurens would make their way into the interior, eventually coming into contact with the Jon near Oldor Urst.

The Jon welcomed the Nordurens but were cautious of their weapons and armor, being made of iron. The Nordurens were peaceful, accepting a feast and being granted a tour of the then empty city. Communication was limited, but gesture and sign drawing helped greatly.