The Hular

The Hular are a nomadic tribespeople who inhabit three great plateaus and some nearby mountains in Tibbia, and are the largest known society to exist in the mountains. They are mostly isolated from the world, and spoken of fearfully by superstitious travellers on the high roads, although in reality no Hular ever range this far north. Hular are themselves wary of outsiders, but otherwise are a largely unthreatening people. In the distant past, attempts have been made to establish permanent contacts with the Hular, but due to their nomadic and insular nature these have all failed. Hular traditions are kept to themselves.

The Hular are milky pale skinned in appearance, similar to the people of Fallowmarsh, leading some scholars to theorise that the Fallowmarsh tribes may be the ancestors of some breakaway exodus. The most common hair colours are brown and black, and the most common eye colour is brown. The Hular shave their heads in custom once they reach the age of forty, man or woman, and so identifying older tribesmembers is easy.

## The Great Plateaus and Surrounding Area

* Haffrish
* Hakka / Aurinel
* Hallowary / Deas, the Beheaded Peak

* The Deohals

## Hular Society

The Hular mostly survive off farming and hunting on the great plateaus, and rarely venture outwards into the peaks. There are three great plateaus, Haffrish, Hallowary and Hakka. (In the Old Tongue, Hallowary is called Tinriel and Hakka is called Aurinel). The majority of the Hular inhabit Haffrish, due to its warmer climate, and in particular inhabit the southernmost region of that plateau, a 30km patch of sloping fertile mountain meadows that the Hular call “The Hakcral Gift”. (Hakcral is worshippedHuHH as a god of farming and fertility). In this area, in the northernmost region of the Gift, lies Hakcrals Mound, the Woollen City and the greatest gathering place of the Hular; it is perhaps the only place they inhabit all year round. It is built around one large hill and has wide views of the surrounding area, the location chosen because it is easier to spot attacks from rival tribes. The Hular rarely war with each other, save for several important historical instances, so this is of little import most of the time, and the Woollen City has expanded beyond its initial bounds, sparsely covering the area around the hill for several miles. Hakcrals Mound has a standing population of only about 3,000, but on average there are always about 10,000 people there, and during great gatherings or in wartime the numbers may grow as high as 30,000. Hakcrals Mound is a surprisingly old city, having existed in some form since 478AC, though the Hular do not measure in years but in moon cycles.

Hular society is largely based around preparing for winter, which lasts for 5 months in the mountains and is harsher, colder and more unpredictable than in anywhere else populated in the world (save perhaps for Cribbia). The Hular will practically hibernate in the winter months, retreating to “winter cities” (Hacitals) or to Hakcrals Mound, where they will spend the months in tents or by fires, concentrating primarily on the survival of themselves and their livestock through the snows. The Hulars’ greatest gathering, Gakkan, (“daybreak”), takes place at the end of winter, when the first snows are seen to melt, and is celebrated wildly every year. Many Hular will even leave the safety of Hacitals and visit Hakcrals Gift specifically to attend the celebrations, and it is expected that every major tribe should provide an envoy to attend.