Sarcian Mountain Tribes

**Country Name**:  Sarcian Mountain Tribes

**Population**: 82% Sarcian Humans, 7% Goblins, 5% Dwarfs, 3% Molemen, 3% Other

**Capital**: None

**Goverment**: Tribal

### **Culture**

Each Sarcian tribe lives in a village-hold, which is a fortified, hidden village in the mountains built around ancient sanctuary caverns (actually doomsday prepper vaults). Strong hexing/curse-flinging culture, their practitioners are old women called Spitfires because many of the rituals involve rapid chants and mantras akin to singing. Grievances between village-holds are settled with champion-duels, and for the most grievous offenses and accusations, the losing champion gets sacrificed via hammering and their body thrown from the heights to please the spirits of law. Sarcians tend to use guerrilla tactics when defending their homes, and many turn towards the mercenary life.

The Sarcian Tribal lands are also home to tribes of dwarfs, goblins, and molemen, the later two often live in the deepest of the vaults, where strange technologies are still said to be found.  The dwarfs prefer fortified mines.  None of the minority races interact with each other, the Sarcians, or outsiders on a regular basis, but the dwarfs sometimes sell top quality goods for those brave enough to venture through the tribal lands to reach their holds, and the goblins and molemen sometimes launch raids on anyone outside their tribe.

### **Religion**

Abstract animism. As in, they believe in spirits, but only abstractions have spirits. For example there is no 'spirit of wind' but there are 'spirit of haste'. Spitfires often reference and call upon the spirits in their rituals.

The Sarcian religious caste loves accepting missionaries from outside faiths in order to engage in frustrating and endlessly circular debates on theology.  Both the Church of Divine Duality and the Araxian Chapel claim to have converted the Mountain Tribes, but in reality, the faith of Gloria-Etalia does not jive well with abstract theology of the existing Sarcian Faith, or their simple way of life.

The minority races have their own faiths separate from the Sarcians.  Lomonos for dwarfs, and poorly understood cults for the goblins and molemen.

### **Organization**

Each village-hold is usually a single tribe, with their own chieftain. However, when the neighboring empires and kingdoms try to invade or claim their territory, an Administrator is elected in a War-moot composed of all the Sarcian chieftains.

There are around several hundred Sarcian Tribes, organized into roughly thirteen loose confederacies.  Some of the most prominent tribes are the craftsmens of Tighay, cliff-artists of Cheyo, Spitfire central Esk, and mercenary Kaish.

### **Origin**

Sarcian oral history tells of the time where the sanctuary-caves sheltered the progenitors of the Sarcians; for forty times forty days they endured inside until the magical storm that ended the previous world abated. From the sanctuaries they emerge, and staunchly defended their land for generations.

The Sarcians are usually lumped in with the Westrasi peoples, though their culture is highly unique and has little in common with anyone else.

It is a bit unclear how the dwarfs, goblins, and molemen arrived in the area, though they are found in many locations along the Wall of the World Mountains.

### **Diplomacy**

Staunchly isolationist and independent. Pain in the borders for neighbors, especially when a paranoid chieftain decides to preemptively strike a perceived threat.

The Araxian Kingdom has long wanted to conquer the Sarcians, but due to mountainous terrain, guerrilla tactics, and repeatedly getting sidetracked with other conflicts, the Araxians have yet to conquer the entire region, though they have conquered large parts of it in the past.

Raids against the Leixi, Airoxians, and Midnat of the Giant-Halfling Alliance are less common, but not unheard of.

The Sarcians are also sometimes able to cross the Wall of the World mountains into Celestia, where they occasionally launch raids as well.

Only the few Sarcian mercenary companies and fewer traders ply their trade elsewhere than Sarcia.  In fact, few people who live outside of that corner of the world are aware the Sarcians even exist, since they rarely leave their territory, and most maps lump the region into the Araxian Kingdom.

### **Geography**

Mountainous and hilly. Plenty of cliffs but also some flatter valleys and highlands, where most of the village-holds are.  Most of the forest is pines, but deciduous trees are common along the southern and eastern borders.

### **Economy**

Mostly mining and high-altitude tubers, normal croplands and grazing pastures are at premium. Livestock herding is third most profitable after mining and tubers.  Sarcians rarely trade with the outside world, but the dwarf holds sometimes trade with those willing to cross the barbarian infested lands in order to reach their remote fortresses.

### **Player Character Notes**

The Sarcians are an isolated, misunderstood people, often seen as irredeemably hostile to those that have even heard of them.  They live in scattered mountain tribes, and use magic focused around their folklore of "abstract spirits".  They are a good choice for players looking for something more challenging to role play.