Windfell

> **Demonym:** Windfolk
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> **Endonym:** Vetsi (s), Vetsr (p)
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The tundra region called Windfell, called Ithgrár (Eeth-graum) by the locals, also houses the nation of the same name. The people of Windfell are primarily human and live in a matriarchal society. The Citadel of Windfell is Ishari, located on the banks of Lake Genevieve.

#### Current Events

The people of Windfell are a hearty and hardworking folk, mostly engaged in tilling the hard, cold land in the tundra of Windfell or trading and fishing the lake, but also, in the last 6 years, defending the kingdom from the goblins and hobgoblins of the Snowsaw Mountains. There have lately often been thieving bands along the roads and beasts sighted along the east borders of the land, such as are not normally so prevalent.

#### Politics

The matriarchal society of Windfell is set up with a female head, known as the Dowager. The Dowager is the ruler of all the people of Windfell and proposes laws and statutes to the Grand Council in Ishari, made up of 7 women of the wealthy class. The councilors proposed by the Matrons of the towns of Windfell and confirmed by the Dowager. Individual leaders of towns and cities are called Matrons, and must be married to hold the office. The Matrons are proposed by the Grand Council of Ishari.

#### Hesturs

The people of Windfell are known also for their range horses, the Hestur: sleek, lean horses with powerful hind quarters that can cover great distances at a constant high speed. These horses make great steeds for travel, but pail in comparison to the Calaf Horses in agility and, therefore, combat readiness.

#### History

Humans arrived in Merethyl in what is now considered the common beginning of the 1st Century as the Elves had a much different system of time. The Humans were generally welcomed by the Elves, though the members of the High Elf Council and those of the scholar class were reluctant to associate with them. Many rural, tree-dwelling elves who focused on the magic of nature and healing began to befriend the humans. These elves were great lovers of the land and so they taught the humans how to manage the planting and harvesting of the fertile Merethyl soil, they also introduced the practice of magic to man. This western area of Merethyl became what is now known as the Kingdom of Felcaryn. The humans began to spread into the Highlands as well. Upon the arrival of the humans in the 1st Century, the humans founded the city of Brestad, at the eastern foot of the Munil. These humans began shallowly mining the Munil for iron ore and found copper.

At the beginning of the 3rd Century a large group of families traveled westward from Felcaryn, settling the nation of Windfell. These women of Windfell are decedents from powerful families in Norrhal. Having landing in Sefyll under the guise of reporting back to the king of Caryn, the humans decided to settle and escape their distant home kingdom. While the Humans were all in agreement as many wanted to leave Caryn, many lived in fear that the degrading kingdom would once again become powerful. Fearful that they would be found in Merethyl and treated as traitors, many humans wanted to move further from the coast. A large group of families moved westward in the beginning of the 3rd Century, traveling north to Asal Tirion and then across Ohem Luin and the Highlands. Ishari is where the humans stopped and began to settle. They found the area surrounding the lake to supportive of life and discovered Lake Genevieve to house many fish including lake trout and whitefish as well as anadromous species such as pink salmon and trout. Potatoes are the main crop for Windfell.

    Many of the men fought to protect the band of travelers across the beast-ridden Ohem Luin and by the time the group reached Lake Genevieve, the women greatly outnumbered the men. This lead to the female-dominated society of Windfell that exists these days. Men in Windfell are unable to own land, unable to hold positions of leadership within government, as well as several other restrictions. They are however, able to hold positions of leadership within the military and work in most vocations.

The first Matron of Ishari, who eventually became the Dowager, was Elsah Geith. Elsah became a beacon of hope during the first years of the nation's establishment. Hobgoblins and goblins from the Snowsaw Mountains and gnoll tribes from the Benteh began to raid villages and slaughter travelers along the fringes of the Windfell. As the Snowsaw Dwarves fought the goblins from their cities in the mountains, the goblins became of smaller threat to the women of Windfell than the gnolls. Elsah lead the majority of forces to the west and pushed the gnolls northward.

In the last major battle, the Battle of Fanghur, Elsah and the forces of Windfell advanced with such a ferocity, that they sent the gnolls running into the River Fanghur itself to swim across, fearing the onslaught behind them more than the wide river.

#### Holidays

**Feast of the Reception:** a celebration of magic by the wood elves, by all humans, celebrated at varying times. The Ciyobetans, Felcaryn, and Tacuarembo in the first week of Titus, while the Windfolk celebrate it simply on the last full moon of Genevieve. The Hunid celebrate it on the first new moon of Titus. This is commonly celebrated by a simple feast and an honoring of those magic users in town, usually healers, priests, or otherwise helpful folk.

> **Spring Festival**: every year, as the year rounds, the Windfolk dress up in the color of the matriarchy, purple, and construct a large tower to place on the ice of frozen bodies of water all around the nation. Originally it started on Lake Genevieve with the people of Ishari, but has since spread throughout all the land. The tower is made of wood and dressed in Windfell flags and the color purple. The townsfolk hold contests with varying prizes to guess when the tower will fall down to the day.
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