Civilisations of the Uncivil

Civilisations of the Uncivil is a tome stored within the Amber Archives.

## Description

Another tome in the vast collection of tomes written by the acclaimed historian and philosopher Nicraven Meiphyrello, Civilisations of the Uncivil details the tribal settlements of Courrakey in further detail, considered by many to be little more than hovels and huts rather than true villages, towns and/or cities.

## Research

### Completed by Faustus Howell - Inquiry (Study)

To say that the lands of the Northern Tribes is an untruth, let it be said. An easy untruth, for one that looks upon such a wretched and frigid land in passing, but nonetheless, there is civilisation to be found, even if it does not outwardly always resemble the glimmering towers and keeps many instead picture when minds drift absently to that of a town or city. While all of the three main cultural groups of the Courrak are known to maintain settlements, they are not built equal, and the Sons of Bodun have created a number of towns that dwarf the size and complexity of the so-called capitals of Lakutha's Kin and The Ger, even when the one true city of Courrakey, Bodunoduron is not counted in the tally. For sake of simplicity, this tome will instead just focus on the capital settlements of each of the three, with further dissection of the topic to be found elsewhere in further tomes.

#### Bodunoduron

As aforementioned, Bodunoduron is the largest settlement in Courrakey, built on the southwestern tip of the Notchbark Woods and thus positioned well to benefit from trade routes operated by the Kingdom of Tulis. From atop the hills the Jarl rules from a vast but bleak fortress called The Kjælpunht supposedly constructed by an unusual alliance between Frost and Stone Giants forged by the marriage of their King Gunmert and Queen Villili respectively. After the hero Bodun slew both in turn and defeated their armies, he claimed the fortress for himself, which has since been augmented and remodelled using stone from the mines sprawling beneath the surface of the settlement. Around it sprawls huts, long halls and towers, all shaped from stone as to better withstand the howling winds of the Hoarfrost Expanse, though the bountiful lumber of the nearby Notchbark Woods finds a place in all manner of decor shaped through the construction. Whether simply as support beams, or as centrepieces of delicately carved wood depicting reliefs of great battles, terrible tragedies or mighty heroes, the Sons of Bodun utilise both materials throughout their construction efforts.

At the entranceway to The Kjælpunht a large market exists, where local produce is traded for goods from the south. Spawning salmon is caught from the nearby rivers of Last Gasp and the Weeping Water, along with seal skins, blubber from seals and whales caught in the Allreach Sea, but it for gemstones that the markets of Bodunoduron is perhaps best known to merchants, for nine in ten of every ruby and opal in circulation in Ahlus comes from the mines surrounding the city.

#### Geredw

Geredw is not a constructed settlement as such, but rather a cavern system from within which the Ger people have sought shelter from storms of ice for generations. Efforts have been made to expand the caverns and caves over the centuries, usually with aid from miners from Bodunoduron, resulting in hill and cliff faces notched and marred by dozens of entrances and tunnels, their mouths covered in furs and hides to brace against the worst of the wind. From afar, Geredw appears simply as a snow-covered set of hills, the occasional eagle circling overhead on the prowl for snow hares, voles and lemmings, but within warmth and community are said to be found for those welcome to it - but few are, with outsiders forced to prove their worthiness by surviving outside the sheltered tunnels for at least a week before being permitted entry. Meagre food and drink may be offered to those confined to the so-called Summit of Resilience, but not the warmth so necessary to survive in such frigid and inhospitable lands.

It is said that three legendary ceremonial objects wielded by the three Jarls as a status symbol of their right to rule were discovered in the deep tunnels beneath Geredw. At the Circle of the Whiterose Wolf, to the Sons of Bodun the pendant Rymeglimmer was gifted, to Lakutha's Kin the greatsword Rymecaller, and retained by The Ger the armour known as Rymewalker, their origin remaining a mystery to this day.

#### Llaber

While it would barely pass as a village elsewhere in the Realms, Llaber is the primary settlement and thus the de facto cultural hub of the people of Lakutha's Kin. Sodden ground that oscillates between a state of flash freeze and miserable bog prevents landborne construction, and thus much of Llaber is built upon stilts that elevate the settlement upon walkways anywhere between two and twenty feet from the soil and stone. Mists rumoured to be filled with the spirits of the forest, earth and dead alike rise with each breaking of the morn and call of twilight, and so it is, in all official reports considered an accursed and haunted place. These rumours are bolstered further by the general absence of a populace, for despite being the so-called capital of the northwestern stretches of the Realm only one in ten of the buildings appear occupied in any meaningful way.

Given the number of barrows that surround Llaber and the nearby river of Barrow Beck, some of said structures merely simple cairns of pebbles and bone, others vast mounds of soil and stone, it is said by both locals and visitors that there are more dead, honoured and treasured as they are, then there is living within the settlement.