THE
FIRD'GORMZ
KUGLIM
MEN
("GORM'S
PICK
TRIBE") |
The Fird’Gormz are
a human tribe of the
Kuglimz located at the base of the
Celeste Mountains in Northern
Sarvonia. Thes
Fird'Gormz are
very likely the hardest working of the Kuglimz
as they are mining for iron, silver and gold in the
Celeste Mountains.
Fird'Gormz
are also very stubborn people who do not change their opinions or thoughts very
easily. They are very religious and devoted to their Vir’tog Gorm with an almost
frightening fervor.
Appearance. The Fird’Gormz are the average
size for Kuglimz; 2 peds in height or more for men, and a little under 2 peds
for women, though they seem shorter as they are stooped from working in mines.
The coloring of the skin of this tribe is the lightest of
the Kuglimz. This is due to the long time periods
spent away from the sun in the mines. The hair of both men and women is
naturally a bright red, which is dulled from their work environment to a more
coppery appearance. The hair on the men is worn in braids with fei’put ("blood
rings") throughout, reaching to the shoulders or mid
back. The women wear their hair in one long braid to the
middle of their back or longer.
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Coat of Arms/Sign. The
Fird’Gormz' coat of arms is a golden pick-ax against a
brown mountain, with a blue background. The pick-ax is the great item given to
them by their Vir’tog Gorm. The mountain is representative of not only their
home and main occupation, but in essence their life. The blue is associated with
the myth that after being set the task to mine through the world, set by Gorm,
they will see the sky on the other side. Then they shall be rewarded for their
hard work and never have to work again.
Territory. The
Fird’Gormz are located at the base of the
Celeste Mountains. Being of the
Kuglimz’torik ("home tribes")
They stay on their hill in their main city. This is just
North of the Helvet’ine Kuglim, near the tip of the Readmeade River. Besides
this one hill, they also have several mining encampments scattered throughout
the base of the Celeste Mountains.
People. These are
very likely the hardest working of the Kuglimz. They
are a very stubborn people who do not change their opinions or thoughts very
easily. They are very religious and devoted to their Vir’tog Gorm with an almost
frightening fervor.
Housing. The
Fird’Gormz are a type of Kuglimz
known as Kuglimz’torik, and thus they have their own hill(s) that is the
center of their life. In this case, there are many though only one could be
considered anything more than a glorified mine. Their only true city is Lu’turg
("rock town"). It is nearly
inaccessible, being high up in a deep cleft into the hill. It is said that it
sits near the first mine of the Fird’Gormz, and that the hill is riddled with
escape routes. One rutted roadway comes up the hill from the North from the
mines, this goes through a shanty town of ex-miners and smelters live, then
through a rock wall to all of the large smelting building where fires are always
burning. The hill is littered with the scag ("useless
rock") of these operations. Finally up to the citadel of
the town which is carved from the hill itself. There the temples, mine bosses
and what little government there is, is located. It is also here that the
merchants of the Helvet’ine come to buy all
of the raw iron that is mined.
Clothing. The universal clothing for this tribe is leather. However, the way
that it is worn varies. The miners wear a heavy leather shirt, more of a coat in
its thickness, and a pair of heavy leather breeches. This protects them from any
falling rocks. The smelters wear light leather that has been oversized and
hardened then dipped in water daily. This allows them to not get burned very
easily, while the over sizing allows the body to still get air and sweat freely.
The women wear wool or light dresses, they always have a leather apron on that
is tied about the waist. They also often wear leather shawls and scarves.
Diet. The miners and smelters tend to eat whatever they can get their hands on.
Wolf and deer are most common, as they are indigenous to the area. The way that
it is most often eaten is racked (jerked). That is when the meat of an animal is
smoked and then salted. Many of the miners and smelters eat this for meals while
working.
Weapons. Like all Kuglimz’torik, the Fird’Gormz are a heavy cavalry army. The
interesting thing that sets them apart is their adaptation of the pick into
their army and their surrounding terrain into their strategies. Though small
they have a history of conflict as many a tribe would like to have control of
the abundant resources that the Fird’Gormz controls. While they still use the
heavy cavalry, they also have ground troops, which is quite rare among the
Kuglimz. These troops are all armed with picks,
shields, and chain mail. The main purpose of the troops is to use the rugged terrain to break up enemy
cavalry formations, and then use the pick to take out their horses. This is
quite an effective stratagem, and has allowed the Fird’Gormz to stay free all
these years.
Occupations. The two main occupations of this tribe
are mining and
smelting. The miners are most of the men of the tribe, they spend a lot of time
hunched over in the dark with only candles to show them what to hit next, the
whole time hoping not to get crushed by a cave in. The smelters don’t have it so
wonderful either, as their environment while filled with a lot of light, it also
contains a heat that could nearly melt a man. The women are employed in picking
the leaves of the alth’tiert plant for trade with the
Helvet’ine.
Government. The government
of the Fird'Gormz is run by the priests without a doubt. Here the word
of their Vir’tog, Gorm, is law. Thus the word of the priests are law. All trade,
and decisions are put up for Gorm to decide, and then the people live by his
decisions as voiced by the priests. Unfortunately this is a rather one sided
arrangement, for while the priests get rich on the gold that is given as
sacrifice to Gorm, the people see little of what they actually mine. So feverent
in their beliefs though, they do not seem to mind.
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Production/Trade. Trade is the way that these people survive. If they had no trade, then
there would be no food. The surprising thing is that with their wealth of
valuable trade items, gold, iron, gems, the only people they will trade with is
the Helvet’ine Kuglim. This is due to a long standing agreement,
where the Fird'Gormz get sole
trade rights in exchange for lots of food and protection. This seems to have
worked out well for both sides, as the Helvet’ine get rich off of the iron they
turn into weapons and the alth’tiert leaves they love, and the Fird’gormz get
the leather, food, candles, and protection they need to finish Gorm’s task for
them.
Natural Resources. The
Celeste Mountains are rich in iron. There are also some
silver and gold deposits scattered through the mountains. Obsidian is commonly
found, and large pieces are often made in vases or sculptures.
Holidays,
Festivals and Observances. Only the
Taug’rik’tyan and the Taug’alth’ho are celebrated along with
the rest of the Kuglimz people. The priests are merciless in their driving of
the populace, and other festivals are not permitted. However they teach that once
the Fird’Gormz mine through the earth and reach the other side, life will be one
unending festival.
History. During the time known as the
Burning Night, the Mynian Kingdom was
overrun by orcs. The people fled into the wilderness in terror, one such group
was led by and old and grizzled miner named Gorm. He ended up leading his people
to the base of the Celeste Mountains, and began a mine in one of the hills.
This
mining encampment became the city Lu’turg. The Fird’Gormz however, view him as
one of the Vir’togz who was gifted with a golden pick by their god
Sur’tyan,
before leading his people away, somewhere in the process using the pick against
the pursuing orcs as he was a magnificent warrior, and frightening them all
away.
Information provided by
Drogo
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