The eastern coast of Telida is mountainous, and cut with many broad inlets, known locally as sounds, each of which is an extended clan home. Not quite savages, not quite civilised many sages think these clans are still close to the many Hann lived, before the coming of the Wangate Empire, and were created by migration across the Telidan Mountain Spine - but the truth of that is lost in the mists of time. While there are slight differences in approach, they all follow a philosophical core based on the The Cult of The Old Lords, tempered by Pharasma’s fatalistic life view and the competitiveness of Kurgess.

There are three main sounds, Holden, Terrill and Degal, that are connected to the Telidan Mountain Spine by mountain pass, and have some connection with the outside world. Other sounds do not have that connection and rely on coastal sea trade. The residents of each sound consider themselves to be a single, and distinct, clan (even though they may be of mixed heritage) but with enough cultural and social similarities that they see all the clans as a single nation.

Each of these Sound-Clans clan is composed of smaller, family based, clans sometimes known as septs, however there has been enough intermarriage that there are blood ties between all the smaller clans. These smaller clans are invariably led by a Clan Chief, often from a small fortified town that originally provided sanctuary for the whole clan.

The Sound-Clan is led by a chieftain, called known as The Kapo, who acts as business leader, arbiter and general. The Kapo is elected by the clan chiefs, and rules for life, unless they are recalled by the Clan Chiefs. Elections and recalls are messy affairs, and involve clan leaders, backed up by their personal armies, meeting in conclave. Some conclaves have seen particularly messy battles as part of the election process. To make matters worse, the Kapo generally commands the elite troops of the clan, although they are drawn from the smaller family-clans, and might have split loyalties.

The economy is based around fishing, sheep and chickens - Chickens for eggs, fish as food and sheep for their wool and a few cows for a bit of milk/cheese. Farms always grow some sort of cereal, often barley or oats, alongside peas, beans and some root vegetables. Most clothes are woollen, with simple leather shoes. Iron and Steel are expensive (items cost twice the listed price) and bronze is used widely.

Each family-clan will have a few warriors serving as the Chief's Retinue, who will fight back incursions, if needed. They are often armed with Studded Leather, Wooden Shields and Axes, although most households can turn out someone with a spear and padded armour and many more with slings. Then there are the hunters, generally armed with shortbows and knives … Most people have bronze weapons, however, all leaders and PC class characters, will have at least one steel weapon.

PC class characters are often Shaman, Witches (Nature Patron), Oracle (Nature Mystery), Rogue (scouts) or Fighters, Rangers and Barbarians built for wilderness or marine warfare.

Think Celts crossed with Norse/Vikings.

Holden is the most southerly of the three main holdings, and can be reached from Berhof via the Adlerweg Pass. A large saltwater inlet dominates the valley, it reaches most of the way up to the river, with spur-lie inlets on each side. Over time, the areas between the inlets have become clan-based territories.

Each territory has a fortified coastal town as the clan's main holding, with a castle that serves as a residence for the clan chiefs. The town is home to the clan’s fishing and trade boats, along with the majority of the clan’s crafters. Villages and hamlets radiate out across the land, they farm barley and root vegetables as well as run flocks of sheep in the hilly land. There are generally chickens and a few cows for eggs and milk, respectively.

The town, and most villages, will be served by a wise-man/woman dedicated to The Old Lords. When a person dies, their body is exposed, often atop a burial mound, before the bones and skulls are interred. Only chiefs, and some high ranking clan members, are buried complete. The burial mounds are overseen by a priest of Pharasma.

About 10% of each family clan are ‘under arms’ although most are equipped with nothing more than padded armour, spear and sling. However, the Chief’s retinue, normally 1-2% of the population are much better armed, with studded leather, large wooden shield and battleaxe – these are normally high ranking clan members. The hunters, another 1-2%, are armed with a short bow and dagger and have leather armour. During battles, they act as scouts and skirmishers, in peace time, they patrol the borders and bring in game. There is an eclectic collection of bows and crossbows kept at the Chief’s castle, that are used to defend the town and castle walls, should the need arise. The chief often has a steel sword, shield, and metal armour – often a chain shirt. Spearheads, arrow heads and crossbow bolts are normally made of bronze. Swords, Axes and Daggers are steel.

There are nine family clans in Holden, and each of their holdings follows the description given earlier - all that really changes is the size importance of the clan. Demographically, something like 90% of a clanhold population is human, with about 5% made up of half-orcs (1/2 orc shildren with clan blood are accepted into the clan) a few half-elves, with the rest made up of halfling crafters.

There are three anomalies – Kapot, Belarum and Zorfu.

The Kapot is the seat of Holden’s leader, The Kapo. It is a small town set on an island at the mouth of the Holden Sound. The Kapo is ‘chosen’ by the clan chiefs, and is often a high ranking member of one of the clans, and is more of an arbiter and enforcer rather than a high king. Something like 40% of The Kapot’s population are halflings - traders, merchants, crafters and (perhaps most importantly) ship builders.

The Kapo’s Castle is home to the Holdren Host, a group of seasoned clan warriors and scouts, who serve as the Kapo’s retinue and bodyguards - although they all expect to return to clan lands at some point and server as a lieutenant to their own clan chief. While armed with their traditional weapons, The Host all carry a slashing short-sword, known as a machete, as a sign of their rank.

The Dockyard is significant, as it enables trade along the East Telida coast, as well as down to Port Elizabeth and Porters Bar. It also contains the Holden shipyards, that makes all the watercraft used by the clans. +East Telidan craft are clinker built, open vessels with a single square sail, and multiple oars.

The Market is the largest in Holden - with crafted items from the clans and dwarves, as well as imported items.

Done to here

Their leader is called The Kapo - and is elected for life from one of the minor members of the various noble families. The Kapo controls the main sea trading town and manages it on behalf of the Cheiftains, the Kapo is also responsible for the small standing army of Holden and uses it to quickly reinforce strongholds as they need it. However, each stronghold is expected to have their own forces for frontline defence. The Kapo can call a levy onto all of the strongholds, if it is required to secure a state - or to take back its territory. The stronghold all have fishing boats and other vessels that the use for trade to communicate with each other.

Holden is very rustic and there are no great culture centres, it is just a group of small strongholds, with tribal mentality, clinging together for survival. However, it is racially diverse - primarily human / halfling it includes a Dwarven stronghold and stronghold run by a halforc warlord.

While The Old Lords, Pharasma and Kurgess are the most respected gods, Cayden Cailean, Gorum, Gozreh and the Dwarven pantheon also have followers. While all classes can be found here, Rangers and Barbarians feature heavily and there is a higher proportion of Druids, Witches and Oracles than you might expect. Bronze is more common than iron, so light and leather based armours are prevalent, with bronze studded leather and wooden shields in common use. Likewise, most single use weapons, arrows, bolts, darts, javelins use bronze, while 'occasional' combatants are liable to have bronze weapons. However, regular combatants and nobles all have (at least one) iron/steel melee weapon.

Think Celts meet Vikings. A short description of the main holdings are shown below …

• The Kapot is the seat of Holden’s leader, The Kapo. It is a small town set on an island at the mouth of the Holden Sound. It is home to the Island Brigade, the elite forces of Holden who are deployed to protect Strongholds or Holden interests. The Kapot makes its living from the sea, it is both a trade centre and fishing port. The island Brigade is the best equipped unit in Holden, and they all have steel weapons and armour. It has a population of about 800 people.
• Tantors Hold, set in the rolling foothills of the Northern Shore, is one of the quieter and largest strongholds. Lord Trantor rules the holding from the small fortified town, but even in this quieter area all the outlying villages have their own simple fortifications. Its economy is based on Cereal farms, fishing and flocks of sheep. The town has a population of about 1000 people, although there are another thousand people, mainly human, spread around the holding in villages.
• Howards Keep is another large (and largely peaceful) strong hold, set on the Southern Shore, almost opposite Trantors Hold. Here, too, Lord Howard rules from his small fortified town, supported by a number of fortified villages, with an economy is based on cereals, fish and wool. The town has a population of about 1000 people, although there are another thousand people, mainly human, spread around the holding in villages.
• Zorfu is the highest stronghold and furthest into the mountains, it guards the mouth of the Adlerweg Pass and is the last (semi) civilized place that trade caravans see as they enter the mountains. It has a strange history and (in the past) has been completely Orcish at times, and completely human. Now it is ruled by a Half-orc warlord and has a mixed orc / half-orc / human population. They live by hunting, trapping and raiding the monstrous tribes of the area. Its guerrilla forces of Rangers and barbarians are feared across the region, and it has a population of about 500 souls.
• Belarum is a Dwarven stronghold set high up in the mountains, accessed via a steep sided inlet and a climb. It is mainly built underground, an acts as a single small town. The dwarves here are not wealthy, but mine and smelt both tin and copper for export as well as a few gemstones such as malachite, azurite, turquoise. It also has the traditional underground caverns dedicated to fungi-culture and Cave Cricket husbandry. It has a population of about 400 dwarves.

However, there are smaller holdings, with populations ranging from a dozen people to 2-300 people. Most make their livings through some combination of hunting, trapping, farming, and fishing. There will always be some sort of local fortification, and the residents are both hardy and prepared to defend their land.

This needs reworking -

Make this a lightly forested, hilly region, with scarps and rocky outcrops. Not good for horses. Use semi-barbarian tribe, mainly based in the forested areas - hunting in the forests, using forest farm techniques as 'agriculture light'. They have static camps, and home territories - and skirmish along their borders.

Need to find something (other than pigs) that are natural woodland creatures - perhaps minimal deer, or something similar, for herds that are moved around through the forested home region for grazing.

Find a couple of jungle tribes to base their culture on.

This needs reworking

I think I want to change this to horse barbarians. Tribes of nomadic barbarians, each with a 'home range', Hunter gatherers supplementing their diets with horse meat, mare's milk cheese and blood 'sausage'. They trade with tribes of Wen (Neanderthal humans) in the surrounding hills. There needs to be an externally run trade-post somewhere on the coast, and another up at the pass that leads to Melmond (for steel weapons). They women forage while the men hunt from horseback. Perhaps some sort of cross between (the old media perception of) Native American Indians and steppes barbarians. Maybe put Hawking / hunting with birds in as a common activity.

https://image1.slideserve.com/2110054/steppe-culture-l.jpg

Keep it as a plains/steppe area, lots of flat space - with room for horses to run … The Iragols (Iraqoi / mongol mashup)