Valley of Bones
Haglhrið slær,
høgg i aks;
deyr einn,
spirar einn.
Haglhrið slær,
høgg i aks;
deyr einn,
spirar einn.
Names: Skaðan, Beinądalaz (Valley of Bones), Graōfdalaz (Gravedale), Haglalandą (Land of Hail)
Summary: a cold, mountainous region, constellated by the remains of a forgotten war.
Location: directly north of Orvell.
Description: far in the north, beneath the mountains, are the cold and windy valleys where the ancient bones lie. Here, where the dales are dominated by tall grass, forbs and sedges, and snow covers the highest parts of the mountains, are scattered skeletons of all kinds, some human, some animal, some belonging to some unknown being or beast, be they humanoid giants or great beasts, often rivaling the few, great trees of the region in height. In the valleys, the weather is cool and windy in the summer and cold in the winter, and rain, snow and hail are common, and many animals roam free among the grass. Higher in the mountains, their secrets unseen by human eye, in the rocky slopes where only eagles and mountain goats dare to wander, sometimes more of these bones are seen in the distance, illuminated by mysterious fires, lit by unknown hands.
These valleys are a grave, and as a grave, they shall preserve their secrets.
Denizens: human presence in the Valleys has existed since unknown times. The natives refer to themselves as Folką ("people"), and to their homeland as Skaðan; thus, in scholarly circles in Orvell they are named Skanda. The Skanda live divided between numerous clans and tribes, organized in a very simple society, with local elders ruling over their village, and two main castes: freemen, and slaves. They are semi-nomadic, moving around the valley, but usually settle an area long enough to cultivate it. They have a form of writing, called Rūnôz, or Runes, but few are literate, apart from the elders. They sustain themselves through agriculture, but mostly through cattle and sheep farming and hunting. Villages are usually very small and simple, erected quickly whenever a tribe arrives in their new home. The different tribes often go to war with each other for many different reasons, including feuds between warriors or clan leaders, cattle raids, or merely migrations, with battle playing a large role in their society: male freemen are trained for war since their childhood, and often see their first battlefield in their early teens. Freemen go to war, and also have a right to sit at the tribe's council and elect the war leader, while slaves remain home, toiling and working the fields. Women usually care for their children and their household, but occasionally they have been seen in battle, fighting alongside men. Religion among the Skanda is primitive and polytheistic, with ancestor worship playing a large role, but little else is known: rituals and sacrifices to the gods are celebrated by the village elders, with offerings usually consisting of cattle and sometimes of captured enemies. No proper artisans exist among them, yet they do produce art, often in the forms of runestones, erected in honor of fallen kinsmen; also, many bones in the valleys are found completely covered in carved runes, often also adorned with cloth and ribbons, and rituals of devotion are celebrated here. In many cases, it has been observed that the Skanda regard the skeletons littering their land as spirits, praying to them and burning their dead under their shadows.
None knows who lights the fires in the mountains. Perhaps the Skanda chiefs, or at least some of them, do know, but they guard this knowledge carefully.
