Ice Wastes of Gath

Capital:  None

Population:  Unknown

Government:  Tribal (Arctic Elves)

Currency:  Trade and barter

Religion:  Totem worship, Polar Bear is spirit of deity

Imports:  Metal weapons, exotic jewelry

Exports:  Hides, animal oils and fats, local jewelry

National Languages:  Bihnu (elven)

National Alignment:  Chaotic Good

The Ice Wastes are a desolate and barren wilderness atop an ancient glacier in the extreme north of the eastern continent. The winds blow continuously from the north, carrying biting cold, snow, and ice across the glacier. The slow progress of the glacier makes it an area prone to quakes that have been known to swallow entire villages of the elves that make their home on the ice. The Wastes are surrounded by water on almost all sides except for the southern boundary that falls sharply to the plains below. The regular course of weather and climate cause the Great Northern Icepack to form a bridge to the Wastes of Gath periodically, adding more mass to the glacier. During these years an influx of arctic wildlife and monsters repopulate the Wastes, and the tribes that dwell there fight for their survival from more than the cold.

The people that make their home on the Ice are a tribe of ancient elves that moved there seeking freedom, it is believed. Depending on the tribe, the origin history is different, but all of them agree that the elves are not indigenous to the area, and came here during the elven people’s separation from the worship of Illeander. Others believe that they are descended of the polar bear spirit, a faith that became popular as generations of oral history changed over time. These elves are a slightly blue-skinned, and light haired people. Their eyes tend to be light in color, ranging from silver to lavender.

Culture

Due to their environment the elves of the Wastes dress in warm furs, and regularly coat themselves in animal fat. They have developed many weapons, and attire beneficial to life on the glacier. One of their greatest advancements is the snow visor. This item reduces glare from the sun reflecting on ice, and is sought after by people outside the Wastes for a variety of uses.

The Bihnu, as the arctic elves call themselves, are a nomadic people who follow the food animals they need for survival. The Bihnu are conservative hunters, utilizing everything they take and worshiping the spirits of the animals that sustain them. The primary idol of their faith is the Great White Bear or a Polar Bear spirit. Scholars have come to believe that a powerful Seraph may occupy this role as the shamans and keepers of the Bihnu have divine powers that cannot be granted if they were faithless, or worshipped a false being.

There are no permanent settlements on the glacier. Outsiders that seek to trade with the Bihnu will usually make camp, or weigh anchor near the glacier and wait for one of the nearest tribes to notice them.

Regional History

The history of the Bihnu is oral, and kept by each tribe’s shaman in the form of stories. The true origin of their people is lost to time. Many agree that they came to the glacier seeking refuge from some evil. Some claim they share ancestry with their woodland cousins of the south while others claim they were created from the spirit of the Great White Bear and called home after traveling the south. Few remember their people's faith in the elder Gods, and none worship the younger Gods the other elves of Thelos are devoted to. As for their time on the wastes, they are peaceful with each other, but they are ferocious in defense of their people. There are stories about conflicts with outsiders, and the things that migrate from the Great Northern Icepack, but nothing on a major scale such as all out war.