Hords
General InformationOther NamesIophaur (P)
LocationsHoarland, Mountain Wall, Snow Gulf, coast of Loon
AffiliationZhē Drūmor
LanguagesHordish, some could speak broken Western
MembersFrösted Flækes, Panry Chenech
Physical DescriptionDistinctionsAdapted to the cold clime of the Far North
HairMostly fair, sometimes brown
SkinPale
The Mannish peoples known as the Hords (the Iophaur to the Patrin) are an ice people, native to the moors and uplands of Hoarland in the Far North. They are a hardy folk in a harsh land.
History
In the Days of Wrath, the Hords fought for Zhē Drūmor, whom they called King, and after the Great Battle, when at last the Mad One was overthrown, they were thrown into a tumult and disarray, and they fled to the unharvested lands of the east. Then the Kembar forsook the Men who had confounded their early forays into the north; and so they dwelt in darkness and were troubled by many evil things that Zhē Drūmor had devised in the days of his dominion.
In that time, they fell into bickering and violence, blaming one another for all their troubles, and the lot of the Hords was unhappy. Today, they remain divided against themselves, split into a myriad of tribes, clans, and gangs that collectively are called the Petty Kingdoms, for none of them have ever gathered unto themselves great power, and their squabbles are trifling.
Culture
The Hords dwell mainly in Hoarland on the swards about Lake Gharad, as well as by the Mountain Wall and the shores of Loon. In winter, when Lake Gharad freezes, they don heavy furs and sled to the west and south rims of Ūgaden to fish, since those waters rarely ice over. Those of them that live near the sea hunt seals and whales for meat and valuable blubber, while the inland tribes pursue elk, mammoths, and oxen. They have a culture well adapted to their cold existence, constructing turf houses and tools of ivory and whalebone. One of their most well-regarded cultural dishes is the Sjefenhold Special.
The largest villages of the Hords are Sjefen, Kolin, and Hvalstrond, though there are multiple others dotted about the Far North.
Some of the Hordish tribes still maintain cults dedicated to Zhē Drūmor, but most have renounced him, perceiving him to be an evil liar. They have become hateful of all gods, and do not worship.
Etymology
Iophaur is a Paternic name meaning “Icefolk”. It is a combination of the elements ioph (“ice”) and -(m)aur (“-folk” with a pejorative connotation).