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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kensanata" data-source="post: 3588036" data-attributes="member: 47845">My Kitsunemori (oriental) campaign has a Mountain Kingdom in the mountains of the East, inhabited by hairy mountain people. They are skilled warriors and often raid the eastern provinces of the valley. (I'm using hobgoblin stats for them, but they don't necessarily have to be goblinoid.) The setup is inspired by an evil vision of medieval Switzerland, partly lawful, partly chaotic.About five hundred years ago, humans lived in the mountains of the East, close to heaven, where as the valleys were filled with swamps and disease. Shape changing creates dwelt there, turtle demons (kappa), hunters, fox tricksters (kitsune), and they were ruled by a foul demon. King Ueshiba fought a long war with these demon hordes, and slowly, year after year, he was able to drain more swamps, liberate ponds and lakes, build bridges over the many rivers, and subjugate the wild forest.Many years have passed, and now humans live in the vast valley of the West, in an uneasy peace with the kappas, who still control the remote rivers and lakes, and the kitsune, who still live in the forests, favorite servants of some of the gods. The ruins in the eastern mountains were taken over by tribes of hairy warriors. They send warbands into the valley to raid villages, and they fight amongst each others. The old cities and castles have been turned into strongholds where armies are trained and oldest secrets of weapon smithing and armory are being rediscovered. This is where cold steel is being reforged to fight the fey creatures in the forest, and this is where elemental fire is bound to red hot iron, creating flaming swords and halberds.The mountains are harsh masters. Every autumn, the warriors return home to help their families through the cold winters. There are no lush fields of rye up here. Instead, cattle, sheep, and goats are used. Every summer they are driven up into the mountains, to graze on green pastures above the treeline. After a few months, they are collected again and spend the cold months in their stables. People it dark bread; sometimes they add tried plums and nuts to compensate for the lack of flour. There's milk and butter and cheese, but meat is rare because the animals are so valuable.Poverty forces many young men to join the warbands of their feudal lords that have taken up residence in the castles rebuilt from the old ruins. Build at strategic positions, on big rocks on valley floors, on ridges where valleys fork, at the mouths of smaller valleys, these castles are formidable strongholds controlling trade and travel, earning money by taxing bridges and roads, sending out patrols to keep law and order, and preparing the occasional raid on neighbours.Fiercly independent and stubborn, these mountain people are easy to offend and not to be trusted. As an outsider, it is difficult to fathom their unspoken laws of courtesy and respect.</blockquote>

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