A scout engaged in combat.
World: Midgard
Diet: Omnivorous
Height: 6’0″
Lifespan: 70 years
Habitat: Montane forest and plains
Activity Cycle: Crepuscular
Every so often, a traveler passing through the mountains in the north of Gurngamos catches sight of a strange creature, a hairy wildman watching them from above. Clad in only a loincloth and armed with tools of stone, they seem to be but savages, and if they bring up their encounter to the folk at the base of the mountain, this initial impression will be confirmed. The villagers will gladly inform them that they saw a yeti, the most savage and degenerated of all beastfolk, incapable of speech and unspeakably vicious. The yeti themselves would be pleased to know that those below have such a poor understanding of their kind.
The only yeti most lowlanders will even have a chance of seeing are their scouts. Every boy coming of age must go into the wilderness for three years, joining a group led by a veteran scout in his third year. There they patrol the borders of their lands, using only what tools they can create on their own. Only when they complete this tour do they return to their home, considered a man. They may give up at any point, but in doing so lose all rights of citizenship and join the lowest rungs of society.
Society is far more complex than anyone below could anticipate, all enabled by the warm patches caused by the volcanoes of the mountain range. A small city-state occupies each peak, harnessing the heat of the world itself to enable agriculture and metallurgy. This is helped along further by a unique branch of magic that shapes and molds stone and soil, allowing them to redirect lava when necessary. Most practitioners of this earth magic are women, who practice and learn it while the men are training as scouts.
An earth mage takes her break on a hill overlooking her city’s great basalt temple.
Religion forms a large part of yeti life, with grand basalt temples dedicated to various gods, especially the patron gods of each city-state. Natural caves are also often worked into holy grottoes, where more primordial forces are worshipped. Governance, however, is democratic, with every man who has graduated as a scout having a vote on major issues, with women trained as earth mages having gained suffrage in some cities. Votes are called for by the council of elders, all heads of the various guilds and organizations that make civilization run. This includes the head priest of the city’s patron god, the captain of the army, and in those states where women have the vote, the mistress of the earth mages.
