[^1]![[sturgia 1.png]] "Korsyas sits near the narrowest part of the Bay of [[Varcheg]]. Villagers fish the waters to the west for cod, char, and other cold-water sea fish that venture into the bay." "Karbur sits at a plateau on the Kachyar peninsula. Sheltered somewhat by a high ridge to their north, the villagers here raise barley and grain." "Rodobas, the house of [[Obas]], is named for a long-dead [[Sturgian]] hill chieftain. Perched high on a ridge overlooking the wilds of Ircara, it serves as a base for trappers looking for furs in the dark woods below." [House of [[Obas]]] "Kargrev was once 'Car [[Gryf]]', the ringfort of the [[Battanian]] ([[High-Kingdom-of-Battania]]) chief [[Gryf]], but was conquered by the Sturgians ([[Principality-of-Sturgia]]) two generations ago. It lies alongside the Bay of [[Varcheg]], where the local fishermen take advantage of the relatively sheltered waters of the bay, where fish of many kinds come to spawn." [From [[Battanian]] Car [[Gryf]], Gryf's fortress.] "Chornobas, or 'Blackwood', sits in lands cleared from the forests overlooking the cataract through which the Miron river empties into Lake Laconis. The villagers grow rye and barley in fields misted by the spray from the falls." [Blackwood] "Skorin sits on a promontory separating Dyatom Bay from the wider Lake Laconis. Villagers pull both freshwater flatfish from the shallow bay waters and bigger catch, including pike, from the main lake." "Safna sits on a high ridge overlooking the rapids that link Lake Laconis to the narrow Mazopor Bay. Villagers rear cattle on the grassy shelfs overlooking the sea-cliffs." "Marabrot sits on a high rocky ridge between the ford known as Mazopor Bay and the Byalic Sea. This harsh land would probably not be settled where it not for the rich iron deposits in the hills." [Mar's fortress] "Borchovagorka sits on a small rise on the steep northern shores of Lake Laconis. The village depends primarily on fishing, pulling perch, bream, salmon and occasionally large sturgeon and pike from the lake waters." [Storm cape] "Omkany lies where the Lake Laconis coastline rises up to meet the icy Chertyg mountains. Villagers in this district raise hogs, curing their fat with salt and in garlic and selling it throughout the northlands." "Yangutum sits in a nook of the Chertyg mountains on the north shores of Lake Laconis. Villagers here have found iron ore deposits in the mountainsides." "The villagers of Kvol raise small, sturdy cattle at the base of the Chertyg mountains. They include the descendants of refugees and malcontents from across [[Calradia-Conti.]], seeking isolation in the cold northern forests." "Radakmed sits in a basin amid the Chertyg mountains. Villagers here grow flax in the marshy valley floor." [Honey Market"] "Alebat sits deep in the forests of northeastern [[Principality-of-Sturgia]]. This isolated region has long been a refuge for those fleeing oppression or debt or blood-feud across the northlands, and the dialect is strongly influenced by the tongue of the Vanni woodspeople (or the [[Vakken]])." "Visibrot is a sheep-rearing village on the lower slopes of Mount Iltan, just below the network of glacial lakes known as the Iltan portages. Though this region is cold and remote, its importance as a trade juncture between Lakes Laconis and Tanaesis, between the [[Calradian-Empire]] and the steppe ([[Khuzait-Khanate]]), meaning that it is relatively densely populated." [High Ford] "Bukits sits on the eastern slopes of Mount Iltan on the [[Khuzait-Khanate]] frontier. Villagers raise highland cattle here, bred to withstand the icy gusts that tear down the mountain." [Little Bull] "Urikskala sits in the Portages of Iltan, a network of glacial lakes over which longships can be hauled and sailed between lakes Laconis and Tanaesis. Villagers net small spiny perch and crayfish in the shallow waters, drying them for sale to travelers." "Alov sits on the edge of the glacial lakes known as the Iltan portages. Villagers cultivate rye and barley on the high ground overlooking the lakes, and the rich black soil of the region compensates for the long winters and short growing season." "Vladiv sits at the base of Mount Iltan, in a cold, dark wooded valley. The hardy cattle of this region have learned to dig through thick winter snows in search of grass to sustain them until the spring." "Glavstrom sits beneath Mount Iltan, a craggy peak in eastern [[Calradia-Conti.]] named for a god of the steppe peoples ([[Khuzait-Khanate]] and or the [[Iltanlar]]). These wild lands abound with fur-bearing marten, fox, rabbits and other animals." [Borcha's Hill] "Takor is a cattle raising village at the pass that the Battanians ([[High-Kingdom-of-Battania]]) call 'Mynad Rhyfel', "*the mountain of war*", and their [[Imperial]] ([[Calradian-Empire]]) and [[Sturgian]] ([[Principality-of-Sturgia]]) neighbors call 'Minador'. It is one of the main trading and raiding routes between the wild north and the more settled [[Imperial]] lands." "Dvorusta is a fishing village overlooking the rapids linking the Bay of [[Varcheg]] with Lake Laconis. Villagers make their way down the cliffsides at dawn to catch salmon leaping over the rocks, as well as herring and cod in the sea." [Dvor Mouth] "Ov is a recent [[Sturgian]] colony in the Ircara wilds, a forest northwest of Lake Laconis. Villagers brave cold, wolves and the sometimes-hostile, sometimes-friendly peoples of the woods in pursuit of fur, the bounty of the northlands." "Ferkh lies at the northern edge of the Ircara wildlands, a forest northwest of Lake Laconis. It serves as a base for traders venturing deeper into the woods, brave cold, wolves and the sometimes-hostile, sometimes-friendly peoples of the woods in pursuit of fur, the bounty of the northlands." "Mazhadan sits near the source of the Galchas river, just west of Lake Laconis. Villagers grow flax in the muddy valleys between the hills in this cold, rainy land." "[[Forin]] sits among rye and barley fields next to the Galcha river, on the edge of the Ircara wilds. The village thrives on the grain it sells to the woodland fur-trapping communities." [Probably Derives From a Tribe] "Kranirog sits in a broaded forested valley looking down on the Galcha river. The villagers in these parts are expert trappers, hunting marten, fox and rabbit for the rich pelts much in demand in the south." "Ismilkorg sits on grassy downs between the Galcha and Vastra rivers, two small tributaries of the Miron. The people here are mostly cattle-herders as well as cattle-rustlers, and have long traded raids with the [[Imperial]] frontier ([[Calradian-Empire]]) villages to the east and Battanians ([[High-Kingdom-of-Battania]]) to the west." "Nevyansk sits on a flat shelf of land overlooking the Bay of [[Varcheg]]. The land is cold, but the runoff from the hills brings rich soil, and villagers grow hardy crops like rye and barley." "Dnin sits on pastures overlooking the narrowest part of the Bay of [[Varcheg]]. Horses graze on the heights, glancing down occasionally at the trading longships and fishing boats passing beneath them." "Ustokol sits on the windswept Kachyar peninsula, between the Bay of [[Varcheg]] and the Byalic Sea. Hardy northern cattle have been bred to eat the short grasses that grow among the rocks, supplemented by sea-kelp in hard times." "Zhemyan is a fishing village at the northern shores of the Kachyar peninsula. Villagers brave the storms that sweep through the Byalic Sea to pull up ample catches of cod, char, and sometimes even **small whales.**" "The villagers of Kvol raise small, sturdy cattle at the base of the Chertyg mountains. They include the descendants of refugees and malcontents from across [[Calradia-Conti.]], seeking isolation in the cold northern forests."