Aran'riod

Aran'riod
Leader	A'issem, Chieftess of the Yriluawe
Religion	The Holy Three
Discoverer	Senans

Aran'riod is a small village on the border of the frozen, far-north tundra. It was discovered by Senans Le'Yuet in the year 311 AF.

Geography

Standing at the edge of Aran'riod, one can make out the trees of the Northreach Forest far to the south. The village sits on the edge of the frozen northern tundra. It is a long journey to reach Aran'riod, and it requires travellers to make their way through the wilderness. The village is a harsh, cold place to live, but the inhabitants make do with the climate nonetheless.

Inhabitants

The people of Aran'riod call themselves the Yriluawe. Most of the villagers have a specific role in the town. There are those who tend to the children, prepare food, serve as religious figures, and make various crafts for the local people. Notable villagers include:

• A'dene, Priestess of the Holy Three
• A'issem, Chieftess of the Yriluawe
• A'leess, Oracle of the Yriluawe
• A'roden, the Mistress of Threads
• A'urnir, the beadworker
• the trader, O'inead
• O'ising, Yriluawe shaman
• O'mem, the shepherd
• the cook, O'seru
• the Yriluawen warrior, O'sild
• the stablehand, O'suiwr

Culture

The Yriluawen people live a simple life in their frigid home. They reside in communal housing instead of in individual homes. They raise sheep and tend small vegetable gardens for food, occasionally hunting reindeer for additional meat. The villagers train wild ponies and other beasts as steeds, and many riders will travel a long way to visit their stables. The villagers practise a religion that reveres the Holy Three: the Mother, Sinope; the Father, Callisto; and the Creator, Sarapis. They also consider the four elements and the cycles of the moon sacred, employing them frequently as religious symbolism. The villagers name their children following a simple tradition: female names begin with the letter A and male names begin with the letter O, both letters of which are immediately followed by an apostrophe. It is said that the shaman O'ising can tap into the power of the moon to restore youth to the chieftess of the village.

Shops

There are multiple shops in the village, ranging from an apothecary to a jewellery store. The cook, O'seru, sells a few local dishes, including elk steak and gazpacho. His small shop is the only one that sells food in the frozen tundra, making him a valuable resource for those who may have planned a long stay up there. A'roden, the Mistress of Threads, as she is known, sells a handful of Yriluawen garments. A'urnir's shop near the entrance of the village has a few pieces of beaded jewellery, as well as prized moonstone rings. O'ising, the local shaman, has learned to brew a few simple concoctions. He sells these in black-walnut vials to visitors. To the north of the village lie the Aran'riod stables. Here, one can purchase riodian war horses, as well as mighty woolly mammoths.

Flora and Fauna

Few plants grow in the harsh, frigid environment of the northern tundra. Regardless, the Yriluawe have managed to grow a few simple vegetables in their gardens, as the village is just far enough south of the permafrost for the soil to thaw sufficiently during the growing season; these plants remain short and stunted, however. Wild ponies roam the tundra, and the local villagers are known to tame them for mounts.