Kahraman
Overview
The mountains of Kahraman rise from the great grasslands of Soroche to the south and the Mournwold to the north. It's a treacherous land of broken rock and barren mountainside. Fast-flowing streams spill down deep jagged-edged valleys. There's precious little in the way of vegetation, only scrub that clings to the slopes. However, there are riches in the mountains; here the Freeborn find precious metals and minerals, often as sediment lying in the streambeds. Scattered settlements shelter in the valleys, with the remains of stone fortresses and watchtowers decaying on the heights above, remnants from the days before Empire when the Freeborn warred with the Marches.
To the south of the mountains of Kahraman lie sweeping grass plains, a seemingly desolate landscape dotted with strange rock formations shaped by the wind. Here the Freeborn graze the bulk of their herds of goats and sheep. The wind from the west, the Delés, is constant and bitingly cold at night. As a result, for shelter, Freeborn communities settle in bowl-shaped depressions cut from the earth, their tents sunk below the plains surface.
Recent History
Since Liathaven and the Mournwold fell into the hands of the Jotun barbarians, there has been an increase in raids by orcs from the north. The Freeborn maintain vital trade routes and communications with the Navarr holdouts in Beacon Point.
Minor Settlements
Fort Braydon
An old fortress dating from the days before the Marchers, when the Brass Coast kept watch against the barbarians and the Feni. The recent barbarian incursions have led to the the rebuilding of its walls and strengthening of its defenses.
Briante
Known for the rich open cast mines around the Briante valley, this is now home for a number of displaced Navarri steadings, pushed out of Liathaven by the barbarian incursions. The town still maintains the Navarr beacons that once allowed the inhabitants of southern Liathaven to maintain simple communication with their northern neighbours - as well as provide early warnings of potential attacks from western lands outside the Empire. The Great Mine of Briante is a Bourse position which produces mithril.
Damata
A trading centre for the surrounding peaks, where rich deposits of Oricalchum are still found, Damata is famed for its walls. Every metre is covered in finely calligraphed script, recording stories that have been told amongst the Freeborn for generations, each story different. One day, they say, there will be no more room for writing, and then the town will perish, its life written. In the meantime, troubadors and scops travel for some distance to read the walls.
Nestor’s Bounty
As with Briante, well-known for its mines, particularly precious stones and tempest jade. Named for a scrivener who made a vast fortune writing contracts for the sale of rich claims found in the hills.
Rojota
Sunk into a natural depression in the rock-slopes that mark the southern limits of the Kahraman mountains. It’s surrounded by goat-farming land, a hard place to scratch a living. Its fame is for a peculiar method of foretelling the future. Precious - for the Brass Coast - scraps of wood are left to weather in dust blown by the Delés and interpreted by sutannir skilled in such matters.
Places of Interest
The Gilded Peak
The mountain that separates the valley of Briante and the ancient stronghold of Fort Braydon bears a most peculiar summit, which at sunset or dawn gleams as if the rock is made of gold. The mountain is treacherous, and no-one has yet achieved it, although many have tried. “Climbing the Gilded Peak” has passed into local parlance as a phrase meaning “a fool’s dream”.
The Damation Cliffs
The Damation Cliffs is a Bourse position which produces white granite.
The Northern Peaks
The mountains along the northern borders of Kahraman are the home of several vicious clans of orc barbarians. Descended from mine working slaves who revolted during the orc rebellion, they refused all overtures from the Empire and expressed no interest in becoming Imperial orcs. Rather they created out-of-the-way strongholds for themselves and proceeded to prey on travelers and poorly defended caravans. Most of their spite was reserved for traders trying to cross the mountains to Liathaven, but in the years since they went rogue they have launched more than one concerted attack on a mining camp or northern village. The Empire would very much like to deal with them permanently, but they are like weeds - when one group is put down, another springs up a few years later to claim it's territory.