Selcian Barrows

In many places around central and western Arros, ancient burial grounds can be found near rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. These serve as resting places for the members of the ancient selcian tribes.

Description

Composed of a dirt mound about half a metre high, and covered or surrounded by various stones, pebbles, and wood pieces, sometimes carved and engraved with ancient selcian runes and religious imagery.

Religious Significance

Most barrows are located near bodies of water, usualy rivers, lakes, and ponds. Scholars attribute this to the fact that these ancient people viewed water as holy in their religions. Proof of this can be found in the runes engraved in the barrow stones, which talks about

History

The vast majority of the barrows that were discovered seem to have been built during the First Age and to a lesser extent, The Long Winter. Due to the rapid decline of the ancient selcian cultures in western Arros following the Orromian migrations there from Enaskia during the Long Winter, the region contains a far lower amount of burrows.   Unlike Western Arros, the Selcians in central Arros, especialy along the Royn river and its tributaries, had built numerous barrows, especialy along the Royn river and its tributarie. Some of them date back to the Long Winter, suggesting a large spike of deaths in the region during that period.    By far, the countries with the most amounts of Barrows are Heoria and Arthesia, which is where the Ancient Selcian cultures lasted the longest, possiby into the first few centuries of the Second Age. However, the rapid rise of Choranism on the continent by the mid-Second Age led to the definitive end of the practice in all of Arros by the year 1000 bc.