Forest People
The forest people were a cultural group that was once present along the eastern coast of Telgren. Their origin is as mysterious as what happened to them, but traces of their cultural and ethnic background can be traced to the present day. The forest people were seemingly already long-extinct by the time the Oleandron Empire was formed, and certainly had no holdouts by the time that empire made contact with the Orentesh as they were only mentioned as a legend during interactions.
It is highly likely that the forest people had some sort of relation to the Grenhóllr, as all stories mention their red hair, which is otherwise only seen in Grenholl and those who claim descendence from the forest people. The majority of those who claim such descendence are Orentesh, but red hair can also be observed in the Enctör and Taytamans, so it seems likely that at least some forest people were assimilated into those groups as well.
Besides their red hair, the forest people are best remembered for their megalitic earthern structures, which seem to have had a number of purposes depending upon their form. The three most common remnants of the forest people, in descending order, are cairns, barrows, and Odurigs. Cairns appear to have been made to commemorate events, sometimes burials but not always. The forest people's cairns typically range from just over 3 feet tall to around 9 feet tall. It is unsure what exactly they were raised for when not placed over a burial because the writing on their stones cannot be translated at the moment. In contrast, their barrows were universally raised for burials, and seem to have been for high ranking members of their tribes, as the interiors usually contain precious weapons and equipment. However, despite the loot inside, they are rarely raided by the Orentesh, as they believe that the goods within are cursed. Some decry this as mere superstition, but the barrows definietly have an ominous air to them that gives pause to those seeking to raid them. Odurigs are the most mysterious of the three common structures. All Odurigs are shaped like a coiled snake, and one can climb the coils in a circle to the top. Some speculate that they may have been used for astronomy or religious ceremonies, but nobody knows for certain.
It is highly likely that the forest people had some sort of relation to the Grenhóllr, as all stories mention their red hair, which is otherwise only seen in Grenholl and those who claim descendence from the forest people. The majority of those who claim such descendence are Orentesh, but red hair can also be observed in the Enctör and Taytamans, so it seems likely that at least some forest people were assimilated into those groups as well.
Besides their red hair, the forest people are best remembered for their megalitic earthern structures, which seem to have had a number of purposes depending upon their form. The three most common remnants of the forest people, in descending order, are cairns, barrows, and Odurigs. Cairns appear to have been made to commemorate events, sometimes burials but not always. The forest people's cairns typically range from just over 3 feet tall to around 9 feet tall. It is unsure what exactly they were raised for when not placed over a burial because the writing on their stones cannot be translated at the moment. In contrast, their barrows were universally raised for burials, and seem to have been for high ranking members of their tribes, as the interiors usually contain precious weapons and equipment. However, despite the loot inside, they are rarely raided by the Orentesh, as they believe that the goods within are cursed. Some decry this as mere superstition, but the barrows definietly have an ominous air to them that gives pause to those seeking to raid them. Odurigs are the most mysterious of the three common structures. All Odurigs are shaped like a coiled snake, and one can climb the coils in a circle to the top. Some speculate that they may have been used for astronomy or religious ceremonies, but nobody knows for certain.
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