Baskth

Mountain Men

These are the grey-skinned people who call the east of Armir their home. They can be easily identified by their large stature, but even more so by their four arms.
They are not so different in general build, from the continental people, but their ears are less ear-shaped, and more antenna-shaped, like an insect's feelers, but more fleshy, and their faces are wide and rough, and their voices are deep.
They have large square teeth. One wide front tooth, and short pointed canines, and two wide molars, both in their upper and lower jaw.
Their hair is thick and dark, and their skin is most commonly grey, although they have also been seen with more pale, white, or even yellowish skin tones.

Their eyes are large and round, and protected by their long, thick lashes and eyebrows.

Homeland

They feel most at home in the mountainous highland interior of the continent, but they live in all lands east of the mountains.

However, there are many settlements near the coast of the inland sea, called Shipwreck Sea by the Veskarens, where the climate is gentle, good for farming, and natural plant growth. As you move land inwards, the land gets more arid, ranging from sandy deserts in the south to hot shrublands in the north. During the day, temperatures in the highlands are unbearably hot to human and elven explorers, but the native mountain men, don't seem to mind so much, and during the night, temperatures can reach the freezing point, even in the heart of summer, one might wonder why these mountain men won't rather stick to the more moderate coastal lands, where plants grow better, and the climate is more pleasant. This is because the highlands are the prime grazing ground for the local Llama, a type of creature that thrives in the dry highlands, where they live off what vegetation they can find, but also because they require large amounts of salt in their diet, in order to better retain water, and the highlands host a number of salt flats where the sand ox can easily fill up their supply of salt, before moving on to their grazing grounds.

While most of their lands are desert and dry grassland, the corners of their world are forested, and in the south, it is even known to snow in the winter.

Culture

The Baskth are known as a calm people. Their llamas are too small to ride, but they make excellent sources of meat and wool. The sand Llama, which is kept in all of central Baskythenia, produces a fine wool, not too different from that of sheep, and it is used for the creation of most Baskythenian clothing.

Ethnicities

There are four main Baskth ethnicities.

Highlander

The highlanders are the most regal of the Baskth, they are known for their vast herds of oxen, their salt exports, and their colorful clothing. They are the leading ethnic group of the nation of Baskythenia, which comprises most of the center of Armir, and most of the Baskth lands.

Lowlander

The lowlanders are nomadic, ranging from the north to the south, herding their llamas and riding on tamed elephants. They are also the ones who have taken to the seas, something they use to transport goods efficiently to other baskth nations, as well as the other races of Armir. Their ships are simple, since seafaring isn't their most common source of income.

Southerner

The southern Baskythenians live in much colder climates than their northern cousins. They are also much more settled, and have flocked to a number of large settlements. Their lands are good for farming, but freeze over in the winters. They are known for working with stone, which they gather from quarries, and use to build their cities. They don't have any llamas, instead keeping mammoths, both for milk, as well as their fur, and meat. Mammoth fur is coarse, but it is very dense and makes for warm clothing. They even have varieties specifically bred for wool production.

Northerner

The northern Baskth live in a lush forest. They have mostly kept to the mountains, where they herd their own variety of llama. Their warmer, longer harvest season has allowed them to spend much more time on other things, such as art. This is why these baskth are well known for their sculptures and paintings.
They have also developed a taste for wine, because grapes grow very well in their mountain valleys. Their lands are not particularly densely populated, but they share resources and have built roads between cities. They have even dug tunnels through the mountains in certain places to make these roads more efficient.