Ironrocks

        The Ironrocks, named after thier mountainous homeland, are quite
reclusive.  Historians note only two times that any Ironrock Army has ever
been seen, although each of these appearances has convinced observers that
there are huge numbers of Ironrocks living in their mountainous
strongholds.   There have been less than a dozen times when any group of
Ironrocks have been known to travel from their mountains.  These journeys
have all been ambassadorial in nature, and have been as short as the
Ironrocks could make them.  Each of these Ambassadorial Journeys have been
made up of eleven Ironrocks, although only one of the eleven is ever known
to speak in the presence of another race.  There are no records of
Ironrocks ever travelling singly.
        These short, bearded mountain men are forever serious, and are
rarely seen to smile.  The Ironrocks language seems very sharp and abrupt
to non-natives, and this basic language pattern is carried over when the
Ironrocks speak Human languages.  Humans ofton feel that Ironrocks are
surly and rude, since they have little room in their vocabularies for
verbal subtleties.  They are direct and to the point.
        Ironrocks are very concerned with humans crossing their borders.
No human alive today has ever returned from the mountains, although
Maracarans and Illhillians have been reported to come and go, apparently as
they please.  Historians feel that this is probably due to the recent
growth in human population on Durrin.  During the Dark Age, the Ironrocks
were apparently quite hospitable to humans, as the human population was
quite small, and did not threaten to overrun the mountains.  It was only
after the recent recolonization and the growth in human population that the
Ironrocks have become increasingly insular.  The Ironrocks had been
friendly trading partners for centuries, until they realized that the
humans were spreading into their mountains, and reaising an incredible
number of children.  The Ironrocks raised a huge army, and forcefully
ejected the Humans from the Ironrock Mountains.  The Ironrocks were very
polite, and even helped to herd livestock and carry household goods.  The
humans, for their part were also fairly polite.  Of course, what small farm
family is going to argue when an armed party of a hundred Ironrocks
politely asks them to move?
        The Ironrocks Army did not return home immediately, but spent the
rest of the season erecting stone signposts at the border which they
claimed.  These signposts were erected every hundred yards completely
around the Ironrock mountains, and still stand to this day.  Any human now
caught traveling within the Ironrocks border is captured and hauled into
the mountains.  These individuals are never seen again.  On those occasions
where herd animals cross the border, the Humans still do not dare to cross
the border.  Of course, since the Ironrocks will return any properly marked
animals to their rightful owners, this rarely presents a problem.
        There are two notable exceptions to the No-Humans Rule.  These are
Isthmus City, and The Winevalleys.  The Winevalleys are located along the
Ironrocks/Labhartain border.  The Ironrocks allow a number of valleys
(which they had originally claimed) to be farmed by citizens of Labhartain.
In exchange for half of the wine the farmers produce the Ironrocks allow a
limited amount of autonomy to the farmers.  The Ironrocks have built
additional signposts along the borders of each of the Winevalleys, and like
the main borders, no Human is allowed to cross.
        The second exception to the No-Humans Rule is Isthmus City.
Isthmus City, and the surrounding countryside can be inhabited by any race,
species or religious group as long as they follow Ironrocks Law, as written
on stone tablets in The Square of Law, in the center of Isthmus City.  The
most common punishment for any crime is to be escorted to the border and
not be allowed to return.  This would not be quite so serious, if not for
the fact that Isthmus City is surrounded by water...
        The Ironrocks built Isthmus City, and its port, to allow them to
trade beyond Durrin.  However, since Ironrocks don't travel, they have to
depend on foreign ships for all commerce.  Even though Isthmus City tends
to be a profitable stop, few sailors enjoy spending much time here.
Although the drinks tend to be quite stiff, the Ironrocks do not allow
hospitality houses, so many of the other comforts of port are not to be had
here.  Those few individuals who have tried to run hospitality houses have
been calmly escorted to the border, if male, and to a ship if female.

Maracarans

        The Maracaran inhabit much of the rainforest  in Bramhillian.  The
Maracaran's are very close to nature, heir homes rarely intrude on the
natural beauty of the rainforest, and are often difficult for the
uninitiated to observe, even from quite close.  Those few Maracaran
"cities" which do exist in the forest are stands of the huge Homeoak trees,
whose branches grow at right angles to the thick trunk, making large
platform homes easy to build.  Most platform homes incorporate much of the
living tree as walls and ceilings.  Even then, few of the Maracaran homes
are what Humans would call houses, since they are often open to the sky,
with large windows to allow light and air to enter.
        There are also many small family groups who live in lone Homeoaks
elsewhere in the forest.  Unlike the city Homeoaks, these trees are usually
quite young, and rarely reach more than a hundred feet into the sky.  The
small family group is most common in the forest, as family bonds tend to be
quite strong.  All Maracarans are able to utilize magic, and most
specialize in magic affecting animals, plants and the elements.  There are
others, and this tends to run in families, who specialize in other aspects
of magic.  Some families of Maracarans produce items of a magical nature
which have found their way into human hands, but these items are rarely of
the destructive types of magic which Humans tend to prefer.
        The Maracarans are friendly toward humans, and families sometimes
care for human children as their own.  It is not uncommon for mixed-race
pairs to have children.  This is usually frowned upon by the Maracaran
elders, but the young are not the best judges what is proper.  These
relationships are of course doomed by the fact that humans rarely live for
more than a handfull of decades, whereas Maracarans sometimes live for
centuries.  Individuals of mixed blood usually leave the forest to travel
among humans, and to explore their human background.  There are also those
humans who come to the Maracarans to study and learn elvish sciences and
magical arts.