Yultac

Geography

Yultac is beautiful in all measure of the word; lush green rolling hills, ancient birch trees, and bountiful waterways feeding into the Caddoch Sea from both the Galehorn Mountains and the Lake of Volgan all bring out the natural beauty that Yultac has to offer.  This highland territory offers steep plateaus that cut down into valleys and rolling hills that increase in scale as they move Westward against the Galehorn Mountains. Settlements and trade posts litter the countryside, and all roads lead to the North, where the Port of Dwindain resides, the beating heart of the territory proper.

History

The Yult people of the Yultac highlands were traditionally a pale flesh people with lighter colored hair and eyes of blue and greenish hues.  Compared to the size of other Midlanders, they were slightly shorter build with a coarse hair. Many joke of their excessive body hair, and a common phrase in the Midlands is “a Yult would sell you the hair on his back if it meant an extra copper.”  The Yults were a people gifted in trade and commerce, and the early development of their written and spoken language which spread like wildfire throughout the Midlands pre-arrival of the Decusian war-machine is indicative of this.

During the Reckoning, some resistance was give among the Midlands to the conquests marching upon their homes.  The ancient Yults, however, saw the invading Decusian forces as an opportunity to bring about wealth and prosperity to their fiefdoms by opening their borders freely to the Imperial machine, welcoming it with open arms, unlike many other early peoples of Vitaveus.  The Yults were also a faithless lot, and as such, had no qualms with taking on the religious and ritual practices of an invading force if it means that further trade can be conducted to better suit their needs. As such, the Decusian faith was embraced with open arms, and all effigies to paganistic practices within less-enlightened provinces of the territory were toppled with little more than a stifled yawn.

Due to the historical wealth and abundance associated with the region throughout history, many members of the Clergy lavish the opportunity to be sent to the region, as it is far from the eyes of Redholme and Tor, and the Yult traders have no issues with lining the pockets of established church officials in order to get extended favors and indulgences.

The Yultish Language

The Yult people were one of the first to develop a standardized writing system along with a pattern of speech that borrowed from many of the surrounding Midland tribal groups and fiefdoms.  Due to their extensive trade networks and this development of a common writing system, their language began to spread to the surrounding territories; those who wished to trade with them found the language similar in ways to their own, and quite easy to pick up, borrowing on a similar lexicon of tones and patterns.  Furthermore, as many of the surrounding fiefdoms lacked a writing system, relying on oral traditions and recollection, picking up the Yultish writing system only bolstered the capabilities of communication within the Midlands; for both its own politics and religious practices, but also its trading efforts with surrounding regions.

Torment

The Torment is beginning to make its way into the Northern reaches of the Midlands, and even though these cases are few and far between, what has hurt Yultac most is that the other surrounding regions are suffering heavily from the Resolvist plague.  This has placed a heavier burden on their trade routes, having to take extra measures to protect their traders, caravaneers, and any perishable imports they’ve come across. Provinces like Ghaenthgrand have all but cut trade ties with the Yultian border cities, as their plight with the Torment on the Western front has brought them on the brink of calamity and destruction.  Due to all this, many less reputable or skilled traders have been forced to uproot their shops and coteries for better commercial opportunities elsewhere in Vitaveus.

Points of Interest

Port of Dwindain

Resting on the Northern edge of Yultac, this port city is the major economic seat of the Yult people and the Republic efforts in the Midlands.  During the Reckoning, Port Dwindain was used as a staging point for Imperial forces, as it is the last port on the route West along the Caddoch Sea and its deadly squalls that capsize smaller vessels.

Edring’s Monolith

A large black obelisk that stands almost squarely in the middle of the Yultac province, Edring’s Monolith has been given its moniker for its unfortunate circumstances.  Many Inquisitor who have actually looked upon the stone have felt a sense of dread and unease, claiming it something foul from a time long forgotten. However, as legend and folklore may have it, a foolish and shrewd trader by the name of Edring held no belief in such preposterous things many years prior to the Decusian assimilation of Yultac.  As the stories say, to show those in his employ that there was little to fear of such a stone, Edring attempted to carve his name into the obelisk, cementing a message that it was his shrewd trading prowess that should be feared and whispered about, and not some old rock.  Those who watched said that when Edring hit his chisel and hammer against the smooth stone, the man turned into a cloud of red mist, never to be seen again. To this day, the Monolith remains untoppled, seated squarely in the middle of a ridiculously large and walled-in containment area that has been patrolled and guarded by Inquisitor Clergies for centuries.

Galehorn Mine

The Galehorns provide the Midlands with a extravagant amount of minerals and metals that prove vital to both trade and the lifeblood of the Venerated war machine.  The Galehorn Mines, named after the very mountains they plunge deep into, have long been abandoned, ripped of any value that Eden once provided. It is now home to many Western refugees, forced to live within the abandoned passages as they’ve little elsewhere to go.  Due to this, crime as spiked dramatically along the Galehorn, and this, many have begun to cite further anti-Western sentiments.

Inspirations and Influences

Ireland. Traditional example names such as Maxwell, Douglas, Ainsley and Kenna are common for those hailing from Yultac.