A Hollow Mountain: Conflict in the Maenhu

(This is the second in my series of worldbuilding posts for A Hollow Mountain, the second book in The Brightest Shadow series.)

Where the Chorhan Expanse was moving toward warfare, the northern part of Breilin is already deeply entrenched in several different conflicts.

Sotunn Raiders

The Sotunn Mountains are the largest range on the continent, the passes challenging and the summits uninhabitable. There are two networks of passes that link the Maenhu and the Chorhan Expanse, one on the eastern end of the range and one in the west. Since both reach major northern rivers, these passes are major highways of trade... and that means raiders preying on that trade.

Numerous clans of raiders have sprung up in the mountains over the past few generations, from the organized Coldsteps to the mansthein-hating Bloodskins to the Stormpeaks who prey on other clans. Instead of a long tradition, their society has formed from this brutal lifestyle. With limited food in the mountains and merchants increasingly avoiding the passes, they're engaged in a long war of attrition. They're one of the few cultures that's oppressive to women, and untrained young men are also second class citizens.

Sotunn raiders lack technology and steal all their weaponry, but they have one innovation that makes them feared: their training techniques focus on the body first, rendering them able to fight through most wounds. As such, they can conduct charges that would be suicidal for any other force, overwhelming caravan guards and stealing what they need to survive.

The Mansthein 

Several centuries ago, mansthein sailors shipwrecked off the coast of Wahleen and were rescued by humans. More followed and they were slowly incorporated into the nation, independent of the Silver Senate or other mansthein leadership. Most speak Reili and view themselves as Wahleenese, though they aren't fully integrated with the human society.

Over those years, Wahleenese mansthein have assimilated in many ways, notably their use of armor and head wraps for women. They're a sufficiently separated population to have developed a uniquely reddish coloring, related to the Feinan ethnicity but still distinct.

All that changed when a Zeitai arrived on the continent, bringing with him a new legion straight from Orphos. Wahleen was split between human and mansthein, with the mansthein's imperial ambitions fracturing business relationships and increasing tension all across the Maenhu. Worse, the Hero is now traveling north...

War in the Maenhu 

Espal, Portant, and Wahleen have a long history of warfare. Prior to the modern era of respect codes and ranked errants, there were countless atrocities, many of them still remembered. The borders between the three nations have been redrawn countless times, and the leadership councils still argue over certain regions.

These ancient conflicts may be mostly dormant at the present, but they're not easily suppressed. Currently, warfare is limited to controlled engagements. Scholars disagree about whether these standards can contain conflict between the nations or whether the Maenhu is a powder keg waiting for the right spark...