The following is a brief historical record, about the Kingdoms surrounding Valcanne and has been written by King Raughn's first Master of knowledge Rickharton.
This historical record has been edited by King Raughn's current Master of Knowledge Eligeah, it has only been adjusted to correct any errors found and to add new information discovered.
Location and Land:
Kurtah is located to the North of Valcanne, the cities exact location isn't known. What we do know is that it lies well within the enormous mountain range referred to as the Mountains of Kurtah.
The two countries are separated by the north most branch of the Four Tides, the range of mountains actually begins within the Kingdom of Almains territories - but it continues much further to the North, until it meets the sea.
The mountains are harsh and little grows there but tufts of grass, though this is enough to supply the goats and other livestock the people rely on for food.
The mountain peaks are always frosted white by the snow they bare year round, the people live in constant cold and this has made them a tough people - as only the strongest can survive the winter.
Basic History:
Whilst we don't have a long or detailed history for the people of Kurtah, we do know they have had many violent encounters with Almain, Irahdah and even ourselves here in Valcanne.
Though this was many generations ago long before the forging of the Five Kingdoms of Balamy, since that time we have had very little contact with the people of Kurtah - besides the occasional trade deal.
We have also heard that they claim to have constant raids and battles with Valmere, a country we have had no contact or dealings with before.
The only other information we have received on their history is somewhat questionable, It is said that the mountain men of Kurtah swear to be in a lifelong war with powerful magical beings that live under the mountains - The plague beneath their feet, was the phrase spat in anger and disdain when last asked of their lands history.
Social Structure:
As we know so little of Kurtah and their people, our knowledge on the specifics of their people and social structures are very limited.
We know they have a large and very powerful army, with well trained and highly skilled soldiers. They fight as a cohesive and dominating group, very few who go up against a Kurtah mountain man live to tell the tale.
They have a leader but how he came to be in power we do not know, we also don't know if they have any form of a line of succession or if power can be seized by anyone.
It is said they have many women fighters, as able as any man on Keltorin with blade, bow or axe - though we had not encountered any female fighters in our distant past.
Relationships and Trade:
We know that Kurtah stopped seeking war with us and the other countries along its borders several generations ago, since then they have established trade relationships with both Irahdah and Almain and even at times they have traded with us here in Valcanne.
Our details are limited but we know Almain is their strongest trading partner and they have even come to refer to one and other as allies - though this has never had to be tested in the face of war.
Almain has told us that the Kurtah mountain men refer to Irahdah as the friend with a knife to your throat, only a friend when it suites them and ready to kill you should that suit them to.
We know Almain encouraged the relationship with Kurtah to this level of trust, we believe this was in order to gain further northern access to the Mountains of Kurtah.
From what other details we have, you can discern they probably don't have the best relationships with the people of Valmere or the powerful beings that live under the mountains.
The People and their Skills:
We know the mountain men of Kurtah believe themselves to be highly honourable in both war and trade, never reneging on a negotiation or attacking unprovoked - this is true at least in the last few generations.
The people of Kurtah are generally all tall and strong for Keltorins standards, they all seem to be able to fight and defend themselves even the women are rumored to be skilled with weapons.
Kurtah is known for producing the highest quality armour and weapons in Keltorin, this is aided by their highly skilled miners who harvest materials rapidly from their metal rich surroundings.
It is also said that the people of Kurtah live in a series of massive castles that appear to sit on top of the mountains, in truth however the castles are carved into the mountains themselves - a massive interconnecting system of mountains.
We have heard tales of the splendor of their massive castles in the heart of their city, it is said to float above the clouds and is hidden from view in the early and late hours of the day.
From this information we believe they are highly skilled masons and builders, to ensure the castles don't collapse under their own weight.
As they want or require more space they simple continue to dig out the mountains, continually expanding and developing their existing holdings creating new rooms, hallways and chambers - the likes of which haven't been seen before on Keltorin.
Kurtah's relationship with the Gods:
We know nothing of their relationships or beliefs of the gods.
Summary:
In truth we know very little of our northern neighbour Kurtah, what we have learned has taken generations to collect and most is hearsay.
We know the mountain men control a large and formidable army, with some of the best weapons and armour found on Keltorin.
Kurtah is not a country many would choose to go to war with, peace is always seen as the sane choice with such a skilled opponent - if war is chosen the repercussions can be devastating and deadly.
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