Geonids of the Southern Heights
by WingofCootAbout 22,000 geonids live in the southern World's Edge Mountains, between the snow line and the densely wooded lowlands, or on the shores of the two huge mountain lakes. Many live in caves in the mountains, but most live in stone structures built on the surface.
While some of these geonids (especially the cave dwellers) still live in small bands as their species has done for tens of thousands of years, the majority of this southern population has adopted a fundamentally different lifestyle in large permanent settlements. Early in the geonids' existence here, elemental servants of Terra imparted knowledge such as agriculture, mining, and metalworking, and the geonids took to it very easily. They have become great miners and skilled smiths, working copper and its alloys, lead, tin, silver, electrum, gold, and iron. This area is incredibly rich in mineral resources -precious and base metals, construction stone such as granite and marble, clays suitable for pottery, mineral dyes, and gemstones.
Unlike their ancestors on Vaniae [M-Mars], these geonids follow Terra. The geonid priests that lead them have gained actual clerical spells from the shaman list - these geonids may become shamans of up to 7th level.
Three towns have been built - Snowsaddle (population 1000), Broadwater (population 1300), and Shimmerfalls (population 1200). These towns are supported by about four times their total population on their surrounding lands. Each town is ruled by a maximum level geonid priest-shaman.
Broadwater has the richest agricultural potential and clay sources, Snowsaddle has the best granite quarries and good sources of copper and iron, and Shimmerfalls has gold, silver, and gemstones and good marble quarries.
The geonids are not a unified nation, but do not fight wars with one another. As they have expanded beyond their initial valleys, they have encountered a number of dangerous monsters, and have devised weapons and tactics to use against them. The three towns share information on the lairs of major monsters such as wyverns and dragons.
They generally hunt monsters with slings and iron- or bronze-tipped spears, carrying daggers or swords in case of close combat. Geonid swords are iron and tend to be made much like longer daggers, primarily stabbing weapons with blades 18" to 24" long. Their slings tend to use lead bullets.