Reinyk

"...as far as you can go and still expect to return." Reinyk is the most remote (living) settlement in The F'Zyr . It is located to the west of Zijver River and a full day's walk from Kogarye. As you arrive from the south-east you first pass though the sacrificial grounds where stands a small alter: a grey, flat-topped boulder with worn, blood-stained carvings. This glade is one of the few places that sees sunshine through the crowding trees. Depending on the time of year you may see grass (and by extension the rare domesticated pig or cow) but the earth in the F'zyr is hard and brittle.
The village itself it picketed by a rickety fence through which nothing bigger than a fox might slink when its two gates are closed. Nine long houses and six cabins stand within: built of raw stone and logs, and thatched with sticks and moss (a more than plentiful resource). Their giant black fowl (a hoary bird with the plumage of a turkey and the malice of a goose) roam the village freely. Above the doors of each cabin hangs the boiled skull of some poor hunted beast as tradition demands. These are hunting families who make their living from wild animals in the form of meat, gut, hide and bone. The Shamanka's hut can be found a few paces inside the gate, easily identified by its preening herb-garden into which both bird and beast suspiciously refuse to go. The eaves of the hut are hung with fetishes and tribal warding badges.

Government

Reinyk is run mainly by the Shamanka who guides the families in spirit worship and communes with the demons with which they share the land. It is essentially democratic however, the majority can easily overrule her should they feel it is worth risking their status with the demons. It is only by the Shamanka's permission that anything wild may be picked, cut or killed to avoid upsetting said demons. Her function also includes healing and midwifery.
The community runs itself on resource trade and assistance from Kogarye, Alskie's Mill and the odd fishermen settled on the Zijver. Stamped currency is worthless. There has never been a tax man from the Kaerup to collect aught, and just as well for they would have nothing to give. No soldier, guard or barony were ever assigned so it may seem reasonable that these Zyrians do not see themselves as part of the Unity at all.

Industry & Trade

Main exports are hides, fur and timber in their raw forms; while popular imports are salt, cloth, wool, grain and flour.
Tools are made from wood, horn and flint because steel and iron are rare unless traded in from further east and unworked they are useless. Tools and weapons are handed down through generations and are highly valued possessions.
Leather work from this area is highly prized in the rest of the country but it can be found in abundance among the locals. Everyone wears finely stitched hides with fur linings, and horn or wooden toggles, buckles, or brooches. The hems are traditionally sewn with gut from the same type of animal as the leather (Shamen do not recommend mixing the flesh of different animals). Hunters specialise in tanning as much as in fletching and trap-making.
While herbal soaps may be considered luxurious in the cities of Fedhera it is made in Reinyk in droves. The animal fat required for production is easily attainable along with high quality lye, beeswax, flax and herbs. These are usually produced by the household and for the household and not a lot of attention is given to the quality of the scent as much as the effectiveness. Paznir is the only one who produces herbal soaps for sale from his own beeswax.
Down is taken from their fowl, wild ducks and pigeons for pillows and quilts.
Weaving and basket-making is a common household craft. Those living close to the Zijver, with Rye and Rijn lakes not far, make decent flax threads for linens and reed baskets. Those deeper in the forest make good quality felt from animal fur and baskets from young hazel and willow. Felt can be made in strips and woven into blankets, or worked into thick yet breathable garments often worn in the colder months. Cloth can be water-proofed with beeswax or birch sap.
Carpentry. From toys and tools to furniture and boats, they make anything from wood. Pine is over-abundant and of a fine, hard quality; as is oak and birch but regrowth is slow and the gógari population affects harvest of the finest specimens.
Cooping is mainly done by a few specialists for local usage.
Horn is also used by carvers to make tools, candle-holders and accessories such as brooches, hair pins and jewellery.

Infrastructure

A rutted road is marked out from Kogarye to Reinyk. It is fit for a small wagon, taking several detours to mitigate the steep climb. Within the village river stones have been used to pave paths between the homes.
Seasonal markets are set up outside the village in the glade around the Sacrificial Stone.
Alskie's Mill is a watermill situated on the bank of the Zijver within a league from Reinyk. The extended family grows and grinds rye, but also bark for the tanners, and salt which comes up the river from Rohundra.
Paznir has a small brewery and bee-keep within half a league of Alskie's mill. This would be the closes thing to a tavern if there was one.

Architecture

Buildings are low and roughly assembled but sturdy. Materials used are stone, wood, rope, sticks, moss, and clay. Striped, colourful weaves insulate doorways and shutters. Hunting trophies adorn their walls both inside and out as well as fetishes and warding badges made of nutshells, feathers, and semi-precious stones.

Geography

Reinyk is set on the flattened top of the ridge that is The F'Zyr. On the east side of the village is a kept glade where stands the Sacrificial Stone and seasonal market grounds, surrounded by brambles, hazel and pine groves. A rutted road runs runs east and south to Kogarye while a smaller path leads to the banks of the Zijver and a few fishing huts. The south of the village looks over an increasing slope from which many throw their unwanted debris against the Shamanka's advice. To the north stands another gate which leads to Rijn Lake and once connected Reinyk with a settlement that once lay on the bank. The road is fit enough for a hand-pulled cart and marked by posts: maintenance that is kept by and for a single outlying family of reindeer herders.

Natural Resources

Wood, river stone, herbs, wild game, poultry (black fowl), flax, rye, and honey.

Type

Hamlet

Population

183

Location under

The F'Zyr