Hesterherre

The Hesterherre is a large peninsula in western Apenrike between the Inner Sea and the Disparate and Parched Seas. It is dominated geographically by dry steppes that stretch from the Langdrank River and the Elven Wall in the east to the Seaspine Mountains and the Coringian Channel on its western coast. The oldest residents of the area are the dwarves of Rikhem who have been here since the Great Undertaking when they dispersed. The dwarves, distrustful of the elves who had just brought them there, immediately made for the coastal mountains and began delving into the caverns of the southern Seaspines. There, they established the great dwarven kingdom of Rikhem.  The dwarves of Rikhem spend almost all their lives under the mountains and only emerge to trade with the horse peoples to their east. They are exceedingly distrustful of the Coringians who have established mining provinces to their west and intentionally avoid contact with the westerners.  The horsemen of the Hesterherre are of Nordic descent and left Ankomst early in the Age of Kings.  As first Norse made their way across the Coringian Channel and followed the coast around the Seaspines until they came across the vast game-filled plains of the interior of the Hesterherre. There they domesticated the wild horse found on the peninsula and occupied the grasslands from the mountains in the west to the Elven Wall in the east. The horsemen have divided themselves into the Montlings, the Veggmenns, the Jodnar, the Skjellfolk, and the Innsonar.  They are thought of as the world’s premier light cavalry for their lightning quick hit and run tactics. They specialize in mounted archery and can fire accurately at full speed. They live in nomadic tribes but stick to their home ranges, which although large, don’t overlap with neighboring tribes and clans. The exception to this is that once per year, in the Spring, they meet on the shores of Broken Axe Lake for a month of trading, competition, and celebration. This is when the chieftans all plan out the year and divvy up recesses. The dwarves of Rikhem take advantage of this gathering and always send a large trading party to deal with the barbarian nomads and barter for supplies for the coming year. The Hesterherre is occupied by more than the dwarves in their mountain fortress of Rikhem and the horsemen of the plains. The Conringian Empire established two sizable mining colonies on the coast, and at the base of the Seaspines; the mining cities of Riga and Tahkveer.