Culture:Mountain-Kind
Mountain-Kind
The Mountain-Kind culture is a sub-culture of the Faren heritage. Traditionally, the Mountain-Kind sport silvery coats and live high within the Highpeak Range, the mountains that separate Yaotlan from Setosia. Despite this, many have left to join other cultures while others have joined their culture, creating a minor diversity among them.
The Mountain-Kind are most noted for their devout worship of Nalieth, who they believe is the source of all light in the universe. They have a well-respected order of monks that live in temples throughout the mountains, most notably Highpeak Temple, the main location where their religion is practiced. While all Mountain-Kind follow the teachings of Nalieth, most of them do not live in the temples but in mountainside villages. They rarely leave their secluded villages except to trade with each other on rare occasion or to make pilgrimages to the temples.
Despite residing almost exclusively in secluded villages high in the mountains, they are not averse to tourists, visitors, or pilgrims from other cultures. They are considered to be the most kind and understanding of not just the Faren as a whole, but of all cultures on Zyrkthraan. They willingly and gladly give food, shelter, and supplies to anyone who finds their way into their villages and will regularly allow outsiders to remain in their villages for extended periods, regardless of what reason that person is there for.
The monks of the temples are also incredibly welcoming to outsiders, and have no qualms about allowing them to shelter in their temples for however long they need. The monks are also noted for being the ones to leave the mountains to engage with others where they are, especially those within Valley-Kind cities where they believe the Light cannot reach on its own. Many monks will travel to other cities, primarily those boasting high crime rates, and reside there for as long as they deem necessary. While there, they perform acts of goodwill, such as taking care of orphans and those without homes, preparing large meals for entire sections of the community, and cleaning the streets as they pass through them. They believe that doing things such as these will help Nalieth's Light reach these "dark" areas and result in more people understanding the strength of kindness and generosity.
The Valley-Kind typically see Mountain-Kind monks as busybodies that insert themselves into situations that they do not need to be in. Many of the Valley-Kind dislike the Mountain-Kind as a whole, but few will actually try to harm them. While the Valley-Kind have no issue with attacking outsiders, many know that attacking a Mountain-Kind monk is a very painful experience. The monks train every day in the art of Silat, a martial art form that, while used entirely for self defense, is capable of easily breaking things like ribs, wrists, and arms. If attacked by a Valley-Kind, the monks retaliate with Silat and do not step away until their aggressor is on the ground and injured in a way that prevents them from pursuing them. Thus, the Valley-Kind developed a respect for the Mountain-Kind in general, as they are typically not able to determine if a visiting member of that culture is a highly-trained monk or average person.
Mountain-Kind People
Below is a list of people from the Mountain-Kind culture:
